Greatest Tigers Team Ever and More....

I voted for the 68 team Jerome?-Gashouse. Closest in my heart with Kaline, Horton, Cash, and so many veteran players. Coming back from a 3 games to 1 deficit against a powerful Cardinals lineup with Gibson, Brock, Cepeda etc.
The 84 team was a “very balanced team” with an exceptional closer, Morris, Trammell and Whitaker.
As for the mid 30’s Tigers, it is hard not to mention the 35 Tigers who had four great hitters with Greenberg , Gehringer , Goslin, and Cochrane, along with excellent pitching; Bridges, Rowe, Auker. In fact, the 34 team was posted on the espn mlb general board as the only non world series winning team to make the simulated world series championship teams against each other. Making the very Finals against the 63 dodgers.
The 34 team still holds the major league record for most rbi by and infield, something like 462 rbi between Greenberg, Gehringer, Rogell, amd Owen. The 34 team was a great team that lost a 7 game series to the dean bros. and medwick and the cards.
45 team had pitching with Newhouser, Trout, Trucks, and Greenberg coming back late to hit a pennant clinching homerun if I remember correctly.
The problem with the 30’s and 40’s teams is of course it was pre integration and relief specialist. Same with the early 1900 teams with Cobb, Crawford, Veach, Mullin, Dauss in 1907-09. Just some of my thoughts.

and the war with the Redbirds. What a war of a series. That ’84 club got off to a great start and never looked back. The G-men were one heck of a club as well. You bring up many of the greats KalineCountry.

The most overlooked ball club, in my opinion, may be the 1961 team which won 101 games only to finish second to the Yankees who won 109. The 1987 club definitely mounted the greatest comeback to win a division I’ve ever seen in my lifetime. To capture the division on the next to last day after being so far back was a almost unbelieveable feat and perhaps they should be included on this list.

I grew up in Michigan and saw a lot of Tiger games through the years. In fact, I saw my first live game in 1972 at Tiger Stadium. However, my earliest favorite ballplayers were Mickey Mantle and Bob Gibson.

 The Tigers had some fantastic clubs in the 60’s and early 70’s. That core won a lot of games. It seemed like they were always coming from behind in the late innings to win a big game. So, voting for the 1968 team, the team that had the core that won all those games in the 60’s and early 70’s may very well be the greatest team ever, especially considering the ‘84 core really didn’t win all that long in years together and I feel, not as much as they should have.

GHG you are right about the 61 Tigers team. 101 wins and to finish 8 games back was disheartening to this 14 year old at the time Tigers fan. Cash .361 with 41 homers and 132 rbi, Colavito 45 homers, 140 rbi, Kaline .324 second in batting, and second of three times to finish second for the batting title, led league in doubles with 41, jake woods I think he led the league in triples, Frank Lary with 23 wins, Bunning with 17, Mossi with 15. But the Yankees with Mantle and Maris Yogi and the depth of their club along with their pitching staff was a little better. Any other year would have in all likelihood been the Tigers year. The 67 team and that incredible 4 team pennant chase to lose by a game back on the final day of the season. Kaline breaking his hand slamming a bat after a strike out missing 6-7 weeks had to hurt their chances. The 72 team came so close to a world series losing the fifth game to the a’s in the playoffs. Kaline batted .500 the month of September to get them in by a half a game over the redsox in the final standings. It was a strike year and when play resumed, there were teams with different number of games played and remaining. The 87 team was able to beat the blue jays head to head and overtake a 6 game behind deficit. Maybe got burned out doing that and had little left in the tank to take on a twins team they had won 8 out of 12 from during the season. With little player movement, and veteran teams, the Tigers should have had at least one other world series appearance in both the 60’s and 80’s with those world series winning teams. But… not meant to be.

That ‘72 Tigers team may have been the best defensive team as a whole I ever saw in all the years I’ve followed baseball. The infield of Rodriguez, Brinkman, McAuliffe, Cash was air tight. The only 3rd baseman in the AL at the time who was better than Rodriguez at 3rd would’ve been Robinson of the Orioles. Nettles of the Yanks was probably better with the bat but I would’ve took Aurelio’s glove and arm. Bando was very good too, but I think Rodriguez was still better with the glove.

The outfield of Stanley (now he could field, how many games did he go without an error?) Northrup and Kaline was great! Horton had a big bat and was perhaps the only weak link with a glove, and he wasn’t all that weak compared to many others in Baseball at the time.

I remember the Tigers and the A’s in the playoffs. It was a tough fought playoff series and the bench clearing fight the two teams had really showcased how hard fought it was. That A’s team was the beginning of a dynasty and the Tigers sure made it hard on them. Again, the core of the ’68 team was there. It was their last hurrah, but they sure had nothing to hang their head about. They won a lot of games through the years.

Hopefully, a few more people chime in now.

Thanks for posting it!

ad I am really interested in seeing what you all have to say about the Greatest ever Tigers team. Thank you for posting it on the front page. :)