1909 Detroit Tigers season
Encyclopedia
The 1909 Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...

won the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...

 pennant
Pennant (sports)
A pennant is a commemorative flag typically used to show support for a particular athletic team. Pennants have been historically used in all types of athletic levels: high school, collegiate, professional etc. Traditionally, pennants were made of felt and fashioned in the official colors of a...

 with a record of 96-56, but lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates
1909 Pittsburgh Pirates season
The 1909 Pittsburgh Pirates won the National League pennant with a record of 110–42. Led by shortstop Honus Wagner and outfielder-manager Fred Clarke, the Pirates scored the most runs in the majors. Wagner led the league in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and runs batted in...

 in the 1909 World Series
1909 World Series
The 1909 World Series featured the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Detroit Tigers. The Pirates won the Series in seven games to capture their first championship of the modern Major League Baseball era and the second championship in the club's history....

, 4 games to 3. The season was their 9th since they were charter members of the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...

 in 1901. It was the third consecutive season in which they won the pennant but lost the World Series. Center fielder Ty Cobb
Ty Cobb
Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...

 won the Triple Crown
Triple crown (baseball)
In Major League Baseball, a player earns the Triple Crown when he leads a league in three specific statistical categories. For batters, a player must lead the league in home runs, run batted in , and batting average; pitchers must lead the league in wins, strikeouts, and earned run average...

 and pitcher George Mullin
George Mullin (baseball)
George Joseph Mullin was a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played fourteen seasons with the Detroit Tigers and Washington Senators of the American League and the Indianapolis Hoosiers/Newark Pepper of the Federal League.-Career Overview:Mullin holds the Detroit Tigers...

 led the league in wins (29) and win percentage (.784).

Catchers: Boss Schmidt
Boss Schmidt
Charles "Boss" Schmidt was an American catcher in Major League Baseball who played six seasons with the Detroit Tigers ....

 and Oscar Stanage
Oscar Stanage
Oscar Harland Stanage was a Major League Baseball catcher. Born in Tulare, California, Stanage played fourteen seasons in the Major Leagues, primarily with the Detroit Tigers...

 

Catching
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...

 duties were split between Boss Schmidt
Boss Schmidt
Charles "Boss" Schmidt was an American catcher in Major League Baseball who played six seasons with the Detroit Tigers ....

 (81 games) and Oscar Stanage
Oscar Stanage
Oscar Harland Stanage was a Major League Baseball catcher. Born in Tulare, California, Stanage played fourteen seasons in the Major Leagues, primarily with the Detroit Tigers...

 (77 games).

Schmidt
Boss Schmidt
Charles "Boss" Schmidt was an American catcher in Major League Baseball who played six seasons with the Detroit Tigers ....

 hit .265 in 1908, but his average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...

 dropped to .209 in 1909. As a young man, Schmidt worked in the coal mines and was a skilled brawler who fought an exhibition match with the heavyweight champion, Jack Johnson
Jack Johnson (boxer)
John Arthur Johnson , nicknamed the “Galveston Giant,” was an American boxer. At the height of the Jim Crow era, Johnson became the first African American world heavyweight boxing champion...

. Schmidt also beat Ty Cobb
Ty Cobb
Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...

 in at least two fights. In the second fight, Schmidt knocked Cobb unconscious but admired Cobb's resiliency, and the two became friends until Schmidt's death in 1932. Schmidt never wore shinguards and could force nails into the floor with his bare fists.

Stanage
Oscar Stanage
Oscar Harland Stanage was a Major League Baseball catcher. Born in Tulare, California, Stanage played fourteen seasons in the Major Leagues, primarily with the Detroit Tigers...

 played for the Tigers from 1909 to 1920, catching 1,074 games for Detroit—second only to Bill Freehan
Bill Freehan
William Ashley Freehan is a former professional baseball player. He played his entire Major League Baseball career as a catcher for the Detroit Tigers...

 in team history. Stanage was a weak hitter but one of the best defensive catchers of the dead-ball era
Dead-ball era
The dead-ball era is a baseball term used to describe the period between 1900 and the emergence of Babe Ruth as a power hitter in 1919. In 1919, Ruth hit a then league record 29 home runs, a spectacular feat at that time.This era was characterized by low-scoring games and a lack of home runs...

. Known for his strong throwing arm, Stanage threw out more baserunners than any other catcher in the 1910s. Stanage still holds the American League record for most assists
Assist (baseball)
In baseball, an assist is a defensive statistic, baseball being one of the few sports in which the defensive team controls the ball. An assist is awarded to every defensive player who fields or touches the ball prior to the recording of a putout, even if the contact was unintentional...

 by a catcher, with 212 in 1911, and his career average of 1.29 assists per game is the fifth best in major league history. Stanage was not as skilled with the glove; his 41 errors
Error (baseball)
In baseball statistics, an error is the act, in the judgment of the official scorer, of a fielder misplaying a ball in a manner that allows a batter or baserunner to reach one or more additional bases, when such an advance would have been prevented given ordinary effort by the fielder.The term ...

 in 1911 was the most by a catcher for the 20th Century.

Infield: Rossman, Schaefer, Bush, Moriarty, Delahanty and O’Leary

First baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...

 Claude Rossman
Claude Rossman
Claude R. Rossman was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball. He played five seasons in the American League with the Cleveland Naps , Detroit Tigers and St. Louis Browns...

 played for the Tigers from 1907 to 1909. In 1908, Rossman had the best year of his career with 33 doubles
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....

 (2nd in the AL), 219 total bases
Total bases
In baseball statistics, total bases refers to the number of bases a player has gained with hits, i.e., the sum of his hits weighted by 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run.Only bases attained from hits count toward this total....

 (3rd in the AL), and 48 extra base hits (3rd in the AL). On August 20, 1909, the Tigers traded him to the St. Louis Browns
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...

 for Tom Jones. Rossman had a peculiar emotional quirk where he sometimes froze and could not throw the ball when he became excited. Runners would lead off first to draw a throw from the pitcher, then run to second when Rossman froze. He was 28 when he played his last major league game and died at age 46 in a New York hospital for the insane where he had been a patient for several years.

Second baseman
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...

 Germany Schaefer
Germany Schaefer
Herman A. "Germany" Schaefer was a second baseman in Major League Baseball who played fifteen seasons with the Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers, Washington Senators, Newark Pepper, New York Yankees, and Cleveland Indians....

 was traded by the Tigers to the Washington Senators
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...

 during the 1909 season for Jim Delahanty
Jim Delahanty
James Christopher Delahanty was a second baseman in Major League Baseball. He played thirteen seasons with eight clubs: the Chicago Orphans , New York Giants , Boston Beaneaters , Cincinnati Reds , St. Louis Browns , Washington Senators , Detroit Tigers , and Brooklyn Tip-Tops...

. Schaefer is remembered more for his antics than for his performance on the field, including trying to steal first base (from second base) and, coming to bat in the rain with a raincoat and boots (to persuade the umpire to call the games). Schaefer was a pioneer of baseball clowning, and his vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...

 act with teammate Charley O'Leary
Charley O'Leary
Charles Timothy O'Leary was a Major League Baseball shortstop who played eleven seasons with the Detroit Tigers , St. Louis Cardinals , and St. Louis Browns ....

 was inspiration for the MGM musical film
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...

 "Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Take Me Out to the Ball Game (film)
Take Me Out to the Ball Game is a 1949 Technicolor musical film starring Frank Sinatra, Esther Williams, and Gene Kelly. The movie was directed by Busby Berkeley. The title and nominal theme is taken from the unofficial anthem of American baseball, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game"...

" starring Gene Kelly
Gene Kelly
Eugene Curran "Gene" Kelly was an American dancer, actor, singer, film director and producer, and choreographer...

 and Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...

. In 1919, a little over a year after Schaefer played his last game, he died at age 42 of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...

 at the sanitarium in Saranac Lake, New York
Saranac Lake, New York
Saranac Lake is a village located in the state of New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 5,406. The village is named after Upper, Middle, and Lower Saranac Lakes, which are nearby....

.

Jim Delahanty
Jim Delahanty
James Christopher Delahanty was a second baseman in Major League Baseball. He played thirteen seasons with eight clubs: the Chicago Orphans , New York Giants , Boston Beaneaters , Cincinnati Reds , St. Louis Browns , Washington Senators , Detroit Tigers , and Brooklyn Tip-Tops...

 took over at second base from Germany Schaefer
Germany Schaefer
Herman A. "Germany" Schaefer was a second baseman in Major League Baseball who played fifteen seasons with the Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers, Washington Senators, Newark Pepper, New York Yankees, and Cleveland Indians....

 in 1909. He played all seven games of the 1909 World Series
1909 World Series
The 1909 World Series featured the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Detroit Tigers. The Pirates won the Series in seven games to capture their first championship of the modern Major League Baseball era and the second championship in the club's history....

, batting .346 with 4 RBIs
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...

.

Donie Bush
Donie Bush
Owen Joseph "Donie" Bush , was a Major League Baseball shortstop in the American League for the Detroit Tigers and the Washington Senators...

 was Detroit’s starting shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...

 for thirteen seasons from 1909 to 1921. As a rookie in 1909, he led the American League in walks (88), sacrifice hit
Sacrifice hit
In baseball, a sacrifice bunt is a batter's act of deliberately bunting the ball in a manner that allows a runner on base to advance to another base. The batter is almost always sacrificed but sometimes reaches base due to an error or fielder's choice...

s (52), and assists
Assist (baseball)
In baseball, an assist is a defensive statistic, baseball being one of the few sports in which the defensive team controls the ball. An assist is awarded to every defensive player who fields or touches the ball prior to the recording of a putout, even if the contact was unintentional...

 by a shortstop (567), finished second in the AL in runs scored (114), was third in the AL in on base percentage
On base percentage
In baseball statistics, on-base percentage is a measure of how often a batter reaches base for any reason other than a fielding error, fielder's choice, dropped/uncaught third strike, fielder's obstruction, or catcher's interference In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) (sometimes...

 (.380), and set a major league record for stolen bases by a rookie (53) that stood for 89 years. His 52 sacrifice hits is the fourth highest single season total in major league history. He also led the AL in walks in five times and walked more than any other major league player from 1910 to 1919. Bush was also the surprise hitting star for Detroit in the World Series, hitting .318 with a .438 on-base percentage, picking up 7 hits, 5 bases on balls, 3 sacrifice hits, twice being hit by a pitch, scoring 5 runs and collecting 3 RBIs. Bush played all seven game of the World Series at shortstop, collecting 9 putout
Putout
In baseball statistics, a putout is given to a defensive player who records an out by one of the following methods:* Tagging a runner with the ball when he is not touching a base...

s, 18 assists, and 3 double play
Double play
In baseball, a double play for a team or a fielder is the act of making two outs during the same continuous playing action. In baseball slang, making a double play is referred to as "turning two"....

s (but also committing 5 errors
Error (baseball)
In baseball statistics, an error is the act, in the judgment of the official scorer, of a fielder misplaying a ball in a manner that allows a batter or baserunner to reach one or more additional bases, when such an advance would have been prevented given ordinary effort by the fielder.The term ...

).

George Moriarty
George Moriarty
George Joseph Moriarty was an American third baseman, umpire and manager in Major League Baseball from 1903 to 1940. He played for the Chicago Cubs, New York Highlanders, Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox from 1903 to 1916.Moriarty was born in Chicago, Illinois, where he grew up near the Union...

 hit .273 and stole 34 bases as the team's third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...

. He later became one of the AL's most highly regarded umpires, officiating in the World Series in 1921
1921 World Series
In the 1921 World Series, the New York Giants beat the New York Yankees five games to three. This was the last of the experimental best-five-of-nine series....

, 1925
1925 World Series
In the 1925 World Series, the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the defending champion Washington Senators in seven games.In a reversal of fortune on all counts from the previous 1924 World Series, when Washington's Walter Johnson had come back from two losses to win the seventh and deciding game, Johnson...

, 1930
1930 World Series
In the 1930 World Series, the Philadelphia Athletics defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in six games, 4–2. Philadelphia's pitching ace Lefty Grove won two games.The St...

, 1933
1933 World Series
The 1933 World Series featured the New York Giants and the Washington Senators, with the Giants winning in five games for their first championship since , and their fourth overall....

 and 1935
1935 World Series
The 1935 World Series featured the Detroit Tigers and the Chicago Cubs, with the Tigers winning in six games for their first championship in five Series appearances. They had lost in , , , and ....

. Once while Moriarty was umpiring, Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...

 stepped out of the batter's box and asked Moriarty to spell his last name. When he had spelled it out, Ruth reportedly replied, "Just as I thought; only one I."

Charley O'Leary
Charley O'Leary
Charles Timothy O'Leary was a Major League Baseball shortstop who played eleven seasons with the Detroit Tigers , St. Louis Cardinals , and St. Louis Browns ....

 was Detroit's starting shortstop from 1904 to 1907 and became a backup shortstop and utility infielder from 1908 to 1912. In 1908, he shared third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...

 duties with Moriarty and hit .202. On September 30, 1934, O'Leary pinch hit for the St. Louis Browns
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...

 at age 51 and became one of the oldest players to collect a hit
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....

 and score a run
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...

.

Outfield: McIntyre, Cobb, Crawford and Jones

In 1909, Ty Cobb
Ty Cobb
Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...

 won the Triple Crown
Triple crown (baseball)
In Major League Baseball, a player earns the Triple Crown when he leads a league in three specific statistical categories. For batters, a player must lead the league in home runs, run batted in , and batting average; pitchers must lead the league in wins, strikeouts, and earned run average...

 with a .377 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...

‚ nine home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...

s (all inside the park)‚ and 107 RBIs. (He not only led the AL in all three Triple Crown categories; he led all major league players in all three categories.) Cobb also led the major leagues with 216 hits and 76 stolen bases. Adding the stolen base title, Cobb was the only player ever to win a quadruple crown.

Right fielder
Right fielder
A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...

 Sam Crawford
Sam Crawford
Samuel Earl Crawford , nicknamed "Wahoo Sam", was a Major League Baseball player who played outfield for the Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1957....

, known as “Wahoo Sam,” was one of the greatest sluggers of the dead-ball era
Dead-ball era
The dead-ball era is a baseball term used to describe the period between 1900 and the emergence of Babe Ruth as a power hitter in 1919. In 1919, Ruth hit a then league record 29 home runs, a spectacular feat at that time.This era was characterized by low-scoring games and a lack of home runs...

 and still holds the major league records for triples
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....

 in a career (309) and for inside-the-park home run
Inside-the-park home run
In baseball parlance, an inside-the-park home run, "leg home run", or "quadruple", is a play where a batter hits a home run without hitting the ball out of play.-Discussion:...

s in a season (12) and a career (51). He finished his career with 2,961 hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....

 and a .309 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...

. Crawford was among the AL leaders in hits, RBIs, extra base hit
Extra base hit
In baseball, an extra base hit , also known as a long hit, is any base hit on which the batter is able to advance past first base without the benefit of a fielder either committing an error or opting to make a throw to retire another base runner...

s, slugging percentage, and total bases
Total bases
In baseball statistics, total bases refers to the number of bases a player has gained with hits, i.e., the sum of his hits weighted by 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run.Only bases attained from hits count toward this total....

 every year for twelve consecutive years from 1905 to 1915. In 1909, Crawford hit .314 (4th in the AL) with a .452 slugging percentage (2nd in the AL), 97 RBIs (2nd in the AL), 35 doubles (1st in the AL), 14 triples]] (2nd in the AL), 266 total bases (2nd in the AL), six home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...

s (3rd in the AL), 55 extra base hits (1st in the AL), and 30 stolen base
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...

s.

Left fielder
Left fielder
In baseball, a left fielder is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...

 Matty McIntyre
Matty McIntyre
Matthew W. "Matty" McIntyre was an outfielder in Major League Baseball who played ten seasons with the Philadelphia Athletics , Detroit Tigers , and Chicago White Sox ....

 played for Detroit from 1904 to 1910. His best season was 1908, when he led the AL in: plate appearances (672), times on base (258), runs (105), and singles (131). McIntyre is also remembered as the leader of the "anti-Cobb" clique on the Tigers during Cobb's early years. Early in Cobb's rookie season, Cobb went after a flyball in McIntyre's left field territory. By cutting in front, Cobb caused McIntyre to drop the ball, infuriating McIntyre. McIntyre and his cohorts led a prolonged hazing campaign, locking Cobb out of an empty washroom, flicking food at Cobb, and nailing his shoes to the clubhouse floor.

Davy Jones
Davy Jones (baseball)
David Jefferson "Davy" Jones , nicknamed "Kangaroo", was an outfielder in Major League Baseball. He played fifteen seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Browns, Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, and Pittsburgh Rebels...

 played for the Tigers from 1906 to 1912. With Cobb and Crawford solidly entrenched in the outfield, Jones was forced to battle for the third outfield spot with McIntyre each year from 1906 to 1910. As a speedy leadoff man, he was a reliable run scorer with Cobb and Crawford following him in the lineup. Jones' speed also made him a fine outfielder, with tremendous range. In 1907, he led the AL with a .357 on base percentage
On base percentage
In baseball statistics, on-base percentage is a measure of how often a batter reaches base for any reason other than a fielding error, fielder's choice, dropped/uncaught third strike, fielder's obstruction, or catcher's interference In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) (sometimes...

 and finished second in the AL with 101 runs. In his three World Series for the Tigers, Jones played in 18 games, had a .357 on base percentage, scored 8 runs, and had a home run in the 1909 World Series
1909 World Series
The 1909 World Series featured the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Detroit Tigers. The Pirates won the Series in seven games to capture their first championship of the modern Major League Baseball era and the second championship in the club's history....

 against the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...

.

Pitching: Mullin, Willett, Summers, Killian, Donovan and Works

George Mullin
George Mullin (baseball)
George Joseph Mullin was a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played fourteen seasons with the Detroit Tigers and Washington Senators of the American League and the Indianapolis Hoosiers/Newark Pepper of the Federal League.-Career Overview:Mullin holds the Detroit Tigers...

 was the Tigers' leading pitcher in 1909, leading the major leagues with 29 wins and leading the AL with a .784 win percentage. Mullin holds the Tigers franchise record for innings pitched (in a career and in a season) and has the second most wins in the team's history. He also pitched the team's first no-hitter; had five 20-win seasons (including a league-leading 29 wins in 1909); helped the Tigers to three straight American League pennants (1907–09); twice hit over .310 as a batter; and ranks 7th in major league history for fielding assists by a pitcher.

Ed Killian
Ed Killian
Edwin Henry Killian , nicknamed "Twilight Ed," was a Major League Baseball pitcher primarily of the Detroit Tigers....

 led the team (and was 4th in the AL) with a 1.71 ERA. Twice a 20 game winner (including a 25-13 season in 1907), as of the end of the 2009 season Killian's career ERA of 2.38 is 26th-best in MLB history. Killian also holds the record for fewest home runs allowed, giving up only 9 in his entire career. At one point, Killian pitched a record 1001 innings (from Sept. 1903 - Aug. 1907) without allowing a home run.

Ed Willett
Ed Willett
Robert Edgar Willett was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played with the Detroit Tigers of the American League and the St. Louis Terriers of the Federal League...

 had his best season in 1909 when he had a record of 21-10, ranking 3rd in the American League in wins and 5th in winning percentage (.677). He had an earned run average of 2.34 for the season and was among the AL leaders in games (41), innings (292⅔), games started (34), complete games (25), bases on balls and hits allowed (88 and 239), as well as wild pitches (10) and hit batsmen (14).

Ed Summers
Ed Summers
Oron Edgar Summers , nicknamed "Kickapoo Ed," due to his Kickapoo ancestry. was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played five seasons with the Detroit Tigers ....

 had two great seasons for the Tigers, going 24-12 with a 1.64 ERA in his 1908 rookie season, and 19-9 with a 2.24 ERA in 1909. On September 25, 1908, Summers threw two complete game
Complete game
In baseball, a complete game is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher.As demonstrated by the charts below, in the early 20th century, it was common for most good Major League Baseball pitchers to pitch a complete game almost every start. Pitchers were...

 victories in a double header to help the Tigers clinch the AL pennant. On July 16, 1909, Summers pitched 18 scoreless innings of a tie game against the Washington Senators
1909 Washington Senators season
The 1909 Washington Senators, a professional baseball team, won 42 games, lost 110, and finished in eighth place in the American League. They were managed by Joe Cantillon and played home games at National Park.- Roster :- Starters by position :...

 at Bennett Park.

Bill Donovan was the Tigers ace in 1907 with a 25-4 record (the best win percentage in Tigers' team history), but in 1909 he went 8-7 in 17 starts. On May 7, 1906, Donovan stole second base, third base, and home on the front end of a double steal and also hit a triple in the same game. In June 1923, Donovan died in a train wreck.

Ralph Works
Ralph Works
Ralph Talmadge Works , nicknamed "Judge," was an American Major League Baseball pitcher for five seasons, with the Detroit Tigers and Cincinnati Reds . Born in Payson, Illinois, Works was called "Judge" by teammates for his scholarly countenance. Works had career record of 24-24 with a 3.79 ERA...

 was a pitcher for Tigers from 1909 to 1912. Works was called "Judge" by teammates for his scholarly countenance. Works had career record of 24-24 with a 3.79 ERA. His best season was 1911 when he went 11-5 in 30 games for the Tigers. He ranked No. 5 in the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...

 in winning percentage (.688) in 1911, No. 7 in shutouts with 3 and No. 8 in games finished with 10. Works died in of a self-inflicted gunshot would in Pasadena, California
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...

 in 1941 at age 53. He died with his wife in an apparent double suicide.

Player-manager Hughie Jennings
Hughie Jennings
Hugh Ambrose Jennings was a Major League Baseball player and manager from 1891 to 1925. Jennings was a leader, both as a batter and as a shortstop, with the Baltimore Orioles teams that won National League championships in 1894, 1895, and 1896. During the three championship seasons, Jennings had...

 

Hughie "Ee-yah" Jennings
Hughie Jennings
Hugh Ambrose Jennings was a Major League Baseball player and manager from 1891 to 1925. Jennings was a leader, both as a batter and as a shortstop, with the Baltimore Orioles teams that won National League championships in 1894, 1895, and 1896. During the three championship seasons, Jennings had...

 led the Tigers to three consecutive American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...

 pennants, in 1907-09. Jennings continued to manage the Tigers through the 1920 season, though his team never won another pennant. During his years as Detroit’s manager, Jennings became famous for his antics, mostly in the third base coaching box, which variously included shouts of “Ee-Yah,” and other whoops, whistles, horns, gyrations, jigs, and grass-plucking. The "Ee-Yah" whoop became his trademark and was accompanied with waves of both arms over his head and a sharp raising of his right knee. In 1907, he was suspended for taunting opponents with a tin whistle. The "Ee-Yah" shouts continued and became such a trademark that Jennings became known as Hughie "Ee-Yah" Jennings, and Detroit fans would shout "Ee-Yah" when Jennings would appear on the field. (See also Jack Smile, Ee-yah: The Life and Times of Hughie Jennings, Baseball Hall of Famer)

Behind the antics was a great coaching mind. Connie Mack
Connie Mack
Connie Mack may refer to:* Connie Mack I , Hall of Fame baseball manager, player, owner* Connie Mack III , U.S. Representative , U.S. Senator from Florida * Connie Mack IV , U.S...

 called Jennings one of the three greatest managers in history, along with John McGraw
John McGraw
John McGraw may refer to:* John McGraw , , New York lumber tycoon, and one of the founding trustees of Cornell University* John McGraw , , Governor of Washington state from 1893–1897...

 and Joe McCarthy.

Season summary

The 1909 season was the third straight year the Tigers won the American League pennant. Their 1909 record of 98-54 was the team's best record to that point. Led by Ty Cobb
Ty Cobb
Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...

, who won the Triple Crown
Triple crown (baseball)
In Major League Baseball, a player earns the Triple Crown when he leads a league in three specific statistical categories. For batters, a player must lead the league in home runs, run batted in , and batting average; pitchers must lead the league in wins, strikeouts, and earned run average...

 and Sam Crawford
Sam Crawford
Samuel Earl Crawford , nicknamed "Wahoo Sam", was a Major League Baseball player who played outfield for the Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1957....

, who led the league in doubles and extra base hits, they scored 66 more runs than any other team in the American League and outscored their opponents 666 to 493. They led the American League for most of the regular season, but remained in a close race with the Philadelphia Athletics, finally taking the pennant by 3½ games.

The 1909 Tigers' winning percentage ranks as the 3rd best in team history through 2010, as follows:
EWLINE
Best Seasons in Detroit Tigers History
Rank Year Wins Losses Win %   Finish
1 1934
1934 Detroit Tigers season
The Detroit Tigers season was a season in American baseball. The season was the team's 34th since entering the American League in . The Tigers won the American League pennant with a record of 101-53, the best winning percentage in team history. The team made its fourth World Series appearance, but...

101 53 .656 Lost 1934 World Series
1934 World Series
The 1934 World Series matched the St. Louis Cardinals against the Detroit Tigers, with the Cardinals' "Gashouse Gang" winning in seven games for their third championship in nine years....

 to Cardinals
1934 St. Louis Cardinals season
The St. Louis Cardinals season was the team's 53rd season in St. Louis, Missouri and the 43rd season in the National League. The Cardinals went 95-58 during the season and finished first in the National League...

2 1915
1915 Detroit Tigers season
The Detroit Tigers won a club-record 100 games and narrowly lost the American League pennant to the Boston Red Sox who won 101 games. Though four other Tigers teams have won 100 games , only the 1934 Tigers had a better winning percentage...

100 54 .649 2nd in AL behind Red Sox
1915 Boston Red Sox season
The 1915 Boston Red Sox season involved the Red Sox finishing 1st in the American League with a record of 101 wins and 50 losses. They defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in 5 games in the World Series.-Opening Day lineup:-Roster:- Starters by position:...

3 1909 98 54 .645 Lost 1909 World Series
1909 World Series
The 1909 World Series featured the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Detroit Tigers. The Pirates won the Series in seven games to capture their first championship of the modern Major League Baseball era and the second championship in the club's history....

 to Pirates
1909 Pittsburgh Pirates season
The 1909 Pittsburgh Pirates won the National League pennant with a record of 110–42. Led by shortstop Honus Wagner and outfielder-manager Fred Clarke, the Pirates scored the most runs in the majors. Wagner led the league in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and runs batted in...

4 1984
1984 Detroit Tigers season
The Detroit Tigers won the 1984 World Series, defeating the San Diego Padres, 4 games to 1. The season was their 84th since they entered the American League in 1901 and their fourth World Series championship. Detroit relief pitcher Willie Hernandez won the Cy Young Award and was chosen as the...

104 58 .642 Won 1984 World Series
1984 World Series
The 1984 World Series began on October 9 and ended on October 14, 1984. The American League champion Detroit Tigers played against the National League champion San Diego Padres, with the Tigers winning the series four games to one....

 over Padres
1984 San Diego Padres season
-Offseason:* October 21, 1983: Sandy Alomar, Jr. was signed by the Padres as an amateur free agent.* December 6, 1983: Joe Pittman and a player to be named later were traded by the Padres to the San Francisco Giants for Champ Summers...

5 1968
1968 Detroit Tigers season
The Detroit Tigers won the 1968 World Series, defeating the St. Louis Cardinals 4 games to 3. The 1968 baseball season, known as the "Year of the Pitcher," was the Tigers' 68th since they entered the American League in 1901, their eighth pennant, and third World Series championship...

103 59 .636 Won 1968 World Series
1968 World Series
The 1968 World Series featured the defending champion St. Louis Cardinals against the Detroit Tigers, with the Tigers winning in seven games for their first championship since 1945, and the third in their history...

 over Cardinals
1968 St. Louis Cardinals season
The St. Louis Cardinals season was the team's 87th season in St. Louis, Missouri and its 77th season in the National League. The Cardinals went 97-65 during the season, winning their second consecutive NL pennant, this time by nine games over the San Francisco Giants. They lost in 7 games to the...


Season highlights

  • April 14: George Mullin
    George Mullin (baseball)
    George Joseph Mullin was a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played fourteen seasons with the Detroit Tigers and Washington Senators of the American League and the Indianapolis Hoosiers/Newark Pepper of the Federal League.-Career Overview:Mullin holds the Detroit Tigers...

     pitched a 1-hit, shutout as the Tigers beat the White Sox
    1909 Chicago White Sox season
    The Chicago White Sox season was a season in Major League Baseball. The White Sox finished fourth in the American League with a record of 78 wins and 74 losses.- Roster :- Starters by position :...

    , 1-0, on Opening Day
    Opening Day
    Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball and most of the minor leagues, this day falls during the first week of April. For baseball fans, Opening Day serves as a symbol of rebirth; writer Thomas Boswell once penned a book...

     at Bennett Park.
  • April 18: The Tigers announced plans to build a new concrete and steel stadium. The team won its fifth straight game to start the season, 5-0, as George Mullin got his second win, a 3-2 victory over Cleveland
    1909 Cleveland Naps season
    The Cleveland Naps season was a season in American baseball. The team finished sixth in the American League with a record of 71-82, 27½ games behind the Detroit Tigers.- Regular season :240px|right|...

    .
  • May 2: The Tigers beat the White Sox, 6-5. Ty Cobb
    Ty Cobb
    Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...

     was ejected from a game for the first time. He tried stretching a double and was called out at third base.
  • May 16: The Tigers lost, 3-2, to Boston
    1909 Boston Red Sox season
    The Boston Red Sox season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Red Sox finishing 3rd in the American League with a record of 88 wins and 63 losses.- Opening Day lineup :- Roster :- Starters by position :...

    . George Moriarty
    George Moriarty
    George Joseph Moriarty was an American third baseman, umpire and manager in Major League Baseball from 1903 to 1940. He played for the Chicago Cubs, New York Highlanders, Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox from 1903 to 1916.Moriarty was born in Chicago, Illinois, where he grew up near the Union...

     was tagged out in the 9th inning trying to steal home to end the game. After tagging Moriarty, Boston catcher Bill Carrigan
    Bill Carrigan
    William Francis Carrigan , nicknamed "Rough", was a Major League baseball catcher. He was born in Lewiston, Maine.Carrigan started his career as a platoon catcher and played all ten seasons with the Boston Red Sox...

     spit tobacco on Moriarty‚ saying‚ "don't try that and pull that on a smart guy." Moriarty then flattened Carrigan. Both players were suspended for fighting.
  • June 10: The Tigers beat the New York Highlanders
    1909 New York Highlanders season
    The New York Highlanders season saw the team finishing with a total of 74 wins and 77 losses, coming in 5th in the American League.New York was managed by George Stallings, the team's fourth manager in as many years. Games were played at Hilltop Park. The alternate and equally unofficial nickname,...

    , 2-1, as George Mullin won his 11th straight game. Mullin lost to the A’s
    1909 Philadelphia Athletics season
    The Philadelphia Athletics season involved the A's finishing second in the American League with a record of 95 wins and 59 losses. The A's also moved into the majors' first concrete-and-steel ballpark, Shibe Park.- Regular season :...

    , 5-4, in his next start on June 15.
  • June 22: The Tigers bought the rest of the vacant Bennett Field grounds as the site for a new baseball stadium.
  • June 26: In Detroit‚ the Tigers beat the Browns
    1909 St. Louis Browns season
    The St. Louis Browns season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Browns finishing 7th in the American League with a record of 61 wins and 89 losses.- Roster :- Starters by position :...

     and Rube Waddell
    Rube Waddell
    George Edward Waddell was an American southpaw pitcher in Major League Baseball. In his thirteen-year career he played for the Louisville Colonels , Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Orphans in the National League, and the Philadelphia Athletics and St. Louis Browns in the American League...

    ‚ 6-2. It was the 8th straight game between the two teams‚ and the Tigers won all eight.
  • July 15: Ty Cobb hit two inside-the-park homers to lead the Tigers to a double header sweep of the Senators. Detroit won‚ 9-5 and 7-0.
  • July 16: At Bennett Field‚ Detroit and Washington played the longest scoreless game in AL history - 18 innings. Ed Summers
    Ed Summers
    Oron Edgar Summers , nicknamed "Kickapoo Ed," due to his Kickapoo ancestry. was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played five seasons with the Detroit Tigers ....

     pitched the complete game‚ holding the Senators to 7 hits‚ two walks (one intentional)‚ while striking out 10. The Senators' 30-year-old rookie‚ Bill "Dolly" Gray
    Dolly Gray
    William Denton "Dolly" Gray was a left-handed professional baseball who played from 1909 to 1911 for the Washington Senators. One source says he was born in Ishpeming, Michigan.-Before the big leagues:Dolly Gray began his professional career during or before the 1902 season...

    ‚ allowed only one hit before leaving with an injury after 8 innings.
  • July 22: The Tigers beat Boston, 6-0, as Ty Cobb stole second, third and home in the 7th inning‚ against pitcher Harry Wolter
    Harry Wolter
    Harry Meiggs Wolter was an outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds , Pittsburgh Pirates , St. Louis Cardinals , Boston Red Sox , New York Highlanders/New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs ....

    . In all, Cobb had three hits and four stolen bases. Ed Killian
    Ed Killian
    Edwin Henry Killian , nicknamed "Twilight Ed," was a Major League Baseball pitcher primarily of the Detroit Tigers....

     got the win for Detroit.
  • August 20: The Browns and Tigers traded first baseman: Tom Jones went to Detroit for Claude Rossman
    Claude Rossman
    Claude R. Rossman was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball. He played five seasons in the American League with the Cleveland Naps , Detroit Tigers and St. Louis Browns...

    .
  • August 24: The Tigers beat the A’s, 7-6. A's catcher Paddy Livingston
    Paddy Livingston
    Patrick Joseph Livingston was a Major League Baseball catcher who played for seven seasons. He played for the Cleveland Blues in 1901, the Cincinnati Reds in 1906, the Philadelphia Athletics from 1909 to 1911, the Cleveland Naps in 1912, and the St. Louis Cardinals in 1917...

     threw out Ty Cobb trying to steal 3rd base during an intentional walk to Sam Crawford
    Sam Crawford
    Samuel Earl Crawford , nicknamed "Wahoo Sam", was a Major League Baseball player who played outfield for the Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1957....

    . Cobb intentionally spiked third baseman Frank “Home Run” Baker on his bare hand during the play‚ prompting howls of protest from the A’s. A's manager Connie Mack
    Connie Mack
    Connie Mack may refer to:* Connie Mack I , Hall of Fame baseball manager, player, owner* Connie Mack III , U.S. Representative , U.S. Senator from Florida * Connie Mack IV , U.S...

     complained to AL president Ban Johnson
    Ban Johnson
    Byron Bancroft "Ban" Johnson , was an American executive in professional baseball who served as the founder and first president of the American League ....

     about Cobb's dirty play, and Cobb received a warning from Johnson.
  • August 28: The Tigers beat New York, 2-1. The first six New York batters reached base safely‚ and two cross the plate‚ but only one run counted. Engel hit a leadoff single and stayed on first base when Chase chopped a ball in the air and Engel thought it was a pop up. Engel was tagged out. Four more singles drove in one run but the Knight was called back to third base when a hit ball touched an umpire. Ty Cobb had a single‚ double and triple for Detroit.
  • September 2: Detroit beat Boston‚ 8-5‚ and completed a sweep of every series against visiting Eastern teams‚ winning their 14th game in a row. The Tigers regained first place by a half game.
  • September 13: Ty Cobb hit his major league leading ninth home run in a 10-2 Detroit win over the Browns. All of Cobb’s home runs in 1909 were inside-the-park. He was the only player in the 20th century to lead the league in home runs without hitting one out of the park. Only Sam Crawford (12 in 1901) hit more inside-the-park home runs in a year.
  • September 18: Before 35‚409 in Philadelphia‚ the largest paid baseball attendance ever‚ the A’s Chief Bender
    Chief Bender
    Charles Albert "Chief" Bender was a pitcher in Major League Baseball during the first two decades of the 20th century...

     beat Detroit’s Bill Donovan, 2-0, to keep the A's in the pennant race. The A's were 14-8 against Detroit in 1909‚ setting an AL record for most wins against the pennant winner.
  • September 21: Detroit was shut out by Walter Johnson
    Walter Johnson
    Walter Perry Johnson , nicknamed "Barney" and "The Big Train", was a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He played his entire 21-year baseball career for the Washington Senators...

    , 2-0.
  • September 25: The Tigers swept the Highlanders in a double header, 2-1 and 10-4. During the second game, Detroit manager, Hughie Jennings
    Hughie Jennings
    Hugh Ambrose Jennings was a Major League Baseball player and manager from 1891 to 1925. Jennings was a leader, both as a batter and as a shortstop, with the Baltimore Orioles teams that won National League championships in 1894, 1895, and 1896. During the three championship seasons, Jennings had...

    , discovered that the Yankees were stealing the catcher’s signs, using a telescope and sending signals to the batter by moving a crossbar in a hat advertisement in center field. Jennings sent the team trainer to investigate. The trainer destroyed the crossbar. In the off-season, the AL announced that a manager or player responsible for sign-tipping would be banned from the league for all time.

Roster

1909 Detroit Tigers
Roster
valign="top" | Pitchers
valign="top" | Catchers
Infielders

valign="top" | Outfielders
valign="top" | Manager

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
Pos Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI
C 84 253 53 .209 1 28
1B 82 287 75 .261 0 39
2B 87 280 70 .250 0 22
3B 133 473 129 .273 1 39
SS 157 532 145 .273 0 33
OF 156 573 216 .377 9 107
OF 156 589 185 .314 6 97
OF 125 476 116 .244 1 34

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI
76 261 53 .203 0 13
77 252 66 .262 0 21
69 204 57 .279 0 10
44 153 43 .281 0 18
46 150 38 .253 0 20
23 61 17 .279 1 4
15 27 7 .259 0 1
3 5 0 .000 0 0
2 5 1 .200 0 0
2 4 2 .500 0 0


Note: pitchers' batting statistics not included

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Player G IP W L ERA SO
40 303.2 29 8 2.22 124
41 292.2 21 10 2.34 89
35 281.2 19 9 2.24 107
25 173.1 11 9 1.71 54
21 140.1 8 7 2.31 76
2 10 1 1 2.70 2

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Player G IP W L ERA SO
12 76.1 4 4 2.83 12
16 64 4 1 1.97 31
9 44.1 1 3 2.03 18
4 20 0 1 4.50 4
3 14 0 1 3.86 11

World Series summary

The Tigers faced the Pittsburgh Pirates
1909 Pittsburgh Pirates season
The 1909 Pittsburgh Pirates won the National League pennant with a record of 110–42. Led by shortstop Honus Wagner and outfielder-manager Fred Clarke, the Pirates scored the most runs in the majors. Wagner led the league in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and runs batted in...

‚ winners of 110 games‚ in the World Series. The Series matched AL batting champion Ty Cobb
Ty Cobb
Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...

 against NL batting champion Honus Wagner
Honus Wagner
-Louisville Colonels:Recognizing his talent, Barrow recommended Wagner to the Louisville Colonels. After some hesitation about his awkward figure, Wagner was signed by the Colonels, where he hit .338 in 61 games....

. Detroit gave up 18 stolen bases in 7 games to the Pirates.

In Game 1, 27 year-old rookie Babe Adams
Babe Adams
Charles Benjamin "Babe" Adams was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1906 to 1926 who spent nearly his entire career with the Pittsburgh Pirates...

 faced George Mullin
George Mullin (baseball)
George Joseph Mullin was a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played fourteen seasons with the Detroit Tigers and Washington Senators of the American League and the Indianapolis Hoosiers/Newark Pepper of the Federal League.-Career Overview:Mullin holds the Detroit Tigers...

. There were only 11 hits in the game‚ but Fred Clarke
Fred Clarke
Fred Clifford Clarke was a Major League Baseball player from 1894 to and manager from 1897 to 1915. A Hall of Famer, Clarke played for and managed both the Louisville Colonels and Pittsburgh Pirates. He was a left fielder and left-handed batter.Of the nine pennants in Pittsburgh franchise...

’s home run led the Pirates to a 4-1 win.

In Game 2, Tigers’ pitcher Bill Donovan led the team to a 7-2 win. Ty Cobb stole home as the Tigers scored three runs in the third inning.

In Game 3, the Pirates won, 8-6, behind three hits, three RBIs and three stolen bases by Honus Wagner
Honus Wagner
-Louisville Colonels:Recognizing his talent, Barrow recommended Wagner to the Louisville Colonels. After some hesitation about his awkward figure, Wagner was signed by the Colonels, where he hit .338 in 61 games....

. Nick Maddox
Nick Maddox
Nicholas Maddox was a professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball from 1907-10 for the Pittsburgh Pirates....

 was the winner over Ed Summers
Ed Summers
Oron Edgar Summers , nicknamed "Kickapoo Ed," due to his Kickapoo ancestry. was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played five seasons with the Detroit Tigers ....

.

In Game 4, George Mullin pitched a 5-hit shutout for Detroit, a 5-0 victory. Ty Cobb drove in two runs with a double. Mullin struck out ten batters, and the Pirates committed six errors.

In Game 5, Pirates’ rookie Babe Adams threw his second complete game victory, an 8-4 win. Sam Crawford
Sam Crawford
Samuel Earl Crawford , nicknamed "Wahoo Sam", was a Major League Baseball player who played outfield for the Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1957....

 hit a home run and a double, but Fred Clarke
Fred Clarke
Fred Clifford Clarke was a Major League Baseball player from 1894 to and manager from 1897 to 1915. A Hall of Famer, Clarke played for and managed both the Louisville Colonels and Pittsburgh Pirates. He was a left fielder and left-handed batter.Of the nine pennants in Pittsburgh franchise...

’s three run home run gave the win to Pittsburgh.

In Game 6, George Mullin led the Tigers to a 5-4 win. The World Series would go to a seventh game for the first time.

In Game 7, the Pirates won, 8-0, as Babe Adams got his third complete game victory of the 1909 World Series. Adams was the only rookie pitcher in the 20th century to win a World Series Game 7. (John Lackey
John Lackey
John Derran Lackey is an American professional baseball pitcher with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball. Lackey was drafted by the Anaheim Angels in 1999 and helped the franchise win its first World Series title in 2002, which was his first season in the major leagues...

 did it in 2002
2002 World Series
The 2002 World Series was a best-of-seven playoff series to determine the champion of Major League Baseball for the 2002 season. It was the 98th such contest between the champions of the American League and National League , and featured the AL champion Anaheim Angels against the NL champion San...

.) Fred Clarke
Fred Clarke
Fred Clifford Clarke was a Major League Baseball player from 1894 to and manager from 1897 to 1915. A Hall of Famer, Clarke played for and managed both the Louisville Colonels and Pittsburgh Pirates. He was a left fielder and left-handed batter.Of the nine pennants in Pittsburgh franchise...

 walked four times, and Honus Wagner
Honus Wagner
-Louisville Colonels:Recognizing his talent, Barrow recommended Wagner to the Louisville Colonels. After some hesitation about his awkward figure, Wagner was signed by the Colonels, where he hit .338 in 61 games....

 drove in two runs. The Pirates and Tigers combined for 34 errors (18 by the Tigers), a World Series record.
Game Score Date Location Attendance Winning Pitcher Losing Pitcher
1 Pirates – 4, Tigers - 1 October 8 Forbes Field
Forbes Field
Forbes Field was a baseball park in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1909 to 1971. It was the third home of the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball team, and the first home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the city's National Football League franchise...

29,264 Babe Adams
Babe Adams
Charles Benjamin "Babe" Adams was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1906 to 1926 who spent nearly his entire career with the Pittsburgh Pirates...

George Mullin
George Mullin (baseball)
George Joseph Mullin was a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played fourteen seasons with the Detroit Tigers and Washington Senators of the American League and the Indianapolis Hoosiers/Newark Pepper of the Federal League.-Career Overview:Mullin holds the Detroit Tigers...

2 Tigers – 7, Pirates - 2 October 9 Forbes Field
Forbes Field
Forbes Field was a baseball park in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1909 to 1971. It was the third home of the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball team, and the first home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the city's National Football League franchise...

30,915 Bill Donovan Howie Camnitz
Howie Camnitz
Samuel Howard Camnitz was a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League and for the Pittsburgh Rebels in the Federal League...

3 Pirates – 8, Tigers - 6 October 11 Bennett Park 18,277 Nick Maddox
Nick Maddox
Nicholas Maddox was a professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball from 1907-10 for the Pittsburgh Pirates....

Ed Summers
Ed Summers
Oron Edgar Summers , nicknamed "Kickapoo Ed," due to his Kickapoo ancestry. was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played five seasons with the Detroit Tigers ....

4 Tigers – 5, Pirates - 0 October 12 Bennett Park 17,036 George Mullin
George Mullin (baseball)
George Joseph Mullin was a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played fourteen seasons with the Detroit Tigers and Washington Senators of the American League and the Indianapolis Hoosiers/Newark Pepper of the Federal League.-Career Overview:Mullin holds the Detroit Tigers...

Lefty Leifield
Lefty Leifield
Albert Peter "Lefty" Leifield , was a Major League Baseball pitcher from 1905-1920. He played for the St. Louis Browns, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Chicago Cubs.-Baseball career:...

5 Pirates – 8, Tigers - 4 October 13 Forbes Field
Forbes Field
Forbes Field was a baseball park in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1909 to 1971. It was the third home of the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball team, and the first home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the city's National Football League franchise...

21,706 Babe Adams
Babe Adams
Charles Benjamin "Babe" Adams was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1906 to 1926 who spent nearly his entire career with the Pittsburgh Pirates...

Ed Summers
Ed Summers
Oron Edgar Summers , nicknamed "Kickapoo Ed," due to his Kickapoo ancestry. was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played five seasons with the Detroit Tigers ....

6 Tigers – 5, Pirates - 4 October 14 Bennett Park 10,535 George Mullin
George Mullin (baseball)
George Joseph Mullin was a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played fourteen seasons with the Detroit Tigers and Washington Senators of the American League and the Indianapolis Hoosiers/Newark Pepper of the Federal League.-Career Overview:Mullin holds the Detroit Tigers...

Vic Willis
Vic Willis
Victor Gazaway Willis was a Major League Baseball player nicknamed "The Delaware Peach." He was a starting pitcher...

7 Pirates – 8, Tigers - 0 October 16 Bennett Park 17,562 Babe Adams
Babe Adams
Charles Benjamin "Babe" Adams was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1906 to 1926 who spent nearly his entire career with the Pittsburgh Pirates...

Bill Donovan

Batting

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI
Donie Bush
Donie Bush
Owen Joseph "Donie" Bush , was a Major League Baseball shortstop in the American League for the Detroit Tigers and the Washington Senators...

 
7 22 7 .318 0 3
Ty Cobb
Ty Cobb
Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...

 
7 26 6 .231 0 5
Sam Crawford
Sam Crawford
Samuel Earl Crawford , nicknamed "Wahoo Sam", was a Major League Baseball player who played outfield for the Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1957....

 
7 28 7 .250 1 4
Jim Delahanty
Jim Delahanty
James Christopher Delahanty was a second baseman in Major League Baseball. He played thirteen seasons with eight clubs: the Chicago Orphans , New York Giants , Boston Beaneaters , Cincinnati Reds , St. Louis Browns , Washington Senators , Detroit Tigers , and Brooklyn Tip-Tops...

 
7 26 9 .346 0 4
Davy Jones
Davy Jones (baseball)
David Jefferson "Davy" Jones , nicknamed "Kangaroo", was an outfielder in Major League Baseball. He played fifteen seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Browns, Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, and Pittsburgh Rebels...

 
7 30 7 .233 1 1
Tom Jones  7 24 6 .250 0 2
George Moriarty
George Moriarty
George Joseph Moriarty was an American third baseman, umpire and manager in Major League Baseball from 1903 to 1940. He played for the Chicago Cubs, New York Highlanders, Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox from 1903 to 1916.Moriarty was born in Chicago, Illinois, where he grew up near the Union...

 
7 22 6 .273 0 1
George Mullin
George Mullin (baseball)
George Joseph Mullin was a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played fourteen seasons with the Detroit Tigers and Washington Senators of the American League and the Indianapolis Hoosiers/Newark Pepper of the Federal League.-Career Overview:Mullin holds the Detroit Tigers...

 
6 16 3 .188 0 0
Boss Schmidt
Boss Schmidt
Charles "Boss" Schmidt was an American catcher in Major League Baseball who played six seasons with the Detroit Tigers ....

 
6 18 4 .300 0 4
Oscar Stanage
Oscar Stanage
Oscar Harland Stanage was a Major League Baseball catcher. Born in Tulare, California, Stanage played fourteen seasons in the Major Leagues, primarily with the Detroit Tigers...

 
2 5 1 .200 0 2

Pitching

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Player G IP W L ERA SO
George Mullin
George Mullin (baseball)
George Joseph Mullin was a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played fourteen seasons with the Detroit Tigers and Washington Senators of the American League and the Indianapolis Hoosiers/Newark Pepper of the Federal League.-Career Overview:Mullin holds the Detroit Tigers...

 
4 32 2 1 2.25 20
Bill Donovan  2 12 1 1 3.00 7
Ed Willett
Ed Willett
Robert Edgar Willett was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played with the Detroit Tigers of the American League and the St. Louis Terriers of the Federal League...

 
2 7.2 0 0 0.00 1
Ed Summers
Ed Summers
Oron Edgar Summers , nicknamed "Kickapoo Ed," due to his Kickapoo ancestry. was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played five seasons with the Detroit Tigers ....

 
2 7.1 0 2 8.59 4
Ralph Works
Ralph Works
Ralph Talmadge Works , nicknamed "Judge," was an American Major League Baseball pitcher for five seasons, with the Detroit Tigers and Cincinnati Reds . Born in Payson, Illinois, Works was called "Judge" by teammates for his scholarly countenance. Works had career record of 24-24 with a 3.79 ERA...

 
1 2 0 0 9.00 2

The Cuban tour

In November 1909, a group of players from the 1909 Tigers (not including Ty Cobb or Sam Crawford) toured Cuba and played 12 exhibition games against two integrated Cuban teams, Habana and Almendares. The tour drew wide attention in Cuba, where baseball was already very popular. Demonstrating the high level of play in Cuba, the Tigers lost 8 of the 12 games to the integrated Cuban baseball teams. To take advantage of the interest in the tour of the American baseball players, the Cabañas Company printed a series of baseball cards showing the members of the Almendares, Habana and Detroit baseball teams.

The Detroit roster, from a game played on November 18, 1909, consisted of the following players: Davy Jones
Davy Jones (baseball)
David Jefferson "Davy" Jones , nicknamed "Kangaroo", was an outfielder in Major League Baseball. He played fifteen seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Browns, Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, and Pittsburgh Rebels...

, Charley O'Leary
Charley O'Leary
Charles Timothy O'Leary was a Major League Baseball shortstop who played eleven seasons with the Detroit Tigers , St. Louis Cardinals , and St. Louis Browns ....

, George Moriarty
George Moriarty
George Joseph Moriarty was an American third baseman, umpire and manager in Major League Baseball from 1903 to 1940. He played for the Chicago Cubs, New York Highlanders, Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox from 1903 to 1916.Moriarty was born in Chicago, Illinois, where he grew up near the Union...

, Matty McIntyre
Matty McIntyre
Matthew W. "Matty" McIntyre was an outfielder in Major League Baseball who played ten seasons with the Philadelphia Athletics , Detroit Tigers , and Chicago White Sox ....

, Boss Schmidt
Boss Schmidt
Charles "Boss" Schmidt was an American catcher in Major League Baseball who played six seasons with the Detroit Tigers ....

, George Mullin
George Mullin (baseball)
George Joseph Mullin was a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played fourteen seasons with the Detroit Tigers and Washington Senators of the American League and the Indianapolis Hoosiers/Newark Pepper of the Federal League.-Career Overview:Mullin holds the Detroit Tigers...

, Heinie Beckendorf
Heinie Beckendorf
Henry Ward "Heinie" Beckendorf was a Major League Baseball catcher from 1909-1910. He was born in New York, New York, and died in Jackson Heights, New York.-Playing career:...

, R. Hopke and W. Lelivelt
Bill Lelivelt
William John Lelivelt was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Detroit Tigers in 1909 and 1910...

. In that game, Cuban pitcher, Eustaquio "Bombin" Pedroso no hit the Tigers for 11 innings‚ finally winning‚ 2-1. The only run for Detroit came on an error in the 7th inning. A squeeze bunt against Bill Lelivelt
Bill Lelivelt
William John Lelivelt was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Detroit Tigers in 1909 and 1910...

 in the 11th inning scored the winner. A collection was taken up for Pedroso and fans‚ including several Tigers‚ contributed $300.

League leaders

  • Donie Bush
    Donie Bush
    Owen Joseph "Donie" Bush , was a Major League Baseball shortstop in the American League for the Detroit Tigers and the Washington Senators...

    :MLB walks
    Base on balls
    A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...

     leader (88)
  • Donie Bush
    Donie Bush
    Owen Joseph "Donie" Bush , was a Major League Baseball shortstop in the American League for the Detroit Tigers and the Washington Senators...

    :sacrifice hits leader (88)
  • Donie Bush
    Donie Bush
    Owen Joseph "Donie" Bush , was a Major League Baseball shortstop in the American League for the Detroit Tigers and the Washington Senators...

    :MLB games played leader (157)
  • Ty Cobb
    Ty Cobb
    Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...

    : MLB batting title (.377)
  • Ty Cobb
    Ty Cobb
    Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...

    : MLB batting triple crown
  • Ty Cobb
    Ty Cobb
    Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...

    : MLB on base percentage leader (.431)
  • Ty Cobb
    Ty Cobb
    Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...

    : MLB slugging percentage leader (.517)
  • Ty Cobb
    Ty Cobb
    Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...

    : MLB on base plus slugging leader (.948)
  • Ty Cobb
    Ty Cobb
    Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...

    : AL runs leader (116)
  • Ty Cobb
    Ty Cobb
    Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...

    : MLB: hits leader (216)
  • Ty Cobb
    Ty Cobb
    Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...

    : AL total bases leader (296)
  • Ty Cobb
    Ty Cobb
    Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...

    : MLB home runs leader (9)
  • Ty Cobb
    Ty Cobb
    Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...

    : MLB RBI leader (107)
  • Ty Cobb
    Ty Cobb
    Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...

    : MLB stolen base leader (76)
  • Ty Cobb
    Ty Cobb
    Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...

    : MLB runs created leader (126)
  • Sam Crawford
    Sam Crawford
    Samuel Earl Crawford , nicknamed "Wahoo Sam", was a Major League Baseball player who played outfield for the Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1957....

    : AL doubles leader (35)
  • Sam Crawford
    Sam Crawford
    Samuel Earl Crawford , nicknamed "Wahoo Sam", was a Major League Baseball player who played outfield for the Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1957....

    : MLB extra base hits leader (55)
  • George Mullin
    George Mullin (baseball)
    George Joseph Mullin was a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played fourteen seasons with the Detroit Tigers and Washington Senators of the American League and the Indianapolis Hoosiers/Newark Pepper of the Federal League.-Career Overview:Mullin holds the Detroit Tigers...

    : MLB wins leader (29)
  • George Mullin
    George Mullin (baseball)
    George Joseph Mullin was a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played fourteen seasons with the Detroit Tigers and Washington Senators of the American League and the Indianapolis Hoosiers/Newark Pepper of the Federal League.-Career Overview:Mullin holds the Detroit Tigers...

    : AL win percentage leader (.784)

Players ranking among Top 100 all time at position

The following members of the 1909 Detroit Tigers are among the Top 100 of all time at their position, as ranked by The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract
The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract
The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract is a reference-type book written by Bill James featuring an overview of baseball decade by decade, along with rankings of the top 100 players at each position. The original edition was published in 1985 by Villard Books, followed by The New Bill James...

 in 2001:
  • Donie Bush
    Donie Bush
    Owen Joseph "Donie" Bush , was a Major League Baseball shortstop in the American League for the Detroit Tigers and the Washington Senators...

    : 51st best shortstop of all time
  • Hughie Jennings
    Hughie Jennings
    Hugh Ambrose Jennings was a Major League Baseball player and manager from 1891 to 1925. Jennings was a leader, both as a batter and as a shortstop, with the Baltimore Orioles teams that won National League championships in 1894, 1895, and 1896. During the three championship seasons, Jennings had...

    : 18th best shortstop of all time
  • Ty Cobb
    Ty Cobb
    Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...

    : 2nd best center fielder of all time
  • Sam Crawford
    Sam Crawford
    Samuel Earl Crawford , nicknamed "Wahoo Sam", was a Major League Baseball player who played outfield for the Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1957....

    : 10th best right fielder of all time
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