1971 Detroit Tigers season
Encyclopedia
The 1971
Detroit Tigers
finished in second place in the American League East
with a 91-71 record, 12 games behind the Orioles
. They outscored their opponents 701 to 645. They drew 1,591,073 fans to Tiger Stadium, the second highest attendance in the American League
.
became the second pitcher in the history of the American League to win 25 games but not win the Cy Young Award.
Note: pitchers' batting statistics not included
Norm Cash
Joe Coleman
Bill Freehan
Willie Horton
Al Kaline
Mickey Lolich
Aurelio Rodríguez
Fred Scherman
in 2001:
1971 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:National League: Pittsburgh PiratesAmerican League: Baltimore Orioles1971 World Series: Pittsburgh def. Baltimore , 4 games to 3.Inter-league playoff: Pittsburgh declined challenge by Tokyo Yomiuri Giants....
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...
finished in second place in the American League East
American League East
The American League Eastern Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions . This division was created before the start of the 1969 season along with the Western Division...
with a 91-71 record, 12 games behind the Orioles
1971 Baltimore Orioles season
In , the Baltimore Orioles finished first in the American League East, with a record of 101 wins and 57 losses. As of 2010, the 1971 Orioles are the last Major League Baseball club to have four 20-game winners in a season: Jim Palmer, Dave McNally, Mike Cuellar, and Pat Dobson.- Offseason :*...
. They outscored their opponents 701 to 645. They drew 1,591,073 fans to Tiger Stadium, the second highest attendance 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...
.
Offseason
- October 9, 1970: Denny McLainDenny McLainDennis Dale "Denny" McLain is a former American professional baseball player, and the last major league pitcher to win 30 or more games during a season —a feat accomplished by only thirteen players in the 20th century....
, Elliott MaddoxElliott MaddoxElliott Maddox is an African-American former Major League Baseball American player. Maddox, from 1970 to 1980, played for the Detroit Tigers, Washington Senators/Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, and New York Mets.-Early and personal life:Maddox attended Union High School in...
, Norm McRaeNorm McRaeNorman McRae was an American professional baseball player, a right-handed pitcher who appeared in 22 Major League games for the – Detroit Tigers. Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, he stood tall and weighed ....
, and Don WertDon WertDonald Ralph Wert , nicknamed "Coyote", is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Detroit Tigers from 1963 to 1970 and also briefly played for the Washington Senators in 1971...
were traded by the Tigers to the Washington SenatorsTexas Rangers (baseball)The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
for Ed BrinkmanEd BrinkmanEdwin Albert Brinkman was a Major League Baseball shortstop. He played fifteen years in the Major League Baseball, led the American League in games played twice, won a Gold Glove Award at shortstop, and had a career batting average of .224...
, Aurelio RodríguezAurelio RodríguezAurelio Rodríguez Ituarte, Jr. , was a third baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the California Angels , Washington Senators , Detroit Tigers , San Diego Padres , New York Yankees , Chicago White Sox and Baltimore Orioles...
, Joe Coleman, and Jim HannanJim HannanJames John Hannan is an American retired professional baseball player who pitched in Major League Baseball from 1962-71. He played for the Milwaukee Brewers, Detroit Tigers, and Washington Senators....
. - March 30, 1971: Jerry RobertsonJerry Robertson (baseball)Jerry Lee Robertson was a Major League Baseball pitcher. Born in Winchester, Kansas, the right-hander was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 27th round of the 1965 amateur draft, and later drafted by the Montreal Expos from the Cardinals as the 38th pick in the 1968 expansion draft...
was traded by the Detroit Tigers to the New York MetsNew York MetsThe New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
for Dean ChanceDean ChanceWilmer Dean Chance is a former American Major League Baseball pitcher. Over the right hander's 11-year major league career, he would play for the Los Angeles Angels, Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Indians, New York Mets, and Detroit Tigers...
and Bill DenehyBill Denehy (baseball)William Francis Denehy is a retired American professional baseball pitcher and coach. Denehy threw and batted right-handed, stood tall, and weighed ....
.
Regular season
Mickey LolichMickey Lolich
Michael Stephen Lolich is a former Major League Baseball pitcher from 1962 until 1979 who played the majority of his career with the Detroit Tigers.-Baseball career:...
became the second pitcher in the history of the American League to win 25 games but not win the Cy Young Award.
Notable transactions
- April 9, 1971: Dave BoswellDave BoswellDavid Wilson Boswell was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played in the American League for the Minnesota Twins from 1964-1971....
was signed as a free agent by the Tigers. - May 28, 1971: Dave Boswell was released by the Tigers.
- June 8, 1971: Gene PentzGene PentzEugene David Pentz is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He played all or part of four seasons in the majors, from until for the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros.-External links:...
was drafted by the Tigers in the 7th round of the 1971 Major League Baseball Draft1971 Major League Baseball Draft-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1971 Major League Baseball draft.* Did not sign- Background :The June 1971 draft was a productive one, even though none of its top ten choices yielded players who would have memorable major league careers...
. - June 12, 1971: Carl Cavanaugh (minors) and Mike Fremuth (minors) were traded by the Tigers to the Philadelphia PhilliesPhiladelphia PhilliesThe Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
for Tony TaylorTony TaylorAntonio Nemesio Taylor is a former second baseman in Major League Baseball. From 1958 through , Taylor played for the Chicago Cubs , Philadelphia Phillies and Detroit Tigers...
.
Roster
| 1971 Detroit Tigers | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers | Catchers Infielders |
Outfielders | Manager Coaches |
||||||
Starters by position
Note: 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 | 148 | 516 | 143 | .277 | 21 | 71 | |
| 1B | 135 | 452 | 128 | .283 | 32 | 91 | |
| 2B | 128 | 477 | 99 | .208 | 18 | 57 | |
| 3B | 154 | 604 | 153 | .253 | 15 | 39 | |
| SS | 159 | 527 | 120 | .228 | 1 | 37 | |
| LF | 119 | 450 | 130 | .289 | 22 | 72 | |
| CF | 139 | 401 | 117 | .292 | 7 | 55 | |
| RF | 133 | 405 | 119 | .294 | 15 | 54 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 136 | 459 | 124 | .270 | 16 | 71 | |
| 82 | 195 | 66 | .338 | 11 | 29 | |
| 55 | 181 | 52 | .287 | 3 | 19 | |
| 83 | 138 | 35 | .254 | 5 | 11 | |
| 59 | 110 | 28 | .255 | 8 | 19 | |
| 29 | 54 | 13 | .241 | 1 | 7 | |
| 31 | 41 | 11 | .268 | 1 | 4 | |
| 38 | 37 | 7 | .189 | 0 | 4 | |
| 7 | 16 | 3 | .188 | 2 | 6 | |
| 2 | 4 | 2 | .500 | 0 | 1 |
Note: pitchers' batting statistics not included
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | 376 | 25 | 14 | 2.92 | 308 | |
| 39 | 286 | 20 | 9 | 3.15 | 236 | |
| 26 | 144.2 | 10 | 9 | 4.35 | 118 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | 122.1 | 6 | 7 | 4.49 | 43 | |
| 31 | 89.2 | 4 | 6 | 3.51 | 64 | |
| 30 | 86.1 | 4 | 5 | 5.00 | 47 | |
| 9 | 30 | 2 | 1 | 4.80 | 14 | |
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L= Losses; SV = Saves; GF = Games finished; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | W | L | SV | GF | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 69 | 11 | 6 | 20 | 40 | 2.71 | 76 | |
| 52 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 23 | 3.86 | 51 | |
| 31 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 4.22 | 27 | |
| 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4.82 | 5 | |
| 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3.27 | 6 | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6.23 | 3 | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 18.00 | 2 |
Awards and honors
- Mickey LolichMickey LolichMichael Stephen Lolich is a former Major League Baseball pitcher from 1962 until 1979 who played the majority of his career with the Detroit Tigers.-Baseball career:...
, Tiger of the Year award from Detroit baseball writers
League top ten finishers
Ed BrinkmanEd Brinkman
Edwin Albert Brinkman was a Major League Baseball shortstop. He played fifteen years in the Major League Baseball, led the American League in games played twice, won a Gold Glove Award at shortstop, and had a career batting average of .224...
- AL leader in games played at shortstop (159)
- AL leader in innings played at shortstop (1395-2/3)
- AL leader in assists by a shortstop (513)
- #4 in AL in games played (159)
- #7 in AL in times hit by pitch (7)
Norm Cash
Norm Cash
Norman Dalton Cash was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball who spent almost his entire career with the Detroit Tigers...
- Finished 12th in AL MVP voting
- AL leader in at bats per home run (14.1)
- #2 in AL in home runs (32)
- #3 in AL in slugging percentage (.531)
- #3 in AL in OPS (.903)
- #7 in AL in times hit by pitch (7)
- #8 in AL in RBIs (91)
- #9 in AL in runs created (93)
- 7th oldest player in the AL
Joe Coleman
- #3 in AL in strikeouts (236)
- #4 in AL in strikeouts per 9 innings pitched (7.43)
- #5 in AL in win percentage (.690)
- #5 in AL in innings pitched (286)
- #5 in AL in batters faced (1174)
- #6 in AL in wins (20)
- #9 in AL in complete games (16)
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...
- AL leader in games at catcher (144)
- AL leader in complete games at catcher (128)
- AL leader in innings played at catcher (1265)
- AL leader in putouts by a catcher (912)
- #3 in AL in times hit by pitch (9)
- #8 in AL in doubles (26)
- #9 in AL in extra base hits (51)
- #9 in AL in at bats per strikeout (10.8)
Willie Horton
- #7 in AL in slugging percentage (.496)
- #7 in AL in times hit by pitch (7)
- #10 in AL in extra base hits (48)
- #10 in AL in at bats per home run (20.5)
Al Kaline
Al Kaline
Albert William "Al" Kaline is a former Major League Baseball right fielder. He is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Kaline played his entire 22-year baseball career with the Detroit Tigers. Kaline still works for the Tigers as a front office official. Because of his lengthy career and...
- #3 in AL in on base percentage (.416)
- #6 in AL in OPS (.878)
- #7 in AL in time hit by pitch (7)
- #8 in AL in batting average (.294)
- #10 in AL in bases on balls (82)
- 9th oldest player in the AL
Mickey Lolich
Mickey Lolich
Michael Stephen Lolich is a former Major League Baseball pitcher from 1962 until 1979 who played the majority of his career with the Detroit Tigers.-Baseball career:...
- Finished 2nd in AL Cy Young Award voting (behind Vida BlueVida BlueVida Rochelle Blue Jr. is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. During a 17-year career, he pitched for the Oakland Athletics , San Francisco Giants , and Kansas City Royals He won the American League Cy Young award and Most Valuable Player Award in 1971...
) - Finished 5th in AL MVP voting
- MLB leader in wins (25)
- MLB leader in strikeouts (308)
- MLB leader in innings pitched (376)
- MLB leader in games started (45)
- AL leader in complete games (29)
- MLB leader in hits allowed (336)
- MLB leader in batters faced (1538)
- #2 in MLB in home runs allowed (36)
- #2 in MLB in earned runs allowed (122)
- #4 in AL in sacrifice hits (16)
- #4 in AL in strikeout to walk ratio (3.35)
- #5 in AL in strikeouts per 9 innings pitched (7.37)
- #7 in AL in Adjusted ERA+Adjusted ERA+Adjusted ERA+, often simply abbreviated to ERA+ or ERA plus, is a pitching statistic in baseball. It adjusts a pitcher's earned run average according to the pitcher's ballpark and the ERA of the pitcher's league...
(125) - #8 in AL in bases on balls per 9 innings pitched (2.20)
- #10 in AL in ERA (2.92)
Aurelio Rodríguez
Aurelio Rodríguez
Aurelio Rodríguez Ituarte, Jr. , was a third baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the California Angels , Washington Senators , Detroit Tigers , San Diego Padres , New York Yankees , Chicago White Sox and Baltimore Orioles...
- #3 in AL in doubles (30)
- #4 in AL in triples (7)
- #4 in AL in outs (476)
- #5 in AL in at bats (604)
- #8 in AL in extra base hits (52)
- #10 in AL in strikeouts (104)
Fred Scherman
Fred Scherman
Frederick John Scherman, Jr. was a Major League Baseball relief pitcher for eight years with the Detroit Tigers , Houston Astros , and Montreal Expos . Born in Dayton, Ohio, Scherman was a left-handed pitcher who attended Ohio State University before making his major league debut for the Tigers...
- #2 in AL in games by pitcher (69)
- #3 in AL in saves (20)
- #3 in AL in games finished (40)
Players ranking among top 100 all time at position
The following members of the 1972 Tigers were ranked among the Top 100 of all time at their position in The New Bill James Historical Baseball AbstractThe 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:
- Bill FreehanBill FreehanWilliam Ashley Freehan is a former professional baseball player. He played his entire Major League Baseball career as a catcher for the Detroit Tigers...
: 12th best catcher of all time - Norm CashNorm CashNorman Dalton Cash was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball who spent almost his entire career with the Detroit Tigers...
: 20th best first baseman of all time - Dick McAuliffeDick McAuliffeRichard John McAuliffe is a former American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a shortstop and second baseman for the Detroit Tigers from to and for the Boston Red Sox from to . He was a part of the Tigers' 1968 World Series championship, and was known for his...
: 22nd best second baseman of all time - Aurelio RodríguezAurelio RodríguezAurelio Rodríguez Ituarte, Jr. , was a third baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the California Angels , Washington Senators , Detroit Tigers , San Diego Padres , New York Yankees , Chicago White Sox and Baltimore Orioles...
: 91st best third baseman of all time - Willie Horton: 55th best left fielder of all time
- Al KalineAl KalineAlbert William "Al" Kaline is a former Major League Baseball right fielder. He is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Kaline played his entire 22-year baseball career with the Detroit Tigers. Kaline still works for the Tigers as a front office official. Because of his lengthy career and...
: 11th best right fielder of all time - Mickey LolichMickey LolichMichael Stephen Lolich is a former Major League Baseball pitcher from 1962 until 1979 who played the majority of his career with the Detroit Tigers.-Baseball career:...
: 72nd best pitcher of all time