| 2003 Detroit Tigers | ||
|---|---|---|
| League | American League | |
| Division | Central | |
| Ballpark | Comerica Park | |
| City | Detroit | |
| Record | 43–119 (.265) | |
| Divisional place | 5th | |
| Owners | Mike Ilitch | |
| General managers | Dave Dombrowski | |
| Managers | Alan Trammell | |
| Television | WKBD (Frank Beckmann, Jack Morris) FSN Detroit (Mario Impemba, Rod Allen) | |
| Radio | WXYT (AM) (Jim Price, Dan Dickerson) | |
| ||
The 2003 Detroit Tigers season was the team's 103rd season and fourth at Comerica Park. The team went 43–119, which surpassed the 1916 Philadelphia Athletics for the most losses in American League history (though not for the worst winning percentage) and came within one loss of tying the 1962 New York Mets of the National League for the most losses in modern major league history.[1] This particular season gave the team the nickname of "Motor City Kitties".[2]
It was a mark that stood for 20 seasons before being surpassed by the 2024 Chicago White Sox.[1]
The Tigers were outscored by 337 runs over the course of the season (928 to 591) and finished 47 games behind the Minnesota Twins. They were swept a total of 21 times while notching only eight series victories (by any margin) of their own. They were eliminated from playoff contention on August 22, the earliest elimination in the divisional era at the time, since surpassed by the 2018 Baltimore Orioles and 2024 Chicago White Sox.[3][1]
Blame for the dismal season was shared by both the pitching staff, which had an ERA of 5.30, and the batters, who finished with a team batting average of .240, 19 points below the American League's .259 batting average. However, 2003 was a nadir from which the Tigers recovered remarkably quickly, making the World Series in 2006 and avoiding another 100-loss season until 2019.