Tommy Bridges
| Birthdate | 12/28/1906 |
| Death Date | 4/19/1968 |
| Debut Year | 1930 |
| Year of Induction | |
| Teams | Tigers |
| Position | Pitcher |
Tommy Bridges debuted in 1930 and still ranks in the top 5 in Tiger franchise history in WAR (3rd), shutouts (3rd), strikeouts (5th), and complete games (5th).
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Tommy Bridges was the ace when the Tigers won their first World Series title
Tommy Bridges was the ace when the Tigers won their first World Series title
A charter member of the American League, the Detroit Tigers have a long and proud tradition. The Tigers won three pennants with Ty Cobb but couldn’t gain baseball’s ultimate prize until the decade after Cobb retired. The first World Series title in Detroit came with the 1935 crew led by manager Mickey Cochrane who also handled the pitching staff as the team’s catcher.
The ace of the Tigers staff was 21-game winner Tommy Bridges. An All Star for the first time the season before when he won 22 games for the pennant-winning Detroit club, Bridges couldn’t push the team past the champion Gas House Gang Cardinals in ’34. The hurler followed up his stellar campaign by leading the Tigers back to the World Series with the second of three consecutive 20-win seasons, a year in which he also paced the Junior Circuit in strikeouts.
Detroit lost the first game of the Series in a 3-0 whitewash at the hands of the Chicago Cubs. Another loss would put the Tigers in a two-games-to-none hole to the NL champions. With their season on the line, the Tigers handed the ball to Bridges. He did not disappoint, twirling a complete game in which he gave up only two earned runs. Riding the momentum, the Tigers pulled to a 3-2 Series lead going into Game 6. Fittingly, they again turned to Bridges.
Bridges responded by tossing his second straight complete game to give Detroit its first World Series title.
The right-hander enjoyed quite a career. A six-time All Star, Bridges received consideration in MVP voting three times. A lifelong Tiger from 1930-1946, Bridges pitched in four World Series including each of Detroit’s first two championship teams in ’35 and ’45.
In the collection is this Heilbronner Baseball Bureau information card filled out and signed by Tommy Bridges. By the time he took pen to paper here, Bridges was a 43-year old pitching coach for the Toledo Mud Hens, the Tigers Double-A affiliate. He would spend his entire adult life in the game, scouting and coaching for the rest of his days before succumbing to cancer on April 19, 1968 at age 61.
Tommy Bridges and Schoolboy Rowe formed one of MLB's best tandems from 1934-1936
Tommy Bridges and Schoolboy Rowe formed one of MLB's best tandems from 1934-1936
The Detroit Tigers won back-to-back American League pennants starting in 1934. Their AL championship in’35 resulted in the franchise’s first World Series title.
The offense was led by Hall of Fame hitters Mickey Cochrane, Charlie Gehringer, Goose Goslin, and Hank Greenberg. Atop the pitching staff was the dynamic duo of Schoolboy Rowe and Tommy Bridges.
From 1934-1936 Rowe and Bridges combined to average more than 42 wins per season. Bridges won 20 or more each of the three campaigns and was named to the All Star team all three years. In those seasons Bridges topped Junior Circuit pitchers in starts and strikeouts twice each and in wins once.
Rowe wasn’t far behind. A 24-win season in 1934 earned him a fourth-place finish in MVP voting. A league leading 6 shutouts in ’35 earned him the first of back-to-back All Star appearances.
Together they helped the Tigers win 101 games to capture the AL flag in ’34. Despite a World Series defeat to St. Louis’ Gashouse Gang, Detroit was back in the thick of things in ’35. The Bengals repeated as American League champs and vanquished 100-win Cubs in the Fall Classic.
Though Bridges and Rowe combined for 42 wins the Tigers fell to second place in 1936. During their three-year dominance, the duo combined for 128 wins, 893 strikeouts, 25 shutouts, and 92 complete games.
Shown here is a postcard autographed by Rowe. The Lakeland, Florida postmark is dated March 7, 1941. Rowe was coming off of a 1940 campaign in which he went 16-3 to lead the league with an .842 winning percentage. The right-hander’s final full season in Detroit came in ’41 when he appeared in 27 games, made 14 starts, and posted 8 victories.
Infielder & WWII veteran Al Niemiec successfully sued baseball for veterans' rights; he names Bridges one of the toughest
Infielder & WWII veteran Al Niemiec successfully sued baseball for veterans' rights; he names Bridges one of the toughest
Al Niemiec played in only 78 big league games but made a contribution that helped returning World War II veterans get their baseball jobs back. The Servicemen’s Readjustment Act, commonly known as the GI Bill guaranteed returning veterans their former jobs upon returning from service.
In the military, Niemiec reached the rank of Lieutenant and faithfully served his country from 1943-1945. In. 1946 when he returned to the his former team, the Triple-A Seattle Rainers Niemiec had lost a step, was beaten out and cut.
The infielder sued baseball on the grounds that the GI Bill guaranteed a place in professional baseball. Niemiec won his suit and saw the outcome applied to dozens of returning players.
In the collection is this questionnaire filled out and signed by Niemiec. One of the questions asks him identify the toughest pitchers he ever faced. Niemiec names Hall of Famers Bob Feller and Lefty Grove, as well as Tiger great Tommy Bridges.
Niemiec had only four big league at bats against Bridges, going 1-for-4 with single and a strikeout.
