On Tuesday, June 15, 1965, majestic Tiger Stadium held 9,624 spectators who witnessed one of the most historic pitching accomplishments in Detroit Tigers history. The pitching matchup pitted Dave Wickersham (1-4) of the Tigers against Earl Wilson (4-4) of the Boston Red Sox.
Read more
This Hall of Famer played with Detroit and Grand Rapids as a minor leaguer before making his name in the majors as a young phenom. Known for his childish antics and mercurial moods, he graced two Michigan ball diamonds over a century ago.
Read more
They were a striking pair around traveling around Detroit: he the famous feisty pitcher and she his younger, beautiful wife. Over a century ago, Detroit’s glamour couple was William and Nellie Donovan.
Read more
In his first year of professional baseball, right-hander Grover Lowdermilk set a record that has stood for more than a century.
Read more
On Oct. 2, 1968, Cardinals ace Bob Gibson stood on the mound at Busch Stadium in St. Louis for Game 1 of the World Series. The 6-foot-2 Gibson glared toward the plate, his jaw dripping with sweat, his cap pulled low over his face. Batters stood in against Gibson with trepidation, facing an arsenal that included a sharp curve, a devastating slider and a high-90s fastball that often came in high and tight.
Read more
World Series goats, in one of baseball’s crueler ironies, are more often than not instrumental in their team’s advance into postseason play in the first place. Consider Ed Summers, one of the sport’s first knuckleballers.
Read more
Earl Wilson grew up loving sports. He went to Hammond Colored High School, where he played varsity basketball. His passion, however, was baseball and he played whenever and wherever he could get the chance.
Read more
Sam Jones was an intimidating pitcher. He was big (6 feet 4 and 200 pounds), threw hard, had a massive sweeping curveball, and could be quite wild. Three times he led the National League in both strikeouts and walks.
Read more
Steve Grilli called his son’s seasons with the Detroit Tigers much more prominent than his own. After all, Jason Grilli got to pitch for the Tigers in 2006 when Detroit advanced to the World Series.
Read more
“Let’s face it, I’m more a thrower than a pitcher,” said the frank left-handed Kentuckian whose sudden emergence on the major-league stage in 1966 was described as “one of the strangest make-good-in-a-hurry stories” to ever come along. Despite an early diagnosis of an arthritic left elbow, this 43-year-old “thrower” was still hurling a baseball better than 90 mph that contributed to a 19-year professional career.
Read more