Detroit Tigers - Retired Numbers and Honorees

Retired Numbers and Honorees

This is how the Retired and Honored names are displayed at Comerica Park:

In left field:

In right field:

• Ty Cobb is honored by his name on the wall at Comerica Park. Cobb played in an era where numbers were not worn on jerseys.
• Ernie Harwell spent 42 years (in two stints) calling Tigers games on the radio.
• Though their numbers are not officially retired, the names of Harry Heilmann, Heinie Manush, Hughie Jennings, Sam Crawford, Mickey Cochrane and George Kell are displayed at Comerica Park to honor their contributions to the Tiger organization. They also have all entered the Baseball Hall of Fame as Detroit Tigers, and their plaques in the Hall show them wearing the Tiger cap.
• Jackie Robinson's number 42 was retired throughout Major League Baseball in 1997

Players with retired numbers (and Ty Cobb) also have statues of themselves that sit behind their names, which are painted on the left-center field wall.

National Avenue, which runs behind the third-base stands at the Tigers' previous home Tiger Stadium, was renamed Cochrane Avenue for Mickey Cochrane. Cherry Street, which runs behind the left-field stands at Tiger Stadium, was renamed Kaline Drive for Al Kaline.

While Cochrane was honored in 2000, the ceremony honoring Cochrane and Kell did not include the retirement of Cochrane's number 3; the number 3 has not been retired for Dick McAuliffe or Alan Trammell either, although number 3 has only been issued twice since Trammell retired as a player after the 1996 season: to Trammell himself when he managed the Tigers from 2003–2005, and to Gary Sheffield (after Trammell approved of it from 2007 until he was released prior to the 2009 seasons; Sheffield had previously worn the numbers 1, 5, 10, and 11) Also in the category of not retired but not reissued are the numbers 1 last worn by Lou Whitaker in 1995, after which Whitaker retired as a player. Sparky Anderson's #11, which also was last issued in 1995 when he himself retired from managing, was formally retired during the 2011 season on June 26, 2011. Like the numbers 1 and 3, number 47, last worn by Jack Morris, has also not been retired, but has not been issued since 1990, Morris' last year with the Tigers