This morning the Tigers took to social media to unveil the new memorial patch the team will be wearing on their sleeves to honor owner Mike Ilitch. There are two versions of the patch: one plain blue, and the other with an orange outline.
The plain blue, home patch:
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) February 24, 2017
The orange, away patch:
Tigers honor Mr I pic.twitter.com/qSrPWO9r9j
— Jeff Seidel (@seideljeff) February 24, 2017
Ilitch, who passed away on Feb. 10, had owned the Tigers since 1992, and was renowned for his devotion to getting the team to the World Series. His passion brought superstars like Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder, and Justin Upton to the team, but sadly no rings.
Earlier this month, Ilitch’s other sports franchise, the Detroit Red Wings, unveiled their own memorial patch.
The Red Wings will now be wearing special patches in honor of late owner Mike Ilitch. ❤️
— NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) February 15, 2017
(via @DetroitRedWings) pic.twitter.com/G1P3ZdXnVG
Mike Ilitch’s son, Chris, has taken over many of the responsibilities of team ownership. On Friday, he was seen at the ballpark in Lakeland during batting practice, along with Tigers general manager Al Avila. The Tigers will be honoring the late Ilitch prior to Friday’s spring home opener.
Chris Ilitch watching batting practice, wearing Mr I pin. pic.twitter.com/krJzOXO8k6
— Jeff Seidel (@seideljeff) February 24, 2017
During a pre-game ceremony in their spring training match against the Baltimore Orioles, the Tigers also showed off an on-field logo with the same design. A memorial flag was raised in the new Joker Marchant Stadium outfield as well.
A reminder of his love for the game. pic.twitter.com/eh1cF5PTqn
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) February 24, 2017