Motor City Sluggers
An academic exploration of the Detroit Tigers' performance, roster, and statistics during the 1923 Major League Baseball season.
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Season Overview and Standings
League Performance
The 1923 Detroit Tigers concluded their Major League Baseball season with a respectable performance, finishing second in the American League standings. The team compiled a record of 83 wins and 71 losses, achieving a winning percentage of .539. This placed them 16 games behind the formidable New York Yankees, who dominated the league that year. The Tigers played their home games at Navin Field, a venue that served as their home base during this era of professional baseball.
American League Standings
The following table details the final standings for the 1923 American League season, illustrating the competitive landscape and the Tigers' position within it.
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees | 98 | 54 | .645 | — | 46–30 | 52–24 |
| Detroit Tigers | 83 | 71 | .539 | 16 | 45–32 | 38–39 |
| Cleveland Indians | 82 | 71 | .536 | 16½ | 42–36 | 40–35 |
| Washington Senators | 75 | 78 | .490 | 23½ | 43–34 | 32–44 |
| St. Louis Browns | 74 | 78 | .487 | 24 | 40–36 | 34–42 |
| Philadelphia Athletics | 69 | 83 | .454 | 29 | 34–41 | 35–42 |
| Chicago White Sox | 69 | 85 | .448 | 30 | 30–45 | 39–40 |
| Boston Red Sox | 61 | 91 | .401 | 37 | 37–40 | 24–51 |
Head-to-Head Record
Performance Against Opponents
Understanding a team's performance requires examining their record against each opponent. The following data illustrates the Detroit Tigers' series results against each team in the 1923 American League season, providing granular insight into their competitive matchups.
| 1923 American League record | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | BOS | CWS | CLE | DET | NYY | PHA | SLB | WSH | |||||
| Boston | — | 9–13 | 10–12 | 10–12–1 | 8–14 | 13–7 | 4–18–1 | 7–15 | |||||
| Chicago | 13–9 | — | 9–13 | 9–13 | 7–15 | 10–12 | 11–11–1 | 10–12–1 | |||||
| Cleveland | 12–10 | 13–9 | — | 9–13 | 12–10 | 12–10 | 14–8 | 10–11 | |||||
| Detroit | 12–10–1 | 13–9 | 13–9 | — | 10–12 | 12–10 | 12–10 | 11–11 | |||||
| New York | 14–8 | 15–7 | 10–12 | 12–10 | — | 16–6 | 15–5 | 16–6 | |||||
| Philadelphia | 7–13 | 12–10 | 10–12 | 10–12 | 6–16 | — | 9–13 | 15–7–1 | |||||
| St. Louis | 18–4–1 | 11–11–1 | 8–14 | 10–12 | 5–15 | 13–9 | — | 9–13 | |||||
| Washington | 15–7 | 12–10–1 | 11–10 | 11–11 | 6–16 | 7–15–1 | 13–9 | — | |||||
The 1923 Detroit Tigers Roster
Key Personnel
Manager: Ty Cobb
Coaches: Fred Carisch
Pitching Staff
- Rufe Clarke
- Bert Cole
- Rip Collins
- Hooks Dauss
- Ray Francis
- Ken Holloway
- Syl Johnson
- Roy Moore
- Ole Olsen
- Herman Pillette
- Ed Wells
- Earl Whitehill
Catchers and Infielders
Catchers:
- Johnny Bassler
- Fred Carisch
- Clyde Manion
- Larry Woodall
Infielders:
- Lu Blue
- Les Burke
- George Cutshaw
- Fred Haney
- Bob Jones
- John Kerr
- Del Pratt
- Topper Rigney
Outfielders
- Ty Cobb
- Bob Fothergill
- Harry Heilmann
- Heinie Manush
- Bobby Veach
Other Batters:
- Ira Flagstead
Player Statistics
Batting Performance (Starters)
Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Johnny Bassler | 135 | 383 | 114 | .298 | 0 | 49 |
| 1B | Lu Blue | 129 | 504 | 143 | .284 | 1 | 46 |
| 2B | Fred Haney | 142 | 503 | 142 | .282 | 4 | 67 |
| SS | Topper Rigney | 129 | 470 | 148 | .315 | 1 | 74 |
| 3B | Bob Jones | 100 | 372 | 93 | .250 | 1 | 40 |
| OF | Harry Heilmann | 144 | 524 | 211 | .403 | 18 | 115 |
| OF | Ty Cobb | 145 | 556 | 189 | .340 | 6 | 88 |
| OF | Bobby Veach | 114 | 293 | 94 | .321 | 2 | 39 |
Additional Batting Contributions
G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heinie Manush | 109 | 308 | 103 | .334 | 4 | 54 |
| Del Pratt | 101 | 297 | 92 | .310 | 0 | 40 |
| Bob Fothergill | 101 | 241 | 76 | .315 | 1 | 49 |
| Larry Woodall | 71 | 148 | 41 | .277 | 1 | 19 |
| George Cutshaw | 45 | 143 | 32 | .224 | 0 | 13 |
| John Kerr | 19 | 42 | 9 | .214 | 0 | 1 |
| Clyde Manion | 23 | 22 | 3 | .136 | 0 | 2 |
| Les Burke | 7 | 10 | 1 | .100 | 0 | 2 |
| Ira Flagstead | 1 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
| Fred Carisch | 2 | 0 | 0 | ---- | 0 | 0 |
Pitching Excellence
G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hooks Dauss | 50 | 316.0 | 21 | 13 | 3.62 | 105 |
| Herman Pillette | 47 | 250.1 | 14 | 19 | 3.85 | 64 |
| Rip Collins | 17 | 92.1 | 3 | 7 | 4.87 | 25 |
Relief and Support Pitching
G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ken Holloway | 42 | 194.0 | 11 | 10 | 4.45 | 55 |
| Syl Johnson | 37 | 176.1 | 12 | 7 | 3.98 | 93 |
| Bert Cole | 52 | 163.0 | 13 | 5 | 4.14 | 32 |
| Ray Francis | 33 | 79.1 | 5 | 8 | 4.42 | 27 |
| Earl Whitehill | 8 | 33.0 | 2 | 0 | 2.73 | 19 |
| Ole Olsen | 17 | N/A | 1 | 1 | 6.31 | 12 |
| Ed Wells | 7 | N/A | 0 | 0 | 5.40 | 6 |
| Rufe Clarke | 5 | N/A | 1 | 1 | 4.50 | 2 |
| Roy Moore | 3 | N/A | 0 | 0 | 3.00 | 7 |
The Farm System
Minor League Affiliates
In 1923, Major League Baseball teams often operated a network of minor league teams, known as a "farm system," to develop talent. These affiliates provided a structured environment for players to hone their skills before potentially reaching the major league roster. The Detroit Tigers maintained affiliations with teams across various levels of professional baseball.
| Level | Team | League | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Fort Worth Panthers | Texas League | Jake Atz |
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Fort Worth
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References
References
- Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 3rd edition. Durham, N.C.: Baseball America, 2007
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Disclaimer
Important Notice
This page was generated by an Artificial Intelligence and is intended for informational and educational purposes only. The content is based on a snapshot of publicly available data from Wikipedia and may not be entirely accurate, complete, or up-to-date.
This is not professional sports analysis. The information provided on this website is not a substitute for expert analysis of baseball history or player performance. Always consult reputable sports historians and statisticians for in-depth insights. The creators of this page are not responsible for any errors or omissions, or for any actions taken based on the information provided herein.