1934 Detroit Tigers season
| 1934 Detroit Tigers | |
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| American League Champions | |
| Major League affiliations | |
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| Other information | |
| Owner(s) | Frank Navin |
| Manager(s) | Mickey Cochrane |
| Local television | none |
| Local radio |
WWJ (AM) (Ty Tyson) WXYZ (Harry Heilmann) |
| < Previous season Next season > | |
The 1934 Detroit Tigers season was the 34th season for the Detroit Tigers since entering the American League in 1901. The Tigers won the American League pennant with a record of 101–53, the best winning percentage in team history. The team made its fourth World Series appearance, but lost the 1934 World Series to the St. Louis Cardinals 4 games to 3.
The 1933 Detroit Tigers finished fifth in the American League with a record of 75–79, 25 games behind the Washington Senators. In mid-December 1933, team owner Frank Navin took two key steps to strengthen his team for the 1934 season. On December 12, 1933, the Tigers announced that they had purchased Mickey Cochrane from Connie Mack and the Philadelphia Athletics in exchange for Johnny Pasek and cash. The Tigers announced that they intended to use Cochrane as both a player and the team's manager. One day later, on December 13, 1933, the Tigers' new manager Cochrane negotiated a trade that brought outfielder Goose Goslin to the Tigers in exchange for Johnny Stone.
The Tigers won the American League pennant with a record of 101–53, finishing seven games ahead of the New York Yankees, and compiling the best winning percentage in Detroit Tigers history (either before or after). They outscored their opponents 958 to 708 and also finished 1st in attendance with 919,161.
The 1934 Tigers' winning percentage ranks as the best in team history, as follows:
Hall of Famer Mickey Cochrane was hired as the team's manager and catcher in the off-season before the 1934 season started. Cochrane was acquired by the Tigers on December 12, 1933, from the Philadelphia Athletics for Johnny Pasek and $100,000. Known as "Black Mike", Cochrane is considered one of the greatest catchers of all time. In 1934, he won the American League's Most Valuable Player award, batting .320 with a .428 on-base percentage, 76 RBIs, and 32 doubles. He was the first catcher to win the American League MVP award Aside from his contributions as a player, Cochrane was invaluable as a manager and leader. Second baseman Charlie Gehringer later said: "When Mickey was managing the Tigers from behind the plate I can't remember him ever fouling up anything. Seemed like he made snap judgments that always worked out well, especially in '34 and '35."
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