Top 10 All-time greatest Tiger moments

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Roger King

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Dec 22, 2025, 10:35:19 AM12/22/25
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Today, in the MLB blast they have assembled the Top 10 greatest Tiger moments. Videos for each:


I found the 2 Verlander ones the oddest choices.  I don't see any reason why his June 2007 no-hitter would even be in the conversation of a Top 10 of all-time.  And his gem against the A's in 2012 was obviously great and a deciding game but the Tigers went on to win the pennant the same year so the final out of an ALCS is always going to rank ahead of an ALDS win, in my view.

Galarraga's perfect game is undoubtedly one of the Top 10 most *memorable* moments but "greatest"?  If they had instant replay then, it would have been overturned obviously and then he'd have the perfect game.  Would you then rank it in the Top 10 greatest?  I think I would.  

Anyway, always fun to go through these kinds of lists...


Roger King
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David Panian

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Dec 22, 2025, 1:27:12 PM12/22/25
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Considering that the Tigers have never had a pitcher throw a perfect game, I'm OK with Galarraga's game being included, especially since he got the 28th out on the next batter. It also was one of the plays that was part of the discussion that led to instant replay reviews being implemented.

I always feel that Lance Parrish's homer off Gossage in the seventh inning of Game 5 gets forgotten because of Gibby's later homer. Gossage had just come into the game, there were chants of "Goose-busters!" from the crowd (or maybe it was just 12-year-old me at home watching on TV), and Lance's line drive into the lower deck in left proved to be the winning run as it put the Tigers up 5-3. They went on to win 8-4.


I understand why Gibby's second homer of the game was more dramatic, but Lance's homer showed Goose was fallible.

Without JV's dominance in the 2012 ALDS, the Tigers might not have even been in the ALCS, so I'm OK with that being there. I don't even really have a strong memory of that ALCS, which I realize now seems odd.

JV's first no-hitter was memorable, but not because it was the first by a Tiger at home in decades by a pitcher who seemed destined for greatness. It's just that the Tigers have had so few no-hitters in their history at all and hadn't had one in 23 years.

Even so, I'd swap Fick's grand slam in the last game at Tiger Stadium for JV's first no-hitter. It wasn't just that it was a grand slam. Fick was wearing Norm Cash's No. 25 and he hit it off the third deck in right for the last hit in the stadium. Heck, I might even put Karim Garcia's homer into the left-field upper deck, while wearing Kaline's No. 6, in the last game at Tiger Stadium ahead of JV's no-no. I really liked the symbolism of having the current players wear the former players' numbers, and to have Garcia — a lefty pull hitter — park one where Kaline — a righty — hit so many was pretty cool. But I suppose that wasn't all that memorable in the team's overall history.

David


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Michael Borshuk

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Dec 22, 2025, 2:22:35 PM12/22/25
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I love JV but when I read the list this morning I couldn't believe Verlander's no-hitter made it but Tanana's 1-0 shutout of the Jays to close the 1987 regular season didn't. The latter was far more memorable and important to me!

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Roger King

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Dec 22, 2025, 2:47:53 PM12/22/25
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Yeah, I mean the list is supposed to be *moments*. The Tanana game was just an unbelievable exclamation point to an amazing final 10 days of the season that we all still talk about today and it got the Tigers a division title. It absolutely trumps a no-hitter in June in a season when they didn’t even make the playoffs.  At least they didn’t try to argue for Spencer Turnbull‘s no hitter :-)

Even Miggy’s triple crown. Yes, an amazing accomplishment, but it’s not a “moment”. If you watch the video, it’s him being pulled from the game in KC. If you’re going to pick a Miggy moment, how about his last game when he makes the backhand play the second he is inserted at first base just for the inning and then Hinch comes to take him out and the place erupts for the next 10 minutes. I mean come on. Moments!


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Michael W

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Dec 22, 2025, 5:46:11 PM12/22/25
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The Tanana game is probably my most memorable game.  The Herndon home-run would be the most memorable moment in the game; maybe not as great moment as some of the others.

I guess we can’t pick Morris’ 10 inning WS shutout :-).  That was awesome though.

Jake Rogers game-tying 9th inning grand slam in Minneapolis was a big one for me, but probably because I was at the game.  

Michael

Paul Meloche

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Dec 22, 2025, 6:33:55 PM12/22/25
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As I've mentioned before, outside of Gibby's G5 homer the moment I remember most is Trammell's two out B9 GS in a June 1988 to win a game against the Yankees by one run. Obviously, while a neat memory and exciting game, I realize it doesn't belong on a list like this.

I agree on G162 against Toronto in 1987.

I haven't watched the video - is Maggs' homer to beat the A's in 2006 included? That was electric.

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Smith, Bradley

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Dec 22, 2025, 8:02:04 PM12/22/25
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A few thoughts:

  1. Gossage's call actually makes perfect sense. He had owned Gibson (7 Ks in 10 appearances). If he walks Gibby, he's got 2 men on and has to face Lance Parrish, who has already homered off him in this game. Dick Williams is also intriguing—I wonder if any manager without Williams longevity and success would have had the guts to let Gossage pitch to Gibby. And of course, if Goose had K'd Gibby, they'd all be talking about what a gutsy, genius move it was. That's what is so great about major league sports—it's all on the line with no place to hide.
  2. I understand why MLB doesn't want to do anything about Joyce's call on Galarraga—I mean, how many plays have been called incorrectly over the last 125 years? How would they have changed things (presumably at least a few might have had major significance). You can't go back and correct them all. But I do wish MLB would either credit Galarraga with a perfect game, or at least put some special plaque up in the Hall. A perfect game is one of the rarest achievements; and in this case it  clearly would have zero affect on anything other than lowering Jason Donald's career BA from .2572 to .2554. And the call is so obviously wrong. It's not a judgment call like pass interference on the final play or something—the replay from every angle shows the call was wrong, and substantially so. 

    Also interesting is that Joyce probably made correct calls on closer plays 200 times or more in his career. By all accounts he was an above-average umpire, maybe one of the best. But he just totally chokes here. 
  3. I would rank Al Kaline's 3000th hit over things like Verlander's 2007 no-hitter or probably Cabrera closing out the Triple Crown (which as someone else noted, was sort of anti-climatic—there was no particular play that one the Crown). Kaline may be the most Tiger-est Tiger ever, certainly of the post-WWII era. People were really happy when he got 3000.
  4. A personal favorite is Doyle Alexander's pitching against Toronto on September 27, 1987. The Tigers enter the game 3.5 behind—they've just lost 3 straight to the Jays and another loss puts them 4.5 back with just 7 to play. It's  a sellout crowd in Toronto. The Jays score 1 in the first inning, and then it's just goose-egg after goose-egg for both teams, Alexander against Jim Clancy (and then arguably the league's best reliever, Tom Hanke). By the late innings the crowd is doing this eerie chant—Doy-el, Doy-el, Doy-el... . The Tiger pen has blown the last two games in the series, and Sparky obviously doesn't want to go to the pen. But can Alexander hang on? Will the Tigers ever score? The Tiger batters go down 1-2-3 in the 7th; 1-2-3 in the 8th... Finally, in the top of the 9th some Gibson guy—another great moment?—hits a lead-off home run to tie the game. But it ain't over. 1-1 into the bottom of the 9th. Alexander sets 'em down. Bottom 10—Alexander sets 'em down. Finally, top of the 11th, Darrell Evans homers. Bottom of the inning: Doyle Ks Lloyd Moseby; and then Alan Trammel of all people makes an error. Alexander retires MVP George Bell, which would have ended the game but for the error. Doyle then walked a batter and gave up a tying single to Jesse Barfield before being lifted. The Tigers won it in the 12th. Absent Doyle, I don't think we get to Tanana's game 162 shutout. To me, a great gutsy performance. And, for Michael Wynblatt's sake, I'll note it's a performance we'd have never gotten from the reigning Cy Young winner. 🙂
  5. The video hints at it, but Hank Greenberg was really a GREAT player. Look at his career from 1934 (his 2d season, at age 23) through 1946:
    1934 - .339/.404/.600, 139 RBI, 63 doubles.
    1935 - .328/.411/.628, league best 36 HRs, 168 RBI, wins MVP
    1936 - injured in 12th game, out rest of the year; was hitting .348/.455/.630 in 55 PAs.
    1937 - .337/.436/.668, 40 homers, 184 RBI
    1938 - .315/.438/.683, 58 HRs, 147 RBI
    1939 -  Off year--.312/.420/.622
    1940 - Wins second MVP, .340/.433/.670, league best 41 HRs, 150 RBI
    1941-44 lost to war
    1945 - at age 34 comes back mid-season and puts up 166 OPS+ in 78 games.
    1946 - at age 35--ancient for the time--leads league in HRs and RBI.
    Babe Ruth is probably the only player who ever exceeds that level of hitting dominance.

I might also rank Norm Cash hitting it out of Tiger Stadium over the center field scoreboard in 1961. I think he's the only player ever to do that.

Brad

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Smith, Bradley

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Dec 22, 2025, 8:04:13 PM12/22/25
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Bradley A. Smith
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Cal Lord

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Dec 22, 2025, 8:08:03 PM12/22/25
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Magglio’s homer vs Yanks had to be in there!
Cal

Freehan’s tag of Brock in WS?

Roger King

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Dec 22, 2025, 8:44:13 PM12/22/25
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They are both there Cal (though Magglio hit it off Oakland, not NY.).  Check the link I sent in the initial email :-)


David Panian

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Dec 22, 2025, 8:44:46 PM12/22/25
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Magg's homer to win the 2006 ALCS is No. 2 on the list. Freehan's tag — and Horton's throw — to tag Brock is No. 3.

I don't recall a memorable homer by Maggs against the Yankees. Miggy had one off Mariano Rivera in 2013 at Yankee Stadium that tied a game in the ninth:


Unfortunately, the Yankees won that game on a walkoff homer by Brett Gardner off Jose Veras with two out in the bottom of the ninth.

I googled Maggs hitting a homer against the Yankees and found this one from when he was with the White Sox. It's off old friend Jeff Weaver:


David


On Mon, Dec 22, 2025 at 8:08 PM Cal Lord <calst...@gmail.com> wrote:
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Peter Welch

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Dec 22, 2025, 11:22:32 PM12/22/25
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Madlock, Grubb and Nokes hitting consecutive solo homers in the bottom of the 9th to send the game into extra innings vs. Tom Niedenfuer and the Orioles in 1987.  Tigers eventually won it 8-7 in 11.  Madlock hit 3 homers in that game. That was awesome.  I watched that game live on the Orioles' TV network.  The game was in late June 1987 and the Tigers were 5 games back of 1st at the time, so not a huge game, although the Tigers hot after that and went 18-9 in the next month.

1987 had a lot of memorable games.  I was at the August 9 game in Tiger Stadium where the Tigers destroyed the Yankees 15-4.  The crowd was electric.
Yankees' catcher Rick Cerone ended up pitching in the 8th inning and was fooling the Tigers with 30-mph knuckleballs.  He was their most effective pitcher.  Ha ha !  

Fidrych vs. the Yankees on ABC Monday Night Baseball in 1976 was another very memorable Tigers' event.

Peter
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Peter Welch

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Dec 23, 2025, 12:00:53 AM12/23/25
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This was a fun one as well:

Peter
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