Although that game was never televised, Tiger Stadium remained a part of the opening for the series for many years long after the Lions had moved to the Pontiac Silverdome. I was a little concerned it would let look as good as I hoped, but when I put it on, I loved it. Seven of the Tigers' eight runs came off home runs. In the 22nd inning, Jack Reed hit the only home run of his 129-at bat career off Phil Regan for a 9-7 win. Cecil Fielder hits homerun over Tiger stadium roof. He was also adept at hitting the ball out down the left field line, a trait later adopted by Willie Horton and Lance Parrish. Denny McLain achieved one of the games rarest feats at the place they called The Corner. The final home run Fittingly, in the last game at The Corner, on September 27, 1999, it was a Tiger who launched the final homer at Tiger Stadium. Saturday, again on a national television hookup, Jackson cleared the roof with his 485th career homer to help the California Angels top the Tigers, 4-2. [62][64][65] Following the game, an emotional ceremony with past and present Tigers greats was held to mark the occasion. These were not temp help that knew nothing these were professionals who knew not just everything but were truly looking out for me. ), But the biggest move came in 1938. [2] By 1938, the city had agreed to move Cherry Street, allowing the left-field seats to be double-decked, and the now-renamed Briggs Stadium had a capacity of 53,000. Although they only won six pennants during their tenure there, the hometown Tigers were often an interesting team with individual stars. The Home Run Encyclopedia gives an account of one of Ruth's longest drives and one of the longest hit ever. Along the way it served as scenes for movies as well as a plethora of public events ranging from a KISS concert to a speech by Nelson Mandela. The benches for both the Lions and their opponents were on the outfield side of the field. [35][36][37] It originally had one before it was removed. He never played another game. Thats the longest home run Ive had hit off me, said Stewart, who had surrendered an upper-deck shot to Fielder in the first inning. This is a true story and has been recorded in a magazine of tape measure home runs. And on September 27, 1999, with flashbulbs popping, Robert Fick hit the final home run at The Corner, a grand slam in the last game at Tiger Stadium. Monaghan sold the team to a pizza rival, Mike Ilitch, in 1992. Cecil Fielder watches his home run out of Tiger Stadium - YouTube We sat down with Cecil Fielder and had him take us through his iconic roof-clearing home run vs. the A's in 1991.. Team owner George Vanderbeck constructed a 5,000-seat wooden facility, called Bennett Park, on the corner of Michigan and Trumbull Avenues. PAL would build its new headquarters and related facilities on the western and northern edges of the site while preserving the historic playing field for youth sports, including high school and college baseball. That ball is measured at 634 . This is not a replacement for the newsletter, but rather a real-time notification system! Three who did were Roberto Clemente in the 71 All-Star Game, Larry Herndon in 1983, and Mark McGwire in 1987. The Tigers moved to the newly constructed Comerica Park for their 2000 season, leaving Tiger Stadium unused. Eric Chesterton In left field, outfielders were known to jump up on the auxiliary scoreboard, grab the screen and reach several feet over the fence. By the early 1990s the owner of the Tigers wanted a new luxurious ballpark for team. ORDER YOURS NOW! It is believed to be the only time in the sports history this has occurred. The stadium's demolition was completed on September 21, 2009, though the stadium's actual playing field remains at the corner where the stadium stood. 1. [28][29] The Texas Rangers claimed that the design of the right field section was copied and used in the construction of what is now Choctaw Stadium, but in fact the upper deck did not actually extend over the right field fence, but was set back by several feet. (Rumor was this came at the behest of the teams first star, Ty Cobb.) Customer Service It just shows that, when you buy a ticket to a game, you just might witness a bit of history. Fielder, 56, lives in Tampa, Florida, with his wife, Diana, and their son, Maksim. [86] There was at one time also a sign on the enclosing fence labeling the site "Ernie Harwell Park". Cecil signed an autograph for me the next year at the stadium, on my birthday in fact. Privacy Policy [53] The ball was also carrying well in the 1951 and 1971 games. [97], The pilot of the HBO series Hung featured the stadium's demolition in its opening scene. A doctor who was sitting in the stands tore from his seat, broke past an official and ran to help Hughes. Its unique dimensions allowed fans to get closer than usual to the ballgame. Historians generally agree the longest home run hit in the ballpark was probably achieved by Detroit 1B Norm Cash, who ripped a shot over the center field scoreboard in a 1962 game that landed on the roof of a parked taxicab. Although the ballpark suffered little damage, the citys name was sullied. For the film, computer-generated visual effects were used to make Tiger Stadium resemble Yankee Stadium in 1961. [17], Over the years, expansion continued to accommodate more spectators. I found it refreshing to be served by people who truly knew everything and who came across as glad i stopped in and only care about me getting the service beyond what i deserved. [76] In June 2007, the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation approved a plan to demolish the stadium, which needed approval from Detroit City Council. I was a bit too far up the stands behind home plate to see it go out (the upper deck blocked my view), but I knew something had happened. At the end of its life, it had the shortest right-field and longest center-field distance in major-league baseball. The ballpark was also the scene of one of the darkest days in NFL history. In the first game Cash hit the shot over the roof and another home run off McClain. [39][40] The football field ran mostly in the outfield from the right field line to left center field parallel with the third base line. Ted Williams said Briggs Stadium had the best sight lines of any ballpark, and that was back when the interior was painted green. Although never as well known as Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park or Wrigley Field, Tiger Stadium held an unique place in the hearts of Detroiters, who have now seemed to come to terms with the fact it will be torn down, probably in September 2008. 2023 Ballparks As i pulled in I quickly understood this was a warehouse & office thinking this is a internet retailer. On September 27, 1999, the final Tigers game was held at Tiger Stadium; an 8-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals, capped by a late grand slam by Robert Fick, which hit the right field roof. Plainsman Park (Auburn) upgrades While with the Red Sox he hit one home run to dead center at the 488 foot marker. A year later, a Tiger Stadium-record 230 home runs were smashed130 of them surrendered by an atrocious Detroit pitching staff that produced a 6.38 ERA, the worst in AL history. With regular first baseman Dan Meyer batting .192 with only two RBIs, the Tigers gave the job to Thompson early into the 1976 season. The first night game at the stadium was held on June 15, 1948. Navin bought up the rest of the city block of Michigan and Trumbull, stationed a flagpole inside the field of play, moved home plate in a different direction (so that the batter would not be looking into the sun) and opened for business on April 20, 1912, the same day Fenway Park in Boston debuted. But Chicago linebacker Dick Butkus, one of the toughest players to ever play the game, knew better. Quick shipping as well. Although only three strongmen (Frank Howard, Harmon Killebrew, Cecil Fielder) hit balls that went over the roof in left field, several folks shot the ball over the right-field roof. [31][32][33], Tiger Stadium featured an upper and lower deck bleacher section that was separated from the rest of the stadium. Tiger Stadium is an outdoor stadium located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on the campus of Louisiana State University. [7][2] Cleveland Naps player "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, later banned from baseball for life following the Black Sox Scandal, scored the first run at Navin Field. In 1961, John Fetzer bought the team and renamed its home Tiger Stadium. Take your pick, his three-home run outburst against Catfish Hunter in the 1978 Championship Series, the 1983 Pine Tar home run, or the 1980 upper deck jack off arch-nemesis Goose Gossage that all . There was a one-year spike in attendance but the 1994 baseball strike wiped out a lot of good will earned. In 2018, the site was redeveloped for youth sports. Theme: Envo Blog. There was a huge outcry from traditionalists that the ballpark needed be saved as a historical monument (it had been placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989). The latter once flipped off Sparky Anderson after hitting a home run into the right field upper deck in 1993. When did the Detroit Tigers Stadium get demolished? At the time, some places in the outfield were only marked off with rope. It seemed like Rusty Staub hit more than his fair share of those, and Dave Bergman too. Baseball commissioner Judge Landis ordered Medwick off the field for his own safety. It bounced twice before plopping over the edge and onto the street. Sweet Lou Whitaker, at just over 5 foot 10 and weighing a slim 160 pounds, was probably the least-likely prolific home run hitter at Tiger Stadium. Big Frank Howard loved to hit there, as did Killebrew and Reggie and Ken Griffey Jr. Hughes was quickly wheeled off the field, which eerily ended minutes later. "I was fortunate," said Bonilla, who has hit only five home runs this season but has six in 12 career games at Tiger Stadium, where he . The city received a $5 million federal grant and issued $8.5 million in bonds to pay for renovations, including replacement of the old green wooden seats with blue plastic seats. The ball was hit over the roof in right field and accross Wentworth avenue. http://www.courtsidetweets.comCarl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox has a magical night at Tiger Stadium versus the Detroit Tigers by hitting three home run. Order Tracking My guess is there is a more effective way for the Athletic Department to spend 20 million dollars (or 50 million..or whatever it would cost). [61], There were over 30 home runs hit onto the right field roof over the years. On September 10, 1960, Mickey Mantle hit a home run over the right-field roof at Tiger Stadium. The Tigers. It was a relatively soft touch compared to left field, with a 325-foot (99m) foul line and with a roof that was in line with the front of the lower deck. [95][96], During the last days in which part of Tiger Stadium was still standing, scenes for the film Kill the Irishman, which were used to depict Cleveland Stadium, were shot at the stadium. On July 9, 1965, Stormin' Norman hit an inside-the-park home run against the A's at Municipal Stadium in Kansas City. Where is Rocky Colviato (spelling) on the list? Good article. In left field, it was 15 feet (4.6m) farther down the line, and the roof was set back some distance. Navin Field got a lot of play in the newsreels that winter but it was not the sort of publicity one desires. Like other home runs mentioned on this list, Thome's blast bounced through the streets after leaving the stadium by flying over the center field fence. In its early years, Navin Field was a pitchers paradise. The most notable one easily was a KISS concert held on June 28, 1996. I will never forget it. The thing is I said " no big deal" yet they would let me leave with it they got another one from their very advanced warehouse. Extremely satisfied with the wonderful personable service! [25] A new flagpole in the spirit of Tiger Stadium's pole was positioned in fair play at Comerica Park until the left field fence was moved in closer prior to the 2003 season. Buckeye Video 632 subscribers 5.2K 1M views 7 years ago Oakland A's vs. Detroit Tigers 8/25/90. In addition to the movie 61*, two other films Tiger Town and Hardball had scenes filmed there. Babe Ruth hit his 700th career home run there in 1934. Some managers felt a line should be drawn on the pole and that any ball hit above the line would be a home run. 1965 2017: History of Inception and Planning", "The Detroit Lions' Last Game at Tiger Stadium", "Louis Proved to Be Clever Ring Master in Victory over Bob Pastor", "Remembering when the Titans played Notre Dame at Briggs Stadium", "DCFC-Glentoran match marks 50th anniversary of Detroit Cougars", "DCFC to host MSU at old Tiger Stadium site", "Babe Ruth birthday: He owned the Detroit Tigers", "July 18, 1921: Babe Ruth's 560-foot blast against Tigers sets career home run record", "This Day in Baseball: Lou Gehrig's historic run ended in Detroit", "Reggie Jackson's All-Star Game homer off the Tiger Stadium roof is still jaw-dropping", "Detroit Lions Player Dies After Collapsing on Field", "Football Thursday: Legacy of Chuck Hughes goes deeper than being only NFL player to die on field during a game", "Boston Red Sox at Detroit Tigers Box Score, April 7, 1986", "Detroit Tigers vs. Boston Red Sox Opening Day: Remember What Happened in 1986? Tiger Stadium was sold to the city of Detroit on January 1, 1978 for $1.00 and leased back for 30 years. When was the last Tigers game at Tiger Stadium? . But it burns bright in the memories of hitters like Tom Matchick. WebFont.load({ google: { families: ["Lato:900:latin", "Lato:300:latin", "Playfair+Display:700italic:latin", "Merriweather:700:latin", "Crete+Round::latin", "PT+Sans+Narrow:700:latin"] } }); Detroit Red Wings jerseys are back in stock! Shipping Service In 1968, his last at-bat came there when he struck out in Game 5 of the World Series. [7][2], When the park was expanded in 1936, a second deck was added over the right field pavilion and bleachers. [88][89][90] Construction of the project began in June 2016. He ordered a steel-and-concrete 23,000-seat ballpark that was built in an astonishing period of seven months after the end of the 1911 season. (At age 89, Eldon Auker, a member of the 1934-35 AL champions, was the oldest returnee. A short while later I left with a new cap and a custom Fidrych T-shirt. Writers described fire and smoke behind the outfield walls as a game went on. , Where to live in New York if you've just come into $324 million. It was the last hit and the last run in the stadium. [14], The stadium was seen in the 1980 feature film Raging Bull where it was the site of two of Jake LaMotta's championship boxing matches. Progressive Field renovations When baseball's biggest stars need a haircut, they come to Jos 'Jordan' Lpez, By In the eighth inning of a game against the Rangers, Fielder turned on a Matt Whiteside offering, hitting it onto the roof of Tiger Stadium. [2] Spotlights were added above the warning track to illuminate the area beneath the overhang. The 1999 Tigers finished with a 69-92 record, but it felt like the stands were always full. [2], By the early 1990s, both the city and Tigers ownership wanted a new park, but many campaigned to save the old stadium. My sons at 10 and 8 thought I was a genious. Al Kaline takes aim at the seats in Tiger Stadium in the late 1950s. On September 28, 1964, the league scheduled Detroit to host Green Bay on a Monday night. (The next year, a screen was placed on top of the fence. Most spectacular was Cash's performance in the doubleheader that June Sunday 60 years ago. Among the dignitaries on hand that day: David Eisenhower (nephew of the president and the person for whom Camp David was named) and Dizzy Dean, who had been baseballs last 30-game winner. Historians generally agree the longest home run hit in the ballpark was probably achieved by Detroit 1B Norm Cash, who ripped a shot over the center field scoreboard in a 1962 game that landed on the roof of a parked taxicab. [77] In July 2007, Detroit City Council voted 54 in approval of the demolition. On August 25, 1986, McGwire had lined a Walt Terrell pitch into the centerfield bleachers at Tiger Stadium, the first of 583 round-trippers the controversial slugger would wind up hitting in his career. Many legends hit homers at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull, from Ty Cobb to The Babe to Joe DiMaggio to Hank Aaron to Ken Griffey Jr. The final act came on September 27, 1999. The bleachers had their own entrance, concession stands and restrooms. the Yankees won that day, 22-2 the worst loss the Tigers ever suffered at home.). I know Alan Trammell hit a lot of homeruns on the road while playing for Detroit, and as a total for his career, he hit 185 HRs total both on the road and at home. WebFont.load({ google: { families: ["Lato:900:latin", "Lato:300:latin", "Playfair+Display:700italic:latin", "Merriweather:700:latin", "Crete+Round::latin", "PT+Sans+Narrow:700:latin"] } }); Detroit Red Wings jerseys are back in stock! Charlie Steiner with ESPN highlights of Oakland A's/Detroit Tigers. His name? I put the location into google maps off I went. Many seats were replaced. Trammell hit 97 homers at Tiger Stadium, good for 11th all-time. Lynne asked what I was interested in and presented me with a great selection of Tigers caps and T-shirts. (The movie Detroit Rock City was based on this concert.). Tiger Stadium saw exactly 11,111 home runs, the last a right field, rooftop grand slam by Detroits Robert Fick as the last hit in the last game played there. Along the way it served as scenes for movies as well as a plethora of public events ranging from a KISS concert to a speech by Nelson Mandela. One of his home runs in Yankee Stadium landed a dozen rows of seats from the scoreboard in right center field. Later measurement revealed the ball traveled close to 600 feet. briggs stadium, detroit, detroit tigers, michigan, mlb, national league, navin field, tiger stadium. The ballparks other famous boxing matches involved Jake LaMotta. Cecil Fielder clears left field roof at Tiger Stadium. [26][27], When the stadium closed, it was tied with Fenway Park as the oldest ballpark in Major League Baseball, the two parks having opened on the same date in 1912. Lynne asked what I was interested in and presented me with a great selection of Tigers caps and T-shirts. (For one season 1954 the Tigers shortened right field to 302 feet. 59,203 fans attended the game, the largest crowd ever to see a football game at the Corner. Enter your email address to subscribe to Ballpark Digest and receive notifications of new posts by email immediately when a new story is posted. Proudly powered by WordPress | Hank Greenberg and Willie Horton might also qualify as long time Tigers. Cecil Fielder hits homerun over Tiger stadium roof.. On June 11, 1961, Cash became the first Detroit Tiger to hit a home run ball out of Tiger Stadium. Harmon Killebrew hit a home run that ricocheted off the left field roof and sounded like a gun blast off his bat. The Lions abandoned it for the Pontiac Silverdome. Jim Thome has to be in there for homeruns to it seemed like every time I was at a game he hit one to right field. As I approached the area I quickly realized I was in more an industrial & commercial area then retail. Its first day was overshadowed by the news the Titanic hit an iceberg and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean. Online auction of Tiger Stadium memorabilia draws $192,729", "Contract approved for Tiger Stadium demolition", "Tiger Stadium Field, Foul Poles to Be Saved", "Partial Demolition of Tiger Stadium Almost Done", "Remnants of Tiger Stadium Safe For Short Time", "So long: Detroit board OKs leveling Tiger Stadium", "Ernie Harwell Park ( site of former Tiger Stadium )", "Renderings reveal future of Tiger Stadium, field", "Key approval given to Tiger Stadium plans", "Who wants to live at Tiger Stadium? [7][2] Taking predecessor Bennett Park into account, Tiger Stadium was the oldest Major League Baseball site in use in 1999. The roof was 94 feet high and the left-field fence was 340 feet from home plate, making roof shots in that direction one of the most challenging feats in baseball during the years the Tigers called Tiger Stadium home. Out of concern for the neighborhood, the team moved a series to Baltimore. There's no way to say for sure whether Reggie Jackson's homer at the 1971 All-Star Game is the longest in the history of the Midsummer Classic -- the game is over 80 years old, after all, and data is incomplete.Here's what we do know, though: 46 years to the day after Jackson's blast, it remains the only baseball in All-Star Game history to nearly turn out the lights. Be respectful even if you disagree. Al Kaline.). Paul was great to work with and offered to delay shipping when I told him I would be on vacation on the original delivery date. He holds the record for longest home run in Cleveland Indians history at 511 feet, which he hit against the Kansas City Royals in 1999. [67][68], In February 2006, a tent on Tiger Stadium's field played host to Anheuser-Busch's Bud Bowl 2006. This did not include wildcat seats that were built on the rooftops on houses located behind the left-field fence. I ended up buy a very nice winter Tiger jacket and as I tried it on and decided on it they noticed a very minor blemish on the back and quickly informed me I had a hard time even seeing it & probably would have never noticed it. Shipping Service Minute Maid Park upgrades Team: Cleveland Indians. I sat myself in the upper deck left seats and waited for the big guy to hit #50, to join George Foster, who I had cheered for since mt Dad was a Reds fan. Some opposing players seemed to shine at Tiger Stadium. The stadiums demolition was completed on September 21, 2009, though the stadiums actual playing field remains at the corner where the stadium stood. By the time Detroits Tiger Stadium bade farewell 87 years, it had witnessed 11,111 home runs, six World Series, three memorable All-Star games, NFL Championship games and championship boxing fights. Whitaker hit 146 homers at the old ballpark, most of them after he matured into a better power hitter in his late 20s. On June 27, 1963, he played an entire game at first base without a chance, as the Minnesota Twins won 106. He hit his first home run of the 1961 season there. Football at Tiger Stadium was an adventure. By the time television and football began its long, happy marriage, Detroit was well established as the home field for the annual Thanksgiving Day game. Jim Thome. Through snow flurries and a first-pitch temperature of 32 degrees at Comerica Park, Cabrera stepped to the plate in the first inning and ripped an opposite field home run just inches over the yellow line in right field to give the Tigers a quick 2-0 lead on the Cleveland Indians (scroll for video below). The overhang would occasionally turn some extremely high arced fly balls into home runs. It hosted the Detroit Tigers Major League Baseball team from 1912 to 1999, as well as the National Football League 's Detroit Lions from 1938 to 1974. There were strange home runs: one hit on a line drive that stuck under the wall and allowed Dixie Walker to circle the bases in 1939; a homer that rattled around the flag pole in deep center field while Lou Gehrig ran around the bases in 1933; and the inside-the-park homer that Kirk Gibson hit in which he was a stride behind teammate Lou Whitaker who slid safely in front of him scoring from first base. Bud Metheny Ballpark renovations (Old Dominion University) About Us The home run record was reset to 235 three years later, during the Tigers' final campaign at Tiger Stadium. Gibson hits one out of Tiger Stadium Watch on And so it went. The NFL Lions left University of Detroit Stadium to move downtown. Climb up to the roof and look around, Fenecksaid in 1999, the Tigers final summer at The Corner, and you wont believe how high and hard they have to hit the ball to do that.. The only major changes during the latter decades were the closure of the "skybox" suites that perched on the front edge of the roof, and (in 1978) the replacement of the old dark green . Although it was the park where he was booed regularly, Tiger Stadium played a huge role in Maris career. [98], Tiger Stadium showing signs of neglect in 2006, Tiger Stadium with facade lettering removed in November 2007, The visitors' bullpen and right field from lower deck in November 2007, Tiger Stadium with seats removed in November 2007, Abandoned in April 2008; Tigers now play in Comerica Park, Demonstration against a School Amendment at Navin Field in 1920, This article is about the Detroit Tigers' former stadium. Two years earlier, he stunned the attendees at the MLB All-Star Game in Detroit's Tiger Stadium by hitting a home run more than 400 feet; the ball hit the base of the light tower at the park.