1908 Detroit Tigers season

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1908  Detroit Tigers
American League champions
League American League
Ballpark Bennett Park
City Detroit, Michigan
Record90–63 (.588)
League place1st
Owners William H. Yawkey and Frank Navin
Managers Hughie Jennings
  1907 Seasons 1909  
Some members of the team, shown on baseball cards. Sheet of eight postcards featuring Detroit baseball players: Summers (Pitcher); Willett (Pitcher). McIntyre (Left Field); Downs (Second Base); Schmidt (Catcher); Schaefer (Third Base); Rossman (First Base) and O'Leary (Short Stop). Portraits of Detroit baseball players LCCN2013646032.jpg
Some members of the team, shown on baseball cards. Sheet of eight postcards featuring Detroit baseball players: Summers (Pitcher); Willett (Pitcher). McIntyre (Left Field); Downs (Second Base); Schmidt (Catcher); Schaefer (Third Base); Rossman (First Base) and O'Leary (Short Stop).

The 1908 Detroit Tigers season was a season in American baseball. The team won the American League championship by means of a scheduling quirk, finishing just one-half game ahead of the Cleveland Naps. The two teams won the same number of games, but the Tigers completed and lost one fewer. They then lost to the Chicago Cubs in the 1908 World Series.

Contents

Regular season

The early part of the season was defined in part by Ty Cobb's contract dispute with the team. He claimed that the owners have too much power. Eventually Cobb settled for a $4,800 contract. [1] After opening day, the Tigers averaged only 4,400 fans per game.

Season standings

American League
Team W L Pct. GB Home Road
Detroit Tigers 9063.58844334630
Cleveland Naps 9064.584½51263938
Chicago White Sox 8864.57951253739
St. Louis Browns 8369.54646313738
Boston Red Sox 7579.48715½37403839
Philadelphia Athletics 6885.4442246302255
Washington Senators 6785.44122½43322453
New York Highlanders 51103.33139½30472156

Record vs. opponents


Sources:
TeamBOSCWSCLEDETNYHPHASLBWSH
Boston 6–16–110–1211–1112–1010–1215–711–11
Chicago 16–6–18–14–19–1316–613–911–1015–6–2
Cleveland 12–1014–8–113–916–616–6–111–11–18–14
Detroit 11–1113–99–1315–714–8–112–1016–5
New York 10–126–166–167–158–14–15–179–13
Philadelphia 12–109–136–16–18–14–114–8–18–13–111–11
St. Louis 7–1510–1111–11–110–1217–513–8–115–7–1
Washington 11–116–15–214–85–1613–911–117–15–1

Roster

1908 Detroit Tigers
Roster
PitchersCatchers

Infielders

OutfieldersManager

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

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

PosPlayerGABHAvg.HRRBI
C Boss Schmidt 122419111.265138
1B Claude Rossman 138524154.294271
2B Red Downs 8428964.221135
SS Germany Schaefer 153584151.259352
3B Bill Coughlin 11940587.215023
OF Sam Crawford 152591184.311780
OF Matty McIntyre 151569168.295028
OF Ty Cobb 150581188.3244108

Other batters

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

PlayerGABHAvg.HRRBI
Charley O'Leary 6521153.251017
Davy Jones 5612125.207010
Ira Thomas 4010131.307010
Red Killefer 287516.213011
Donie Bush 206820.29004
Fred Payne 20453.06702
Clay Perry 7172.11800

Pitching

Starting pitchers

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

PlayerGIPWLERASO
Ed Summers 40301.024121.64103
George Mullin 39290.217133.10121
Bill Donovan 29242.21872.08141
Ed Willett 30197.11582.2877
Ed Killian 27180.21292.9947
Ed Siever 1161.2263.5023
George Winter 756.1151.6025

Other pitchers

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

PlayerGIPWLERASO
George Suggs 627.0111.678
Herm Malloy 317.0023.718

1908 World Series

Game 1

October 10, 1908, at Bennett Park in Detroit, Michigan

Team123456789RHE
Chicago (NL)00400010510142
Detroit (AL)1000003206103
W: Mordecai Brown (1–0)  L: Ed Summers (0–1)

Game 2

October 11, 1908, at West Side Park in Chicago, Illinois

Team123456789RHE
Detroit (AL)000000001141
Chicago (NL)00000006x670
W: Orval Overall (1–0)  L: Bill Donovan (0–1)
HR: CHCJoe Tinker (1)

Game 3

October 12, 1908, at West Side Park in Chicago, Illinois

Team123456789RHE
Detroit (AL)1000050208124
Chicago (NL)000300000370
W: George Mullin (1–0)  L: Jack Pfiester (0–1)

Game 4

October 13, 1908, at Bennett Park in Detroit, Michigan

Team123456789RHE
Chicago (NL)0020000013100
Detroit (AL)000000000041
W: Mordecai Brown (2–0)  L: Ed Summers (0–2)

Game 5

October 14, 1908, at Bennett Park in Detroit, Michigan

Team123456789RHE
Chicago (NL)1000100002100
Detroit000000000030
W: Orval Overall (2–0)  L: Bill Donovan (0–2)

Notes

  1. Crazy '08: How a cast of Cranks, Rogues, Boneheads and Magnates created the Greatest Year in Baseball History, p. 71, by Cait Murphy, Smithsonian Books, a Division of Harper Collins, 2007, ISBN   978-0-06-088937-1

References