Detroit Tigers are headed to the World Series!

Tigers get ALCS sweep, photo by Detroit News

Last night the Detroit Tigers completed a 4-0 shellacking of the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series. Watch the final out of last night’s 8-1 victory from the Tigers and many more video highlights from the celebration.

Wikipedia’s Detroit Tigers entry notes that the Tigers have won the American League pennant 11 times, winning the World Series four of those times in 1935, 1945, 1968, and 1984.

With a lineup that featured four future Hall of Famers (Hank Greenberg, Mickey Cochrane, Goose Goslin and Charlie Gehringer), the Tigers won the World Series in 1935, defeating the Cubs, 4 games to 2. Game 6 concluded with Goslin’s dramatic game-ending single, scoring Cochrane to seal a 4–3 victory.

With the end of World War II and the timely return of Hank Greenberg and others from the military, the Tigers took the 1945 American League pennant. With Virgil Trucks, Hal Newhouser and Dizzy Trout on the mound and Greenberg leading the Tiger bats, Detroit responded in a Game 7 for the first time, staking Newhouser to a 5–0 lead before he threw a pitch en route to a 9–3 victory over the Cubs.

In the 1968 World Series, the Tigers met the defending World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals, led by starter Bob Gibson (who had posted a record 1.12 ERA during the regular season) and speedy outfielder Lou Brock. In Game 7 at Busch Memorial Stadium, Lolich, also pitching on two days’ rest, faced Gibson. Both men pitched brilliantly, putting zeros up on the scoreboard for much of the game. For his three victories that propelled the Tigers to the World championship, Lolich was named the World Series Most Valuable Player.

The Tigers led their division wire-to-wire in 1984, from opening day and every day thereafter, culminating in the World Series championship over the against the San Diego Padres. This had not been done in the major leagues since the 1927 New York Yankees. With the win Sparky Anderson became the first manager to win the World Series in both leagues.

See this photo on black and see more in the Detroit News’ slideshow.

More Detroit Tigers photos & history from Michigan in Pictures!