Sunday, September 14, 2014

September 14 Happy Birthday to Former Tigers or Detroit Wolverines

Delmon Young became a Tiger on August 15 of this year. He has hit four homers already and is batting .324 as a left fielder. He started his major league career with Tampa Bay. After having some issues in the minors he ended up second in Rookie of the Year voting in 2007. His brother is Dmitri Young who played for the Tigers from 2002 through 2006. Delmon’s contract is up at the end of this season. He is making $5.38M this year and will likely command that much plus next year.

George Lombard came to the Tigers in June of 2002 after a trade by the Braves fro Kris Keller.  In his three years with Atlanta he hit .157 in 39 games as a reserve outfielder.  For Detroit in 2002 he was the main center fielder for the second half of the season.  It was a rough season for the Tigers.  George hit .241 that season with 5 homers in 270 plate appearances.  He was waved before the 2003 season started and was signed by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.  His final season in the majors was 2006 when he played 20 games for the Washington Nationals.  His final season if pro ball was 2009 when he was in the Indians minor league system.

Jerry Don Gleaton pitched two years for the Tigers.  The lefty was a reliever in 1990 and 1991 for Detroit after 9 seasons spanning 11 years in the majors for the Rangers, Mariners, White Sox and Royals before joining Detroit.  He had his best year in Detroit and maybe in his career in 1990 when he was 1-3 but with a 2.94 ERA and with 13 saves.  The following year he went 3-2 but his ERA jumped up to 4.06 and he only made 2 saves.  At the end of the season he was granted free agency and signed by the Royals but was released after opening day and before he got in a game.  He then signed with the Pirates where he made his last major league appearance.   

Icehouse Wilson made his major league debut as a Tiger in the great Tiger year of 1934.  His real name was George Peacock Wilson.  He came to Detroit by way of the Sioux City Cowboys where he had made his profession debut.  In 42 games he hit .197.  For some reason the Tigers brought him to Detroit and he made his major league debut as a pinch hitter for pitcher Luke Hamlin in the 9th inning of an 11-3 game against the St. Louis Browns and their pitcher Ivy Andrews.  I would like to report that Icehouse hit a 8 run walk off homer to win the game.  But I can’t.  He made the first out of the inning and the Tigers did not score.  Icehouse was done in baseball after that one at bat.


Henry Luff was member of the 1882 Detroit Wolverines.  He was born before the Civil War in 1852 in Philadelphia.  He had played one season prior in the majors for the 1875 New Haven Elm Cities of the National Association.  He hit .271 that season, his highest of his career.  He played in the minors for Rochester, the Pittsburgh Allegheny, Philadelphia Athletics and the Brooklyn Atlantics before making it up to the National League with the Wolverines in 1882.  He only made it into 3 games for the Wolverines going 3 for 11 and scoring a run.  He left the Wolverines and went to Cincinnati to finish the season with the Red Stockings and played first base for them.  He went on to play for the Brooklyn Greys in the minors and the Louisville Eclipse, Philadelphia Keystones and Kansas City Cowboys in the majors before finally ending up with the Augusta Browns of the Southern Association in 1885.  He died back in Philly in prior to the US involvement in World War I in 1916 at the age of 64.

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