Editing Detroit Tigers (section)

===A slow decline (1973–1978)===
[[File:Willie Horton 1975.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Willie Horton (baseball)|Willie Horton]] (1963–1977) had his No. 23 retired by the club]]
The [[1973 Detroit Tigers season|1973 season]] saw the Tigers drop to third place in the division, with an 85–77 record.<ref>{{cite web|title=1973 American League Season Summary|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/1973.shtml|website=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=September 29, 2018|archive-date=December 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211222113232/https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/1973.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> Joe Coleman posted another 23 wins, but the other Tiger starters had subpar seasons.<ref>{{cite web|title=1973 Detroit Tigers Statistics|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/DET/1973.shtml|website=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=September 29, 2018|archive-date=September 29, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180929194728/https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/DET/1973.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> Willie Horton hit .316, but injuries limited him to just 111 games.<ref name=Horton/> Jim Northrup posted the best batting average of his career (.307) but was inexplicably limited to part-time duty (119 games played), which Northrup attributed to an ongoing feud with Billy Martin that had actually started in the 1972 ALCS. Northrup even proclaimed to the press that Martin "took the fun out of the game."<ref name=Northrup/> Martin did not survive the 1973 season as manager. He was fired that September after ordering his pitchers to throw [[spitball]]s (and telling the press that he did so) in protest of opposing [[Cleveland Indians]] pitcher [[Gaylord Perry]], whom Martin was convinced was doing the same.<ref name=Martin/><ref name="Martin fired">{{cite news|first=Jim|last=Hawkins|title=Billy Martin Fired by Tigers|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/13612431/billy_martin_fired_by_tigers_offfield/|newspaper=Detroit Free Press|date=September 3, 1973|access-date=September 29, 2018|archive-date=September 29, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180929194746/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/13612431/billy_martin_fired_by_tigers_offfield/|url-status=live}}</ref> Third base coach [[Joe Schultz]] served as interim manager for the remainder of the season.<ref name="Martin fired"/>

A bright spot for the Tigers in 1973 was relief pitcher [[John Hiller]], who marked his first full season since suffering a heart attack in 1971 by collecting a league-leading 38 saves and posting a brilliant 1.44 ERA.<ref name=Hiller>{{cite web|first=Bruce|last=Markusen|title=Hiller's amazing comeback is one of Tigers' greatest triumphs over adversity|url=https://www.vintagedetroit.com/blog/2013/12/17/hillers-amazing-comeback-is-one-tigers-greatest-triumphs-over-adversity/|website=Vintage Detroit|date=December 17, 2013|access-date=January 15, 2020|archive-date=January 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200116045026/https://www.vintagedetroit.com/blog/2013/12/17/hillers-amazing-comeback-is-one-tigers-greatest-triumphs-over-adversity/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Hiller's saves total would stand as a Tiger record until [[2000 Detroit Tigers season|2000]], when it was broken by [[Todd Jones]]' 42 saves (Jones' record would later be broken by [[José Valverde]]'s 49 saves in 2011).<ref name=Hiller/><ref>{{cite web|title=Tigers ready to cope without their closer|url=https://www.theoaklandpress.com/news/tigers-ready-to-cope-without-their-closer/article_271ef07d-9e67-561f-81a1-219f4c1b1b30.html|website=The Oakland Press|date=April 3, 2006|access-date=January 16, 2020|archive-date=September 29, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180929233432/https://www.theoaklandpress.com/news/tigers-ready-to-cope-without-their-closer/article_271ef07d-9e67-561f-81a1-219f4c1b1b30.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Valverde delivery">{{cite web|title=Jose Valverde Named Winner of the Major League Baseball Delivery Man of the Year Award|url=http://www.mlb.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20111005&content_id=25508294&vkey=pr_mlbcom&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb|website=MLB.com|date=October 5, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023162936/http://mlb.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20111005&content_id=25508294&vkey=pr_mlbcom&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb|archive-date=October 23, 2013|access-date=October 22, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>

After the season, the Tigers hired [[Ralph Houk]] to be their new manager. Houk served in that capacity for five full seasons, through the end of the 1978 season.<ref>{{cite web|first=John|last=Vorperian|title=Ralph Houk|url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/7ba0b8fa|website=Society for American Baseball Research|access-date=September 29, 2018|archive-date=September 30, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180930081204/https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/7ba0b8fa|url-status=live}}</ref> The roster of players who played under Houk were mostly aging veterans from the 1960s, whose performance had slipped from their peak years.<ref>{{cite web|first=Dan|last=Holmes|title=War hero Houk managed Tigers through transitional era in 1970s|url=https://www.vintagedetroit.com/blog/2012/12/21/war-hero-houk-managed-tigers-through-transitional-phase-in-1970s/|website=Vintage Detroit|date=December 21, 2012|access-date=January 15, 2020|archive-date=January 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200116042959/https://www.vintagedetroit.com/blog/2012/12/21/war-hero-houk-managed-tigers-through-transitional-phase-in-1970s/|url-status=live}}</ref> The Tigers did not have a winning season from 1974 to 1977, and their 57 wins in the [[1975 Detroit Tigers season|1975 season]] was the team's lowest since [[1952 Detroit Tigers season|1952]].<ref>{{cite web|title=1974 American League Season Summary|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/1974.shtml|website=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=September 29, 2018|archive-date=September 30, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180930033641/https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/1974.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=1975 American League Season Summary|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/1975.shtml|website=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=September 29, 2018|archive-date=April 29, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429070647/http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/1975.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="1976 season">{{cite web|title=1976 American League Season Summary|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/1976.shtml|website=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=September 29, 2018|archive-date=September 30, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180930081144/https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/1976.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=1977 American League Season Summary|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/1977.shtml|website=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=September 29, 2018|archive-date=September 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180928153613/https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/1977.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> Perhaps the biggest signal of decline for the Tigers was the retirement of Kaline following the 1974 season, after he notched his [[3,000 hit club|3,000th career hit]].<ref>{{cite web|title=National Baseball Hall of Fame – The 3,000 Hit Club – Al Kaline|url=http://exhibits.baseballhalloffame.org/3000_hit_club/kaline_al.htm|website=Baseball Hall of Fame|access-date=September 29, 2018|archive-date=July 25, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150725002953/http://exhibits.baseballhalloffame.org/3000_hit_club/kaline_al.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Lynn|last=Henning|title=399: Kaline's last day short of history, long on regret|url=https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2015/05/26/kalines-last-day-short-history-long-regret/27988713/|website=The Detroit News|date=May 26, 2015|access-date=September 29, 2018|archive-date=March 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190326232222/https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2015/05/26/kalines-last-day-short-history-long-regret/27988713/|url-status=live}}</ref> Kaline finished with 3,007 hits and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1980.<ref name="Kaline HOF">{{cite web|title=Kaline, Al|url=https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/kaline-al|website=Baseball Hall of Fame|access-date=September 29, 2018|archive-date=September 30, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180930033554/https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/kaline-al|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Tom|last=Gage|title=Al Kaline, turning 80, reflects on Hall of Fame career|url=https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2014/12/11/al-kaline-turning-reflects-hall-fame-career/20276143/|website=The Detroit News|date=December 11, 2014|access-date=September 29, 2018|archive-date=January 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170109073958/http://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2014/12/11/al-kaline-turning-reflects-hall-fame-career/20276143/|url-status=live}}</ref>

====1976: The Year of The Bird====
[[File:Mark Fidrych.JPG|thumb|upright|[[Mark Fidrych|Mark "The Bird" Fidrych]], 1976 AL Rookie of the Year]]
{{Main|1976 Detroit Tigers season}}
Tiger fans were provided a glimmer of hope when 21-year-old rookie [[Mark Fidrych]] made his debut in 1976.<ref name=Fidrych>{{cite web|first=Rich|last=Puerzer|title=Mark Fidrych|url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/a9b9cdb2|website=Society for American Baseball Research|access-date=September 29, 2018|archive-date=September 30, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180930034057/https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/a9b9cdb2|url-status=live}}</ref> Fidrych, known as "The Bird", was a colorful character known for talking to the baseball and other eccentricities.<ref name=Fidrych/> During a game against the [[1976 New York Yankees season|Yankees]], [[Graig Nettles]] responded to Fidrych's antics by talking to his bat. After making an out, he later lamented that his Japanese-made bat did not understand him.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Bird: The Life and Legacy of Mark Fidrych Book Review|url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/dugout_2013_b.shtml|website=Baseball Almanac|access-date=September 29, 2018|archive-date=May 31, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220531021302/https://www.baseball-almanac.com/dugout_2013_b.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> Fidrych entered the All-Star break at 9–2 with a 1.78 ERA, and was the starting pitcher for the American League in the [[1976 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star Game]] played that year in [[Veterans Stadium|Philadelphia]] to celebrate the American [[United States Bicentennial|Bicentennial]].<ref name=Fidrych/> He finished the season with a record of 19–9 and an American League-leading [[Earned run average|ERA]] of 2.34.<ref name=Fidrych/> Fidrych, the AL Rookie of the Year, was one of the few bright spots that year with the Tigers finishing next to last in the AL East in 1976.<ref name="1976 season"/><ref name=Fidrych/>

Aurelio Rodríguez won the [[Gold Glove Award]] in 1976 at third base, snapping a streak in which Hall of Famer [[Brooks Robinson]] had won it for 16 consecutive seasons.<ref>{{cite web|first=Dan|last=Holmes|title=Aurelio Rodriguez: The Detroit Tiger with the Golden Arm|url=https://www.vintagedetroit.com/blog/2011/04/15/aurelio-rodriguez-the-detroit-tiger-with-the-golden-arm/|website=Vintage Detroit|date=April 15, 2011|access-date=January 15, 2020|archive-date=January 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200115231017/https://www.vintagedetroit.com/blog/2011/04/15/aurelio-rodriguez-the-detroit-tiger-with-the-golden-arm/|url-status=live}}</ref>

====1977–1978====
Injuries to his knee, and later his arm, drastically limited Fidrych's appearances in 1977–78.<ref name=Fidrych/> Perhaps more important, however, was the talent coming up through the Tigers farm system at the time. [[Jack Morris]], [[Lance Parrish]], [[Alan Trammell]] and [[Lou Whitaker]] all made their debuts in 1977, and would help the team to 88 wins in [[1978 Detroit Tigers season|1978]], the only winning season under Houk.<ref>{{cite web|first=David|last=Schoenfield|title=Morris, Trammell and the '80s Detroit Tigers|url=https://www.espn.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/19892/morris-trammell-and-the-80s-detroit-tigers|website=ESPN.com|date=January 12, 2012|access-date=September 29, 2018|archive-date=September 30, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180930033934/http://www.espn.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/19892/morris-trammell-and-the-80s-detroit-tigers|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Steve|last=Kornacki|title=Tigers remember former manager Ralph Houk, who died at age 90|url=https://www.mlive.com/tigers/index.ssf/2010/07/tigers_react_to_the_death_of_f.html|website=MLive|date=July 22, 2010|access-date=September 29, 2018|archive-date=September 30, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180930033907/https://www.mlive.com/tigers/index.ssf/2010/07/tigers_react_to_the_death_of_f.html|url-status=live}}</ref>