The Glory Years of the Detroit Tigers: 1920-1950

4. Moments of Glory and Notable Games

Moments of Glory and Notable Games In the last two decades of these glory years, Detroit won four American League pennants and two world championships within a dozen years— no other timeframe in franchise history has ever produced this record of winning big. As the 1934 season approached many of the pieces were in place that would position Detroit for a powerful two-year run for the pennant. The core players who would be instrumental in its success had been developed in the team’s minor league system. Detroit had created a five-team farm system by 1932 and had relied earlier on working agreements with multiple independent farm clubs. Charlie Gehringer had been signed in 1924 and was farmed out to London, Ontario, in 1924 and Toronto the following season before joining the big league roster full-time in 1926. Tommy Bridges spent 1929 at Wheeling and 1930 at Evansville, where he caught management’s attention and they brought him to Detroit late in the campaign. The Tigers acquired shortstop Billy Rogell from St. Paul in the American Association after he hit an impressive .336 in the 1929 season. Hank Greenberg, Pete Fox, and Schoolboy Rowe formed the nucleus of the Texas League champion Beaumont Exporters managed by Del Baker in 1932. Fox was the league’s batting champion, Rowe had the top earned run average, and Greenberg f o u r 240 c h a p t e r f o u r led the circuit in runs scored and home runs, earning him the Most Valuable Player Award. Then Frank Navin, with financial assistance from minority owner Walter O. Briggs, applied the clincher in buying Mickey Cochrane and trading for Goose Goslin. In these two transactions, the Tigers acquired two future members of the Hall of Fame and spiritual leaders, setting the stage for exciting action. The season unfolded slowly; many of the offensive cogs were not hitting and the slump persisted through April and much of May. The team hovered around .500 during this slow start. Cochrane and Company started to roll in June, picking up steam as the season progressed. By the first of July they had attained a record of 40-26. The pace dropped off a bit in July but then broke loose in the dog days of summer: the Tigers amassed a 14-game winning streak and played at a .793 winning clip throughout the month of August. They finished the final month of the season with a thirty-day record of 18 victories and 10 losses. They outdistanced the Yankees by 7 games while winning 101 against 56 losses, a .656 winning percentage. Although the Bengals did not run away with the flag, they held a winning advantage over all other clubs, took over the lead for good on August 1, and ran in front for 97 days. Like a true championship team they played as well on the road as at home. The St. Louis Cardinals had a harder fight in the National League pennant race, going right down to the end before the Red Birds prevailed with a two-game margin over the New York Giants. In at least one dimension , the two opponents were much alike. Both teams were wired with a fighting spirit and made up of largely competitive men who hated to lose. The St. Louis Gashouse Gang consisted of a bunch of colorful characters, rough-and-tumble types, and even though the Tigers were more regular in behavior, this World Series would be a war of wills. t h e 1 9 3 4 w o r l d s e r i e s After a twenty-five-year lapse in world championship competition, the Tiger faithful were charged and ready for the 1934 World Series: the opening game at home unleashed a tidal wave of excitement and eager anticipation. The gates opened at 9:00 a.m. on October 3, 1934, for a 1:30 p.m. game: twenty thousand fans were lined up on the connecting streets waiting to purchase tickets and gain admission to the bleacher sections of the ballpark. Some of the most avid fans had spent a restless night trying to sleep on the concrete Moments of Glory and Notable Games 241 to ensure their place in line. There were even mothers with children who maintained the vigil. At 7:00 a.m. a group of men...