April 9 in Tigers and mlb history:
1912: In the first game ever played at Fenway Park, the Boston Red Sox defeat Harvard University in an exhibition game played in a snow storm.
1913: The Brooklyn Superbas and Philadelphia Phillies play the first game in the history of Ebbets Field. A crowd of 10,000 watches the visiting Phillies win, 1 - 0. The new ballpark is named after Brooklyn owner Charles Ebbets.
1939: The Brooklyn Dodgers selected Boots Poffenberger off waivers from the Detroit Tigers.
1947: Commissioner Happy Chandler suspends Brooklyn Dodgers manager Leo Durocher for "conduct deemed detrimental to baseball." The one-year ban will force Leo to miss the major league debut of Jackie Robinson.
1953: Pittsburgh's one-sided pre-season victory over the defending World Champions notwithstanding, today's main attraction is 21-year-old Mickey Mantle, as the Yankees' young phenom becomes just the third batter in Forbes Field's 44-year history—after Babe Ruth in 1935 and Teddy Beard in 1950—to clear the 89-foot-high right field roof.
1956: The Detroit Tigers released Joe Coleman.
1959: At Griffith Stadium, the Baltimore Orioles become the first team in major league history to turn a triple play on Opening Day. The Orioles turn the feat in front of Vice-President Richard Nixon, who throws out the ceremonial first pitch as a substitute for President Dwight Eisenhower.
1959: In an effort to protect Little League batters, pitching mounds are moved back two feet to a distance of 46 feet.
1962: U.S. President John F. Kennedy throws out the first ball to open the baseball season at new District of Columbia Stadium. Despite rain, a record Washington crowd of 42,143 shows up to see Senators pitcher Bennie Daniels stop Detroit.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C78EVaGXkAAoN-t.jpg
1964: The Detroit Tigers traded Lou Johnson and $10,000 to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Larry Sherry.
1965: U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson joins 47,878 fans for the opening of Harris County Domed Stadium (the Astrodome). The Houston Astros win an exhibition game against the New York Yankees, 2 - 1, in 12 innings. Yankees outfielder Mickey Mantle hits the first-ever indoor home run in the new park.
1971: The Detroit Tigers signed Dave Boswell as a free agent.
1974: San Diego Padres owner Ray Kroc criticizes his club over the public address system during a game! "Ladies and gentlemen, I suffer with you," Kroc says. "I've never seen such stupid baseball playing in my life." The announcement occurs during San Diego's 9 - 5 loss to the Houston Astros. Coincidentally, the San Diego Chicken team mascot makes its debut that day. Hearing of the incident, Commissioner Bowie Kuhn will make Kroc apologize to the fans.
1981: Kirk Gibson has a horrible Opening Day, twice having balls hit him on the head in the outfield for Detroit.
1985: The Detroit Tigers traded Rod Allen to the Baltimore Orioles for Luis Rosado.
1985: At County Stadium, Chicago White Sox pitcher Tom Seaver makes his 15th opening day start to break the mark set by Christy Mathewson.
Seaver pitches 6 2/3 innings and is credited with the victory as the White Sox beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 4 - 2.
1988: Jack Morris balks three times in one game. Umpires have been ordered to crack down on balks this year.
1994 - Recently-retired NBA legend Michael Jordan makes his professional baseball debut by going hitless for AA Birmingham. Chattanooga is a 10 - 3 winner over the White Sox affiliate club.
1997: The Detroit Tigers signed Jose Bautista as a free agent.
2001: Hall of Famer Willie Stargell dies in Wilmington, North Carolina, at the age of 61. Stargell, who had been in failing health because of kidney problems, played key roles on the Pittsburgh Pirates World Champion teams in 1971 and 1979. Stargell hit 48 home runs in 1971 and shared the National League MVP Award with Keith Hernandez in 1979. Nicknamed "Pops" for his leadership skills, Stargell was named Pirates captain in 1974.
2009: The Blue Jays beat the Tigers as Ricky Romero outduels Rick Porcello. It is only the 19th time since 1901 that opposing starters both make their major league debuts together and it is the first time that two former first-round draft picks debut against one another.
2014: Major League Baseball's Diversity Task Force, created exactly a year ago, issues three recommendations to increase the number of African-Americans players: expanding MLB support for existing programs aimed at developing baseball in inner cities; launching program to improve the quality of coaching available to young African-American players; and raising its profile in inner cities by engaging current and past stars in outreach programs directed at the African-American community. Former manager Jerry Manuel will head the task force on a day-to-day basis, to ensure the implementation of the three initiatives, while Detroit Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski will continue as its chairman.
2015: The Tigers set an American League record by extending their streak of innings without allowing a run since the start of the season to 24, before giving up an unearned run in the 7th inning of a 7 - 1 win over the Twins. The previous mark of 22 innings was set by the 1947 Chicago White Sox, while the major league mark of 32 innings belongs to the 1963 St. Louis Cardinals. Shane Greene is the winner against Kyle Gibson as Detroit improves to 3-0 and Minnesota falls to 0-3.
Tigers players birthdays:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Vic_Sorrell
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/sorrevi01.shtml
Vic Sorrell 1928-1937.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cantrgu01.shtml
Guy Cantrell 1930.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Nate_Colbert
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/colbena01.shtml
Nate Colbert 1975.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/brumlmi02.shtml
Mike Brumley 1989.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/morriha02.shtml
Hal Morris 2000.
Tigers players, coaches, and managers who passed away:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/robinra01.shtml
Rabbit Robinson 1904.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lawsoro01.shtml
Roxie Lawson 1933, 1935-1939.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Jimmy_Outlaw
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/o/outlaji01.shtml
Jimmy Outlaw 1943-1949.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Joe_Coleman_(colemjo04)
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/colemjo04.shtml
Joe Coleman 1955.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Billy_Hitchcock
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hitchbi01.shtml
https://www.baseball-reference.com/managers/hitchbi01.shtml
Billy Hitchcock 1942, 1946, 1953, coach 1955-1961, manager 1960.
Baseball Reference