April 7 in Tigers and mlb history:
1873: John McGraw is born in Truxton, New York. A fiery third baseman for the 1890s Baltimore Orioles, McGraw will achieve much more recognition as an innovative, autocratic field manager. In his 31 years at the helm of the New York Giants, McGraw's teams will gain 10 National League pennants, finish second 11 times and take home three World Series trophies. He ranks second all-time with 2,840 wins as a manager. In 1933, he will return from retirement to manage the National League in the very first major league All-Star Game. As a player, he was credited with helping to develop the hit-and-run, the squeeze play and other strategic moves. McGraw will be elected to the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee in 1937.
1918: Bobby Doerr is born in Los Angeles, California. A hard-hitting second baseman, Doerr will bat .288 in 14 seasons with the Boston Red Sox and reach the 100-RBI mark six times during his career. Doerr will gain Hall of Fame honors in 1986.
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1926: The Boston Red Sox purchased Topper Rigney from the Detroit Tigers.
1953: The Detroit Tigers purchased George Freese from the St. Louis Browns.
1958: The newly transplanted Los Angeles Dodgers erect a 42-foot screen at the Los Angeles Coliseum as part of an effort to cut down on home runs to left field, which is only 250 feet from home plate.
1967: The Detroit Tigers purchased Jim Price from the Pittsburgh Pirates.
1969: Ted Williams makes his managerial debut for the Washington Senators. Williams loses his first game to the New York Yankees, 8 - 4, on Opening Day at RFK Stadium. Williams will manage the Senators for three seasons, before moving with the team to Texas in 1972.
1969: Pitcher Bill Singer of the Los Angeles Dodgers earns the first official save in major league history. Making his only relief appearance of the season, Singer finishes off Don Drysdale's 3 - 2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. Thanks to the efforts of sportswriter Jerome Holtzman, the save became an official statistic this off-season.
1969: After a long recovery following a 1967 beaning, Tony Conigliaro starts his first game for the Red Sox. His dramatic two-run 10th-inning home run gives the Red Sox a brief lead, and his 12th-inning run wins it.
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1971: The dismissal of Curt Flood's suit against Major League Baseball is upheld by a three-judge U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The verdict will be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
1977: Frank Sinatra sings the National Anthem at Opening Day at Dodger Stadium.
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1978: The Detroit Tigers started a pair of 20-year-old infielders on Opening Day. Alan Trammell was at short, Lou Whitaker was at second.
Mark Fidrych takes a curtain call at Tiger Stadium after pitching a 5-hit complete game on Opening Day in 1978.
Phil Mankowski hits a 3-run home run for the Tigers in a 6-2 win. Rookie Lou Whitaker has a double and a stolen base.
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1979: In the earliest no-hitter in major league history until then, Ken Forsch of the Houston Astros shuts downs the Atlanta Braves, 6 - 0. Forsch and his brother Bob, who hurled a no-hitter in 1978, become the first brothers to pitch no-hit no-run games. In 1984, Jack Morris will match Forsch's feat, and in 2001, Hideo Nomo will pitch a no-hitter on an earlier date, April 4th.
1983: The Detroit Tigers traded Eddie Miller to the Philadelphia Phillies for Raymond Borucki (minors).
1983: Major League Baseball, ABC, and NBC agree to terms on a six-year television package worth $1.2 billion. The two TV networks will continue to alternate coverage of the playoffs, World Series, and All-Star Game through the 1989 season with each of the 26 clubs receiving $7 million per year in return. The last package gave each club $1.9 million per annum.
1984: Jack Morris of the Detroit Tigers pitches a no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox. Morris strikes out eight and walks six in shutting down the Sox at Comiskey Park. Morris becomes the first Tiger since Jim Bunning, who accomplished the feat in 1958, to toss a no-hitter.
1986: At Tiger Stadium, Boston Red Sox outfielder Dwight Evans becomes the first player to hit the first pitch on Opening Day for a home run. Jack Morris throws the gopher ball but gets the victory as Detroit edges Boston, 6 - 5, behind two home runs by Kirk Gibson.
1991: The Detroit Tigers signed Pete Incaviglia as a free agent.
1995: The Detroit Tigers signed Joe Boever as a free agent.
1995: The Detroit Tigers signed Kirk Gibson as a free agent.
1998: On the same day that Major League Baseball returned to Wisconsin 28 years earlier, National League baseball returns to Milwaukee for the first time in 32 years. It's a complicated story with a happy ending: The Milwaukee Braves were a National League team that moved to Atlanta in 1966, and the Seattle Pilots, who were formed as an American League expansion team in 1969, moved to Milwaukee and played their first game as the Brewers on this day in 1970. Five years after their team owner, Bud Selig, became Commissioner of baseball, the Brewers became a National League club, as part of the shuffle created by this year's expansion. And on this day they are 6 - 4 winners over the Expos in their home opener.
2000: The Astros play a regular-season game outdoors in Houston for the first time since 1965 as the team opens Enron Field with a 6 - 1 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.
2000: The Tampa Bay Devil Rays retire uniform number 12 in honor of Wade Boggs. Although the former Red Sox and Yankees third baseman only spent two seasons with Tampa Bay, he hit the franchise's first home run and became the 23rd member of the 3,000-Hit Club as a member of the team.
2010: The Detroit Tigers released Sam Narron.
2010: New
Yankees centerfielder
Curtis Granderson quickly makes his presence felt with the Bronx Bombers. After homering in his first at-bat for the team on
Opening day,
April 4th, he hits a game-winning long ball off
Boston closer
Jonathan Papelbon in the 10th inning of today's game, which started as a pitching duel between
Andy Pettitte and
John Lackey, giving the Yankees a 3 - 1 victory.
Chan Ho Park redeems his poor opening day performance with three innings of one-hit ball in relief to earn his first win in pinstripes, while
Mariano Rivera picks up his second save in as many days.
2012: Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder each hit 2 home runs in a 10-0 rout of the Red Sox. In his Tigers debut, Octavio Dotel sets a record by playing for his 13th MLB team.
2017: Mike Illitch honored before the Tigers' home opener. A tribute to an owner who gave so much of himself to a franchise he loved so dearly.
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2019: Shane Greene becomes the first major league pitcher to get 7 saves in his first 10 games. The Tigers win their 5th straight to take over first place in the AL Central.
2022: Opening Day of the 2022 season is finally here, having been delayed by a week by the 2021-2022 lockout. Two of the nine scheduled games are rained out, but the other seven provide plenty of interesting moments, including Shohei Ohtani becoming the first player to both throw the first pitch and take the first at-bat of the season for his team in the Angels' 3 - 1 loss to Houston.
In Kansas City, top prospect Bobby Witt Jr. drives in the go-ahead run in the 8th with his first career hit, a double off Triston McKenzie of the Guardians, who are playing their first-ever game under their new name.
In Arizona, Seth Beer hits a walk-off homer in a 4 - 2 win over the Padres on "National Beer Day".
However, the best moment comes in Atlanta where Joey Votto of the Reds, who uncharacteristically open their season on the road, is miked-up for a half inning on ESPN's national telecast, and provides riveting commentary on his career, the evolution of baseball and ongoing strategy, all while fielding his position.
Tigers players and coaches birthdays:
Check out the latest Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More of Ed Lafitte. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, draft status, bats, throws, school and more on Baseball-reference.com
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Ed Lafitte 1909, 1911-1912.
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Check out the latest Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More of Ben Petrick. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, draft status, bats, throws, school and more on Baseball-reference.com
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Ben Petrick 2003.
Check out the latest Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More of Eduardo Rodríguez. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, draft status, bats, throws, school and more on Baseball-reference.com
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Eduardo Rodriguez 2022-2023.
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Michael Brdar coach 2023-present.
Tigers and Detroit Wolverines N.L. players who passed away:
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Check out the latest Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More of Charlie Ganzel. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, draft status, bats, throws, school and more on Baseball-reference.com
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Charlie Ganzel Detroit Wolverines N.L. 1886-1888.
Check out the latest Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More of Frank Secory. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, draft status, bats, throws, school and more on Baseball-reference.com
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Frank Secory 1940.
Check out the latest Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More of Bob Kennedy. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, draft status, bats, throws, school and more on Baseball-reference.com
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Bob Kennedy 1956.
Check out the latest Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More of Jerry Davie. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, draft status, bats, throws, school and more on Baseball-reference.com
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Jerry Davie 1959.
Check out the latest Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More of José Capellán. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, draft status, bats, throws, school and more on Baseball-reference.com
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Jose Capellan 2007.
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