| 2017 Detroit Tigers | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| League | American League | |
| Division | Central | |
| Ballpark | Comerica Park | |
| City | Detroit, Michigan | |
| Record | 64–98 (.395) | |
| Divisional place | 5th | |
| Owners | Christopher Ilitch; Ilitch family trust | |
| General managers | Al Avila | |
| Managers | Brad Ausmus | |
| Television | Fox Sports Detroit (Mario Impemba, Rod Allen, Kirk Gibson) | |
| Radio | Detroit Tigers Radio Network (Dan Dickerson, Jim Price) | |
| Stats | ESPN.com Baseball Reference | |
| ||
The 2017 Detroit Tigers season was the team's 117th season. This was the team's fourth and final year under manager Brad Ausmus. This was the first season without owner Mike Ilitch, who bought the team in 1992 and died on February 10, 2017.[1] The Tigers 2017 uniform features a "Mr. I" patch to honor him, the grounds crew wrote "Mr. I" in the outfield of Comerica Park, and he was also honored during a ceremony at the Tigers home opener on April 7.[2][3][4]
On September 12, the Tigers were eliminated from playoff contention for the third consecutive season.[5] On September 22, the Tigers announced manager Brad Ausmus will not return in 2018.[6] The team finished last in the AL Central, last in the league and tied with the San Francisco Giants for the worst record in MLB at 64–98, the team's lowest win total since 2003. Because the Tigers held a tiebreaker over the Giants, they received the first pick in the 2018 MLB draft. Incidentally, both teams had competed in the 2012 World Series five years earlier, which the Tigers lost.
This was ace pitcher Justin Verlander's last season with the Tigers. He had been with the team since 2005. He was traded to the Houston Astros on August 31. Verlander was the last remaining member of the 2006 American League Champion team.
- ^ Gallagher, John; McGraw, Bill (February 11, 2017). "Tigers, Red Wings owner and pizza titan Mike Ilitch dead at 87". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
- ^ Galli, Brad (February 15, 2017). "Tigers to wear patch on jerseys to honor Mike Ilitch this season". WXYZ Detroit. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
- ^ "Tigers to honor Mike Ilitch with 'Mr. I' outfield design". The Detroit News. April 3, 2017. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ "Mr. I honored in pregame ceremony (VIDEO)". Fox Sports Detroit. April 7, 2017. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ "It's official: At 59–80, Tigers mathematically eliminated from AL Central race". MLive. September 7, 2017. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
- ^ Beck, Jason (September 22, 2017). "Ausmus' contract won't be extended past '17". MLB.com. Archived from the original on September 23, 2017. Retrieved September 22, 2017.