The 1950

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 ...

were a professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

team that represented

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

in 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 ...

(AL) during the 1950 baseball season. The team compiled a record of 95–59 (.617), the second best record in the major leagues, behind the

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 ...

. The Tigers spent most of the season in first place but lost the pennant to the Yankees in the final two weeks of the season.

Red Rolfe Robert Abial "Red" Rolfe (October 17, 1908 – July 8, 1969) was an American third baseman, manager and front-office executive in Major League Baseball. A graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy, Rolfe also was an Ivy Leaguer: a graduate, then long- ...

was the team's manager for the second season and received the ''Sporting News'' Manager of the Year Award. The Tigers' home attendance of 1,951,474 was a team record at the time and the second highest in the major leagues during the 1950 season. The pitching staff was led by

Art Houtteman Arthur Joseph Houtteman (August 7, 1927 – May 6, 2003) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for 12 seasons in the American League with the Detroit Tigers, Cleveland Indians and Baltimore Orioles. In 3 ...

who compiled a 19–12 record and a 3.54

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA) and pitched 21

complete game In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...

Dizzy Trout Paul Howard "Dizzy" Trout (June 29, 1915 – February 28, 1972) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from to , most notably as a member of the Detroit Tigers team that finishe ...

led the team with a .722 winning percentage (second best in the AL) with a 13–5 record and 3.75 ERA.

Fred Hutchinson Frederick Charles Hutchinson (August 12, 1919 – November 12, 1964) was an American professional baseball player, a major league pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, and the manager for three major league teams. Born and raised in Seattle, Washing ...

compiled a 17–8 record. The team's overall ERA of 4.12 was second best in the AL. The batters were led by

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

George Kell George Clyde Kell (August 23, 1922 – March 24, 2009) was an American Major League Baseball third baseman who played 15 seasons for the Philadelphia Athletics (1943–1946), Detroit Tigers (1947–1952), Boston Red Sox (1952–1954), Chicago Whi ...

who led the AL with 218 hits and 56 doubles, ranked second with a .340

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 ...

, and finished fourth in the American League Most Valuable Player (AL MVP) voting.

Right fielder A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the ...

Vic Wertz Victor Woodrow Wertz (February 9, 1925 – July 7, 1983) was an American professional baseball first baseman and outfielder. He had a 17-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career from 1947 to 1963. He played for the Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Brown ...

led the team with 27

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 and 123

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 ...

and finished 10th in the AL MVP voting.

Center fielder A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball and softball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the c ...

Hoot Evers Walter Arthur "Hoot" Evers (February 8, 1921 – January 25, 1991) was an American baseball outfielder, scout, coach, and executive. Evers played professional baseball from 1941 to 1942 and 1946 to 1956, including 12 seasons in Major League Bas ...

had a .323 batting average and 109 RBIs, led the AL with 11 triples, ranked third in

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, ...

(.551), led AL outfielders in

fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, div ...

(.997) (one error in 336 total chances), and finished 11th in the AL MVP voting. Second baseman

Jerry Priddy Gerald Edward Priddy (November 9, 1919 – March 3, 1980) was an American professional baseball player and a second baseman in Major League Baseball for 11 years. He played for the New York Yankees (1941–1942), Washington Senators (1943, 194 ...

led AL second basemen with 542 assists and 150 double plays and finished 17th in the AL MVP voting. Shortstop

Johnny Lipon John Joseph Lipon (November 10, 1922 – August 17, 1998) was an American Major League Baseball shortstop for the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Browns and Cincinnati Redlegs over the course of nine seasons (1942; 1946; 1948–1954). T ...

compiled a .378

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 ...

and led AL shortstops with 483 assists and 126 double plays.

Season standings

Roster

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''

Record vs. opponents

Season chronology

Preseason roster changes

* December 14: The Tigers acquired second baseman

from the St. Louis Browns in exchange for pitcher

Lou Kretlow Louis Henry Kretlow (June 27, 1921 – September 12, 2007) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played in the Major Leagues (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers (1946; 1948–49), St. Louis Browns / Baltimore Orioles (1950, 1953, 1954–55 ...

and $150,000 in cash. * December 17: The Tigers traded outfielder

Dick Wakefield Richard Cummings Wakefield (May 6, 1921 – August 25, 1985) was a left fielder in Major League Baseball for 9 seasons with the Detroit Tigers (1941, 1943–1944, 1946–1949), New York Yankees (1950), and New York Giants (1952). Wakefield was ...

to the

in exchange for first baseman

Dick Kryhoski Richard David Kryhoski (March 24, 1925 – April 10, 2007) was an American professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for four different franchises between 1949 and 1955. Listed at and , he batted and threw lef ...

. * December 29: The Tigers signed outfielder Charlie "King Kong" Keller three months after he was unconditionally released by the Yankees. Keller had undergone back surgery three years earlier and appeared in only 41 games in 1949. * February 15: The Tigers acquired pitcher Paul Calvert from the Washington Senators for the $10,000 waiver price.

April

* April 18: 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 ...

, the Tigers beat the Cleveland Indians, 7–6, before a crowd of 65,744 in Cleveland. Dick Kryhoski had three hits and had the game-winning RBI in the 10th inning. * April 20: The Tigers defeated the Indians, 5–4, in the second game of the season. Pitcher Ted Gray threw a six-hitter for Detroit. * April 21: In the home opener at Briggs Stadium, the Tigers defeated the Chicago White Sox, 5–1, before a crowd of 44,642. The victory was fueled by home runs by

Johnny Groth John Thomas Groth (July 23, 1926August 7, 2021) was an American professional baseball outfielder and scout who played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played with the Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Browns, Chicago White Sox, Washingt ...

in the seventh inning and

in the eighth inning.

Virgil Trucks Virgil Oliver "Fire" Trucks (April 26, 1917 – March 23, 2013) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher with the Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Browns, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Athletics and New York Yankees between 1941 and 1958. He batted ...

threw a five-hitter and was the winning pitcher. * April 22: The Tigers beat the White Sox, 5–0, behind the four-hit, shutout pitching of

, to start the season 4–0. * April 23: The Tigers lost to the White Sox, 5–4. It was the Tigers' first loss of the season and the White Sox' first victory. Fred Hutchinson and George Kell both committed errors in the sixth inning during which the Sox scored three runs.

had three hits and a walk for Detroit. Detroit native

Billy Pierce Walter William Pierce (April 2, 1927 – July 31, 2015) was an American starting pitcher in Major League Baseball between 1945 and 1964 who played most of his career for the Chicago White Sox. He was the team's star pitcher in the decade from 19 ...

was the winning pitcher for Chicago. * April 25: The Tigers defeated the St. Louis Browns, 5–2, in St. Louis. Virgil Trucks won the game, giving up only one hit in eight innings before being pulled in the ninth. Jerry Priddy and Johnny Groth hit home runs. * April 26: The Tigers defeated the Browns, 8–6, in 10 innings. Paul Calvert got the victory after pitching two perfect innings in relief. George Kell hit the game-winning RBI in the 10th inning. The game attracted a crowd of only 1,802 to the stadium in St. Louis. The victory gave the Tigers a 6–1 record. * April 27:

Bob Feller Robert William Andrew Feller (November 3, 1918 – December 15, 2010), nicknamed "the Heater from Van Meter", "Bullet Bob", and "Rapid Robert", was an American baseball pitcher who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Clevel ...

held the Tigers to eight hits as the Indians won by a 6–1 score. * April 30: In a double-header in Chicago, the Tigers lost the opener by a 5–0 score and settled for a 7–7 tie in the second game.

May

* May 1–3: Three consecutive games with the Philadelphia Athletics were cancelled after "a week of rain ... turned Shibe Park into a virtual quagmire." * May 4: The Tigers defeated the Athletics, 8–5, as Art Houtteman pitched a five-hitter for his third victory of the season. The game attracted a crowd of only 1,901 to Shibe Park. Dick Kryhoski hit his first home run as a Tiger. Jerry Priddy and Vic Wertz had three hits each. * May 5: The Tigers defeated the Washington Senators, 9–6, in Washington, D.C.

got the win, pitching in relief. Detroit scored five unearned runs as Washington errors. The victory gave the Tigers an 8–3 record and kept them in first place. * May 6: The Tigers defeated Washington, 8–6.

got his first victory of the season. Three of Washington's runs were unearned, resulting from an error in the fifth inning when Johnny Groth misjudged a fly ball. The victory gave the Tigers a 9–3 record and kept them in first place. * May 7: In the first meeting of the year between the Tigers and Yankees, the Yankees prevailed by a 6–3 score before a crowd of 54,027 at Yankee Stadium. The Tigers committed three errors (two by Johnny Groth) in the eighth inning, leading to three Yankee runs. * May 8: The Tigers won the second game with the Yankees by a 7–1 score.

pitched a complete game and got his fourth victory of the season. George Kell and Vic Wertz hit triples, and Hoot Evers hit a home run. * May 9: The Tigers lost to the Boston Red Sox, 6–1, at Fenway Park.

Bobby Doerr Robert Pershing Doerr (April 7, 1918 – November 13, 2017) was an American professional baseball second baseman and coach. He played his entire 14-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career for the Boston Red Sox (1937–1951). A nine-time MLB A ...

and

Walt Dropo Walt is a masculine given name, generally a short form of Walter, and occasionally a surname. Notable people with the name include: People Given name * Walt Arfons (1916-2013), American drag racer and competition land speed record racer * Walt Bel ...

hit home runs for Boston. The loss allowed Boston tom move into a tie with Detroit for first place. * May 11: The Tigers swept the Red Sox in a double header at

Fenway Park Fenway Park is a baseball stadium located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, near Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home of the Boston Red Sox, the city's American League baseball team, and since 1953, its only Major League Base ...

(13–4 and 5–3). With the victories, the Tigers regained sole possession of first place. The Tigers won the second game after

Ted Williams Theodore Samuel Williams (August 30, 1918 – July 5, 2002) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 19-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, primarily as a left fielder, for the Boston Red Sox from 1939 ...

committed an error with the bases loaded. * May 13: The Tigers defeated the St. Louis Browns, 1–0, at Briggs Stadium. Virgil Trucks pitched a complete game shutout. Vic Wertz hit a solo home run in the bottom of the 11th inning. The Tigers improved to 13-5 and remained 1/2 game ahead of New York and Boston. * May 14:

Hal Newhouser Harold Newhouser (May 20, 1921 – November 10, 1998), nicknamed "Prince Hal," was an American professional baseball player. In Major League Baseball (MLB), he pitched 17 seasons on the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians, from 1939 through 1 ...

, sidelined for the first month of the season with a sore pitching arm, made his 1950 debut. The Browns won, 7–3, as Newhouser walked four batters, hit another batter with a pitch, gave up a grand slam to

Roy Sievers Roy Edward Sievers (November 18, 1926 – April 3, 2017) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a first baseman and left fielder from through . A five-time All-Star, Sievers was the American L ...

in the first inning, and lasted only three innings. Newhouser's debut drew a Sunday crowd of 30,794 to Briggs Stadium. * May 16: The Tigers lost to the Red Sox, 6–1, in Detroit. Art Houtteman was the losing pitcher. Ted Williams and Vern Stephens each hit two home runs for Boston. The loss allowed the Yankees to move into first place, a half game ahead of the Tigers. * May 17: The Tigers defeated the Red Sox, 6–3. Pitcher

Ted Gray Ted Glenn Gray (December 31, 1924 – June 15, 2011) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played eight seasons with the Detroit Tigers (1946, 1948–1954), and then had short stints during the 1955 season with the Chicago White Sox, Clevel ...

got the victory for the Tigers, despite giving up to home runs by

. * May 18: After trailing by 10 runs, the Tigers staged a comeback but fell short, losing by a 13–12 score to the Red Sox. * May 19: The Tigers sent 14 batters to the plate and scored 10 runs in the fifth inning to beat the Athletics‚ 14–8.

and

each had two hits in the inning.

‚ a 19-game winner in 1949‚ hurt his arm and was lost for the season.

pitched in relief and picked up the win. * May 20: Detroit second baseman

started a record five

double play In baseball and softball, a double play (denoted as DP in baseball statistics) is the act of making two outs during the same continuous play. Double plays can occur any time there is at least one baserunner and fewer than two outs. In Major Leag ...

s in the first five innings to lead the Tigers to a 5–3 win over the A's. Shortstop

participated in all the double plays to tie an AL record. Art Houtteman won his fifth game. * May 21: The Tigers lost to the Washington Senators, 6–2, before a Sunday crowd of 33,320 at Briggs Stadium. Washington pitcher

Conrado Marrero Conrado Eugenio Marrero Ramos (April 25, 1911 – April 23, 2014), nicknamed "Connie", was a Cuban professional baseball pitcher. The right-handed Marrero pitched in Major League Baseball from to for the Washington Senators. Marrero made his m ...

held the Tigers to three hits, one of them a two-run home run by Aaron Robinson. * May 22: In his second start of the season, Hal Newhouser pitched a complete game and held the Senators to one run as the Tigers won by a 5–1 score. Dick Kryhoski hit a three-run home run, and Johnny Lipon had four hits. * May 23: The Tigers lost to the Senators, 8–2. The Tigers led, 2–0, after eight innings, but the Senators scored eight runs in the ninth inning. * May 25: The Tigers lost to the Yankees, 6–4, in Detroit.

Yogi Berra Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra (May 12, 1925 – September 22, 2015) was an American professional baseball catcher who later took on the roles of Manager (baseball), manager and Coach (baseball), coach. He played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball ...

hit a grand slam home run off Art Houtteman in the fifth inning. * May 26: The Tiger bet the Browns, 11–2, in St. Louis. In his third start, Hal Newhouser struck out the first three batters and held the Browns to six hits. Vic Wertz hit a three-run home run in the first inning. George Kell had a single, double, and triple. * May 27: The Tigers defeated St. Louis, 8-6, before a crowd of only 1,305 at Sportsman's Park. Hoot Evers had three hits and drove in five runs. George Kell also had three hit, and Ted Gray got the win. * May 28: The Tigers won both games of a double-header with the Browns. Fred Hutchinson won the first game, 6-2. Dizzy Trout, in his first start since 1948, won the second game, 2-1. Trout gave up only five hits and also drove in the winning run with a single in the second inning. * May 30: The Tigers split a double-header with the Indians before a crowd of 55,537 at Briggs Stadium. The Indians won the first game, 4-0, behind the shutout pitching of

Bob Lemon Robert Granville Lemon (September 22, 1920 – January 11, 2000) was an American right-handed pitcher and manager (baseball), manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). Lemon was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, National Ba ...

. The Tigers won the second game, 5-2, behind the seven-hit pitching of Hal Newhouser. The Tigers closed the month with a 22-12 record, three games behind the Yankees.

June

* June 2: The Tigers won both games of a double-header against the Athletics in Philadelphia. The Tigers won the first game, 3-2, and the second game, 16-5. George Kell

hit for the cycle In baseball, hitting for the cycle is the accomplishment of one batter who hits a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in the same game. Collecting the hits in that order is known as a "natural cycle". Cycles are rare in Major League Ba ...

in the second game. Vic Wertz had seven RBIs and a home run, and Hoot Evers hit a home run in the first game. The Tigers' 16 runs and 21 hits in the second game were season highs. * June 3: The Tigers beat the A's, 6-1, before a crowd of 2,714 in Philadelphia. Hal Newhouser won his fourth straight game. * June 4: The Tigers defeated the Senators, 3-0, in Washington. Art Houtemann pitched a six-hit shutout after announcing his engagement to former diving champion and aquacade performer Shelagh Kelly. * June 5: The Tigers defeated that Senators, 7-4. Dizzy Trout got the win. Hoot Evers hit a home run and a triple with the bases loaded. * June 6: The Tigers defeated the Senators, 11-9, for their seventh consecutive victory. Fred Hutchinson won his sixth game of the season. With the Yankees losing to Cleveland, the Tigers moved back into first place. George Kell had two hits and moved into the league lead with a .388 batting average. * June 7: The Tigers lost to the Yankees, 5-4, at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees retook first place with the win. Hal Newhouser was the losing pitcher. * June 8: The Tigers lost to the Yankees, 11–4, before a Thursday crowd of 62,264 at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees scored seven runs off Art Houtteman in the sixth inning.

Phil Rizzuto Philip Francis Rizzuto (September 25, 1917 – August 13, 2007), nicknamed "The Scooter", was an American Major League Baseball shortstop. He spent his entire 13-year baseball career with the New York Yankees (1941–1956), and was elected to th ...

's record of 238 errorless chances ended when he fumbled a ground ball in the fifth inning. * June 9: The Tigers avoided a sweep in New York, defeating the Yankees, 13-7. The Tigers scored eight runs in the sixth inning. Relief pitcher Paul Calvert got the win. Calvert hit Yankee pitcher

Bob Porterfield Erwin Coolidge "Bob" Porterfield (August 10, 1923 – April 28, 1980) was a right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher. He played for twelve seasons between 1948 and 1959 for the New York Yankees, Washington Senators, Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh ...

in the head with a pitch in the seventh inning. Porterfield was unconscious for more than 20 minutes before being taken to the hospital. * June 10: The Tigers retook first place after defeating the Boston Red Sox by an 18–8 score. Vic Wertz and Hoot Evers hit consecutive home runs. The Tigers scored seven runs in the fourth inning and eight runs in the ninth inning. * June 11: The Tigers swept a double-header from the Red Sox in Boston. They won the first game, 6-2, as Hal Newhouser pitched a strong game. They won the second game, 9-6, as Vic Wertz hit a three-run home run in the 14th inning. The Tigers concluded their easter road trip with 10 wins and two losses * June 12: In an exhibition, charity game at Briggs Stadium, the Tigers played to a 9-9 tie with the Cincinnati Reds. * June 13: The Tigers defeated the Philadelphia Athletics, 6-5, before a Tuesday night crowd of 31,894 at Briggs Stadium. Hoot Evers hit a game-winning home run in the 10th inning. * June 14: The Tigers lost to the A's, 8-2. * June 15: The Tigers beat the A's‚ 7–3‚ for their 8th win in 9 meetings with the A's. Hoot Evers had his 19-game hit streak stopped but George Kell ran his to 15 games. Fred Hutchinson got the win. * June 16: Pitching before a crowd of 54‚086‚ Hal Newhouser beat the Red Sox for the second time in six days‚ winning 4–1. He struck out eight, including

Johnny Pesky John Michael Pesky (born John Michael Paveskovich; February 27, 1919 – August 13, 2012), nicknamed "The Needle" and "Mr. Red Sox", was an American professional baseball player, manager and coach. He was a shortstop and third baseman during a t ...

four times. Detroit maintained its -game lead over the Yankees. * June 17: The Tigers defeated the Red Sox, 2-1.

pitched a complete game for the win. The Tigers remained in first place, 2-1/2 games ahead of the Yankees. * June 18: The Tigers defeated the Red Sox, 10-2, before a Sunday crowd of 36,714 at Briggs Stadium. Art Houtteman got the win, and George Kell, Hoot Evers, and Aaron Robinson hit home runs. * June 20: The Tigers lost to the Washington Senators, 4-2, at Brigg Stadium. Conrado Marrero held the Tigers to three hits. * June 21: The Tigers lost the Senators, 12-4.

Sandy Consuegra Sandalio Simeón Consuegra Castellón on-SWEH-grah(September 3, 1920 – November 16, 2005) was a Cuban-born Major League Baseball pitcher with the Washington Senators (1950-1953), Chicago White Sox (1953-1956), Baltimore Orioles (1956-1957) an ...

held the Tigers to five hits. * June 22: The Tigers again lost to the Senators, 5-2, to complete a three-game sweep.

Bob Kuzava Robert Leroy "Sarge" Kuzava (May 28, 1923 – May 15, 2017) was an American professional baseball player, a left-handed pitcher for the Cleveland Indians (1946–1947), Chicago White Sox (1949–1950), Washington Senators (1950–1951), New York ...

, a Wyandotte native, held the Tigers to six hits. * June 23: The Tigers beat the Yankees, 10–9, in front of 51,400 fans in Detroit. A then-MLB record eleven home runs accounted for all the runs. Detroit has four home runs in the 4th inning by Dizzy Trout‚ Jerry Priddy‚ Vic Wertz, and Hoot Evers. Trout's home run was the second grand slam of his career. Evers also hit an inside-the-park two-run home run to win the game in the 9th inning. * June 24: Art Houtteman led the Tigers to a 4–1 win over the Yankees. Yogi Berra hit a solo home run for the Yankees' only score. The Tigers led the AL by three games. * June 25: The Tigers split a Sunday double-header with the Yankees before a crowd of 55,628 at Briggs Stadium. The Tigers lost the opener, 8-2, but won the nightcap, 6-3. Hoot Evers hit a three-run home run in the second game. The attendance total of 139,693 for the weekend series against the Yankees set an attendance record in Detroit. * June 26: The Tigers defeated the Chicago White Sox, 6-4, in Detroit.

Charlie Keller Charles Ernest Keller (September 12, 1916 – May 23, 1990) was an American professional baseball player. He played as a left fielder in Major League Baseball from 1939 through 1952 for the New York Yankees (1939–43, 1945–49, 1952) and Detroi ...

hit a two-run, pinch-hit triple in the eighth inning. The victory extended the Tigers' lead in the AL to 3-1/2 games. * June 27: The Tigers defeated the White Sox, 9-3, before a Tuesday crowd of 40,383 at Briggs Stadium. Ted Gray got his ninth win of the season, and Johnny Lipon hit a bases-loaded triple and then scored when a relay throw went into the dugout. The Tigers expanded their lead in the AL to 4-1/2 games. * June 28: The Tigers beat the White Sox, 6-2. Art Houtteman became the first pitcher to win 10 games in 1950. Hoot Evers and Don Kolloway hit home runs in support of Houtteman. * June 29: The Tigers lost to the White Sox, 7-3.

Bob Cain Robert Max "Sugar" Cain (October 16, 1924 – April 8, 1997) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher with the Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers and St. Louis Browns between 1949 and 1954. He batted and threw left-handed. Cain was the pitc ...

pitched a complete game for Chicago and also had an RBI and a double. * June 30: The Tigers lost to the Cleveland Indians, 11-3, before a Friday crowd of 50,882 in Cleveland. The Indians scored nine times in the first two innings against Hal Newhouser.

July

* July 2: The Tigers split a doubleheader with the Indians.

got his 200th win‚ 5–3‚ in the second game. Detroit won the opener‚ 8–5. * July 11: George Kell and Hoot Evers started for the American League in the

1950 Major League Baseball All-Star Game The 1950 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 17th playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League (AL) and National League (NL), the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 11 ...

. Kell went hitless in six at bats, but had an RBI on a sacrifice fly. Detroit pitcher Art Houtteman gave up a home run to

Ralph Kiner Ralph McPherran Kiner (October 27, 1922 – February 6, 2014) was an American Major League Baseball player and broadcaster. An outfielder, Kiner played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, and Cleveland Indians from 1946 through 1955. Follow ...

in the bottom of the ninth inning to send the game to extra innings. Another Detroit pitcher Ted Gray was the losing pitcher after giving up a home run to

Red Schoendienst Albert Fred "Red" Schoendienst (; February 2, 1923 – June 6, 2018) was an American professional baseball second baseman, coach, and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB), and is largely known for his coaching, managing, and playing years wi ...

in the bottom of 14th inning. * July 19: The Tigers beat the Red Sox, 9–5, at Fenway Park. In the 9th inning, umpire called time just before a Red Sox pinch hitter tripled to center field. The at bat was played over, and results in a groundout. * July 23: The Tigers beat the Yankees, 6–5, to maintain their hold on first place. Detroit pitcher

Saul Rogovin Saul Walter Rogovin (March 24, 1922 – January 23, 1995) was an American professional baseball player. Rogovin was a pitcher over parts of 8 seasons (1949–57), with the Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, Baltimore Orioles, and Philadelphia Ph ...

hit a grand slam off

Eddie Lopat Edmund Walter Lopat (originally Lopatynski) (June 21, 1918 – June 15, 1992) was a Major League Baseball pitcher, coach (baseball), coach, manager (baseball), manager, front office executive, and scout (sport), scout. He was sometimes known a ...

August

* August 3: The Tigers bought

Hank Borowy Henry Ludwig Borowy (May 12, 1916 – August 23, 2004) was an American professional baseball starting pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1942 through 1951 for the New York Yankees (1942–45), Chicago Cubs (1945–48), Phila ...

from the Pirates. Detroit fans recall Borowy as the pitcher who pitched for the Cubs against the Tigers in four games of the

1945 World Series The 1945 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1945 season. The 42nd edition of the World Series, it matched the American League champion Detroit Tigers against the National League champion Chicago Cubs. T ...

, winning two and losing two. * August 14: The Tigers lost to the Indians, 3–2, in 10 innings, before 60,120 fans at Cleveland Stadium. Detroit's lead in the AL was reduced to 2 games.

Al Rosen Albert Leonard Rosen (February 29, 1924 – March 13, 2015), nicknamed "Flip" and "The Hebrew Hammer", was an American baseball third baseman and right-handed slugger for the Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball for ten seasons in the 194 ...

tied the game in the ninth with a two-out home run. Right fielder

Bob Kennedy Robert Daniel Kennedy (August 18, 1920 – April 7, 2005) was a right fielder/third baseman, manager and executive in Major League Baseball. From 1939 to 1957, Kennedy played for the Chicago White Sox (1939–42, 1946–48, 1955–56, 1957), Cle ...

started a triple play from the outfield. * August 30: The Tigers dropped out of first place for the first time since June 10 when they split a pair with the Senators, losing 3–2 in 11 innings, then taking the second game, 10–8.

September

* September 2: The Tigers defeated the Chicago White Sox, 8-2, in Detroit. Vic Wertz hit a three-run home run in the first inning, and Hal Newhouser won his 12th game of the year. * September 3: The Tigers defeated the White Sox, 4-2, before a Sunday crowd of 25,589 at Briggs Stadium. Fred Hutchinson won his 15th game and held the Sox scoreless until Eddie Robinson hit a home run with two outs in the ninth inning. * September 4: The Tigers split a double-header with the St. Louis Browns before a Labor Day crowd of 37,515 at Briggs Stadium. They won the opener, 4-2, but lost, 4-2, in the second game. * September 5: The Tigers defeated the Browns, 7-4. Hoot Evers put the Tigers in the lead in the seventh inning with a bases-loaded single. * September 6: The Tigers defeated the Cleveland Indians, 5-3, before a crowd of 52,555 in Detroit. Hal Newhouser got the win. With the win, the Tigers moved to within 1/2 game of first place. * September 7: Hoot Evers hit for the cycle, added another triple, and batted in six runs in a 13–13, ten-inning tie with Cleveland. The game, ended because of darkness, left Detroit in first place by .002 over the Yankees.

and Bob Feller both hit early two-run home runs as the Indians blew three leads in the game. * September 8: The Tigers defeated the Chicago White Sox, 3-2, in Detroit. * September 9: The Tigers and White Sox finished a game that started in April. The game was originally scheduled as the second game of a doubleheader, but was halted by darkness after nin3 innings with the scored tied 7–7. Art Houtteman finally ended it with a 1–0, 12-inning win. Hoot Evers tripled and scored on a single by

. The Tigers lost the second game, 5–4, cutting their lead to a half game over New York and a game ahead of Boston. * September 10: The Tigers split a Sunday double-header with the Chicago White Sox. The Tigers defeated the Sox in the opener, 1-0, behind 12 innings of shutout pitching by Hal Newhouser. * September 11: The Tigers were idle, and the Yankees moved into first with a doubleheader sweep over the Senators, 5–1 and 6–2. * September 12: The Tigers beat the Senators, 3–2 in Detroit, and the Yankees blew a six-run lead as Cleveland scored four in the ninth inning to win, 8–7. The Tigers moved ahead of the Yankees by a half game and a full game ahead of Boston. * September 13: The Tigers beat the Senators, 6–1, and the Yankees beat the Indians, 10–3. The Tigers remained a half game ahead of the Yankees. * September 14: With the Tigers leading the AL by a half game, the Tigers and Yankees began a three-game series at Briggs Stadium. The Yankees won the opener, 7–5, as

Vic Raschi Victor John Angelo Raschi (March 28, 1919 – October 14, 1988) was a Major League Baseball pitcher. Nicknamed "The Springfield Rifle," he was one of the top pitchers for the New York Yankees in the late 1940s and early 1950s, forming (w ...

got his 20th win. Detroit scored two runs in the 1st inning, but the Yankees came back as Joe DiMaggio and Hank Bauer both hit home runs. The Yankees took over first place by a half game. * September 15: The Tigers won the second game of the three-game series in Detroit. On a Friday night,

Johnny Mize John Robert Mize (January 7, 1913 – June 2, 1993), nicknamed "Big Jawn" and "The Big Cat", was an American professional baseball player, coach and scout. He played as a first baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 15 seasons between 1936 an ...

hit three home runs, but the Tigers won, 9–7. The Tigers moved back into first place by a half game. * September 16: The Yankees beat the Tigers, 8–1, before a crowd of 56,548. Rookie

Whitey Ford Edward Charles "Whitey" Ford (October 21, 1928 – October 8, 2020), nicknamed "the Chairman of the Board", was an American professional baseball pitcher who played his entire 16-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the New York Yankees ...

held the Tigers to six hits. Joe DiMaggio hit his 30th home run, and the Yankees scored seven runs in the ninth inning. The Yankees moved ahead of the Tigers by a half game. * September 17–18: The Tigers were swept in a two-game series with the Red Sox in Detroit, both games by identical 3–2 scores. * September 19–21: The Tigers swept a three-game series against the A's in Detroit. * September 22: The Tigers were swept in a doubleheader against the Indians, in Cleveland. In the first game, Detroit first baseman

Don Kolloway Donald Martin Kolloway (August 4, 1918 – June 30, 1994), was a Major League Baseball player who played 12 years as an infielder for the Chicago White Sox (1940–1943, 1946–1949), Detroit Tigers (1949–1952) and Philadelphia Athletics (1953). ...

hit a two-run home run in the top of the 9th inning off Bob Feller to tie the game at 3–3. In the bottom of the inning,

Joe Gordon Joseph Lowell Gordon (February 18, 1915 – April 14, 1978), nicknamed "Flash" in reference to the comic-book character ''Flash Gordon'', was an American second baseman, coach and manager in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Yank ...

hit a walk-off home run off Hal Newhouser. The loss moved the Tigers back into second place. The Tigers lost the second game, 10–2. Cleveland was the only team that held a winning record over Detroit in 1950 (13–9). * September 24: The Tigers lost to the Indians, 2–1. In Cleveland, heavy smoke from a Canadian forest fire forced the Indians to put on the lights in the Sunday afternoon game.

hit a home run in the 4th inning, and Johnny Lipon tied it with a home run. Lemon opened the 10th with a triple, and two intentional walks followed. With the bases loaded and one out, Detroit catcher Aaron Robinson thought he could complete a double play by stepping on the plate. Because of the haze, he did not see first baseman Don Kolloway remove the force after fielding the ball. Robinson's mental lapse cost Detroit the game. * September 26–28: The Tigers won three out of four games against the Browns, and relief pitcher

Hal White Harold George White (March 18, 1919 – April 21, 2001) was an American professional baseball player, a right-handed pitcher for the Detroit Tigers (1941–43 and 1946–52), St. Louis Browns (1953) and St. Louis Cardinals (1953–1954). Born in ...

got the win in all three games. * September 29: The Tigers were eliminated from the pennant race with a 12–2 loss to the Cleveland Indians.

was the winning pitcher for the Indians. * September 30: The Tigers defeated the Indians, 3–1, to clinch second place in the American League.

was the winning pitcher.

had a two-run double in the eighth inning.

October

* October 1: In the final game of the season, the Tigers lost to the Indians, 7–5, at Briggs Stadium in Detroit. George Kell had two hits to boost his batting average to .342.

Hamtramck Hamtramck ( ) is a city in Wayne County, Michigan, Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the United States 2020 Census, 2020 census, the city population was 28,433. Hamtramck is surrounded by the city of Detroit except for a small po ...

native

Steve Gromek Stephen Joseph Gromek (January 15, 1920 – March 12, 2002) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for 17 seasons in the American League with the Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers. In 447 career games, Gromek ...

was the winning pitcher for Cleveland. The Tigers finished second in the American League, three games behind the Yankees. * October 19: Three Tigers were named by the United Press to the All-American League baseball team. The Detroit honorees were George Kell, Hoot Evers, and Vic Wertz. Kell was selected on 22 of the 24 first-place ballots. Evers and Wertz were named on 16 ballots. * October 24: Red Rolfe received nine votes in polling by the United Press for the American League Manager of the Year award. Casey Stengel of the Yankees received 10 votes and received the award. * October 25: Pitcher Art Houtteman arrived at Camp Pickett in Virginia to begin his Army training after being drafted. * October 26:

won the

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' ...

award with 284 points. Five Tigers finished among the leaders: George Kell fourth (127 points); Vic Wertz 10th (50 points); Hoot Evers 11th (38 points); Dizzy Trout 12th (21 points); and Jerry Priddy 17th (11 points).

Awards and honors

American League Most Valuable Player voting

: fourth (127 points) *

: 10th (50 points) *

: 11th (38 points) *

: 12th (21 points) *

: 17th (11 points)

1950 Major League Baseball All-Star Game

* George Kell, starter, third base * Hoot Evers: starter, outfield * Ted Gray, reserve (losing pitcher in 13th inning) * Art Houtteman, reserve

League leaders

* Hoot Evers: MLB leader in times caught stealing (9) * Hoot Evers: AL leader in triples (11) * Hoot Evers: AL leader in fielding percentage by an outfielder (.997) *

: AL leader in

shutout In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

s (4) * Fred Hutchinson: AL leader in walks per 9 innings pitched (1.86) * Fred Hutchinson: AL leader in strikeout to walk ratio (1.48) * Fred Hutchinson: AL leader in home runs allowed (29) * George Kell: MLB leader in hits (218) * George Kell: MLB leader in doubles (56) * George Kell: AL leader in

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 ...

(124) * George Kell: AL leader in

at bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...

s (641) *

: AL leader in assists (483) and double plays (126) by a shortstop * Jerry Priddy: AL leader in assists (542) and double plays (150) by a second baseman

Players ranking among top 100 of all time at position

The following members of the 1950 Detroit Tigers are among the Top 100 of all time at their positions, 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: * Jerry Priddy: 73rd best second baseman of all time * George Kell: 30th best third baseman of all time * Hoot Evers: 100th best left fielder of all time * Vic Wertz: 61st best right fielder of all time *

: 36th best pitcher of all time *

: 61st best pitcher of all time

Farm system

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Butler

References

External links

Baseball-Reference.com 1950 Detroit Tigers

BaseballLibrary.com 1950 Detroit Tigers season summary
{{Detroit Tigers Detroit Tigers seasons Detroit Tigers season

1950 in Detroit