During an offseason where the weather (and the hot stove) are both ice cold, let’s use Throwback Thursday to talk about our favorite Detroit Tigers memories.
The Detroit Tigers are set to enter a long-term rebuilding era, which may cause fans to reminisce about the glory days. The Tigers have had numerous eras of dominance, spanning generations of Tiger fans.
Grandpa may remember the glory days of the late 1960’s, when Al Kaline, Norm Cash and Mickey Lolich helped propel the Tigers to the 1968 World Series. Meanwhile, his son may remember the Alan Trammell, Lou Whitaker and Jack Morris-led 1984 squad that started 35-5 and went on to win the 1984 World Series. The youngest may be fond of Magglio Ordonez‘s walk-off home run in Game Four of the 2006 ALCS, sending the Tigers back to the World Series for the first time in 22 years.
Whatever your preference, there are plenty of positive memories embedded in Detroit’s lengthy baseball history.
Our staff connected and came up with a few of our favorite memories to share with you all.
I’ll go first. As a Tigers fan living in Seattle, I only get to see my boys play one series a year against the Mariners. Three years ago I took my dad to a game on May 30, 2015 at Safeco Field. The highlights were home runs by Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez, as well as a dominant start from Justin Verlander. However, what I remember is predicting before the game that outfielder Rajai Davis, who was on my fantasy team, would hit a home run. I went as far as to say that he would go deep to left field, possibly off the staircase above the bullpen at Safeco Field.
Lo and behold, in the seventh inning off former Tiger Charlie Furbush, Davis lifted a fly ball to deep left field that left the yard.
As you can see, the ball nearly caromed off the staircase, instead landing in the second level of fans. A lucky prediction led to one of the most memorable home runs I’ve ever seen in person. It had little impact on the game however, which the Tigers won 6-3.
From staff writer Austin Green:
My favorite Detroit Tigers memory is actually when a couple of the Tigers coaches and players held a small baseball camp at my high school in 2010. Former pitching coach Jeff Jones, who graduated from the same high school, was there coaching pitchers. Scott Pickens, the former bullpen catcher, coached me and the other position players; he was incredibly helpful and a nice guy.
We also got to meet pitchers Rick Porcello and Ryan Perry, both of whom were very friendly. I now have Porcello’s and Perry’s autographs on a collectible baseball always reminding me of that fun and informative day.
From staff writer Gabriel Masek:
June 15th 2017 I was watching the game at Comerica park. With the Tigers three games below .500 and some rain coming down, not a lot of fans stuck around. Me and my girlfriend grabbed empty seats just a few rows back from the home dugout. The game was back and fourth all night. Cabrera ended it in the bottom of the ninth with a walk off home run. The most exciting game I’ve ever attended happened in an otherwise depressing season.
We polled fans to ask what their favorite Tigers memory is. Here are a few of our favorites, starting with probably the most iconic home run in team history:
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Next: Tigers Top Five Moments of 2017
The Tigers have a storied history. Even though the next few years may not provide a ton of wins, their will be memorable moments that the next generation of Tigers fans will share with their friends and family for years to come.