Fourth of July and Tiger Baseball

America's Pastime

A very happy Fourth of July to all of Detroit and citizens of the United States, no matter where you may be! Independence Day is marked traditionally by fireworks, barbecues and for some, watching baseball. The Detroit Tigers have a game today against the Twins, and of course DVD wants to see a victory.

George Mullin - Tigers Pitcher

Baseball Card 1909 (note misspelling)

I was online earlier today and discovered information about a former Tigers pitcher named George Mullin. He played for the Tigers from 1902 to 1913 and was quite successful.

Fourth of July Importance?

The Fourth of July is significant for the right handed pitcher Mullin because not only was he born on July fourth in 1880, but he also pitched the Tigers first no-hitter on July 4, 1912. The no-hit victory was the second game of a double header against the St. Louis Browns played at Navin Field (former name for Tiger Stadium). The Tigers won 7 - 0 and Mullin contributed to the victory with three hits and two RBIs (there was no designated hitter in the American league back then.)

Records 

George Mullin was a work-horse right handed pitcher and still holds a few records for the Detroit Tigers.

• Most complete games by a right handed pitcher -- 42 in 1904.
• Most innings pitched by right handed pitcher -- 382 and 1/3 in 1904.

And, unfortunately he is the Tigers record holder for the most games lost by a right handed pitcher, when he lost 23 games in 1904. But, to recap on a positive note in 1909 he led the American League with 29 wins, and he was a 20 game winner in five seasons during his career.

Today

So today on Fourth of July 2012 let's see if the Tigers can get a victory against the Twins to celebrate the Fourth of July and to remember George Mullin former Tiger great!

Information for this post came from:
SABR Article on George Mullin
Wikipedia George Mullin
Tigers All-Time Records
Image Credit: Wikipedia.org File:George_Mullin.jpg