After the Western League renamed itself the American League, and declared it a major league in 1901, the Tigers played their first major league game against the Milwaukee Brewers in front of their home fans at Bennett Park on April 25, 1901. Bennett Park has been their home since 1894, and continued to remain so till 1999.

A new stadium was built on the site of Bennett Park in 1912, and renamed Navin Field, to honor the owner of the team – Frank Navin. In 1938, it was renamed the Briggs Stadium, in honor of the then owner – Walter Briggs. In 1961, the stadium was named the Tiger Stadium, by the then owner John Fetzer. The final game by the Tigers at the Tiger Stadium was held on September 27, 1999, after which they moved, after 105 years, to their newly constructed home - the Comerica Park, for the 2000 season.

The Name

The Detroit Light Guard, a military unit in the 19th century Detroit, was known as ‘The Tigers.’ The baseball team from was then known in the news, informally, as the ‘Wolverines’ or the ‘Tigers.’ When the team entered the major league, they sought, and received, permission from the Detroit Light Guard to use its name, and since then the team is known as the Detroit Tigers.

The Tigers won their first American League (AL) Pennant in 1907, and followed the win with two more consecutive wins in 1908 and 1909. They, however, could not win the World Series in 1907 and 1908, denied the title by the Chicago Cubs both the times. The following year, 1909, they lost out to the Pittsburgh Pirates, to be denied the World Series for the third consecutive year.

The Tigers missed out on the World Series title again in 1934, losing in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals, nicknamed the Gashouse Gang. The following year, in 1935, they won their first World Series title by defeating the Chicago Cubs, 4-2.

The Tigers have 10 American League pennants under their belt, the latest they won in 2006. They have four World Series titles to their name and have won three East Division titles.

The Honors

The Tigers have honored 5 players by retiring their jerseys permanently. The players are:

Charlie Gehringer (# 2)
Hank Greenberg (# 5)
Al Kaline (# 6)
Hal Newhouser (# 16)
Willie Horton (# 23)

Ty Cobb, who played when there were no jersey numbers, has been honored by his name on the wall at Comerica Park.