The Tigers moved to Comerica Park in 2000 but the Corner remained standing. 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. Where is Rocky Colviato (spelling) on the list? The 1990 season was Fielders first in Detroit after wearing a Toronto uniform for four seasons and then playing in Japan. They checked it over and off I went. Saw Herndons line shot to center. 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. Depending who you talk to, the upper deck in right field was built to hang 5-10 feet over the warning track. Rogers Centre renovations In 1967, the race riots that tore up the city of Detroit started less than two miles from the ballpark. Al Kaline used to scale the fences in right field to take away home runs, and he played that area so well that it became known as Kalines Corner.. The people there are awesome and they clearly don't get much walk in business however they know their product while intending in only buying one jersey I walked out with much more! A World Series victory in 1984 didnt seem to help. July 11, 2018. And the fans got rewarded with unusual moments such as a 22-inning game decided by a player who hit the only home run of his career to decide the game. Another outfield oddity was a ledge that fielders used to jump onto to try to snare balls headed for the seats. 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. The stadiums demolition was completed on September 21, 2009, though the stadiums actual playing field remains at the corner where the stadium stood. The hit itself was a gunshot, echoing back from center. All three games featured home runs. Customer Service Three who did were Roberto Clemente in the 71 All-Star Game, Larry Herndon in 1983, and Mark McGwire in 1987. Yankee Stadium is listed in the credits at the end of the film as being played by Tiger Stadium. About Us [78], In October 2007, an online auction of the stadium's memorabilia was held by Schneider Industries, which drew $192,729. Talk about luck, but wow were they wrong. Source: wikimedia.org. Fifty years ago Tuesday, July 13, 1971, a sellout crowd of 53,559 watched from Tiger Stadium's then-green seats and another 60-million plus watched and listened from around the world as. Partially because of that incident, a pad was put in place on the flagpole. For the film, computer-generated visual effects were used to make Tiger Stadium resemble Yankee Stadium in 1961. Cecil Fielder clears left field roof at Tiger Stadium. 1. Singles by Mullin, Jimmy Bloodworth, and pinch-hitter Anse Moore plated another run for the Tigers in the seventh. Tiger Stadium saw gigantic home runs, like the one Babe Ruth hit that witnesses swore traveled 600 feet as it soared over the right field grandstands. Its first day was overshadowed by the news the Titanic hit an iceberg and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean. Despite the fact The Corner wasnt being used much, the city of Detroit was on the hook for some $400,000 a year in maintenance. Norm Cash hit the most Homeruns over the Stadium. For medical advice, always consult your medical doctor. [2] Spotlights were added above the warning track to illuminate the area beneath the overhang. PNC Park It was my 1st game and we sat in the upper deck in left field. Jackson dropped his bat and watched it sail, seemingly astonished of his own power. In 1970, when ABC signed on to carry Monday Night Football on a weekly basis, the network came to Detroit to do a trial run at an exhibition game. He makes numerous personal appearances as an ambassador for the Yankees. It hosted the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1912 to 1999, as well as the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL) from 1938 to 1974. Thats so true, every game can be legendary. In 1935, following Navin's death, new owner Walter Briggs oversaw the expansion of Navin Field to a capacity of 36,000 by extending the upper deck to the foul poles and across right field. The people there are awesome and they clearly don't get much walk in business however they know their product while intending in only buying one jersey I walked out with much more! BATON ROUGE, La. Only one current Tiger ever hit a home run at Tiger Stadium, and it was a memorable occasion. In the bottom of the 3rd inning, Jackson crushed an outside fastball that eventually rang off of a transformer at the top of the stadium. 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. Detroit reliever Terry Fox threw eight scoreless innings of relief. 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. The Metropolitan Stadium Committee voted unanimously for the Pontiac site. I will never forget this day. 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. Although they only won six pennants during their tenure there, the hometown Tigers were often an interesting team with individual stars. To the Sports Editor: The Times reported that Cecil Fielder became the first Detroit player to hit a home run over the left-field roof at Tiger Stadium (''Fielder Belts Two as Tigers Rout A's, 14 . Reggie Jackson hit a titanic homer off the light tower in the 1971 All-Star Game. Thanks for reading. Out of concern for the neighborhood, the team moved a series to Baltimore. Cecil Fielder hits homerun over Tiger stadium roof.. The home run record was reset to 235 three years later, during the Tigers' final campaign at Tiger Stadium. Cash hit the ball over Tiger Stadiums right field roof four times in his career. To make the park appear like Yankee Stadium, the parks seats were painted green and a skyline of the Bronx was added. 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. The Tigers. Four were over the longer left field roof, (Harmon Killebrew, Frank Howard, Cecil Fielder, Mark McGuire) and the rest were over the right field roof.) For the current stadium of the Detroit Tigers, see, U.S. National Register of Historic Places, 1999 Detroit Tigers season Final game at Tiger Stadium, "Tiger Stadium still holds a special place in hearts of fans", "Sept. 21, 2009: The day Tiger Stadium died", "Bennett Park/Navin Field/Briggs Stadium/Tiger Stadium", "50 Years ago Briggs Stadium was Renamed Tiger Stadium", "National Register of Historic Places MICHIGAN (MI), Wayne Country", "First pitch thrown at former Tiger Stadium site, now home to youth league", "April 28, 1896: There used to be a hay market here: Detroit Tigers open Bennett Park", "April 20, 1912: Frank Navin's field of dreams opens in Detroit", "Tigers say Detroit is prime stadium site", "Old Tiger Stadium's famed flagpole gets new life", "Detroit Tigers: 10 Things You May Not Know About Comerica Park", "June 15, 1948: 'Look at your wonderful lights here': Tigers win first night game in Detroit", "The Game That Was NotPhiladelphia Phillies at Chicago Cubs, August 8, 1988", "Remembering old Tiger Stadium and its final game", "In pictures: Remembering the Tigers' original home in Detroit", "1957 Detroit Lions: What happened each game during championship season", "Tiger Stadium History, Photos & More of the former NFL stadium of the Detroit Lions", "FORMER PONTIAC SILVERDOME . Left Field and Right Field hitting averages: Data displaying the left and right field averages for each statistic, with 1.00 being the average. Location: Heritage Park. Have Your Own Jersey? Tiger Stadium (formerly known as Navin Field and Briggs Stadium) was a stadium located in the Corktown neighborhood of Detroit, Michigan. One of his home runs in Yankee Stadium landed a dozen rows of seats from the scoreboard in right center field. the Yankees won that day, 22-2 the worst loss the Tigers ever suffered at home.). Teams had to stand on the same sideline in right field. I was a little concerned it would let look as good as I hoped, but when I put it on, I loved it. [91], It was depicted in Disney's award-winning Tiger Town, a 1983 made-for-television baseball film written and directed by Detroit native, Alan Shapiro, starring Roy Scheider, Sparky Anderson, Ernie Harwell and Mary Wilson. I was at Tiger Stadium in May 1971 when Reggie Jackson hit the ball over the right field roof. The city used the proceeds to defray the demolition costs. Thanks, J.D. 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. The film dramatized the efforts of New York Yankees teammates Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris during the 1961 season to break fellow Yankee Babe Ruth's single-season home run record of 60. [3], Like other older baseball stadiums such as Fenway Park and Wrigley Field, Tiger Stadium offered "obstructed view" seats, some of which were directly behind a steel support column; while others in the lower deck had sight lines obstructed by the low-hanging upper deck. [42], The Lions played their final game at Tiger Stadium on Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 1974 against the Denver Broncos. (When the credits rolled at the end of the movie, it is duly listed that the role of Yankee Stadium was played by Tiger Stadium.). [7][15][16], In 1911, new Tigers owner Frank Navin ordered a new steel-and-concrete baseball park to be built on the same site that would seat 23,000 to accommodate the growing numbers of fans. Myshak Metro Ballpark (Edmonton Prospects) The Amercan League won the game 6-4, with two run homers by Jackson, Frank Robinson, and Harmon Killebrew. All in all, however, the ballpark had a helluva good run. Cecil Fielder was the third player,. Extremely satisfied with the wonderful personable service! However, in just about every case, it had been occurred due to a stadium conflict or for a special reason. By the way, where did TRAM rank for the amount of HRs he hit during his career with the Tigers when they played at Tigers Stadium for going yard? [70] Anheuser-Busch promoted the event as Tiger Stadium's Last Call. Bosman, once Howard's roommate, mentioned one blast Howard clocked off Tommy John at RFK Stadium in 1966, then another off Mickey Lolich that sailed clear out of Tiger Stadium in 1968. On June 28, 1990, the ballpark hosted another unusual event. It is the only on-field death in the history of the league. New Marshall University ballpark Frank Robinson appeared poised to make the catch only to see the ball drop in the first row of the overhang for a game winning home run, one of just four Matchick hit in six big league seasons. [71][72] It was also shown at the inaugural National Baseball Hall of Fame Film Festival in November 2006. A dozen years later, after Navins death, Walter Briggs bought the club, adding an upper deck along the foul poles and seats in right field. The Tigers moved to the newly constructed Comerica Park for their 2000 season, leaving Tiger Stadium unused. He frantically signaled to the sidelines to get help for Hughes. 23, hit a 435-foot blast into the lower deck in right field to lead off the . As part of this transfer, the green wooden seats were replaced with blue and orange plastic ones and the stadium's interior, which was green, was painted blue to match. The following inning, Dick Wakefield sent a Ferriss pitch over the wall for a solo home run, his third homer of the season. If you have been the the field since they tore down the stadium just stand at home plate and imagine hitting it over the 90 foot high roof to where brooks lumber still stands. Recently got a blank jersey stitched at Vintage Detroit and the finished product looks awesome! Team owner George Vanderbeck constructed a 5,000-seat wooden facility, called Bennett Park, on the corner of Michigan and Trumbull Avenues. Outsiders began to look at Tiger Stadium and the neighborhood it was located in a different light. There were unlikely homers: little Freddie Patek, a 5 foot 5 imp who hit only a handful of homers in his career, hit two at Tiger Stadium; and 19-year old pitcher Denny McLain hit a home run on September 21, 1963, in his first big league game, and never hit another. (Oddly. Enter your email address to subscribe to Ballpark Digest and receive notifications of new posts by email immediately when a new story is posted. None had occurred since 1955. 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. 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. They checked it over and off I went. It was the final Major League hit, home run, and RBI in Tiger Stadium's history. Ironically, the visitors that day were the Minnesota Vikings, who rolled to an easy victory. Trammell hit 97 homers at Tiger Stadium, good for 11th all-time. In 1961, John Fetzer bought the team and renamed its home Tiger Stadium. Today's Posts; Member List; Calendar; Forum; American League; Chicago White Sox; If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. Excited to work with Vintage Detroit on future orders. In 1923, Navin increased capacity to 30,000. A short while later I left with a new cap and a custom Fidrych T-shirt. Prince Fielder hit a home run there during batting practice when he was a 12-year old and his dad was playing for the Tigers. [77] In July 2007, Detroit City Council voted 54 in approval of the demolition. [31][32][33], Tiger Stadium featured an upper and lower deck bleacher section that was separated from the rest of the stadium. I was there in the left field upper deck when it was first hit we thought it was coming right to us, but it just kept going over the roof. By: WBRZ Sports. [48] The area was nicknamed "Cobb's Lake". [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. Focus On Sport/Getty Images. New Hagerstown Atlantic League ballpark Board of Supervisors voted unanimously in favor of an $80 million south end-zone upper deck expansion that added 70 "Tiger Den" suites, over 3,000 club seats and 1,500 . Babe Ruth (60), Ted Williams (55), Jimmie Foxx (52), Mickey Mantle (42), Yogi Berra (37), Yaz (36). It would be 16 innings before either team scored again. Tiger Stadium is an outdoor stadium located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on the campus of Louisiana State University. [17], Over the years, expansion continued to accommodate more spectators. There is no roof to extend. Once or twice a year, an outfielder would have to go behind the pole to chase an errant hit. I was there for Gibsons shot over the roof onto brooks lumber. As the team improved, so did the capacity of the ballpark, capping out at 14,000. South African leader Nelson Mandela spoke before 49,000 people. To Ilitchs credit, he paid for several renovations that kept the park looking reasonable in its final years. Chain link and at one time, a barbed wire fence, separated the bleachers from the reserved sections and was the only section of seating not covered by at least part of the roof. [93][94], In the summer of 2000, the HBO movie 61* was filmed at Tiger Stadium. In the first game Cash hit the shot over the roof and another home run off McClain. No advertising or spamming is permitted. 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! ORDER YOURS NOW! Big Frank Howard loved to hit there, as did Killebrew and Reggie and Ken Griffey Jr. LMCU Ballpark (West Michigan Whitecaps) upgrades The blast must have ignited Cash's non-corked bat, as he decimated American League pitching with 23 home runs and 58 RBIs in 78 games after the All-Star break. [2] In 1961, new owner John Fetzer took control of the stadium and gave it its final and longest-lasting name: Tiger Stadium. ", "Home run facts from The Corner in Detroit", "September 27, 1999: Tears and cheers: Tiger Stadium hosts final game", "Kansas City Royals at Detroit Tigers Box Score, September 27, 1999", "Closing ceremony brought a lineup of stars back to Tiger Stadium", "The Unknown Kid Who Hit the Real Last Home Run at Tiger Stadium", "Tiger Stadium rises from the ashes for Bud Bowl 2006", "A six-pack to go at Tiger Stadium's hallowed ground", "Detroit Should Sell Tiger Stadium As Is Summer of Privatization", "The Navin Field Grounds Crew: Detroit Diehards Stand on Sacred Grounds", "Detroit EDC OKs plan to tear down Tiger Stadium", "Council OKs Detroit ballpark's demolition", "NEW! Seven of the Tigers' eight runs came off home runs. At the end of its life, it had the shortest right-field and longest center-field distance in major-league baseball. Bennett Park was still their home field, when six years later, they joined the AL as a charter member. A 125-foot flagpole stood just to the left of the 440-foot sign in dead center field. Have we seen the last fastball from Zumaya as a Tiger? . 10. That stadium was called Bennett Park and featured a wooden grandstand with a wooden peaked roof in the outfield. Posted on 10/1/19 at 7:27 am to chimesstreet. As I approached the area I quickly realized I was in more an industrial & commercial area then retail. Be respectful even if you disagree. 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. New Tennessee Smokies ballpark. Shortly thereafter, the city of Detroit bought the park from the team for $1. Comerica Park is NICE; Tiger Stadium was GREAT!!!! [4] A week into demolition, it was announced that the field, foul poles, and flagpole would be preserved. 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. But there was nothing anybody could do. Shipping Service Please let us know when you find out. It was said the lights at the ballpark were so bright that it could light up a city of 10,000 people. Dont forget about Frank Howard. Obviously those CF home runs had to be close to 500 feet to clear the wall at that point. [63], Tiger Stadium saw exactly 11,111 Major League home runs. Proudly powered by WordPress | Tiger Stadium was sold to the city of Detroit on January 1, 1978 for $1.00 and leased back for 30 years. Mickey Mantle: On September 10, 1960, the Yankee slugger hit a home run out of Tiger Stadium against Frank Lary. Some call this the longest home run ever hit. Initially, a dual stadium complex was planned that included a moving roof that was later scrapped due to high costs and the lack of a commitment from the Tigers. I,my son and two friends were sitting on the first base side in the upper deck when he hit that one, it went up so high I thought it wasnt coming down until it disappeared over the edge of the roof, Jose Cansenco hit on into center field at the flag pole that game too. Hank Greenberg and Willie Horton might also qualify as long time Tigers. 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. The latter once flipped off Sparky Anderson after hitting a home run into the right field upper deck in 1993. Please seek professional guidance. 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. That stadium was called Bennett Park and featured a wooden grandstand with a wooden peaked roof in the outfield. Whitaker hit 146 homers at the old ballpark, most of them after he matured into a better power hitter in his late 20s. Gibson hits one out of Tiger Stadium Watch on [46][47], When Ty Cobb played at Navin Field, the area of dirt in front of home plate was kept wet by the groundstaff to slow down Cobb's bunts and cause opposing infielders to slip as they fielded them.