1938 Detroit Tigers season
The 1938 Detroit Tigers season was a season in American baseball. The Detroit Tigers compiled a record of 84 wins and 70 losses, good enough for fourth place in the American League. Hank Greenberg hit 58 home runs, and became the first unanimous selection as the American League MVP.
Offseason
Regular season
The highlight of the 1938 season was first baseman Hank Greenberg challenging the single-season home run record held by Babe Ruth. Hank went into the season's final weekend against the Cleveland Indians with 58 home runs, but failed to homer on Saturday or Sunday. He did tie Jimmie Foxx's record for a right-handed hitter, set in 1932.
Player stats
Batting
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
| C | | 135 | 463 | 138 | .298 | 33 | 127 |
| 1B | | 155 | 556 | 175 | .315 | 58 | 146 |
| 2B | | 152 | 568 | 174 | .306 | 20 | 107 |
| SS | | 136 | 501 | 130 | .259 | 3 | 55 |
| 3B | | 77 | 265 | 69 | .260 | 1 | 30 |
| OF | | 127 | 454 | 140 | .308 | 6 | 43 |
| OF | | 155 | 634 | 186 | .293 | 7 | 96 |
| OF | | 74 | 306 | 87 | .284 | 0 | 27 |
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
| 95 | 318 | 79 | .248 | 1 | 44 |
| 64 | 211 | 50 | .237 | 7 | 37 |
| 78 | 206 | 54 | .262 | 0 | 15 |
| 53 | 143 | 42 | .294 | 1 | 25 |
| 41 | 80 | 17 | .213 | 0 | 14 |
| 25 | 67 | 19 | .284 | 0 | 9 |
| 8 | 19 | 4 | .211 | 0 | 5 |
| 7 | 15 | 3 | .200 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | 2 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
Pitching
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
| 33 | 190.1 | 12 | 9 | 5.06 | 53 |
| 24 | 164.0 | 12 | 9 | 4.12 | 30 |
| 27 | 160.2 | 11 | 10 | 5.27 | 46 |
| 25 | 151.0 | 13 | 9 | 4.59 | 101 |
| 4 | 21.0 | 0 | 2 | 3.00 | 4 |
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
| 27 | 127.0 | 8 | 9 | 5.46 | 39 |
| 32 | 125.1 | 9 | 6 | 3.72 | 37 |
| 25 | 125.0 | 6 | 7 | 4.82 | 28 |
| 19 | 95.1 | 5 | 3 | 3.30 | 33 |
| 3 | 10.0 | 1 | 0 | 7.20 | 7 |
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
| 39 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 6.02 | 31 |
| 27 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6.56 | 23 |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.57 | 2 |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.50 | 1 |
Awards and honors
Farm system
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Beaumont, Beckley, Harlingen