Detroit Tigers: Top 10 Strikeout Kings

The Detroit Tigers have had plenty of strikeout kings throughout the years. From most recently Justin Verlander to the great Mickey Lolich. But where do they stack up in Tigers lore?

Detroit Tigers fans have seen plenty of aces come and go throughout the years. Current fans have fond memories of watching Justin Verlander pitch each season. Some of the older fans remember Mark Fidrych. The old-timers remember the great Mickey Lolich.

Fidrych is probably the most noteworthy name not on this list. He only spent five seasons with the Tigers and his career ended early due to injuries. By his first two seasons were a spectacle for Tigers fans alike to watch. His rookie campaign in 1976 saw him win the AL Rookie of the Year Award in addition to being named an AL All-Star. 1977 saw him named again to the AL All-Star Team. After that, injuries halted his performance.

This list portrays the top ten strikeout kings to play for the Detroit Tigers. Some of them played their whole career for the Tigers, others did not. Only two modern players are on this list. Justin Verlander is one. The other is Jack Morris, a member of the ’84 Bless You Boys.

These two are just two of the many pitching greats that have been in Detroit.

If you think someone else should be on this list, let us know in the comments.

First up, is Denny McLain who was a member of the 1968 World Series Championship team.

*Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.

Denny McLain spent seven seasons with the Detroit Tigers. He racked up 1150 strikeouts and a World Series title along the way.

McLain was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the 1962 draft. He spent a year in the minors, and due to the rules at the time, was placed on waivers and selected by the Tigers off of them. He made his major league debut in September of 1963 at the age of 19. In his debut, against the White Sox, he allowed just one earned run on seven hits and hit a home run himself.

According to his SABR bio, McLain is only one of six teenagers since 1920 to hit a major league home run.  1968 was the best season of McLain’s career. He was winning games at a remarkable pace and recorded his 30^th win on September 14, 1968. He was the first pitcher since Dizzy Dean in 1934 to do so. He’s also the last pitcher in major league baseball to do so. McLain would win the final game of the regular season to make his total on the season 31.

Despite being the Tigers ace all season long, he’d struggled in the World Series. Mickey Lolich would win three straight games in the Fall Classic for the Tigers en route to their ’68 World Title. With the Tigers, McLain would rack up 1150 strikeouts with a 3.13 ERA in 1593.0 innings of work.

He’s behind another Tigers World Champion on our list. In at number nine is 1945 World Series Champion Dizzy Trout.

Dizzy Trout spent fourteen seasons with the Detroit Tigers where he racked up 1199 strikeouts and a World Series Title in 1945.

Trout signed with the Tigers in 1939 and didn’t post a winning season until 1943. From 1939 he posted a 33-44 record, even going 3-7 when the Tigers won the pennant in 1940. Like most men of the time, Dizzy tried to enlist when the US joined World War II. However, he was classified as 4-F due to hearing impairment.

During wartime baseball he was one of the best pitchers in the American League posting an 82-54 record. In ’40 he led the American League in wins (20) and followed that up with 27 wins in 1941. In 1941 Trout and teammate Hal Newhouser finished 1^stand 2^nd in ERA, wins, innings pitched, strikeouts, complete games, and shutouts.

Trouts stats weren’t as impressive during the 1945 season, but he was a vital member of the Tigers 1945 World Series Championship. His stats continued to taper off following the ’45 season. The Tigers tried him to the Orioles in 1952 and he retired the following year. He attempted a comeback in ’57 with the Orioles but retired for good following an 81.00 ERA in two outings.

In his fourteen seasons with the Tigers Trout strikeout out 1199 batters, posted a 3.20 ERA in 2591.2 innings of work. He started in 305 games and pitched 156 complete games. He’s behind an even older Tigers’ player on this list.

Coming in at number eight is Hooks Dauss who last played for the Tigers in 1926.

Hooks Dauss spent his entire fifteen-year career with the Detroit Tigers, racking up 1201 strikeouts along the way.

Born George August Dauss, he earned the nickname Hooks because his curveball was hard to hit. In 1912 Tigers President Frank Navin purchased Daus from the Class-A American Association St. Paul Saints. In his MLB debut, he pitched a four-hit complete game victory over the Cleveland Naps.

In 1913 he became a regular in the Tigers rotation, as he started 29 games that season. He compiled a 13-12 record with a 2.48 ERA. In 1914 Dauss logged 302 innings of work over 45 games as he compiled a 19-15 record. 1915 saw Dauss continue to be a workhorse for the Tigers as he pitched in 46 games compiling a 24-13 record.

Dauss had winning records until 1918. He had shown signs of decline the year before in spring training as the Detroit Free Press notes:

“There is no use trying to dodge the somber truth, Dauss does not look good. Now and then he has shown his famous curve with as quick a break as it ever had, but he hasn’t had a fastball that would dent a felt hat.”

As well He continued to hit more batters than anyone else in baseball. Still, he proved to be a workhorse as he continued to pitch over 200 innings each season.

Dauss holds the Tigers franchise records for wins (223), when he got the record he surpassed the next person on our list.

Coming in at number seven is pitcher George Mullin.

In twelve seasons with the Tigers, George Mullin fanned 1380 batters and helped guide the Tigers to three straight World Series.

In 1901 Mullin signed a deal with the Brooklyn Superbas and Detroit Tigers but ended up choosing the Tigers as he wished to stay closer to home. Mullin is known for his ability as a workhorse. With the Tigers, he started in 395 games of which 336 were complete games.

From 1907-1909 Mullin was part of a Tigers team that included Ty Cobb, Sam Crawford and skipper Hughie Jennings. Together, the team won three straight AL Pennants but could never quite win it all as they lost three straight World Series.

1909 also saw Mullin start the season off 11-0, a franchise record that stood for 104 years until it Max Scherzer started 12-0 to start off the 12-0 season. In the 1907-1909 World Series Mullin pitched six complete games for the Tigers. Despite strong performances from Mullin the Tigers lost each of the three World Series. He a 2.17 ERA in the 1907 World Series, but no offensive help. In 1908 he pitched a complete game shutout win, but the Tigers still couldn’t bring home a title.

Then in 1909, he won two games, including a game four against Honus Wagner where he pitched a ten strikeout complete game. In the end, Mullin logged 3394.0 innings of work for the Tigers striking out 1380 batters along the way.

The next pitcher on our list is the second member of the 1968 World Series Championship team. Coming in at number six is Jim Bunning.

Jim Bunning spent nine seasons with the Tigers where he racked up 1406 strikeouts along the way.

After a freshman season of baseball at Xavier University, Bunning signed deal with the Tigers in 1950. He spent four years in the Tigers farm systems, until he made his MLB debut on July 20, 1955. Bunning’s time with the Tigers was fairly uneventful. Aside from becoming the tenth pitcher in MLB history nine-pitch/three-strikeout half-inning there isn’t much to note of his time with the Tigers.

As a member of the Detroit Tigers, he logged 1867.1 innings of work, striking out 1406 batters. He posted a 3.45 ERA in 251 starts. He’d then spend six seasons with the Phillies (after the Tigers traded him), two seasons with the Pirates and one final season with the Dodgers.

After his retirement from baseball Bunning would go onto serve as a Republican politician in his home state of Kentucky. In 1996 Bunning was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame via the Veterans Committee.

Bunning consistently put up excellent numbers throughout his career. In only one season he had over twenty wins and he never won a CY Young award. Despite that, he posted enough strikeouts to be sixth best strikeout king in Tigers history.

Admittedly, before I did the list I hadn’t heard of Bunning, which is surprising given how well he pitched year in and out.  The next player on our list, I haven’t heard of either but he was a member of the 1945 World Series team.

Coming in at number five on our list is Tommy Bridges.

Tommy Bridges spent sixteen seasons with the Tigers where he was a two time World Series champion and racked up 1674 strikeouts.

Bridges joined the Tigers in 1930. He came within one out of throwing a perfect game in 1932. He threw a one-hitter in ’33 as well he reached the ninth inning with a no-hitter for the fourth time. Bridges won a crucial pitching battle against Dizzy Dean, pitching a complete game victory. That was the Tigers only victory of the series as the Tigers lost the fall classic 3-1.

The next season Bridges would help the Tigers bring the first World Series title since 1909. Bridges pitched a complete game victory in game seven of the World Series as the Tigers brought home the title to Detroit.

Bridges’ later years were uneventful. He pitched a scoreless 14-inning duel in 1942, which ended when it became dark. He entered the Army in 1944, and after one year of service returned to baseball. Bridges was a member of the 1945 World Series championship team and retired from baseball in 1946.

Twelves times Bridges was the American League Leader in strikeouts, and seven times he led the American League in strikeouts per nine innings. In 1941, Bridges set a franchise record for strikeouts. It was a record that wasn’t passed until 1951 by the next person on our list.

Fourth in the Tigers strikeout, king list is Tigers great Hal Newhouser, who spent fifteen seasons playing for the Olde English D.

Hal Newhouser spent fifteen seasons with the Detroit Tigers, striking out 1,770 batters and winning one World Series title in 1945.

Newhouser was signed by the Tigers in 1939 at the age of 18. He made his MLB debut in September of 1939. He earned a spot on the forty-man roster during spring training in 1940. During wartime baseball Newhouser was one of several top Tigers players classified as 4-F.

During 1944 he posted a 29-9 record becoming one of the most dominant pitchers of wartime baseball. In 1945 he won the pitching Triple Crown and helped the Tigers win the 1945 World Series title. For a second consecutive year, he was named Sporting News Pitcher of the Year, becoming the youngest to do so at 24.

He continued to be one of baseball’s best pitcher until 1950 when an arm injury saw his workload reduced. Finally, in 1953 the Tigers released Newhouser and he’d spend his final two years of baseball playing for the Indians.

During his fifteen years with the team, Newhouser struck out 1,770 batters in 2944.0 innings of work. He appeared in 460 games, 373 of which he started. He also pitched 212 complete games for the Detroit Tigers. Newhouser finished with a 200-148 record and a 3.07 ERA.

Ahead of Newhouser on our list is another World Series Champion. This time, though, it’s a member of the most recent Tigers World Series Championship.

In at number four, is Jack Morris member of the 1984 Bless You Boys.

In thirteen seasons with the Tigers, Justin Verlander was a fan favorite and compiled the second most career strikeouts in franchise history.

The Tigers drafted Verlander second overall in the 2004 MLB Draft. It wasn’t until July 2005 that Verlander made his MLB debut. In 2006, the Tigers became the only team to have three pitchers through multiple 100 MPH fastballs in the same game as Verlander, Joel Zumaya, and Fernando Rodney each pitched in the game.

With the Tigers, Verlander was a 6x All-Star, and a Triple Crown winner. As well he pitched two no-hitters with the Tigers. His first came in 2007 and his next one in 2011.  As a member of the organization he logged 2511.0 innings of work with 2373 strikeouts. He posted a 3.49 ERA in 380 appearances. All of which were starts, and 23 of them were complete games.

Over the last decade, he’s been the best Tigers pitcher, arguably, since Jack Morris left the Tigers for the Twins. Justin was a part of a decade of Tigers baseball that captivated fans. As you well know, the Tigers admitted rebuild and traded JV away to the Astros.

Had he stayed with the Tigers he undoubtedly would have become the strike king in the motor city. However, that title belongs to Tigers’ great Mickey Lolich. A member of the 1968 World Series team and the franchise record holder for strikeouts (2679), games started (459), shutouts (39) and several other franchise records.

Mickey Lolich is the Detroit Tigers strikeout king. Over thirteen seasons in the motor city, he racked up 2679 strikeouts and a World Series title.

Lolich spent thirteen seasons with the Tigers but is probably most known for his 1968 World Series performance. Lolich took the mound in game five, with the Tigers down 3-1 in the series. He’d go on to pitch three complete-game victories. Including, a game seven against Cardinals starter Bob Gibson.

Behind Lolich, the Tigers would come back from a 3-1 deficit to win the ’68 World Series. With the Tigers he was a 3x All-Star, a World Series Champ, World Series MVP. As well he was the MLB Wins and Strikeout leader in 1971. Lolich would finish his career with the Tigers striking out 2679 batters over 3361.2 innings of work. He pitched 508 games, starting in 459 of them while posting a 3.45 ERA.

Next: Top 10 sluggers in Tigers history

These are the top ten strikeout kings in Detroit Tigers. These pitchers played at least all or part of their career with the franchise.

If you think someone else should be on the list let us know! The Bird is a great example, for a very short period of time he was a fearsome hurler, unfortunately, any promise he had was shortened by injuries. There are plenty of great pitchers throughout the history of the Tigers, these ten just have more strikeouts than anyone else in franchise history.