The start of this baseball season marked the 114th year in the history of the Detroit Tigers franchise. One of the original members of the fledgling American League, Detroit got off to a strong start in their first game on April 25, 1901, with a 14-13 comeback win over Milwaukee. All those years ago, it was probably anyone's guess how the Tigers would fare in the newly formed league.
Zoom ahead over a century and the Tigers franchise record currently stands at 8976-8688, and includes four World Series wins, 11 AL Pennant wins and 15 appearances in the playoffs. Only 24 victories shy of the 9,000 wins mark, the Tigers are poised to achieve this milestone during the 2014 season.
When the American League was formed in 1901, it included eight teams, all of which have undergone their share of transformations over the years. Here is how the Tigers currently stack up to the rest of the "Classic Eight," in terms of overall franchise wins:
| Team | W-L (%) | World Series Wins | AL Pennant Wins | Playoff Appearances |
| New York Yankees | 9879-7465 (.570) | 27 | 40 | 51 |
| Boston Red Sox | 9122-8515 (.517) | 8 | 13 | 21 |
| Cleveland Indians | 8981-8662 (.509) | 2 | 5 | 11 |
| Detroit Tigers | 8976-8688 (508) | 4 | 11 | 15 |
| Chicago White Sox | 8903-8724 (.505) | 3 | 6 | 9 |
| Oakland Athletics | 8595-9011 (.488) | 9 | 15 | 25 |
| Minnesota Twins | 8472-9160 (.480) | 3 | 6 | 14 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 8380-9242 (.476) | 3 | 7 | 12 |
Provided the Tigers continue their current season record of .573, this puts them on track to hit the 9,000 mark sometime in the first week of September. Be sure to stay tuned so you can be a part of this significant milestone in Tigers franchise history.
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