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Tales of Tiger Stadium

ESPN.com BaseballOn April 11 a new era opened in Tiger history with Opening Day at Comerica Park. But it was not enough to erase our memories of Tiger Stadium. We asked our listeners to send us their favorite stories from the old ballpark for the chance to win tickets to the historic opener at the new one. Here are some of our favorites.

Keith Yerke, Freeport
One July, my friend Steve asked if we wanted to go to a Tiger game. I said, "Sure," so he said he would pick a day and get tickets. He ended up getting tickets for the last game of the season, which I thought would be a total drag. All the races are always decided by then, right? As it turned out, I was way wrong! Larry Herndon hit a solo homer right below us in left field, Frank Tanana pitched a masterful 1-0 shutout with 50 mph curveballs, and the Tigers clinched the division over visiting Toronto to end the 1987 season in the most exciting, suspenseful way imaginable. It seemed like we stayed and cheered for hours. What a game - way to pick it, Steve!

Jim Koukios, Grand Rapids
My favorite Tiger Stadium moment was October 14, 1984. It was the fifth game of the World Series against the Padres. My brother Matt and I arrived about live hours before game time. Outside the stadium, ther was an aura of destiny. We stood by the driveway to the players' parking lot and watched as the players arrived. Morris, Parrish, Gibson, Trammell, announcers Kaline and Kell. Inside, the stadium was electric and filled with anticipation. I'll never forget Gibson's mighty blasts and Herndon's catch for the last out. After the game, I stood out in center field and watched the clubhouse celebration on the scoreboard. It was a dream come true for this Tiger fan.

Ed Walsh, Holland
My fondness for Tiger Stadium is deep rooted. I was nearly born inside the stadium during the Lions Thanksgiving Day football game of 1969. In an effort to get a better view of the game, my Dad traded his box seats for bleacher seats located on the 50 yard line. This did not thrill my Mom, who had to drag her 8.5-month pregnant body up dozens of steps to get to these better, but significantly higher, seats. The combination of freezing weather and climbing were enough to get labor started and I was born in a Detroit hospital the next morning. My Mom has not forgotten one detail about that game and our family has not let her forget that she could have made history if she had just delivered me right there in the stadium.

Jeff Gerwig, Grand Rapids
It was either 1993 or 1994. The Tigers were 1 HR short of the ML record for consecutive games with a home run. The temperature was in the upper 90's and too hot to do anything. We walked up to the box office to try and get a ticket, we got 2 in the upper deck right field porch. Mickey Tettleton hit one to deep right field. I knew right away that it was gone and immeditately rose to my feet with both arms celebrating. The ball landed about 9 rows in front of me. I went home, turned on ESPN SportsCenter, and there I was celebrating the home run on national TV. 

Joel DeBruin, Grand Rapids
The first day of the Mike Illitch ownership era, at the spur of the moment, I decided to take a 1/2 day of vacation and take my wife to her first Tiger game. They played the Royals that evening and in the bottom of the 7th it was a 2-2 game. Dan Gladden came to the plate and belted a 2-run (eventual game-winning) home run that I caught barehanded. I called my Dad after the game and he taped the highlights so I could re-live the moment. The story doesn't end there, though. About 3 years later my wife was scrambling to find a tape so she could tape Frosty the Snowman. I wasn't around and she found a tape. It was the tape of "the catch."

George Nicholson, Rockford
Last year the bride and I went to a game with another couple over Memorial Day weekend. We were in the Coca-Cola section. Dean Palmer hit a liner into the seats headed right for us. I pushed my friend's wife out of the way and the ball slammed into the back of her seat. I picked the ball up and saw myself on the scoreboard of Tiger Stadium. I then flipped the ball to a kid with a ballglove on. It was the only home run of the day.

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