Detroit Tigers: The Franchise All-Time Bracket
By Bill Felber
Detroit Tigers: The Franchise All-Time Bracket
No. 4 vs. 5 seed
The 1945 Detroit Tigers won the final war-time World Series, benefitting from the early return to civilian life of the team’s hitting star, Hank Greenberg. Returning in July, Greenberg batted .311 over the season’s final half, with 13 home runs and 60 RBIs.
Hall of Fame pitcher Hal Newhouser went 25-9 with a 1.81 ERA in 35 starts and 313 innings. The Tigers got past the Chicago Cubs in the seven-game World Series.
The 1934 Tigers went 101-53 for a .656 percentage before losing to the St. Louis Cardinals Gashouse Gang in seven games. Greenberg was only 23 and in his peak, hitting .339 with 26 homers and 139 RBIs. Gehringer batted .356 and drove in 127, and outfielder Goose Goslin gave the team a third 100 RBI man. Six Tiger regulars topped .300 that season.
Those Tigers could pitch, too. Tommy Bridges and Schoolboy Rowe combined for 46 wins in 540 innings.
light. Related Story. The all-time Kansas City Royals bracket
Game 1: The 1934 club’s .656 bests 1945’s 88-65 .575 regular-season percentage.
Game 2: In post-season, the 1945 team’s seven-game World Series win produces a .571 percentage, the exact opposite of the 1934 team’s seven-game loss for a .429 post-season percentage.
Game 3: With Greenberg, Gehringer, Goslin and their cohorts banging away, the 1934 team ran up a 106 OPS+. The 1945 team managed only a 93.
Game 4: Newhouser carried the 1945 Tigers to a 119 staff ERA+, easily good enough to top the Bridges-Rowe Tigers, who topped out at 108. This series is even at two games each.
Game 5: The 1945 club produced a 34.5 WAR. That’s low by championship standards, and it certainly can’t keep up with the 1934 team’s 50.8 WAR.
Game 6: The 1934 Tigers fielded .974, three points better than that season’s American League average. The 1945 Tigers fielded .975, but that was only two points better than the AL average.
Result: 1934 in six games