2000 Detroit Tigers season

Last updated

2000  Detroit Tigers
League American League
Division Central
Ballpark Comerica Park
City Detroit, Michigan
Owners Mike Ilitch
General managers Randy Smith
Managers Phil Garner
Television WKBD
(Frank Beckmann, Al Kaline)
Fox Sports Detroit
(Josh Lewin, Kirk Gibson, Tom Paciorek)
Radio Detroit Tigers Radio Network
(Ernie Harwell, Jim Price, Dan Dickerson)
  1999 Seasons 2001  

The 2000 Detroit Tigers season was the team's 100th season and its first season at Comerica Park, after playing at Tiger Stadium since 1912, at the corner of Michigan Avenue and Trumbull Avenue (also site of their previous stadiums since 1896).

Contents

Offseason

Regular season

Honored 2000
Detrethm.PNG
Harry
Heilmann

OF: 1914-29

Heinie
Manush

OF: 1923-27

Honored 2000
Detretjc.PNG
Hughie
Jennings

M: 1907-20

Sam
Crawford

OF: 1903-17

Honored 2000
Detretck.PNG
Mickey
Cochrane

C: 1934-37
M: 1934-38
George
Kell

3B: 1946-52
Honored 2000
Detretharwell.png
Ernie
Harwell

Broadcaster:
1960–2002
Honored 2000

Comerica Park

Groundbreaking for a new ballpark to replace Tiger Stadium for the Detroit Tigers was held on October 29, 1997, and the new stadium was opened to the public in 2000. At the time of construction, the scoreboard in left field was the largest in Major League Baseball. [6] In December 1998, Comerica Bank agreed to pay US$66 million over 30 years for the naming rights for the new ballpark. Upon its opening, there was some effort to try to find a nickname for the park, with the abbreviation CoPa suggested by many, [7] but that nickname has not gained widespread acceptance.

First Game

Comerica Park panoramic Comerica-Park-Detroit-MI-Panorama.jpg
Comerica Park panoramic

The first game at Comerica Park was held on Tuesday, April 11, 2000, with 39,168 spectators attending, on a cold snowy afternoon. Grounds people had to clear snow off the field from the night before. The Tigers defeated the Seattle Mariners by a score of 5-2. The winning pitcher, like in the final game at Tiger Stadium was Brian Moehler.

April 22

The Tigers were involved in a pair of bench-clearing brawls in a 146 loss to the Chicago White Sox at Comiskey Park on April 22. Both were fueled by pitchers hitting batters. The tensions began in the sixth inning with Carlos Lee and Jeff Weaver who continued to jaw with Lee after being subbed out. A retaliatory pitch thrown by Jim Parque to Dean Palmer one inning later in the seventh began the first brawl which moved into shallow right field and included Keith Foulke being punched by Bobby Higginson and sustaining a cut under his left eye that needed five stitches to close. Four batters after Tanyon Sturtze hit Deivi Cruz in the ninth, the second brawl erupted when Bob Howry did likewise to Shane Halter. Among the eleven ejections were the Tigers' Weaver, Palmer, Robert Fick, Danny Patterson and Doug Brocail and White Sox's Sturtze, Howry, Magglio Ordóñez, Bill Simas, manager Jerry Manuel and bench coach Joe Nossek. [8]

In the harshest penalty for a brawl in MLB history, a combined 16 members of the Tigers and White Sox were suspended for a total of 82 games five days later on April 27. [9] Tigers coach Juan Samuel incurred the longest at 15 for throwing punches rather than serving as a peacemaker, while the opposing managers Manuel and Phil Garner each received eight. Palmer was also assessed eight for participating in the second brawl despite having already been ejected. Other suspended Tigers were Higginson and Fick for five each, Brocail for four and Juan Encarnación, Karim García and Luis Polonia for three. Ordóñez was the White Sox player receiving the longest suspension at five, while Lee, Parque, Foulke, Sturtze and Howry got three each. [10]

Season standings

AL Central W L Pct. GB Home Road
Chicago White Sox 95670.58646–3549–32
Cleveland Indians 90720.556548–3342–39
Detroit Tigers 79830.4881643–3836–45
Kansas City Royals 77850.4751842–3935–46
Minnesota Twins 69930.4262636–4533–48

Record vs. opponents


Source: AL Standings Head-to-Head
TeamANABALBOSCWSCLEDETKC MINNYYOAKSEATB TEXTORNL 
Anaheim 7–55–44–63–65–56–67–35–55–85–86–67–55–712–6
Baltimore 5–75–74–65–46–43–76–35–74–83–78–56–67–67–11
Boston 4–57–57–56–67–54–68–26–75–55–56–67–34–89–9
Chicago 6–46–45–78–59–35–77–58–46–37–56–45–55–512–6
Cleveland 6–34–56–65–86–75–75–85–56–67–28–26–48–413–5
Detroit 5–54–65–73–97–65–77–68–46–47–24–55–53–910–8
Kansas City 6–67–36–47–57–57–57–52–84–84–85–53–74–68–10
Minnesota 3–73–62–85–78–56–75–75–55–73–94–68–45–47–11
New York 5–57–57–64–85–54–88–25–56–34–66–610–25–711–6
Oakland 8–58–45–53–66–64–68–47–53–69–47–25–77–311–7
Seattle 8–57–35–55–72–72–78–49–36–44–99–37–58–211–7
Tampa Bay 6–65–86–64–62–85–45–56–46–62–73–95–75–79–9
Texas 5–76–63–75–54–65–57–34–82–107–55–77–54–67–11
Toronto 7–56–78–45–54–89–36–44–57–53–72–87–56–49–9

Notable transactions

Roster

2000 Detroit Tigers
Roster
PitchersCatchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Other batters

Manager

Coaches

Player stats

Batting

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

PlayerGABHAvg.HRRBI
Bobby Higginson 154597179.30030102
Deivi Cruz 15658376.3021082
Juan Encarnación 141547158.2891472
Dean Palmer 145524134.25629102
Brad Ausmus 150523139.266751
Damion Easley 126464120.2591458
Juan González 115461133.2892267
Luis Polonia 8026773.273625
Shane Halter 10523862.261327
Rich Becker 9223858.244734
Tony Clark 6020857.2741337
Wendell Magee 9118651.274731
José Macías 7317344.254224
Robert Fick 6616341.252322
Gregg Jefferies 4114239.275214
Billy McMillon 4612337.301424
Hal Morris 4010633.31118
Javier Cardona 26407.17512
Karim García 8173.17600
Dusty Allen 18167.43822
Eric Munson 350.00001
Rod Lindsey 1131.33300
Gabe Alvarez 110.00000
Pitcher Totals162191.05300
Team Totals16256441553.275177785

Note: Individual 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

PlayerGIPWLERASO
Jeff Weaver 31200.011154.32136
Hideo Nomo 32190.08124.74181
Brian Moehler 29178.01294.50103
Dave Mlicki 24119.16115.5857
Steve Sparks 20104.0754.0753

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

PlayerGIPWLERASO
Willie Blair 47156.21064.8874
C.J. Nitkowski 67109.2495.2581
Adam Bernero 1234.1014.1920
Mark Johnson 924.0017.5011
Dave Borkowski 25.10121.941

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

PlayerGIPWLSVERASO
Todd Jones 6764.024423.5267
Matt Anderson 6974.13214.7271
Danny Patterson 5856.25103.9729
Doug Brocail 4950.25404.0941
Nelson Cruz 2741.05203.0734
Jim Poole 188.21007.275
Allen McDill 1310.00007.207
Kevin Tolar 53.00003.003
Brandon Villafuerte 34.100010.381
Erik Hiljus 33.20007.362
Sean Runyan 33.00006.001
Masao Kida 22.200010.130
Shane Halter 10.0000----0
Team Pitching Totals1621443.17983444.71978

Farm system

LevelTeamLeagueManager
AAA Toledo Mud Hens International League Dave Anderson and Glenn Ezell
AA Jacksonville Suns Southern League Gene Roof
A Lakeland Tigers Florida State League Skeeter Barnes
A West Michigan Whitecaps Midwest League Bruce Fields
A-Short Season Oneonta Tigers New York–Penn League Gary Green
Rookie GCL Tigers Gulf Coast League Kevin Bradshaw

[12]

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References

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  2. 1 2 "Luis Polonia Stats". Baseball-Reference.com.
  3. 1 2 3 "Mike Oquist Stats". Baseball-Reference.com.
  4. "Gregg Zaun Stats". Baseball-Reference.com.
  5. "Home Run in Last At Bat by Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com.
  6. "Turner Construction Company". Archived from the original on February 17, 2007. Retrieved June 19, 2008.
  7. "Fans were terrific at going-away party". archive.is. November 1, 2006. Archived from the original on November 1, 2006.
  8. "Tigers, White Sox Get Fighting Mad: 11 Tossed," The Washington Post, Sunday, April 23, 2000. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  9. "MLB Suspends 16 After Melee," The Associated Press (AP), Thursday, April 27, 2000. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  10. Newhan, Ross. "16 Suspended for 82 Games for Roles in Chicago Brawl," Los Angeles Times, Friday, April 28, 2000. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  11. "Rich Becker Stats". Baseball-Reference.com.
  12. Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 3rd edition. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 2007