Free Press sports writer and voice of the Detroit Tigers Newsletter, Ryan Ford, dives into the storied history between the Cleveland Guardians and the Tigers as the franchises meet in the MLB postseason for the first time in their shared 123-year history as charter members of the American League.

The seasons

Across 2,326 games — no two teams in baseball have played more often in the regular season — their Lake Erie rivalry is about as close as can be — the Ohio franchise (be it Naps, Indians or Guardians) leads the Michigan franchise (always the Tigers) by four wins, 1,129-1,125 (with two ties, both in the 1947 season). As you might expect, the highlights go both ways:

1946: The Tigers, coming off a World Series title, opened the post-World War II era by shredding Cleveland for 17 wins in 22 games — a .773 win percentage — behind a dominant rotation. The ace of that staff, Hal Newhouser, was especially sharp against the Ohioans, posting a 1.00 ERA with 39 strikeouts in 45 innings, though he did lose one of his five starts.

1996: At the height of Cleveland’s AL Central dominance, the Tigers were a season-long punching bag (despite being two years from joining the division) as they lost all 12 games in the season series (and only three by two runs or less). Blame the terrifying trio of Albert Belle, Manny Ramirez and Jim Thome, who combined for 11 doubles, 17 homers and 44 RBIs while playing in all 12 games.

2013: The Tigers, en route to their third straight Central title, picked up some revenge, going 15-4 against Cleveland. AL MVP Miguel Cabera, predictably, did major damage, with a 1.092 OPS in 17 games, but the Tigers were also sparked by infielder Omar Infante (1.041 OPS in 41 plate appearances) and catcher Brayan Peña (1.019 OPS in 31 PAs).

2019: Granted, almost every team in the AL beat the Tigers often this season, as Detroit racked up 114 losses. But Cleveland was especially brutal, taking 18 of the 19 games in the series. The Tigers won the second game, in mid-April, then dropped the final 17 vs. Cleveland. Second baseman Jason Kipnis did the most damage against the Tigers, turning in four homers, two doubles and a triple in 11 games.

Leading the way

Nearly 90 Detroit position players have played at least 75 games against Cleveland, but no Tiger chowed down on its pitching like Norm Cash, who posted a .962 OPS in 877 PAs in the rivalry. That included 51 homers in 224 games (1960-74), the most for a Tiger against Cleveland. No. 2? Cabrera, who launched 48 dingers, along with 42 doubles, in 246 games from 2008-23. Fitting then, that he finished his career with one final play at first base vs. Cleveland last season.

On the mound, meanwhile, it was Mickey Lolich dominating Cleveland from 1963-75 — his 1.150 WHIP is the best of any Tiger with at least 40 appearances against Cleveland. Lolich went 30-17 with a 2.81 ERA, 337 strikeouts and 124 walks in 425 ⅓ innings. But no Tiger has been more victorious over Cleveland than Newhouser, who piled up 32 wins (and 24 losses) in 76 appearances from 1939-53 to go with a 2.80 ERA and 297 strikeouts in 473⅓ innings.

Seeing both sides

A whopping 221 players — 117 hitters and 104 pitchers have played for both franchises (including 19 who played for ONLY the Guardians and Tigers). It’s a group that stretches from the franchises’ first seasons, when catcher Fritz Buelow spent 3 ½ seasons in Detroit then was sold to Cleveland in July 1904, to this season, with left-hander Matthew Boyd, a Tiger for parts of eight seasons, likely to start against the Tigers next week.

Numerous Tigers legends have sojourned with the Guardians (and vice versa), including (but not limited to) Cecil Fielder, Willie Horton, Jack Morris, Hal Newhouser and Lance Parrish. But who are the five players with perhaps the most iconic ties to the two franchises?

Rocky Colavito: The 27-year-old slugger went from Cleveland to Detroit in arguably one of the biggest one-for-one blockbusters in MLB history — the 1959 home run champ (with 42 in 154 games) headed to the Motor City in exchange for 29-year-old Harvey Kuenn, the 1959 batting champ (.353 in ) in April 1960. It became a lopsided deal for the Tigers quickly, as Kuenn hit just .308 with nine homers in a lone season with Cleveland (albeit with an All-Star nod). Colavito, meanwhile, played four seasons with the Tigers; he never led the AL in homers again, but he did hit another 139 in 629 games for the Tigers.

Larry Doby: The center fielder is best known for his trailblazing ways in Cleveland, where he became the first Black player in the American League in 1947, roughly three months after Jackie Robinson integrated the National League. After a decade in Cleveland — in which he made seven All-Star teams — Doby joined the Tigers in 1959, breaking the color barrier for the franchise that was the next to last to integrate. He played just 18 games for the Tigers, hitting .218 with four doubles and two triples.

Travis Fryman: Unlike many of the Cleveland/Detroit crossovers, Fryman starred with both franchises. Starting with the Tigers, who drafted him in the first round in 1987, the infielder made four All-Star teams and posted a .739 OPS over eight seaons before the Tigers traded him to the expansion Diamondbacks, who shipped him to Cleveland two weeks later. In Cleveland, Fryman made just one All-Star team in five seasons, but had two top-20 MVP finishes and won a Gold Glove while putting up an OPS of … .739.

Victor Martinez: V-Mart’s tenure with Cleveland is arguably better than his time in Detroit, with three All-Star nods in eight seasons to go with 103 homers over 821 games. But as a Tiger, he finished second in AL MVP voting in 2014 (while winning a Silver Slugger) and led the American League in on-base percentage (.409) and OPS (.974). He finished his time with the Tigers with 115 homers in 969 games.

George Uhle: The Cleveland native starred with his hometown squad through out the 1920s, posting a 3.90 ERA in 2,187⅔ innings from 1919-28 while leading the AL in wins twice (26 in 1923 and 27 in 1926). Uhle was actually a little better as a Tiger, with a 3.91 ERA in 828⅓ innings from 1929-33, but he won just 55 of his 128 appearances and he was sold to the Giants in April 1933.

Contact Ryan Ford at rford@freepress.com. Follow him on X (which used to be Twitter, y’know?) @theford. Read more on the Detroit Tigers and sign up for our Tigers newsletter.  

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers vs Cleveland Guardians in 2024 playoffs: Their history