Detroit Tigers (1971)

 

1971 Regular Season:
Tigers vs. New York Yankees

   The Detroit Tigers were looking to bounce back from a poor 1970 season, which saw the team drop to 4th in the American League East with a 79-83 record. That forgettable season cost manager Mayo Smith his job, causing him to remark that Detroit fans "wouldn't know a ballplayer from a Japanese aviator". General Manager Jim Campbell felt that his  veteran ballclub needed a manager to light a fire under them, and hired the combative Billy Martin, fresh off of being fired by the Minnesota Twins.
     Campbell made a blockbuster trade with the Washington Senators that offseason. The Senators, drawing poorly at home and desperate for star power, traded Ed Brinkman, Aurelio Rodriguez, Joe Coleman and Jim Hannan for former 30-game winner Denny McLain, Norm McRae, Don Wert and Elliot Maddox. The trade turned out to be a major steal for the Tigers. McLain's arm was shot and was becoming more trouble than he was worth. In fact, only Maddox did anything of significance after Detroit. The Tigers, on the other hand, solidified the right side of the infield with Rodriguez and Brinkman, while Joe Coleman gave them an excellent #2 starter behind ace Mickey Lolich. 

     Detroit rebounded in 1971, finishing the season with a 91-71 record, good enough for second place, 12 games back of the defending World Champion Baltimore Orioles. The team drew 1,591,073 at Tiger Stadium that year, second best in the American League.

     The Tigers were the third-best hitting team in the AL that year, with a .254 batting average. Future Hall of Famer Al Kaline led the starters in batting average, hitting .294 to go along with 15 home runs and 54 RBI.  Willie Horton was next in batting average, hitting .289, with 22 home runs and 72 RBI. "Stormin' Norman" Cash topped the team with 32 homers, to go along with a fine .283 average and 91 RBI. As a team, Detroit hit 179 home runs in 1971, tops in the league. 

     The Tigers had a pair of 20-game winners in the rotation that season. Mickey Lolich, a workhorse who pitched a ridiculous 376 innings, went 25-14 with a 2.92 ERA and 308 strikeouts. His new teammate, Joe Coleman, went 20-9 with a 3.15 ERA and 236 strikeouts in 286 innings of work. 23-year old Les Cain went 10-9 in 26 starts with a 4.35 ERA. The team's closer that year was Fred Scherman, who saved 20 games in 113 innings of work, sporting a fine 2.71 ERA. Other notable pitchers include Joe Niekro, who would end up pitching for 22 years, and Dean Chance, a 1964 Cy Young winner, who pitched out of the bullpen that season. As a group, the Tigers pitching staff had a 3.63 ERA, eighth in the American League.

     This is a 54-page program, mostly in black-and-white. It's from a game between the Tigers and New York Yankees. New  York would finish in fourth place with a 82-80 record, and were led by manager Ralph Houk, who would become Tigers manager in just three more years. Not too many articles, but there are color photos of such Tigers as Al Kaline, Bill Freehan, Willie Horton and Mickey Lolich, as well as newcomers Ed Brinkman and Aurelio Rodriguez. A picture from Billy Martin's press conference is included near the back of this program. Local advertisements include Daly Gourmet Restaurants, Stroh's, Elias Brothers Restaurants, Kay Bee Construction and the Sheraton Cadillac Hotel. Car advertisements include the 1971 Ford Pinto Runabout, Chevrolet Vega, and the Pontiac Formula Firebird. 

Reference:

"1971 Detroit Tigers Statistics", from Baseball-Reference.com