On November 28, 1974, the Lions played their last game at Tiger Stadium. A fire gutted the press box on the evening of February 1, 1977. 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. [76] In June 2007, the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation approved a plan to demolish the stadium, which needed approval from Detroit City Council. (The movie Detroit Rock City was based on this concert.). At the end of its life, it had the shortest right-field and longest center-field distance in major-league baseball. Ilitch began to make plans for a new ballpark downtown, breaking ground during the 1997 season. In the decade after the Tigers vacated the stadium, several rejected redevelopment and preservation efforts finally gave way to demolition. Some opposing players seemed to shine at Tiger Stadium. Obviously those CF home runs had to be close to 500 feet to clear the wall at that point. The right-field fence sat just 325 feet from home plate, and Jackson wasn't the only man to leave the stadium entirely.But Mr. October's blast -- off then-Pirates ace Dock Ellis, no less -- was gargantuan by any measure: According to Home Run Tracker's estimate, the ball traveled 532 feet or at least it would have, had the base of the light tower on the right-field roof not gotten in its way. 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. In 1949, he defeated Marcel Cerdan, winning on a knockout in the tenth round to win the World Middleweight crown. Left Field and Right Field hitting averages: Data displaying the left and right field averages for each statistic, with 1.00 being the average. The Tigers scratched out a run in the sixth to tie the game at 7. (The Cubs claimed their last World Series title there in 1908.) Shipping Service [74][75] By 2006, however, demolition appeared inevitable when then-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick announced the stadium would be razed. Tiger Stadium was declared a State of Michigan Historic Site in 1975 and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1989. Once or twice a year, an outfielder would have to go behind the pole to chase an errant hit. Bud Metheny Ballpark renovations (Old Dominion University) Detroit responded quickly, trailing 7-6 after just three innings. In 1911, new Tigers owner Frank Navin ordered a new steel-and-concrete baseball park on . 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. Doak Field at Dail Park upgrades (NC Wolfpack) In the 17 years afterwards (before moving to Pontiac), they had few memorable days at Tiger Stadium. (AP Photo) AP Before Mr. October was Mr. October, he was Mr. July. The ball actually sailed right over the right field roof of the ballpark, which is mind-boggling to contemplate. I highly recommend if you live within a 30 minute drive of this place and you are looking for authentic NBA NFL and MB items stop in and see them they also have a lot of very rare items which will make you stand out. [53][54][55] Ted Williams won the 1941 game with a walk-off three-run home run. [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. /news/1567868500869-kirk-gibson-hits-home-run-clear-over-tiger-stadium-roof-video This did not include wildcat seats that were built on the rooftops on houses located behind the left-field fence. 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. 1. The ballparks other famous boxing matches involved Jake LaMotta. I put the location into google maps off I went. In his first professional season, 1975, he batted .324 with 10 home runs and 38 runs batted in for the Southern League's Montgomery Rebels. Reggie Jackson's All-Star Game homer off the Tiger Stadium roof is still jaw-dropping By Chris Landers July 12, 2017 There's no way to say for sure whether Reggie Jackson's homer at the 1971 All-Star Game is the longest in the history of the Midsummer Classic -- the game is over 80 years old, after all, and data is incomplete. On Rader's home run, the only other Mariner who remembers is Vada Pinson, who is a first-base coach for Seattle. Detroit was one of the first powers in the new league, advancing to the World Series three years in a row from 1907-09. Kirk Gibson famously hit a ball over the right field roof that landed in the lumber yard across the street, traveling a distance of more than 500 feet. [45], Northern Irish professional soccer club Glentoran F.C. Mantle is generally credited with the longest home run of all time, a clout that left Tiger Stadium on Sept. 10, 1960, and landed in a lumberyard across the street. This is not a replacement for the newsletter, but rather a real-time notification system! 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? AL West: Houston Astros, Los Angeles Angels, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers. Cecil Fielder watches his home run out of Tiger Stadium - YouTube We sat down with Cecil Fielder and had him take us through his iconic roof-clearing home run vs. the A's in 1991.. Although they only won six pennants during their tenure there, the hometown Tigers were often an interesting team with individual stars. Cecil Fielder was the third player,. With Trammell on first and Fielder in a 3 1 count and leaned over and told my sons, If I was Fielder in this situation, he should look for a fastball and swing for I-75. He did. Chronicling the Business and Culture of Baseball Ballparks--MLB, MiLB, College, Tiger Stadium / Detroit Tigers / 1912-1999, Voting now open in 2023 Best of the Ballparks fan vote for Cactus League, Voting now open in 2023 Best of the Ballparks fans vote for Grapefruit League, MLB ramps up production team for local baseball broadcasts, Personnel news: MLB, Wisconsin Rapids, Holly Springs, Voting now open in 2023 Best of the Ballparkscollege ballparks competition, West Michigan Whitecaps food fight down to final three, Doak Field at Dail Park upgrades (NC Wolfpack), Field of Dreams ballpark (Dyersville, IA), Future Legends Sports Complex (Northern Colorado Owlz), Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium (Wisconsin Timber Rattlers) updates, LMCU Ballpark (West Michigan Whitecaps) upgrades, Myshak Metro Ballpark (Edmonton Prospects), Bud Metheny Ballpark renovations (Old Dominion University), Innovative Field (Rochester Red Wings) upgrades. Have Your Own Jersey? South African leader Nelson Mandela spoke before 49,000 people. The club went 68-86 and hit 18 fewer home runs than the year before. Baseball commissioner Judge Landis ordered Medwick off the field for his own safety. Al Kaline takes aim at the seats in Tiger Stadium in the late 1950s. 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. Since that time the company has grown from a single employee working out of a home to a diversified publishing firm featuring Websites, books and other merchandise. The right field overhang frustrated many outfielders who were camped under a routine flyball only to see it land in the first row upstairs. Cecil Fielder hits homerun over Tiger stadium roof. 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. PNC Park Sweet Lou Whitaker, at just over 5 foot 10 and weighing a slim 160 pounds, was probably the least-likely prolific home run hitter at Tiger Stadium. Copyright 2023 August Publications. [41][43], In 1939, boxer Joe Louis defended his world heavyweight title with an eleventh-round knockout of Bob Pastor at the stadium. Progressive Field renovations Or the blast off Gibson's bat that landed on the roof of the lumber yard across Trumbull Avenue. 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. 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. , The Metropolitan Museum of Art has one of the best baseball card collections in the world thanks to one man, By Tiger Stadium was designed by the father and son team of Frank C. Osborn and Kenneth H. Osborn. The roof was 94 feet high and the left-field fence was 340 feet from home plate, making roof shots in that direction one of the most challenging feats in baseball during the years the Tigers called Tiger Stadium home. On April 15, 1999, Torii Hunter hit a home run off Brian Moehler at Tiger Stadium while playing for the Minnesota Twins. Several years later, the country watched another memorable Thanksgiving Day game played in a blizzard that covered the field by halftime. (In those days, home games were blacked out 75 miles from the site of competition. The score was now 8-4. 23, hit a 435-foot blast into the lower deck in right field to lead off the . Minnesotas Harmon Killebrew had been the first in 1962, followed six years later by Washingtons Frank Howard. I was there the day Fielder hit the over-the-roof shot. . Recently got a blank jersey stitched at Vintage Detroit and the finished product looks awesome! These were not temp help that knew nothing these were professionals who knew not just everything but were truly looking out for me. It just shows that, when you buy a ticket to a game, you just might witness a bit of history. Purchased a New Era Gruff Michigan Syaye hat, and I absolutely love it. Many seats were replaced. the Nearest to me was Vintage. With the OPEN sign light I though well came all this way just aswell give it a try and am I glad I did. Back to top. wow! 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. At the time, some places in the outfield were only marked off with rope. I don't live nearby so the ability to have it shipped for $10 was well worth the cost. Cecil hit the longest homerun Ive seen in my life during a minor league game in Kinston , N.C.The left field at Grainger Stadium is 370 ft. from home plate ; Cecils homerun cleared the fence , the street behind the fence , and landed on the roof of a 3 story building that was 20 yards on the other side of the street . The crazy thing is we missed the home run for a hot pretzel. You just dont get this type of service anywhere else folks and turns out it all to be a great value as well as they search the system for every possible discount they could give me. I remember he stepped out of the box several times because someone in the bleacher seats was shinning a mirror into his eyes.He made the Tigers fans pay for that ! Since Detroit was driving for a score late in the game, some assumed Hughes was simply trying to stop the clock. 5 Reasons to Update Your Business Operations, Get the Best Sleep Ever in 5 Simple Steps, How to Pack for Your Next Trip Somewhere Cold, Manage Your Money More Efficiently in 5 Steps, Ranking the 5 Most Spectacular NFL Stadiums in 2023. 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. Ironically, the visitors that day were the Minnesota Vikings, who rolled to an easy victory. The first night game at the stadium was held on June 15, 1948. Thanks, J.D. Dismiss, Copyright 2022 Vintage Detroit Collection, Spinnaker Center, 44692 Helm St, Plymouth. [81], After a hiatus wherein various plans to preserve portions of the stadium were considered,[82][83][84][85] demolition was completed on September 21, 2009. The Fighting Irish won, 406. The overhang would occasionally turn some extremely high arced fly balls into home runs. Hammerin Hank Greenberg probably hit more home runs to deep left-center field at Navin Field/Briggs Stadium than any other player. Everyone has their own opinion. July 11, 2018. Be respectful even if you disagree. One of those occurred on June 24, 1962. [7] The stadium hosted two NFL Championship Games in 1953 and 1957. Comerica Park is NICE; Tiger Stadium was GREAT!!!! The Lions last title came in 1957. He never played another game. Although never as well known as Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park or Wrigley Field, Tiger Stadium held an unique place in the hearts of Detroiters, who have now seemed to come to terms with the fact it will be torn down, probably in September 2008. The Lions abandoned it for the Pontiac Silverdome. Although few improvements were made to the ballpark over the years, it was still considered a showcase of baseball with a flair for memorable games. The group reunited for their Alive/Worldwide tour. [18] In 1977, the Tigers sold the stadium to the city of Detroit, which then leased it back to the Tigers. The Tigers. [2], By the early 1990s, both the city and Tigers ownership wanted a new park, but many campaigned to save the old stadium. On June 11, 1961, Cash became the first Detroit Tiger to hit a home run ball out of Tiger Stadium. It was an effort by a local sports management company to bring a Frontier League franchise to Detroit. Outsiders began to look at Tiger Stadium and the neighborhood it was located in a different light. Thank you so much, I can't wait to wear my jersey to a Wings game! It was Hunters first major league home run, and it was a doozy a deep fly to right center field that landed in the lower deck. Tiger Stadium is an outdoor stadium located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on the campus of Louisiana State University. Tiger Stadium was sold to the city of Detroit on January 1, 1978 for $1.00 and leased back for 30 years. [69] Among performers at the nightclub-style event was Snoop Dogg. [2][19] Plans to modify and maintain Tiger Stadium as the home of the Tigers, known as the Cochrane Plan, were supported by many in the community, but were never seriously considered by the city or the Tigers. On August 25, 1986, McGwire had lined a Walt Terrell pitch into the centerfield bleachers at Tiger Stadium, the first of 583 round-trippers the controversial slugger would wind up hitting in his career. [14], In 1895, Detroit Tigers owner George Vanderbeck had a new ballpark built at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull Avenues. Most spectacular was Cash's performance in the doubleheader that June Sunday 60 years ago. Makes me even more envious of the fans in Boston whose ownership had the wisdom to preserve their historic ballpark. Here are the longest home runs in the Home Run Derby, during the StatCast era, away from Coors Field. Winning pitcher Jim Bouton tossed seven scoreless innings for the victory. In the 1970s, Ken Berry, an excellent flychaser, forgot about this one day and ran flush into the pole while chasing a shot by Detroit OF Willie Horton. Innovative Field (Rochester Red Wings) upgrades The 1999 Tigers finished with a 69-92 record, but it felt like the stands were always full. [71] Funded by local businessman and ardent stadium supporter Peter Comstock Riley, and directed by Gary Glaser, it earned solid reviews and won three Telly awards and two Emmy awards for the film's writer and co-producer, Richard Bak, a local journalist and the author of two books about the stadium.