TOMMY BRIDGES
Pitcher, 1930-1946
#10
--Class of 1950--
Bats - Right
Throws - Right
Born - 12/28/1906
Died - 4/19/1968
Biography:
Definitely in the argument for being the greatest right-handed hurler in Detroit Tigers history, Tommy Bridges became so because he didn’t follow the path his father and grandfather created for him. And because he didn’t become a doctor, the Tigers had a pitcher that won 194 games during his 16-year career with Detroit. Despite his lack of stature, Bridges had a large hand that allowed him to break off a wicked curve ball, one that was considered the best in baseball for many seasons. Bridges was a quiet but well liked and respected player among both fans and teammates, and it is easy to see why. Betweeen 1934 and 1936 he accumulated 66 wins; never posting less than 21 victories in that time period. Bridges also led the American League in strikeouts in 1935 and 1936. He was, at times, as good as anyone in baseball, tossing 33 shutouts and hurling one-hitters on three different occasions. In one of those games -- an August 5, 1932 contest against the Washington Senators -- he came within a single out of a perfect game, when Senators pinch hitter Dave Harris singled with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. The game ended one batter later. Throughout his career, Bridges was a clutch pitcher and is the one of only two Tigers to ever play with four World Series teams while with Detroit. Perhaps his greatest feat came in the top of the ninth inning during Game 6 of the 1935 World Series. With the score tied at 3-3, Chicago’s Stan Hack opened the top of the ninth inning with a triple. Bridges retired the next three batters in order, stranding Hack on third. In the bottom of the ninth, the Tigers responded with the game-winning run and Detroit’s first World Championship. Called into military service years later, Bridges missed most of two seasons and was finally let go in 1946, under the belief that he was "washed up" because of the missed wartime seasons. It didn’t deter Bridges. He went to the Pacific Coast League, pitching another five seasons. While there, at the age of 42, he posted a league-leading 1.64 ERA and also tossed a no-hitter. A member of the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame, Bridges also scouted for the Tigers from 1958 to 1960.
Pitching:
Code:
Year Ag Tm Lg W L G GS CG SHO GF SV IP H R ER HR BB SO HBP WP BFP ERA ERA+ WHIP
1930 23 DET AL 3 2 8 5 2 0 2 0 37.7 28 18 17 4 23 17 0 0 158 4.06 118 1.354
1931 24 DET AL 8 16 35 23 8 2 8 0 173.0 182 120 96 13 108 105 0 9 809 4.99 92 1.676
1932 25 DET AL 14 12 34 26 10 4 7 1 201.0 174 95 75 14 119 108 1 6 881 3.36 140 1.458
1933 26 DET AL 14 12 33 28 17 2 4 2 233.0 192 102 80 8 110 120 6 2 984 3.09 140 1.296
1934 27 DET AL 22 11 36 35 23 3 1 1 275.0 249 117 112 16 104 151 3 3 1153 3.67 120 1.284
1935 28 DET AL 21 10 36 34 23 4 1 1 274.3 277 129 107 22 113 163 3 5 1195 3.51 119 1.422
1936 29 DET AL 23 11 39 38 26 5 1 0 294.7 289 141 118 21 115 175 5 6 1272 3.60 137 1.371
1937 30 DET AL 15 12 34 31 18 3 2 0 245.3 267 129 111 15 91 138 3 4 1076 4.07 115 1.459
1938 31 DET AL 13 9 25 20 13 0 4 1 151.0 171 83 77 14 58 101 2 2 665 4.59 109 1.517
1939 32 DET AL 17 7 29 26 16 2 2 2 198.0 186 87 77 11 61 129 6 4 840 3.50 140 1.247
1940 33 DET AL 12 9 29 28 12 2 1 0 197.7 171 89 74 11 88 133 0 5 843 3.37 142 1.310
1941 34 DET AL 9 12 25 22 10 1 2 0 147.7 128 66 56 10 70 90 1 2 630 3.41 134 1.341
1942 35 DET AL 9 7 23 22 11 2 1 1 174.0 164 66 53 6 61 97 4 5 742 2.74 144 1.293
1943 36 DET AL 12 7 25 22 11 3 3 0 191.7 159 57 51 9 61 124 0 3 774 2.39 147 1.148
1945 38 DET AL 1 0 4 1 0 0 2 0 11.0 14 6 4 2 2 6 0 2 48 3.27 108 1.455
1946 39 DET AL 1 1 9 1 0 0 6 1 21.3 24 16 14 5 8 17 1 1 95 5.91 62 1.500
YR From To W L WL% ERA G GS GF CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA+
TOTALS 16 1930 1946 194 138 .584 3.57 424 362 47 200 33 10 2826.3 2675 1321 1122 181 1192 1674 126