The 1935
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
won the
1935 World Series, defeating the
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...
4 games to 2. The season was their 35th since they entered the
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...
in 1901. It was the first World Series championship for the Tigers.
The players
As the 1934 Detroit Tigers won a club-record 101 games, the team made few changes in the off-season to alter their winning combination.
Catcher/Manager: Mickey Cochrane
Hall of Famer
Mickey Cochrane
Gordon Stanley "Mickey" Cochrane (April 6, 1903 – June 28, 1962), nicknamed "Black Mike", was an American professional baseball player, manager and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Philadelphia Athletics and Detro ...
returned as the team's manager and
catcher
Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...
. Known as "Black Mike", Cochrane is considered one of the greatest catchers of all time. In 1935, he hit .319 (9th in the AL) with a .452 on-base percentage (3rd in the AL), 96 walks (4th in the AL), 93 runs scored, and 33 doubles. Aside from his contributions as a player, Cochrane was invaluable as a manager and leader.
Charlie Gehringer
Charles Leonard Gehringer (May 11, 1903 – January 21, 1993), nicknamed "the Mechanical Man", was an American professional baseball second baseman, coach, general manager, and team vice president, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for t ...
later said: "When Mickey was managing the Tigers from behind the plate I can't remember him ever fouling up anything. Seemed like he made snap judgments that always worked out well, especially in '34 and '35."
Infield: Greenberg, Gehringer, Rogell, and Owen
![Hank Greenberg 1937 cropped](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/Hank_Greenberg_1937_cropped.jpg)
The Detroit infield of the 1934–1935 seasons was one of the best-hitting combinations in MLB history. With
Hank Greenberg
Henry Benjamin Greenberg (born Hyman Greenberg; January 1, 1911 – September 4, 1986), nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank", "Hankus Pankus", or "The Hebrew Hammer", was an American professional baseball player and team executive. He played in Major Leagu ...
at
first
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
,
Charlie Gehringer
Charles Leonard Gehringer (May 11, 1903 – January 21, 1993), nicknamed "the Mechanical Man", was an American professional baseball second baseman, coach, general manager, and team vice president, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for t ...
at
second
The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds ...
,
Billy Rogell
William George Rogell (; November 24, 1904 – August 9, 2003) was an American baseball player who played 14 years in Major League Baseball, primarily as a shortstop for the Detroit Tigers. He made his major league debut on April 14, 1925 and p ...
at
shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...
, and
Marv Owen
Marvin James Owen (March 22, 1906 – June 22, 1991) was an American baseball player, manager, coach and scout.
A native of northern California, Owen played both baseball and football at Santa Clara University. He made his Major League Baseb ...
at
third
Third or 3rd may refer to:
Numbers
* 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3
* , a fraction of one third
* Second#Sexagesimal divisions of calendar time and day, 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute''
Places
* 3rd Street (d ...
, the 1934 Tigers infield collected 462
RBIs
A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...
(139 by Greenberg, 127 by Gehringer, 100 by Rogell, and 96 by Owen) and 179
double
A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another.
Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to:
Film and television
* Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character
* Th ...
s (63 by Greenberg, 50 by Gehringer, 34 by Owen and 32 by Rogell).
"Hammerin' Hank" Greenberg led the major leagues with 170 RBIs in 1935—the eighth highest single season total in major league history. The second highest RBI total in the AL that year was
Lou Gehrig
Henry Louis Gehrig (born Heinrich Ludwig Gehrig ; June 19, 1903June 2, 1941) was an American professional baseball first baseman who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees (1923–1939). Gehrig was renowned f ...
's 119—51 fewer than Hank. Greenberg also led the major leagues in 1935 with 36
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
s, 98 extra base hits, 389
total bases
In baseball statistics, total bases is the number of bases a player gains with hits. It is a weighted sum with values of 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run. For example, three singles is three total bases, while ...
, and 159
runs created Runs created (RC) is a baseball statistic invented by Bill James to estimate the number of runs a hitter contributes to their team.
Purpose
James explains in his book, ''The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract'', why he believes runs created is ...
. He also hit for average, with a .328
batting average
Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic.
Cricket
In cricket, a player's batting average is ...
(7th in the AL), .411
on-base percentage
In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batter reaches base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA), as it is rarely presented as a ...
(6th in the AL), and .628
slugging percentage
In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats, through the following formula, where ''AB'' is the number of at bats for a given player, ...
(2nd in the AL). Greenberg was named the American League's Most Valuable Player for 1935.
Charlie Gehringer also had a terrific season, hitting .330 for the year (5th best in the AL). He was also among the league leaders with 123 runs (2nd in the AL), 201 hits (5th in the AL), 125 runs created (5th in the AL), 306 total bases (6th in the AL), 19 home runs (8th in the AL), and 108 RBIs (9th in the AL). Gehringer also led AL second basemen with 489 assists and a .985 fielding percentage. Gehringer finished 6th in the AL MVP voting in 1935. Known for his consistency as a hitter and fielder, Gehringer was given the nickname "The Mechanical Man" by Yankee pitcher
Lefty Gomez
Vernon Louis "Lefty" Gomez (November 26, 1908 – February 17, 1989) was an American professional baseball player. A left-handed pitcher, Gomez played in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1930 and 1943 for the New York Yankees and the Washingt ...
.
Mickey Cochrane
Gordon Stanley "Mickey" Cochrane (April 6, 1903 – June 28, 1962), nicknamed "Black Mike", was an American professional baseball player, manager and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Philadelphia Athletics and Detro ...
joked that "Charlie says `hello' on Opening Day, `goodbye' on closing day, and in between hits .350."
Shortstop Billy Rogell hit .275 and scored 88 runs in 1935 while drawing 80 walks. Rogell also led AL shortstops with 104 double plays and a .971 fielding percentage. Rogell and Gehringer played over 1,000 games together as the Tigers' double play combination. Rogell's fiery demeanor was a stark contrast to the calm, quiet demeanor of Gehringer. Once, after both failed to cover second on a steal attempt,
Mickey Cochrane
Gordon Stanley "Mickey" Cochrane (April 6, 1903 – June 28, 1962), nicknamed "Black Mike", was an American professional baseball player, manager and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Philadelphia Athletics and Detro ...
charged out from behind the plate shouting at Rogell and Gehringer. As reported in ''
The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract
''The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract'' is a reference book written by Bill James featuring an overview of professional baseball decade by decade, along with rankings of the top 100 players at each position. The original edition was publi ...
'': "Rogell, astonished, looked at Gehringer to see if he was going to say anything. Gehringer, of course, had nothing to say. 'Goddamn you,' yelled Rogell. 'Don't you come charging out here telling me how to play shortstop. You go back there and do the catching, and I'll play shortstop. If I'm not good enough, you can find someone else.' Cochrane went back to his own position."
Marv Owen was the one Tiger starter whose performance dropped off significantly from 1934 to 1935. In 1934, Owen had batted .317 with 96 RBIs and finished 9th in the AL MVP voting. In 1935, his average dropped 54 points to .263, and his RBI production fell to 71. Owen is remembered for a famous incident in Game 7 of the
1934 World Series.
Joe Medwick
Joseph Michael Medwick (November 24, 1911 – March 21, 1975), nicknamed "Ducky" and "Muscles", was an American Major League Baseball player. A left fielder with the St. Louis Cardinals during the " Gashouse Gang" era of the 1930s, he also pla ...
tripled in the 6th inning with the Cardinals ahead by 7 runs. He slid hard into Owen at third, knocking him down. The two fought, and Detroit fans pelted Medwick with fruit and garbage when he returned to left field. As the fan reaction escalated, Commissioner
Kenesaw Mountain Landis
Kenesaw Mountain Landis (; November 20, 1866 – November 25, 1944) was an American jurist who served as a United States federal judge from 1905 to 1922 and the first Commissioner of Baseball from 1920 until his death. He is remembered for his ...
ordered Medwick removed from the game. Owen batted just .069 (2–29) in the 1934 World Series and .050 (1–20) in the 1935 World Series. He set a post-season record for the most consecutive plate appearances between hits with 31.
Rounding out the infield was utility infielder
Flea Clifton
Herman Earl "Flea" Clifton (December 12, 1908 – December 22, 1997), was a professional baseball player for 13 years from 1930 to 1943. He played parts of four season in Major League Baseball as an infielder for the Detroit Tigers from 1934 to ...
. Clifton played in 43 games during the 1935 regular season, with a .255 batting average. However, when Hank Greenberg broke his wrist in Game 2 of the
1935 World Series,
Marv Owen
Marvin James Owen (March 22, 1906 – June 22, 1991) was an American baseball player, manager, coach and scout.
A native of northern California, Owen played both baseball and football at Santa Clara University. He made his Major League Baseb ...
moved to first base, and Clifton stepped in as the starting third baseman. Clifton was 0-for-16 with 4
strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...
s in the Series. Clifton had been teammates with
Hank Greenberg
Henry Benjamin Greenberg (born Hyman Greenberg; January 1, 1911 – September 4, 1986), nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank", "Hankus Pankus", or "The Hebrew Hammer", was an American professional baseball player and team executive. He played in Major Leagu ...
in the minor leagues, and the two became friends. In his autobiography, Greenberg joked about Clifton's unusual diet: "On the road, he used to eat nothing but doughnuts and bananas. He said they were cheap and filling and stretched his meal money. Flea was the only ballplayer who could show a profit on $1-a-day meal money."
Outfield: Goslin, Fox, White and Walker
In the outfield, Hall of Famer
Goose Goslin
Leon Allen "Goose" Goslin (October 16, 1900 – May 15, 1971) was an American professional baseball left fielder. He played in Major League Baseball for the Washington Senators, St. Louis Browns, and Detroit Tigers, from until .
Goslin ...
played in left field.
Pete Fox
Ervin "Pete" Fox (March 8, 1909 – July 5, 1966) was an American professional baseball player from 1930 to 1946. He played 13 seasons in Major League Baseball, principally as a right fielder, for the Detroit Tigers from 1933 to 1940 and th ...
played in right field. The speedy
Jo-Jo White and
Gee Walker
Gerald Holmes "Gee" Walker (March 19, 1908 – March 20, 1981) was a Major League Baseball outfielder. During his fifteen-year career he played with the Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, Washington Senators, Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Re ...
shared responsibility for center field, with White playing in 98 games.
Pete Fox led the way among the outfielders, batting .321 with 116 runs scored, 38 doubles, and 15 home runs. Fox also had a 29-game
hitting streak
In baseball, a hitting streak is the number of consecutive official games in which a player appears and gets at least one base hit. According to the Official Baseball Rules, such a streak is not necessarily ended when a player has at least 1 pla ...
in June and July. During the hitting streak, Fox drove in 10 runs in a double-header against the St. Louis Browns. During the six-game
1935 World Series, Fox also led the team in hits (10), RBIs (4), and batting average (.385).
Goose Goslin had a good year with 109 RBIs, 172 hits, and 34 doubles. After leading the
Washington Senators to American League pennants in 1924, 1925, and 1933, owner
Clark Griffith
Clark Calvin Griffith (November 20, 1869 – October 27, 1955), nicknamed "The Old Fox", was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher, manager and team owner. He began his MLB playing career with the St. Louis Browns (1891), Boston Reds ...
traded Goslin to Detroit before the 1934 season. Griffith told Goose he simply couldn't afford to pay his salary. With stars Goslin, Gehringer and Greenberg, the 1934 and 1934 Tigers became known as the "G-Men." Goslin was the hero of the 1935 World Series, as he drove in the winning run in Games 6. With the game tied 3–3, Goslin came to bat in the bottom of the 9th inning with two outs and
Mickey Cochrane
Gordon Stanley "Mickey" Cochrane (April 6, 1903 – June 28, 1962), nicknamed "Black Mike", was an American professional baseball player, manager and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Philadelphia Athletics and Detro ...
on 2nd base. Goslin hit a walk-off single to right, scoring Cochrane, as the Tigers won the Series.
Center fielder Jo-Jo White led the team with 19 stolen bases and also contributed 12
triple
Triple is used in several contexts to mean "threefold" or a " treble":
Sports
* Triple (baseball), a three-base hit
* A basketball three-point field goal
* A figure skating jump with three rotations
* In bowling terms, three strikes in a row
* ...
s. White's real first name was Joyner, but he was called "Jo-Jo" because of the way he pronounced his native state of Georgia. Hank Greenberg, who was raised in the Bronx was roommates with White, and according to Greenberg the two of them "used to fight the Civil War every night." Greenberg recalled a game in which White stole home with Greenberg at bat: "He deprived me of a good chance at an RBI, and he did it deliberately because he knew it would burn me up."
The Tigers fourth outfielder, Gee Walker played 45 games in center field but also covered 29 games in left and 11 games in right. Known as "The Madman from Mississippi", Walker was a fiery competitor and a clown. He hit over .300 for the 1935 Tigers, but his reputation for being inattentive and overzealous on the basepaths drew the ire of manager Mickey Cochrane. During the 1934 World Series, he was picked off first while arguing with the Cardinals' bench. On another occasion, he tried to steal a base while the batter was being given an intentional walk.
Pitching: Bridges, Rowe, Auker and Crowder
The pitching staff was led by starters
Tommy Bridges
Thomas Jefferson Davis Bridges (December 28, 1906 – April 19, 1968) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career with the Detroit Tigers from 1930 to 1946. During the 1930s, he used an outstanding cu ...
,
Schoolboy Rowe
Lynwood Thomas "Schoolboy" Rowe (January 11, 1910 – January 8, 1961) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, primarily for the Detroit Tigers (1932–42) and Philadelphia Phillies (1943, 1946–49). He was a three-time A ...
,
Alvin Crowder
Alvin Floyd Crowder (January 11, 1899 – April 3, 1972), nicknamed "General", was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played eleven seasons in the American League with the Washington Senators, the St. Louis Browns, an ...
, and
Elden Auker
Elden LeRoy "Submarine" Auker (September 21, 1910 – August 4, 2006) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher with the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Browns between 1933 and 1942. Auker batted and threw right-handed. Auker ...
.
Tommy Bridges was the only 20-game winner with a record of 21–10. In 34 starts, Bridges threw 23 complete games. He led the American League with 163 strikeouts, and his 3.51 ERA was 6th best in the league. He finished the season 11th in the American League MVP voting. In a nationwide poll, Bridges was named the No. 2 sports hero of 1935, behind Notre Dame football player
Andy Pilney
Antone James "Andy" Pilney (January 19, 1913 – September 15, 1996) was an American football coach and player of football and baseball. He played football and baseball at the University of Notre Dame in the mid-1930s and then professional baseba ...
.
Elden Auker, a 24-year-old underhand pitcher out of Kansas A&M, also had a big year for the 1935 Tigers. Auker led the American League in win percentage (.720) with a record of 18–7. During the
1935 World Series, Auker was interviewed by a young Cubs broadcaster,
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
. When they met after Reagan had been elected Governor of California, Reagan told him, "You probably won't remember me, but I'll remember you as long as I live." The 1935 radio interview, Reagan said, "was my first big break."
After making a big splash in 1934 with an American League record 16 consecutive wins, Schoolboy Rowe had another big year in 1935. Schoolboy had become a fan favorite not only for his pitching performance in 1934 but for his nationally publicized romance. While appearing on the
Eddie Cantor
Eddie Cantor (born Isidore Itzkowitz; January 31, 1892 – October 10, 1964) was an American comedian, actor, dancer, singer, songwriter, film producer, screenwriter and author. Familiar to Broadway, radio, movie, and early television audiences, ...
radio show, Rowe famously asked his fiancée, "How'm I doing, Edna honey?" The line endeared Schoolboy to the nation, and also resulted in relentless teasing from opposing players and fans. Schoolboy and Edna married after the 1934 season and had their first child during the 1935 season. Schoolboy led the league in 1935 with six shutouts and finished the season with a 19–13 record in 34 starts. Despite a 2.51 ERA in the 1935 World Series, Rowe had a 1–2 record. He was the losing pitcher in Game 1, despite striking out 8 batters, pitching a complete game and allowing only 2 earned runs. In Game 3, Rowe got the win, pitching 4 innings in relief. But Game 5 was another tough loss, as Schoolboy threw a complete game and allowed 2 earned runs, but the Tigers scored only once.
The Tigers' #4 starter was 36-year-old Alvin Crowder, who served in the U.S. Army during its
occupation of Siberia after World War I. Crowder, known as "General", was 16–10 in his 32 starts. The General pitched a complete game in Game 4 of the 1935 World Series for a 2–1 victory. Crowder pitched in three
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...
consecutively (1933–1935), posting a record of 1–2 with 3.81
ERA
An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth.
Comp ...
in 26
innings pitched
In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one innin ...
.
The Tigers' main reliever in 1935 was
Elon Hogsett
Elon Chester "Chief" Hogsett (November 2, 1903 – July 17, 2001) was a professional baseball pitcher who threw with a left-handed submarine motion. He played in Major League Baseball from 1929 to 1938 plus a final season in 1944, appearing in 3 ...
, who appeared in 40 games, finishing 30, with an ERA of 3.54. When "Chief" Hogsett would take the mound at
Navin Field
Tiger Stadium, previously known as Navin Field and Briggs Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium located in the Corktown neighborhood of Detroit. The stadium was nicknamed "The Corner" for its location at the intersection of Michigan and Trumbul ...
, Detroit fans greeted him with "war whoops." Hogsett later reported that, while he was "one-thirty-second Cherokee on my mother's side", he got the nickname in the minor leagues when he "roomed with a full-blooded
Kiowa
Kiowa () people are a Native American tribe and an indigenous people of the Great Plains of the United States. They migrated southward from western Montana into the Rocky Mountains in Colorado in the 17th and 18th centuries,Pritzker 326 and eve ...
Indian and the nickname just kind of stuck."
Regular season
Detroit's final regular season record was 93–58, placing them three games ahead of the second place
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
. For the season, the 1935 Tigers outscored their opponents 919 to 665.
Season summary
After losing the
1934 World Series in a close seven-game series with the
Gashouse Gang
The Gashouse Gang was the nickname of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team of the early 1930s. Owing to their success that started in 1926, the Cardinals would win a total of five National League pennants from 1926 to 1934 (nine seasons) while wi ...
from
St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
, the Detroit Tigers were determined to win the first baseball championship for the City of Detroit since the
Detroit Wolverines
The Detroit Wolverines were a 19th-century Major League Baseball team that played in the National League from 1881 to 1888 in the city of Detroit, Michigan. In total, they won 426 games and lost 437, taking their lone pennant (and winning the pre ...
won the National League pennant in 1887.
The season started out poorly.
Schoolboy Rowe
Lynwood Thomas "Schoolboy" Rowe (January 11, 1910 – January 8, 1961) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, primarily for the Detroit Tigers (1932–42) and Philadelphia Phillies (1943, 1946–49). He was a three-time A ...
lost on Opening Day, and the Tigers were 2–9 after two weeks of play. At the end of April, the Tigers were in last place. By the end of May, the Tigers had started to turn things around but still had a mediocre 20–18 record.
On June 25, 1935, the Yankees were in first place, and the Tigers were still playing unexceptionally with a record of 33–28. However, the Tigers got red hot after that, going 35–10 between June 26 and August 15, 1935. During that period, they put together win streaks of 10 games (June 30 to July 7) and 9 games (July 31 to August 11). On July 26, 1935, the Tigers passed the Yankees and moved into first place.
The team remained hot through Labor Day, having a record of 85–44 on September 7, 1935. But the Tigers' bats went cold for the last three weeks of the season, as the team went 8–14 to end the season. Despite having a ten-game lead over the Yankees on September 8, 1935, the Tigers let the Yankees back into the race, eventually winning by three games.
On September 21, 1935, the Tigers clinched the
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...
pennant by winning both games of a double-header against the
St. Louis Browns
The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they p ...
.
Tommy Bridges
Thomas Jefferson Davis Bridges (December 28, 1906 – April 19, 1968) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career with the Detroit Tigers from 1930 to 1946. During the 1930s, he used an outstanding cu ...
won the opener, 6–2, and Elden Auker pitched a complete game shutout to win the second game, 2–0. After clinching the pennant, the Tigers finished the season by losing 6 of their last 7 games.
Season standings
Record vs. opponents
Roster
Season highlights
* April 17, 1935: The Tigers lost on
Opening Day
Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...
against the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...
by a score of 7–6.
Schoolboy Rowe
Lynwood Thomas "Schoolboy" Rowe (January 11, 1910 – January 8, 1961) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, primarily for the Detroit Tigers (1932–42) and Philadelphia Phillies (1943, 1946–49). He was a three-time A ...
was the losing pitcher.
* April 18, 1935:
Jo-Jo White tied an AL record with 5 walks off White Sox pitchers. The last walk forced in the winning run in the 9th as the Tigers win‚ 5–4.
* April 29, 1935: The Tigers bats finally broke loose, as the Tigers crushed the
St. Louis Browns
The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they p ...
18–0.
Tommy Bridges
Thomas Jefferson Davis Bridges (December 28, 1906 – April 19, 1968) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career with the Detroit Tigers from 1930 to 1946. During the 1930s, he used an outstanding cu ...
was the winning pitcher over
Bobo Newsom
Louis Norman "Bobo" Newsom (August 11, 1907 – December 7, 1962) was an American starting pitcher in Major League Baseball. Also known as "Buck", Newsom played for nine of the 16 then-existing big-league teams from 1929 through 1953 over all or ...
. Bobo would later help the Tigers win a pennant in 1940.
* May 13, 1935: Schoolboy Rowe shut out the New York Yankees 3–0.
Lefty Gomez
Vernon Louis "Lefty" Gomez (November 26, 1908 – February 17, 1989) was an American professional baseball player. A left-handed pitcher, Gomez played in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1930 and 1943 for the New York Yankees and the Washingt ...
was the losing pitcher for the Yankees.
* May 14, 1935: The Tigers took their second straight victory over the Yankees, as
Alvin Crowder
Alvin Floyd Crowder (January 11, 1899 – April 3, 1972), nicknamed "General", was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played eleven seasons in the American League with the Washington Senators, the St. Louis Browns, an ...
won 10–4.
* May 15, 1935:
Lou Gehrig
Henry Louis Gehrig (born Heinrich Ludwig Gehrig ; June 19, 1903June 2, 1941) was an American professional baseball first baseman who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees (1923–1939). Gehrig was renowned f ...
stole home in a 4–0 Yankees win over the Tigers.
* May 19, 1935: The Tigers scored 16 runs to beat the
Washington Senators 16–6.
* May 20, 1935: A's pitcher
George Caster‚ following the advice of
Jimmie Foxx
James Emory Foxx (October 22, 1907 – July 21, 1967), nicknamed "Double X" and "The Beast", was an American professional baseball first baseman who played 20 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Athletics, Boston Red Sox, ...
‚ walked
Charlie Gehringer
Charles Leonard Gehringer (May 11, 1903 – January 21, 1993), nicknamed "the Mechanical Man", was an American professional baseball second baseman, coach, general manager, and team vice president, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for t ...
in the 11th inning to pitch to
Hank Greenberg
Henry Benjamin Greenberg (born Hyman Greenberg; January 1, 1911 – September 4, 1986), nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank", "Hankus Pankus", or "The Hebrew Hammer", was an American professional baseball player and team executive. He played in Major Leagu ...
. Greenberg proceeded to knock in 2 runs as the Tigers defeated the A's, 8–6.
* May 25, 1935: The Tigers defeated the Red Sox 3–2 on a 2-run home run by
Hank Greenberg
Henry Benjamin Greenberg (born Hyman Greenberg; January 1, 1911 – September 4, 1986), nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank", "Hankus Pankus", or "The Hebrew Hammer", was an American professional baseball player and team executive. He played in Major Leagu ...
in the 6th inning. In the 4th inning, Greenberg hit a
line drive
In the sports of baseball and softball, a batted ball is a pitch that has been contacted by the batter's bat. Batted balls are either fair or foul, and can be characterized as a fly ball, pop-up, line drive, or ground ball. In baseball, a fou ...
at pitcher
Fritz Ostermueller
Frederick Raymond "Fritz" Ostermueller (September 15, 1907 – December 17, 1957) was a left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1934 to 1948, playing for the Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Browns, Brooklyn Dodgers, and Pittsburgh Pirates. ...
, breaking his cheekbone and several teeth and sending him to the hospital.
* May 26, 1935: The Tigers were shut out by the Yankees 2–0.
* June 16, 1935: The Tigers completed a three-game sweep over the
Philadelphia Athletics
The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, the team became the Oaklan ...
. The combined score of the three games was 34–7.
* June 21, 1935: After 3 straight losses to the Yankees, Schoolboy Rowe shut out the Yankees, 7–0, for the second time in 1935. Rowe's wife, Edna, had just given birth to their first child.
* June 24, 1935: Tommy Bridges pitched 13 innings for the Tigers and left the game tied 8–8.
Elden Auker
Elden LeRoy "Submarine" Auker (September 21, 1910 – August 4, 2006) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher with the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Browns between 1933 and 1942. Auker batted and threw right-handed. Auker ...
pitched in relief and knocked in the winning run as the Tigers win 9–8.
* June 30, 1935:
Pete Fox
Ervin "Pete" Fox (March 8, 1909 – July 5, 1966) was an American professional baseball player from 1930 to 1946. He played 13 seasons in Major League Baseball, principally as a right fielder, for the Detroit Tigers from 1933 to 1940 and th ...
, in the midst of a 29-game hitting streak, led the Tigers to victories in both games of a double-header against the Browns. The Tigers won the opener 18–1 and then won the second game 11–6. Fox drove in 10 runs‚ six of them in the opener when he hit his second grand slam of the month. Fox had 8 hits and scored 4 runs in each game. Schoolboy Rowe and
Alvin Crowder
Alvin Floyd Crowder (January 11, 1899 – April 3, 1972), nicknamed "General", was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played eleven seasons in the American League with the Washington Senators, the St. Louis Browns, an ...
were the winning pitchers.
* July 5, 1935: The Tigers beat the St. Louis Browns‚ 16–1 as Hank Greenberg had 4 hits, 4 RBIs, scores 4 runs, and hit 2 home runs.
* July 7, 1935: The Tigers defeated the Browns‚ 12–5‚ for their 10th straight win. Detroit scored 11 runs in the first three innings. Hank Greenberg had a double, a triple and three RBIs to give him 100 RBIs at the All-Star break.
* July 10, 1935: In the first game after the All Star Game, the Tigers' win streak ended at 10 games‚ despite a record-tying 10 doubles, in a 12–11 loss to the Senators.
* July 11, 1935: The Tigers defeated the Senators in 10 innings, 7–6, but
Pete Fox
Ervin "Pete" Fox (March 8, 1909 – July 5, 1966) was an American professional baseball player from 1930 to 1946. He played 13 seasons in Major League Baseball, principally as a right fielder, for the Detroit Tigers from 1933 to 1940 and th ...
failed to get a hit, as his hitting streak came to an end at 29 games. Charlie Gehringer hit a home run and a triple, and
Goose Goslin
Leon Allen "Goose" Goslin (October 16, 1900 – May 15, 1971) was an American professional baseball left fielder. He played in Major League Baseball for the Washington Senators, St. Louis Browns, and Detroit Tigers, from until .
Goslin ...
had 3 hits including a home run.
* July 13, 1935:
Doc Cramer
Roger Maxwell "Doc" Cramer (July 22, 1905 – September 9, 1990) was an American center fielder and left-handed batter in Major League Baseball who played for four American League teams from 1929 to 1948.
Career
A mainstay at the top of his team ...
went 6-for-6 for the Athletics in the opening game of a double-header against Elden Auker.
Jimmie Foxx
James Emory Foxx (October 22, 1907 – July 21, 1967), nicknamed "Double X" and "The Beast", was an American professional baseball first baseman who played 20 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Athletics, Boston Red Sox, ...
also went 3-for-3 as the A's crushed the Tigers, 18–5. The Tigers won the second game, as Hank Greenberg hit his 26th home run, helping Tommy Bridges win his 12th game.
* July 16, 1935: The A's beat the Tigers‚ 8–2, and the Yankees defeated the White Sox to take a 2½-game lead over Detroit.
* July 21, 1935: The Tigers scored 3 runs in the 9th inning against
Lefty Grove
Robert Moses "Lefty" Grove (March 6, 1900 – May 22, 1975) was an American professional baseball pitcher. After having success in the minor leagues during the early 1920s, Grove became a star in Major League Baseball with the American League's P ...
and the Red Sox. In the bottom of the 9th, Red Sox pitcher
Wes Ferrell
Wesley Cheek Ferrell (February 2, 1908 – December 9, 1976) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball from 1927 through 1941. Primarily a starting pitcher, Ferrell played for the Cleveland Indians (192 ...
pinch hit for Grove and hit a home run with 2 outs and 2 men on to give Boston a 7–6 win.
* July 24, 1935: The Tigers beat the Yankees 4–0 as Alvin Crowder pitched a shutout. The Tigers were a fraction of a percentage point behind the Yankees. Jo-Jo White led off the game with his first major league home run‚ off
Red Ruffing
Charles Herbert "Red" Ruffing (May 3, 1905 – February 17, 1986) was an American professional baseball player. A pitcher, he played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1924 through 1947. He played for the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, ...
.
* July 26, 1935: Washington beat the Yankees, knocking them out of first for the first time since May 30.
* August 14, 1935: Schoolboy Rowe got the win over the Senators 18–2 and also went 5-for-5 at the plate. Schoolboy had a double, a triple, scores 3 runs, and collected three RBIs. With the Yankees losing, the Tigers had built a 6-game lead. This marked the second time in 1935 that the Tigers scored 18 runs in a game.
* August 18, 1935: Schoolboy Rowe is hit on the hand by a line drive in the 3rd inning. After a 12-minute delay‚ Rowe returned and allows just one more hit. Detroit beat the Yankees‚ 6–0. The victory was Schoolboy's third shutout of the Yankees in 1935.
* September 8, 1935: In the second game of a double header, Elden Auker made it into the 8th inning with a no-hitter. A's slugger
Jimmie Foxx
James Emory Foxx (October 22, 1907 – July 21, 1967), nicknamed "Double X" and "The Beast", was an American professional baseball first baseman who played 20 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Athletics, Boston Red Sox, ...
doubled in the 8th, but Auker got the win, 15–1, as the Tigers collected 20 hits. Cochrane had 3 hits in each game for Detroit. The sweep increased the Tigers' AL lead to 10 games.
* September 10, 1935: The Tigers were shut out 6–0 by the Senators. Schoolboy Rowe was the losing pitcher.
* September 13, 1935: The Tigers beat the Yankees‚ 13–5, and Schoolboy Rowe got the win. Hank Greenberg had 3 hits including a home run.
Lou Gehrig
Henry Louis Gehrig (born Heinrich Ludwig Gehrig ; June 19, 1903June 2, 1941) was an American professional baseball first baseman who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees (1923–1939). Gehrig was renowned f ...
hit two home runs in the game.
* September 14, 1935: The Tigers split a double-header with the Yankees. Alvin Crowder lost the opener 2–1, and
Roxie Lawson
Alfred Voyle "Roxie" Lawson (April 13, 1906 – April 9, 1977) was an American baseball player and manager. He was a right-handed pitcher in professional baseball for 13 years from 1929 to 1941, including nine years in Major League Baseball with t ...
held the Yankees to 1 run in the second game. Hank Greenberg‚ leading the league in hitting at .346‚ was hitless in both games, and struck out five times. The ''
New York American
:''Includes coverage of New York Journal-American and its predecessors New York Journal, The Journal, New York American and New York Evening Journal''
The ''New York Journal-American'' was a daily newspaper published in New York City from 1937 t ...
'' reported afterward: "The hooting and jeering which some of the fans turned loose against Hank wasn't much of a tribute to the sportsmanship of his home town."
* September 21, 1935: The Tigers clinched the American League pennant by winning both games of a double-header against the Browns. Tommy Bridges won the opener, 6–2, and Elden Auker pitched a complete game shutout to win the second game, 2–0. The Tigers went 1–6 after clinching the pennant.
* September 22, 1935: Schoolboy Rowe lost a 1–0 game to the Browns. Schoolboy committed an error in the 6th inning that allowed the only run to score. This was only the fifth time in 1935 that the Tigers were shut out.
* September 25, 1935: The Tigers lost to the Indians, 3–2.
Elon Hogsett
Elon Chester "Chief" Hogsett (November 2, 1903 – July 17, 2001) was a professional baseball pitcher who threw with a left-handed submarine motion. He played in Major League Baseball from 1929 to 1938 plus a final season in 1944, appearing in 3 ...
took over in the 1st inning when starter Elden Auker was hit on the wrist by a line drive off the bat of
Joe Vosmik
Joseph Franklin Vosmik (April 4, 1910 – January 27, 1962) was an outfielder for the Cleveland Indians (1930–36), St. Louis Browns (1937), Boston Red Sox (1938–39), Brooklyn Dodgers (1940–41) and Washington Senators (1944). He helped the ...
. Hogsett hit a solo home run over the right field wall in the 6th inning.
* September 29, 1935: The White Sox swept the Tigers in a double-header on the last day of the regular season. The Sox hit an AL record 10 singles in the 2nd inning of game 2 off Elden Auker. The Sox won 14–2.
Firpo Marberry, who had been released by the Tigers in June‚ was the umpire. Firpo worked as an umpire for the second half of the 1935 season.
* October 7, 1935: The Tigers won the World Series with a 4–3 victory in Game 6. The celebration in the streets of Detroit lasted until three in the morning.
* October 20, 1935: By a unanimous vote‚ Hank Greenberg was named the American League's Most Valuable Player.
* April 18, 1936: The Tigers, along with numerous other Detroit champions, are honored during the
Champions Day
Champions Day (also known as "Day of Champions" or "City of Champions Day") is a special day that was set aside in 1936 to commemorate a number of sporting victories and accomplishments by Detroit, Michigan natives and teams in the early 1930s, a ...
celebration.
Player stats
Batting
Starters by position
''Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in''
Other batters
''Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in''
''Note: pitchers' batting statistics not included''
Pitching
Starting pitchers
''Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''
Other pitchers
''Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''
Relief pitchers
''Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''
1935 World Series
The
1935 World Series featured the Detroit Tigers and the
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...
, with the Tigers winning in six games for their first championship in five World Series appearances. They had lost in
1907,
1908,
1909
Events
January–February
* January 4 – Explorer Aeneas Mackintosh of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition escaped death by fleeing across ice floes.
* January 7 – Colombia recognizes the independence of Panama.
* Januar ...
, and
1934
Events
January–February
* January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established.
* January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...
.
The Cubs had the better regular season record and had a 21-game win streak during the pennant stretch. The Tigers, on the other hand, went 8–14 in their last 22 games. Based on momentum, it appeared the Cubs would roll past the Tigers.
The Cubs won Game 1, 3–0, on a 4-hit shutout by pitcher
Lon Warneke
Lonnie Warneke (March 28, 1909 – June 23, 1976) (pronounced WARN-a-key), nicknamed "The Arkansas Hummingbird", was a Major League Baseball player, Major League umpire, county judge, and businessman from Montgomery County, Arkansas, whose caree ...
.
Schoolboy Rowe
Lynwood Thomas "Schoolboy" Rowe (January 11, 1910 – January 8, 1961) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, primarily for the Detroit Tigers (1932–42) and Philadelphia Phillies (1943, 1946–49). He was a three-time A ...
took the loss.
The Tigers evened the Series in Game 2, with an 8–3 win, but the Tigers lost
Hank Greenberg
Henry Benjamin Greenberg (born Hyman Greenberg; January 1, 1911 – September 4, 1986), nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank", "Hankus Pankus", or "The Hebrew Hammer", was an American professional baseball player and team executive. He played in Major Leagu ...
who fractured his left wrist when colliding with Cubs catcher
Gabby Hartnett
Charles Leo "Gabby" Hartnett (December 20, 1900 – December 20, 1972), nicknamed "Old Tomato Face", was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played almost his entire career in Major League Baseball as a catcher with the Chic ...
. Greenberg had tried to score from first on a single. He finished the game, but he developed severe pain on the train ride to Chicago that night, and x-rays revealed fractures of two bones in his wrist. Greenberg was sidelined for the rest of the Series, and
Mickey Cochrane
Gordon Stanley "Mickey" Cochrane (April 6, 1903 – June 28, 1962), nicknamed "Black Mike", was an American professional baseball player, manager and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Philadelphia Athletics and Detro ...
was left to decide who could replace Greenberg. Initially, Cochrane decided to play first base himself and have backup catcher
Ray Hayworth
Raymond Hall Hayworth (January 29, 1904 – September 25, 2002) was an American professional baseball player, manager and scout. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball between and , most notably as a member of the Detroit Tigers team ...
take over at catcher. But Tigers owner
Frank Navin
Francis Joseph Navin (April 18, 1871 – November 13, 1935) was the president of the Detroit Tigers in Major League Baseball for 27 years, from 1908 to 1935. He was part-owner from 1908 to 1919, and principal owner from 1919 to 1935. He also ser ...
ordered Cochrane to move third baseman
Marv Owen
Marvin James Owen (March 22, 1906 – June 22, 1991) was an American baseball player, manager, coach and scout.
A native of northern California, Owen played both baseball and football at Santa Clara University. He made his Major League Baseb ...
to first base and play utility infielder
Flea Clifton
Herman Earl "Flea" Clifton (December 12, 1908 – December 22, 1997), was a professional baseball player for 13 years from 1930 to 1943. He played parts of four season in Major League Baseball as an infielder for the Detroit Tigers from 1934 to ...
at third base. Cochrane disagreed, as Clifton was the weakest hitter on the team, and Owen was in a slump. Navin insisted, and Owen went one for twenty in the Series, while Flea went 0-for-16 in the Series.
In Game 3, the Cubs tied the game in the bottom of the 9th, but the Tigers won it with an unearned run in the 11th inning. In the 3rd inning, umpire
George Moriarty
George Joseph Moriarty (July 7, 1884 – April 8, 1964) was an American third baseman, umpire and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1903 to 1940. He played for the Chicago Cubs, New York Highlanders, Detroit Tigers, and Chicago Wh ...
(who had played for the Tigers from 1909 to 1915 and managed the Tigers from 1927 to 1928) called
Phil Cavarretta
Philip Joseph Cavarretta (July 19, 1916 – December 18, 2010) was an American Major League Baseball first baseman, outfielder, and manager. He was known to friends and family as "Phil" and was also called "Philibuck", a nickname bestowed by ...
out in a close play at second base. When the Cubs protested, Moriarty verbally abused the Cubs, and ejected Cubs' manager
Charlie Grimm
Charles John Grimm (August 28, 1898 – November 15, 1983), nicknamed "Jolly Cholly", was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman, most notably for the Chicago Cubs; he was als ...
and player
Bill Jurges
William Frederick Jurges (May 9, 1908 – March 3, 1997) was an American shortstop, third baseman, manager, coach and scout in Major League Baseball. He was born in the Bronx, New York. During the 1930s, he was central to three (, and ) National ...
. After the game, Grimm said: "If a manager can't go out and make a decent kick, what the hell is the game coming to? I didn't swear at him but he swore at us." Coach
Roy Johnson accused Moriarty of making improper reflections on the Cubs' ancestry. Judge Landis later levied $200 fines on Moriarty‚ Grimm‚ and Jurges for their conduct in the World Series.
In Game 4,
Alvin Crowder
Alvin Floyd Crowder (January 11, 1899 – April 3, 1972), nicknamed "General", was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played eleven seasons in the American League with the Washington Senators, the St. Louis Browns, an ...
pitched a 2–1 complete game victory. The Tigers won on an unearned run in the 6th inning.
In Game 5, Cubs' pitcher Lon Warneke kept the Cubs alive with 6 innings of shutout ball for his 2nd win. The Cubs won 3–1 on a 2-run home run by
Chuck Klein
Charles Herbert Klein (October 7, 1904 – March 28, 1958), nicknamed the "Hoosier Hammer", was an American professional baseball outfielder. Klein played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies (–, –, –), Chicago Cubs ...
off losing pitcher Schoolboy Rowe.
In Game 6,
Tommy Bridges
Thomas Jefferson Davis Bridges (December 28, 1906 – April 19, 1968) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career with the Detroit Tigers from 1930 to 1946. During the 1930s, he used an outstanding cu ...
pitched a complete game victory to win the Series for Detroit. With the score tied 3–3 in the top of the 9th inning, Bridges gave up a leadoff triple to
Stan Hack
Stanley Camfield Hack (December 6, 1909 – December 15, 1979), nicknamed "Smiling Stan", was an American third baseman and manager in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Chicago Cubs and was the National League's top t ...
, but retired the next three batters without the runner on third scoring. In the bottom of the 9th,
Goose Goslin
Leon Allen "Goose" Goslin (October 16, 1900 – May 15, 1971) was an American professional baseball left fielder. He played in Major League Baseball for the Washington Senators, St. Louis Browns, and Detroit Tigers, from until .
Goslin ...
drove in the winning run with 2 outs. After the game, manager Mickey Cochrane said the following of Bridges' gutsy performance: "A hundred and fifty pounds of courage. If there ever is a payoff on courage this little 150- pound pitcher is the greatest World Series hero."
[
Delirious Detroit fans rushed onto ]Navin Field
Tiger Stadium, previously known as Navin Field and Briggs Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium located in the Corktown neighborhood of Detroit. The stadium was nicknamed "The Corner" for its location at the intersection of Michigan and Trumbul ...
in celebration after Goslin's game-winning hit. The celebration spilled out onto Michigan Avenue and Trumbull. People from throughout Detroit flooded the central city in a celebration that newspapers reported went on until three in the morning. For a few hours, the worries of the Great Depression were gone and the only thing that mattered was the Tigers.
Detroit owner Frank Navin, then 64 years old, had been running the organization for 30 years and had seen four of his teams win American League pennants, only to lose four World Series. On November 13, 1935, five weeks after the Tigers finally won the World Series, Navin suffered a heart attack while riding a horse and died.
Detroit: "City of Champions"
When the Tigers won the 1935 World Series, the City of Detroit was mired in the Great Depression, which had hit Detroit and its industries particularly hard. But with the success of the Tigers and other Detroit athletes in 1935, Detroit's luck appeared to be changing, as the city was dubbed the "City of Champions."
Detroit's "champions" included Detroit's "Brown Bomber", Joe Louis, the heavyweight boxing champion; native Detroiter Gar Wood
Garfield Arthur "Gar" Wood (December 4, 1880 – June 19, 1971) was an American inventor, entrepreneur, and championship motorboat builder and racer who held the world water speed record on several occasions. He was the first man to trave ...
who was the champion of unlimited powerboat racing and the first man to go 100 miles per hour on water; Eddie "the Midnight Express" Tolan, a black Detroiter who won gold medals in the 100- and 200-meter races at the 1932 Summer Olympics
The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1932) were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held duri ...
. The Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
also won the 1935 NFL Championship Game, and the Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...
won the 1935–36 Stanley Cup championship, but the biggest celebration came when the Tigers won the World Series, as the "City of Champions" moniker took hold.
Baseball was hugely popular in Detroit during the Great Depression, as attendance at Navin Field
Tiger Stadium, previously known as Navin Field and Briggs Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium located in the Corktown neighborhood of Detroit. The stadium was nicknamed "The Corner" for its location at the intersection of Michigan and Trumbul ...
in 1934 and 1935, accounted for nearly 25 percent of baseball's total paid attendance.
Postseason player stats
Batting
''Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in''
Pitching
''Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''
Awards and honors
* Hank Greenberg
Henry Benjamin Greenberg (born Hyman Greenberg; January 1, 1911 – September 4, 1986), nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank", "Hankus Pankus", or "The Hebrew Hammer", was an American professional baseball player and team executive. He played in Major Leagu ...
, 1B, American League Most Valuable Player The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. Since 1931, it has been awarded by the Baseball Writers' ...
1935 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
* Charlie Gehringer
Charles Leonard Gehringer (May 11, 1903 – January 21, 1993), nicknamed "the Mechanical Man", was an American professional baseball second baseman, coach, general manager, and team vice president, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for t ...
, 2B, Starter
* Tommy Bridges
Thomas Jefferson Davis Bridges (December 28, 1906 – April 19, 1968) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career with the Detroit Tigers from 1930 to 1946. During the 1930s, he used an outstanding cu ...
, P
* Schoolboy Rowe
Lynwood Thomas "Schoolboy" Rowe (January 11, 1910 – January 8, 1961) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, primarily for the Detroit Tigers (1932–42) and Philadelphia Phillies (1943, 1946–49). He was a three-time A ...
, P
* Mickey Cochrane
Gordon Stanley "Mickey" Cochrane (April 6, 1903 – June 28, 1962), nicknamed "Black Mike", was an American professional baseball player, manager and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Philadelphia Athletics and Detro ...
, C
League leaders
* Elden Auker
Elden LeRoy "Submarine" Auker (September 21, 1910 – August 4, 2006) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher with the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Browns between 1933 and 1942. Auker batted and threw right-handed. Auker ...
: American League win percentage leader (.720)
* Elden Auker: American League leader in fielding percentage at pitcher (1.000)
* Tommy Bridges
Thomas Jefferson Davis Bridges (December 28, 1906 – April 19, 1968) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career with the Detroit Tigers from 1930 to 1946. During the 1930s, he used an outstanding cu ...
: American League strikeouts leader (163)
* Tommy Bridges: American League home runs allowed leader (22)
* Charlie Gehringer
Charles Leonard Gehringer (May 11, 1903 – January 21, 1993), nicknamed "the Mechanical Man", was an American professional baseball second baseman, coach, general manager, and team vice president, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for t ...
: American League leader in assists at second base (489)
* Charlie Gehringer: American League leader in fielding percentage at second base (.985)
* Hank Greenberg
Henry Benjamin Greenberg (born Hyman Greenberg; January 1, 1911 – September 4, 1986), nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank", "Hankus Pankus", or "The Hebrew Hammer", was an American professional baseball player and team executive. He played in Major Leagu ...
: American League home run leader (36)
* Hank Greenberg: American League RBI leader (170)
* Hank Greenberg: American League total bases leader (389)
* Hank Greenberg: American League extra base hits leader (98)
* Hank Greenberg: American League leader in assists at first base (99)
* Elon Hogsett
Elon Chester "Chief" Hogsett (November 2, 1903 – July 17, 2001) was a professional baseball pitcher who threw with a left-handed submarine motion. He played in Major League Baseball from 1929 to 1938 plus a final season in 1944, appearing in 3 ...
: American League games finished leader (30)
* Billy Rogell
William George Rogell (; November 24, 1904 – August 9, 2003) was an American baseball player who played 14 years in Major League Baseball, primarily as a shortstop for the Detroit Tigers. He made his major league debut on April 14, 1925 and p ...
: American League leader in double plays at shortstop (104)
* Billy Rogell: American League leader in fielding percentage at shortstop (.971)
* Schoolboy Rowe
Lynwood Thomas "Schoolboy" Rowe (January 11, 1910 – January 8, 1961) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, primarily for the Detroit Tigers (1932–42) and Philadelphia Phillies (1943, 1946–49). He was a three-time A ...
: American League shutouts leader (6)
* Schoolboy Rowe: American League strikeout to walk ratio leader (2.06)
Players ranking among top 100 all time at position
The following members of the 1934 Detroit Tigers are among the Top 100 of all time at their position, as ranked by The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract
''The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract'' is a reference book written by Bill James featuring an overview of professional baseball decade by decade, along with rankings of the top 100 players at each position. The original edition was publi ...
in 2001:
* Mickey Cochrane
Gordon Stanley "Mickey" Cochrane (April 6, 1903 – June 28, 1962), nicknamed "Black Mike", was an American professional baseball player, manager and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Philadelphia Athletics and Detro ...
: 4th best catcher of all time
* Hank Greenberg
Henry Benjamin Greenberg (born Hyman Greenberg; January 1, 1911 – September 4, 1986), nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank", "Hankus Pankus", or "The Hebrew Hammer", was an American professional baseball player and team executive. He played in Major Leagu ...
: 8th best first baseman of all time
* Charlie Gehringer
Charles Leonard Gehringer (May 11, 1903 – January 21, 1993), nicknamed "the Mechanical Man", was an American professional baseball second baseman, coach, general manager, and team vice president, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for t ...
: 8th best second baseman of all time
* Billy Rogell
William George Rogell (; November 24, 1904 – August 9, 2003) was an American baseball player who played 14 years in Major League Baseball, primarily as a shortstop for the Detroit Tigers. He made his major league debut on April 14, 1925 and p ...
: 49th best shortstop of all time
* Goose Goslin
Leon Allen "Goose" Goslin (October 16, 1900 – May 15, 1971) was an American professional baseball left fielder. He played in Major League Baseball for the Washington Senators, St. Louis Browns, and Detroit Tigers, from until .
Goslin ...
: 16th best left fielder of all time
* Gee Walker
Gerald Holmes "Gee" Walker (March 19, 1908 – March 20, 1981) was a Major League Baseball outfielder. During his fifteen-year career he played with the Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, Washington Senators, Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Re ...
: 92nd best left fielder of all time
* Pete Fox
Ervin "Pete" Fox (March 8, 1909 – July 5, 1966) was an American professional baseball player from 1930 to 1946. He played 13 seasons in Major League Baseball, principally as a right fielder, for the Detroit Tigers from 1933 to 1940 and th ...
: 96th best right fielder of all time
* Tommy Bridges
Thomas Jefferson Davis Bridges (December 28, 1906 – April 19, 1968) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career with the Detroit Tigers from 1930 to 1946. During the 1930s, he used an outstanding cu ...
: 77th best pitcher of all time
Farm system
[Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., ''The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 3rd edition''. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 2007]
Notes
References
Baseball-Reference.com 1935 Detroit Tigers Regular Season Statistics
Baseball-Reference.com 1935 World Series Statistics, Box Scores and Play by Play
External links
Charlton's Baseball Chronology 1935
Baseball Almanac on 1935 World Series
Detroit News Rearview Mirror: "City of Champions"
{{DEFAULTSORT:1935 Detroit Tigers Season
Detroit Tigers seasons
Detroit Tigers season
American League champion seasons
World Series champion seasons
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
1935 in Detroit