Game Five in the series of classic baseball games sees the 1992 Toronto Blue Jays traveling to Detroit to take on the 1968 Tigers.
Before
listening to the broadcast, here are some things to know!
Tiger
Stadium
When Tiger
Stadium opened on April 20, 1912, it was originally called Navin Stadium, named
after the owner of the baseball team.
It seated
23,000 fans.
In 1935, a
new owner had taken over the team. His name was Walter Briggs. He wanted to
expand the stadium so that more spectators could enjoy the action.
So,
construction started to add an upper deck to the park.
By 1937,
most of the work was completed and the capacity had grown to over 52,000 seats.
In 1938, Walter
Briggs decided to change the name of the ballpark to …….
You guessed
it.
Briggs
Stadium.
What a
surprise!
In 1961,
another owner had purchased the baseball team and he decided to, once again,
change the ballpark’s name.
But he wanted
something simple: Tiger Stadium.
And that’s
the name that stuck!
Like many of
the old ballparks, Tiger Stadium had a few quirks.
Unique
features that gave it character.
For one
thing, there was a tall flagpole just left of dead center field that was
actually in play. Outfielders had to be very careful!
Something
else that made Tiger Stadium different had to do with the way that the upper
deck of the stands extended beyond the lower stands.
The first
night game played at Tiger Stadium took place on June 15, 1948.
Afterwards,
players complained that because of the overhang, there were some dark spots along
the fence. Special floodlights had to be installed so that outfielders
could actually find the ball!
Finally, large
beams were found throughout the stadium. These columns were needed to support
the upper deck stands and to keep the roof in place.
But the
problem was that there were lots of seats located directly behind these beams.
Which meant
that your view was obstructed.
So, if you
bought a ticket and then discovered that your seat was behind one of the beams,
well, let’s just say that you spent most of the game craning your neck just trying
to see the action!
The last
baseball game played at Tiger Stadium took place on September 29, 1999.
Examine the
photographs below.
What do you notice?
 |
| Source: Detroit Free Press Archive |
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| Source: thisgreatgame.com |
.
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| Source: wikipedia |
Over four million fans watched the 1992
Toronto Blue Jays finish first in the American League East Division by winning 96 games and losing just 66.
In the
American League Championship Series, they defeated the Oakland Athletics in six
games.
Toronto
faced the Atlanta Braves in the World Series.
The two team were evenly matched.
But on October 24th in Game Six of the World Series, the Blue Jays defeated the Braves 4-3 in eleven innings to win their first championship.
 |
| Source: tsn.ca |
The 1968
Detroit Tigers were a good team.
They had
excellent pitchers and strong hitters.
The Tigers
finished first in the American League, winning the pennant with a 103-59
won-loss record.
In the World Series, they faced the St. Louis Cardinals.
After four games, the Tigers were
down three games to one.
Down, but
not out.
Detroit won the next three games to capture the World Series in a dramatic comeback victory
 |
| Source: detroitfreepress.com |
The
Managers
Cito
Gaston was the
manager of the Toronto Blue Jays for close to 13 seasons.
He led the
team to World Series titles in 1992 and 1993, becoming the first
African-American manager to accomplish that feat.
Known for
his mild-mannered personality, Gaston was skipper of the Blue Jays for 1,731
games.
He is a member of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.
The manager
of the 1968 Detroit Tigers was Mayo Smith.
He was in
charge of the team from 1967 until 1970.
Smith was voted
Manager of the Year after leading his club to their ’68 World Series victory.
Known for
not being afraid to make tough decisions, Mayo Smith had a 39-year career in
baseball as a player, scout and manager.
Important Players
Joe
Carter was a key
player in 1992 for the Blue Jays.
He played
right field and sometimes filled in at first base.
Carter hit
34 home runs that year and drove in 119 to lead the Jays in both categories.
In the World
Series, he recorded the final out at first base to clinch
the championship for Toronto.
Carter is
best known for hitting a walk-off World Series winning home run in 1993.
He played
sixteen years in the major leagues and hit 396 home runs during his career.
Joe Carter was elected to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003.
 |
| Source: cooperstownexpert.com |
There were two very important players on the ’68 Tigers
that helped lead the team.
During the regular season, Denny McLain had one of the
greatest years any starting pitcher ever had in the history of the major
leagues.
He won 31 games, had an earned run average of 1.96 and
was voted the American League Most Valuable player.
In the World Series, it was teammate Mickey Lolich who grabbed the spotlight.
The left-hander pitched three complete game victories
including a 4-1 win in Game Seven to clinch the series for Detroit.
Without these two outstanding pitching performances, it would have been impossible for Detroit to have won the championship in 1968.
By the
Numbers
$8.00 – The cost of a bleacher ticket in Detroit for the 1968 World Series
$45.00 – The cost of a bleacher ticket in Toronto for the 1992 World Series.
Other Nuggets to Know
·
Al Kaline was a Hall of Fame outfielder who played 22 seasons
for the Tigers
·
Jays pitcher Jack Morris played for Detroit from 1977 until
1990
· Toronto center fielder Devon White was a seven time Gold Glove Award winner
· 1B Norm Cash hit the ball over the right field roof at Tiger Stadium four times during his career
While You Listen
See if you can find out:
1. The name of the
player who hit a famoius home run at Tiger Stadium in the 1971 All-Star Game.
2. The reason why Al Kaline missed two months of
action in 1968.
3. The number of years
Ernie Harwell broadcast games for the Tigers.
4. The number of home
runs Willie Horton hit in 1968.
5. The number of games Jack Morris won in 1992.
After You
Listen
Do some
digging to learn more about the Hall of Fame careers of Roberto Alomar, Al
Kaline, Jack Morris and Dave Winfield.
Now, grab some popcorn, sit back and enjoy the game!
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