August 20 Happy Birthday to Former Tigers or Detroit Wolverines

Gene Kingsale was the first major leaguer and first Tiger from Aruba. 

Jose Paniagua

George Zuverink is a Hall of Fame pitcher who was a starter for the Tigers.  He came out of Holland, MI high School in 1942 but was not signed by any baseball club as he was 0-7 his senior year.  He went into the Army Air Corps and served during WWII in the Pacific theatre.  He got out in 1946 and the Cardinals signed him to a minor league contract.  He was 11-13 in the Cardinals farm system in 1946.  1947 found him pitching for his home town Hope College where he was 13-0.  This got the attention of the Cleveland Indians who bought him from the Cardinals.  He worked his way up to the majors in 1951 when in his major league debut he came in from the bull pen and pitched 1.1 innings of a game the Tribe trailed the St. Louis Browns 8-1.  George K’d 2 but also allowed one run.  His first K was of Roy Sievers.  He stayed in the bull pen for the Tribe until being sold to the Cincinnati Reds after the 1953 season.  He started the 1954 season with the Reds but after only 2 games the Reds sold George to the Tigers.  "Since I was a kid in Holland, I always wanted to be a Detroit Tiger," Zuverink said. "When I first made it to the majors, I had to pinch myself. When I finally became a Tiger, that was fantastic." The Tigers converted him to a starter and he went 9-13 for his boy hood favorites, the Tiges.  He was the number three man in the rotation in 1954 and his career thrill was when on July 5 he beat the Indians and Don Mossi going the  distance in an 11 inning blanking of the AL Champion Indians.  The only run came off the bat of George’s roommate, Harvey Kuenn when Harvey put the ball into the stands for a homer.  George had given up only 3 hits in the full 11 innings he pitched.  He would have pitched the 12^th as he batted just before Harvey in the 11^th.  But things were different in 1955.   Tigers skipper Bucky Harris did not see George fitting into the rotation and he was sold for the $10,000 waiver price to the Baltimore Orioles.  He spent the next five seasons as an O’s reliever.  He led the league in 1956 with 16 saves and also in games with 62.  In 1957 he again led the league in games but his 9 saves was only 4^th in the league.  He developed shoulder problems in 1959 and was done in the majors.  He tried a comeback with the San Francisco Giants in 1960 but to no avail.  In 2009 George was selected to the Hall of Fame.  That is the Sports Hall of Fame of Grand Rapids. 

Beau Bell

Boss Reynolds