The Detroit Tigers baseball franchise played their first game for the newly established American League on April 25, 1901 at Bennett Park in front of 10,000 fans. After trailing 13-4 entering the ninth inning, the team staged a dramatic comeback to win the game 14-13. The team eventually finished third in the eight team league. Eleven years later, an elegant stadium was constructed on the site of Bennett Park and named Navin Field. Later renamed Tiger Stadium, the beautiful structure remained in use by the team until 2000.

In 1905, the team acquired Ty Cobb, a player who would be considered one of the greatest of all-time. The addition of Cobb to an already talented team that included Sam Crawford, Hughie Jennings, Bill Donovan, and George Mullin yielded results quickly, as the Tigers won three consecutive American League Championships from 1907-09. However, the team came up short in the World Series each time, and would not win its first World Series until 1935. The team won additional World Series crowns in 1945, 1968 and 1984. The 1968 title, which occurred one year after massive race riots had broken out, is thought to have helped to heal citywide tensions. The 1984 team, meanwhile, started out at a record pace (35-5), and cruised to a franchise-record 104 victories. That team featured the great double-play combination of shortstop Alan Trammell and second baseman Lou Whitaker; the duo would play together a record 19 seasons. From 1979 to 1995, the team was managed by the colorful, eccentric George "Sparky" Anderson, one of baseball's winningest managers.

Amid some local controversy, the team abandoned Tiger Stadium in 2000 in favor of the new Comerica Park. Many longtime fans complained that the "CoPa" lacked the charm of its predecessor. Others saw it as a necessary replacement of an aging facility. In 2003, the Tigers would be one loss short of the 1962 New York Mets' modern record for losses in one season by winning the last two games of the season.

--Wikipedia