May 15 in Tigers and mlb history:
1899 - Willie Keeler, one of the smallest players and best bunters, drives the ball past startled LF Ed Delahanty of the Phillies for an inside-the-parkgrand slam and an 8 - 5 victory for Brooklyn.
1901 - The first shutout in American League history (during its time as a major league) is recorded as Watty Lee of the Washington Senatorsblanks the Boston Americans, 4 - 0.
1903 - At Detroit, the Tigers pick on Boston outfielder Patsy Dougherty and collect five triples and two homers in winning, 8 - 6. Dougherty misjudges a number of fly balls.
1911: Ring Lardner writes, "They are using a new ball this year. It's livelier and that means more hitting, and more hitting means longer games, and that's the devil. It appears to be impossible to finish a game in less than two hours."
1911: With the score tied in the 10th inning, Boston's Smokey Joe Wood intentionally walks Ty Cobb, issuing one of two free passes the star will receive all season. Two batters later, Jim Delahanty drives in Cobb for Detroit's 5 - 4 win. With two safeties today, Cobb starts a 40-game hitting streak.
1912 - Ty Cobb charges into the stands at Hilltop Park in New York and attacks a crippled heckler named Claude Lueker. Other fans and Tigers mix it up before order is restored. Ban Johnson suspends Cobb indefinitely for the incident.
1922 - In a 4 - 1 win at New York, Ty Cobb beats out a grounder to SS Everett Scott. Veteran writer Fred Lieb scores it ahit in the boxscore he files with the Associated Press. But official scorer John Kieran of the New York Tribune gives an error to Scott. At the season's end, the American League official records, based on AP box scores, list Cobb at .401. New York writers complain unsuccessfully, claiming it should be .399, based on the official scorer's stats. Lieb will reverse himself at the end of the year, but Ban Johnson goes with the hit call.
1933 - The major leagues advance the cut-down date a month, limiting rosters to 23 players today instead of June 15th.
1941: Joe DiMaggio gets a single in four at bats against Eddie Smith of the Chicago White Sox to start his 56-game hitting streak. Joe D's hit goes unnoticed as the Yankees lose, 13 - 1.
1951: In a fine trade for Chicago, the White Sox send lefty Bob Cain to the Tigers for hurler Saul Rogovin.
1952 - After pitching four no-hitters in the minors, 33-year-old Virgil "Fire" Trucks of Detroit pitches his first in the major leagues, a 1 - 0 blanking of the Senators. Vic Wertz's dramatic two-out home run in the 9th off Bob Porterfield wins the game at Briggs Stadium. Trucks will throw a second no-hitter later this year.
1957: With today's deadline to cut rosters to 25 players, a number of veterans are handed their walking papers. Among them are: pitchers Ellis Kinder and Jim McDonald, OF Bob Kennedy (White Sox), 1B Preston Ward (Indians), and 1B Eddie Robinson (Tigers).
1969: Willie Horton leaves the Detroit bench during a 2 - 1 win against Chicago and goes AWOL for four days.
1976: Mark Fidrych wins his first major league start, a complete-game 2-hit, 2 - 1 victory over the Indians. The Bird holds the Indians hitless for six innings, talks to the ball, and tamps down the mound before toeing the rubber each inning.
2009: Ryan Raburn and Brandon Inge hit grand slams as the Tigers defeat Oakland, 14 - 1. It is the first time that Detroit has hit two grand slams in one game since Jim Northrup did it all by himself on June 24, 1968.
2012: The White Sox are ahead, 6 - 0, in the top of the 6th inning when the Tigers' bats get to work. Miguel Cabrera, Ryan Raburn and Austin Jackson all homer in an 8-run frame, as Detroit wins, 10 - 8. The Tigers get a scare in the bottom of the 9th, however, when closer Jose Valverde retires the first two Sox hitters, then begins to feel tightness in his back; he gives up a pair of hits and has to leave the game. Veteran Octavio Dotel steps in, and while he gives up a two-run double to Alexei Ramirez, he retires Dayan Viciedo to end the game and pick up his first save as a Tiger. He has now recorded a save for 9 of the record 13 teams he has pitched for.
Tigers players birthdays:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hincha.01.shtml
A.J. Hinch 2003.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/k/karnuja01.shtml
Jason Karnuth 2005.
Tigers players who passed away:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Goose_Goslin
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/gosligo01.shtml?redir
Leon 'Goose' Goslin 1934-1937.
from Baseball Reference
