1909 Detroit Tigers season
| 1909 Detroit Tigers | |
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| 1909 American League Champions | |
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| Owner(s) | Frank Navin |
| Manager(s) | Hughie Jennings |
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The 1909 Detroit Tigers won the American League pennant with a record of 96–56, but lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1909 World Series, 4 games to 3. The season was their 9th since they were charter members of the American League in 1901. It was the third consecutive season in which they won the pennant but lost the World Series. Center fielder Ty Cobb won the Triple Crown and pitcher George Mullin led the league in wins (29) and win percentage (.784).
Catching duties were split between Boss Schmidt (81 games) and Oscar Stanage (77 games).
Schmidt hit .265 in 1908, but his batting average dropped to .209 in 1909. As a young man, Schmidt worked in the coal mines and was a skilled brawler who fought an exhibition match with the heavyweight champion, Jack Johnson. Schmidt also beat Ty Cobb in at least two fights. In the second fight, Schmidt knocked Cobb unconscious but admired Cobb's resiliency, and the two became friends until Schmidt's death in 1932. Schmidt never wore shinguards and could force nails into the floor with his bare fists.
Stanage played for the Tigers from 1909 to 1920, catching 1,074 games for Detroit—second only to Bill Freehan in team history. Stanage was a weak hitter but one of the best defensive catchers of the dead-ball era. Known for his strong throwing arm, Stanage threw out more baserunners than any other catcher in the 1910s. Stanage still holds the American League record for most assists by a catcher, with 212 in 1911, and his career average of 1.29 assists per game is the fifth best in major league history. Stanage was not as skilled with the glove; his 41 errors in 1911 was the most by a catcher for the 20th Century.
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