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| 1. Gibson's homer caps Series OCTOBER 14, 1984 The 1984 Tigers started out 35-5 and held first place all season long. In Game 5 of the World Series against San Diego, Detroit led 5-4 in the bottom of the eighth, runners on second and third, and Kirk Gibson at the plate. Padres manager Dick Williams elected to have Goose Gossage pitch to Gibson instead of walk him and Gibby deposited the pitch into the upper deck above right field. Gibson danced around the bases and nearly knocked over teammate Lance Parrish with a high five. Series over.
OCTOBER 7, 1934 It was Game 7 of the World Series against the Cardinals and things got ugly -- in more ways than one. St. Louis led 7-0 in the sixth when Joe Medwick tripled and slid hard into Tigers third baseman Marv Owen. The two briefly wrestled and when Medwick took his spot in left field, frustrated fans pelted him with bottles, fruit and other garbage. Medwick went back and forth from the field to the dugout three times as more objects were thrown at him. Finally, Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis ordered the Cardinals to replace Medwick, and the game resumed after a 20-minute delay. 3. Clemens blows away Tigers SEPTEMBER 18, 1996 The '96 Tigers set a franchise record for apathy with 109 losses and they never looked worse than during this night against Boston's Roger Clemens. The Rocket had 19 strikeouts through eight innings and needed one more to tie his own record for strikeouts in a game. With two outs in the ninth, he got it, fanning Travis Fryman on a 2-2 pitch. 4. Gehrig ends streak MAY 2, 1939 After playing 2,130 consecutive games, Lou Gehrig of the Yankees benches himself in a contest against the Tigers. Babe Dahlgren played first base and the Yankees won the game, 22-2. 5. Lions win NFL title DECEMBER 18, 1957 The Detroit Lions played their home games at Tiger Stadium from 1938 to 1974 (with the exception of 1940) and had their best run during the 1950s when they won three NFL championships. Nothing was more impressive than the '57 title game against the Cleveland Browns. With backup quarterback Tobin Rote playing for the injured Bobby Layne, who had a broken leg, the Lions roared to a 59-14 victory. Rote passed for four touchdowns and ran for another. 6. Reggie's blast JULY 13, 1971 Before he was Mr. October, he was Reggie Jackson. Pinch-hitting in the 1971 All-Star Game, Jackson blasted a pitch from Dock Ellis that appeared headed for Trumbull Avenue -- except it struck the light tower perched atop the right-right roof. The homer helped the AL win the game, its only victory between 1962 and 1983. 7. Lolich keeps Tigers alive OCTOBER 7, 1968 The Tigers trailed the Cardinals 3 games to 1 in the '68 World Series and were losing 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh. With one out, pitcher Mickey Lolich blooped a single to right field. Al Kaline later hit a two-run single to give the Tigers the lead and Lolich held the lead on the mound for the win. He came back on two days' rest in St. Louis to beat Bob Gibson 4-1 in Game 7. 8. McLain wins No. 30 SEPTEMBER 14, 1968 No pitcher had won 30 games since Dizzy Dean in 1934 when Denny McLain put together his dream season. He finished 31-6 with a 1.96 ERA and win No. 30 came at Tiger Stadium in a 5-4 win over Oakland. McLain allowed six hits and fanned 10. No pitcher has won more than 27 games since.
FINAL GAME 1987 REGULAR SEASON The Tigers entered the final weekend of 1987 trailing the Toronto Blue Jays by one game in the AL East, but the two teams had three games at Tiger Stadium. The Tigers won the first one, 4-3, to move into a tie for the lead. They won on Saturday, once again by one run, 3-2. It came down to the final day of the season. Detroit's Frank Tanana and Toronto's Jimmy Key locked up in a tight pitching duel. Larry Herndon's second-inning home run off Key held up as the Tigers won 1-0 to clinch the division title. 10. Louis defends heavyweight crown SEPTEMBER 20, 1939 In 1935, the Tigers won the World Series and the Lions the NFL championship. Early the next year, the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup. In 1937, hometown hero Joe Louis, who grew up near Tiger Stadium (Navin Field in those days), won the heavyweight boxing title. Detroit became known as the City of Champions. Two years later, after reclaiming the belt from Max Schmeling, Louis defended his title against Bob Pastor in his home city. Scheduled for 20 rounds, Louis knocked out Pastor in the 11th. | ALSO SEE Detroit thumps K.C. in farewell to Tiger Stadium
Detroit mixes past, future in Tiger Stadium's farewell
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