Detroit
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Yr

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Yr

P

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1950

2

95

59

1953

6

60

94

1957

4

78

76

Decade

1951

5

73

81

1954

5

68

86

1958

5

77

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1952

8

50

104

1955

5

79

75

1959

4

76

78

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1956

5

82

72

Titles:

Top Tigers Players of the Fifties

None

Pitchers:

BallPark:

Frank Lary (19.99) - 52

Briggs Stadium

Billy Hoeft (13.93) - 45

Paul Foytack (10.84) - 36

Team Name:

Jim Bunning (12.95) - 33

Tigers

Ned Garver (8.06) - 26

Steve Gromek (8.31) - 25

Owner:

Ted Gray (5.25) - 23

Walter O. Briggs Sr (1950-1952)

Art Houtteman (7.2) - 20

Walter O. Briggs Jr (1952-1956)

Fred Hutchinson (6.18) - 18

John Fetzer / Frank Knorr (1956-1959)

Hal Newhouser (4.43) - 17

Virgil Trucks (5.15) - 14

General Managers:

Dizzy Trout (4.74) - 13

Billy Evans (1950-1951)

Don Mossi (4.1) - 8

Charlile Gehringer (1952-1953)

Muddy Ruel (1954-1956)

Catchers:

John McHale (1957-1959)

Frank House (3.5) - 26

Rick Ferrell (1959)

Joe Ginsberg (2.15) - 16

Red Wilson (5.6) - 12

Managers:

Red Rolfe (1950-1952)

First Basemen:

Fred Hutchinson (1952-1954)

Vic Wertz (10.96) - 31

Bucky Harris (1955-1956)

Walt Dropo (-0.04) - 19

Jack Tighe (1957-1958)

Earl Torgeson (4.25) - 16

Bill Norman (1958-1959)

Jimmie Dykes (1959)

Second Basemen:

Frank Bolling (10.67) - 27

No Hitters:

Jerry Priddy (6.75) - 14

Virgil Trucks (1952)

ShortStop:

Jim Bunning (1958)

Harvey Kuenn (20.98) - 62

Johnny Lipon (2.47) - 14

Hall of Famers:

Al Kaline

Third Base:

Hal Newhouser

Ray Boone (16.41) - 42

Jim Bunning

George Kell (9.71) - 20

George Kell

Eddie Yost (5.35) - 8

Cy Young:

Outfield:

None

Al Kaline (33.59) - 75

Charlie Maxwell (17.2) - 42

Rookie of the Year:

Bill Tuttle (1.28) - 23

Harvey Kuenn (1953)

Johnny Groth (4.47) - 21

Hoot Evers (3.06) - 19

MVP:

Jim Delsing (2.6) - 15

None

Notable Events:

1953 - Despite it being a lost decade and the Tigers flirting with the cellar,

1950 - A lost decade in Detroit history. Seven second division finishes,

there are some bright spots on the roster:

never close to contending after a nice 1950 season.

□ Shortsop Harvey Kuenn, 22, bats .308 and wins rookie of the year

The ownership was flounderiing. Walter Briggs was aging and died in

□ Third baseman Ray Boone, 29, is picked up from Cleveland

1952 at the age of seventy four. He had been known as a players' owner,

for Art Houtteman and blossoms as a hitter

paid well, and was committed to winning His son, Spike, took over the

□ Eighteen year old future Hall of Fame rightfielder Al Kaline is

club after Senior's death, but Spike just wasn't up to it. Family estate

signed out of High School and skips the minor leagues entirely

executors forced Junior to sell the club in 1956. He was retained as

to join Detroit.

General Manager in 1957, but that lasted only briefly.

□ Twenty One year old lefty Billy Hoeft has his first full season

Aside from the ownership flux, the other major factor in Detroit's woeful

as a starter

decade was the racial prejudice of Briggs Senior. He would not sign

□ Twenty two year old righty Paul Foytack is brought up from Buffalo

black players and would not allow blacks to sit in the box seat section

of the stadium. Spineless Junior was probably too afraid of Senior,

1954 - Detroit brings up three youngsters from Buffalo who will be

even in his grave, to go against the old man's wishes regarding blacks.

mainstays on the club for years:

It wasn't until 1958, once Junior was out of the picture, that the Tigers

□ righthander Frank Lary, 24, will be the ace of the Tiger rotation

finally fielded a black player, journeyman third baseman Ozzie Virgil

and a Yankee killer for most of a decade

who had been picked up from the Giants.

□ slick fielding second baseman Frank Bolling, 22

□ speedy centerfielder Bill Tuttle, 24

1950 - Detroit started the decade strong finishing second with a 95-59

mark three games behind New York. Detroit had five excellent starting

1955 - Twenty eight year old outfielder Charley Maxwell is purchased

pitchers moving into the decade led by twenty two year old righthander

from the Orioles. Maxwell got the odd reputation of being a monster

Art Houtteman with 19 wins. Fred Hutchinson, Hal Newhouser and Dizzy

slugger on Sundays

Trout were all in fine form, going 45-26 between them. However, the other

Tiger mainstay, Virgil Trucks, had a sore arm which probably cost Detroit

1955 - Twenty three year old righthander Jim Bunning is brought up

the pennant. The everyday lineup was young and solid. Twenty three

from Buffalo. He is a future Hall of Famer.

year old centerfielder Johnny Groth's numbers were 12-85.306.

Twenty five year old outfielder Vic Wertz's were 27-123.308.

1955 - Al Kaline becomes the youngest batting champion, hitting .340

Twenty seven year old infielders Johnny Lipon and George Kell batted

at twenty years old. Al hits over .300 eight more times in his career,

.293 and .340 respectively with Kell driving in 101 runs.

but never .340

And twenty nine year old outfielder Hoot Evers went 21-103.323.

1955 - the Tigers gain eleven games in the standings and climb back

1951 - After finishing over .500 in fifteen of the previous seventeen

over the .500 mark for the first time in five years.

seasons including four pennants, the Tigers run ends suddenly, in flames.

They are a club loaded with solid young players and lots of youth.

Detroit drops twenty two games from 95-59 to 73-81.

One would think that Detroit would now catapult into contention.

It's over. Detroit is bad and will stay bad for the next four years.

One would be wrong. The Tigers, after a teasing 82-72 mark in 1956,

The big reason is the pitching. Houtteman is drafed into the military and

would play exactly .500 ball for the rest of the decade, not finishing

is never the same again when he comes out.

more or less than two games away from .500 in any of those seasons.

Newhouser , Hutchinson and Trout all get old simultaneously.

The Bengals just could not make it to the next level.

Ironically, Trucks rebounds from his sore arm to go 13-8, but that's the

only bright spot on the entire team. All of the hitters decline a notch

1959 - Rick Ferrell is promoted to General Manager. He would later be

from 1950 even tho' they are still young. However, thirty year old Evers

promoted to VP and stayed as a Tiger executive until 1992 at the age of

gets old early and declines precipitously to 11-46.224

eighty seven. Rick played a big part in the great success of the Tigers from

1961 thru 1988 where they finished over .500 in twenty two of those

seasons including four first place finishes and two world titles.

Rick was a Hall of Famer as a catcher altho' that was tenuous, at best.

In fact, during his playing days, his brother Wes, a pitcher, who could

also hit (better than his brother Rick, in fact), was the much better player

and Wes didn't come close to making it to the Hall of Fame. All that

being said, Rick deserved to be in the Hall for his prowess as an executive.