Detroit Tigers: 4 hometown players in franchise history

Jerry Davie was born on February 10, 1933, in Detroit and made his debut with the Tigers in 1959, only to retire from baseball in 1960.

Davie’s stint with the Tigers might best be described as a cup of coffee stint. The Detroit Tigers signed him to a contract in 1952, and he didn’t reach the majors until 1959. He started off a relief pitcher posting solid outings throughout April.

The Tigers moved Davie into the starting rotation beginning in May, and Davie bounced up and down as a starter. In his first outing, he gave up four earned runs. He bounced back after that, winning back-to-back starts.

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A poor outing in June saw he sent back to minor leagues and his career in the majors was over. He’d retire from baseball following the minor league season in 1960. He finished his career in the majors with a 2-2 record, a 4.17 ERA and 20 strikeouts over 36 and two-thirds innings pitched.

The Detroit Tigers have had plenty of homegrown talent throughout the years. Wayne State University compiled a list you can see here. It also includes baseball players born in the state of Michigan. Greats like screwball pitcher Mike Marshall and Ed “Knuckles” Cicotte.

Marshall was on a screwball pitcher with a long career, who was a teammate alongside Tommy John when we had the infamous surgery. He now runs a pitching camp advocating the screwball pitch and his nephew is current a minor league pitcher employing his philosophy.

Cicotte is best known for being apart of the 1919 Black Sox. But, before he was banned from baseball from life he spent his first year with the Detroit Tigers. From there, he went on to rack up over 200 wins as a knuckleball pitcher before being banned from life.

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The Tigers undoubtedly have a rich history in baseball lore. Seeing that there are some hometown boys who wore the Olde English D should be a thing Tigers fans alike can enjoy together.