1900 Detroit (Detroits, Tigers)

These renderings are based on visual documentation for uniform style and written documentation for color. Minor details may be undocumented or difficult to determine. An educated guess is made to complete the renderings.

Rendering accuracy:Year: documented    Team: documented

Visual documentation on these uniforms:

Photo A

Dated July 16-22, 1900, team photograph taken at Bennett Park, Detroit. Year of photo can be determined by the appearance of players Nichol and Hill, both of whom only played for Detroit in 1900. A date range of July 16-22 can be determined by Hill in combination with the absence of player Elberfeld and by the fact that the image was taken in Detroit. Hill joined the Detroit team on June 22, played his first game for the Tigers on July 7 and was released by the team at the end of the month. Elberfeld, the regular shortstop, was not in this photo. Elberfeld was suspended by the league president after an on-field incident in Detroit on July 14 in a game against Chicago. A newspaper reported that “Elberfeld presented Chicago with the first run when he gave way to a pretty exhibition [of] temper. Because of an adverse decision he deliberately threw the ball clear to the grandstand, McFarland scoring.” Elberfeld and at least one other player objected to a call by the umpire. To further the protest the Detroit team refused to play under the same umpire on the following day, forfeiting the July 15 game to Chicago 9-0. League President Ban Johnson stepped in and suspended Elberfeld for 10 days, forcing the shortstop to sit out between July 16 to July 26. Johnson also fined another Detroit player and mandated to ownership that security be increased at Bennett Park to protect the umpire from unruly crowds. Elberfeld’s suspension was enforced during most of the ensuing home stand that had begun on July 9 and ended on July 22. Based on these dates it can be suggested that photo A was made in Detroit between July 16 and July 22, and when Hill was on the roster and when Elberfeld’s suspension was in progress. The Sporting Life editorialized on July 21 that “Elberfeld ought to go to some good doctor and have his temper pulled.”

The majority of players wore a white home uniform in photo A. The pillbox-style cap was also white and featured a dark-colored visor. The lettering and stockings were also dark in color. Newspapers reported before the 1900 season that Detroit planned to wear white uniforms at home with black trimmings and that the city name would be “spelled out in black letters across the breast.” The players wore both short-sleeved and 3/4-length-sleeved shirts in this photo. At least eight of the fifteen players in photo wore their shirts unbuttoned at the neck. Several of the players wore pants with padding at the hips. Four players standing in the back row wore the team’s gray road uniform. One of these players also wore a non-matching cap in a mid-tone color. One player in the front row wore a white shirt with no lettering. A newspaper reported that the team planned to manufacture 14 home white uniforms and 14 road gray uniforms at the start of the 1900 season, possibly this is the reason there were not enough home uniforms to outfit the 15 players in this photo. The team was photographed in Detroit at Bennett Park and with the outfield wall and several trees used as a backdrop. Researcher Scott Ferkovich writes that when construction of the Detroit ballpark began for the 1896 season, club owner George Vanderbeck removed “nearly thirty giant oak and elm trees that towered over the plot of land. Some of the trees dated back to before the American Revolution. […] Vanderbeck decided to spare eight of the trees, several of which stood gracefully in center field, until they were finally felled in 1900.”

Top row, from left: E Frisk (00, 01), P Dillon (Det 00-02, Pit NL 00), B Hill (Det 00, Har EL 00), E Siever (Det 00-02, 06-08), R Miller (00-02), J Cronin (00-02) and J Ryan (99, 00). Front: D Holmes (00-02), G Nichol (Det 00, WB AtL 00), F Owen (Det 99-01, WB AtL 00), D Harley (Det 00, 02, Cin NL 00), (G Tuohey, see next paragraph), S McAllister (00-03), D Casey (Det 00, 01, Bro NL 00), J Yeager (Det 00-03, Bro NL 00) and A Shaw (99, 00). Image scan and player IDs from the Detroit Public Library, Ernie Harwell Collection. Years with team and first game played by Hill from baseball-reference.com. Info on Elberfeld incident and suspension from The Sporting Life, July 14, July 21 and July 28, 1900. Info on the trees at Bennett Park from Scott Ferkovich, SABR BioProject: Bennett Park, retrieved December 26, 2020. The Detroit Public Library noted that on the back of the print in their possession the following was stamped: “Reproduced by Geo. Burke, 847 Belmont Ave., Chicago, Ill.” The library also noted that the original image was by Emick Brothers, Detroit.

George V. Tuohey (1865-1927) was included in photo A and can be seen wearing civilian clothes behind the front row of players. Tuohey was a journalist and sports promoter, and is best known today to baseball historians as the author of the History of the Boston Base Ball Club, published in 1897 and one of the more comprehensive team histories produced in the 19th century. However during his lifetime, Tuohey was better known for his role as promoter and as-needed referee of professional wrestling. Tuohey was born in New York, played baseball as a youth in Brooklyn, and came to Boston where he worked as a sportswriter for the Boston Police News and the Boston Post. Tuohey’s obituary noted that the he was “well-known in Milwaukee, Chicago and other mid-West cities [i.e., Detroit] in the 90s when he managed such [wrestling] stars as Curley Supples of Buffalo.” Tuohey’s greatest achievement was discovering and managing heavyweight champion wrestler Tom Jenkins (1872-1957) of Bedford, OH. According to one source, Jenkins with Tuohey as manager “dominated the heavyweight ranks” between 1895 and circa 1905. In 1900, Tuohey was living in Detroit at Malcolm Street with his wife of two years. This date coincides with team photo A and suggests Tuohey was friends with the organization. Tuohey later returned to Boston and continued working as a promoter until about 1925. He died in 1927 in Worcester, MA. His obituary stated he was “known to nearly every boxing and wrestling fan twenty years ago.” Info on Tuohey’s association with wrestling from Tim Corvin, Pioneers of Professional Wrestling 1860-1899 (2014). Info on Tuohey in Detroit from genealogist Bob Barrier. Tuohey obituary from the Buffalo Courier-Express, November 27, 1927.

Dated July 16-22, 1900. Detail view of photo A. Detail view showed that some of the players wore the team’s gray road uniform in this photo and that some of the pants had padding at the hips. Also note the narrow style of the belts.

Dated July 16-22, 1900. Another detail view of photo A. Detail view showed the lettering on the shirt, the button placket, and the position of one button overlapping the “R” in Detroit. Detail view also showed that the shirt had a pocket and that the pillbox cap had a cord above the visor.

Photo B

Dated July 16-22, 1900. Photo of A Shaw (99, 00), full view at left, detail view at right. This individual print was made from the larger team photo, see photo A above. Photo showed that the position of the shirt buttons varied on certain uniforms. Detail view showed that the pillbox-style cap had three subtle horizontal bands. Image scan and player ID from the Detroit Public Library, Ernie Harwell Collection, which noted that on the back of the print the following was stamped: “Reproduced by Geo. Burke, 847 Belmont Ave., Chicago, Ill.” Years Shaw with team from baseball-reference.com.

Photo C

Dated 1900, probably July 27-29, 1900. This photo was taken about a week or so after photo A. Year of photo determined by the appearance of player Nichol, who only played for Detroit in 1900. Date range of July 27-29, 1900, can be suggested by the likelihood that this photo was taken when the team played at Kansas City on these dates. Kansas City superintendent Charles Meyer organized photos of visiting Western and American League teams to be taken on the field in Kansas City during the 1898, 1899 and 1900 seasons. The photo above included the mark of “C. H. Meyer” and “K.C. Mo.” in the bottom corner of the image and often these photos included a large white backdrop hung behind the players as shown in this photo. Detroit played two additional series in Kansas City in 1900, however each of these visits can be discounted as the date for photo C. Detroit played in Kansas City first on June 14-17 and in this series leftfielder B Gray was in the lineup for Detroit. Gray was subsequently released by the team in the first week of July and accordingly Gray does not appear in photo B. Detroit played last in Kansas City on September 13 and 15 and in this series shortstop D Sheehan was in the Detroit lineup, replacing regular shortstop K Elberfeld who once again had been suspended, this time for the remainder of the 1900 season. The fact that Elberfeld was included in photo C and Sheehan was not points to photo C being taken when Detroit played at Kansas City on July 27-29. Furthermore, all of the players that appeared in box scores from this July series also appeared in photo C.

The majority of players wore a light gray road uniform in this photo, with dark lettering and dark stockings. Some players may have worn the home white uniform in this photo. The pillbox-style caps were white with a dark-colored visor. Newspapers described the color of the road uniforms as “Harvard gray.” The players wore both short-sleeved and 3/4-length-sleeved shirts in this photo. One player, middle row far left, wore a striped undershirt. As with photo A, at least eight of the fifteen players in this photo wore their shirts unbuttoned at the neck. Several of the players wore pants with padding at the hips. One player, front row far left, wore a cap with a white visor. One player, front row far right, wore garters to hold up his stockings and a shirt with no lettering. This player, outfielder D Holmes, also wore a shirt with no lettering in photo D. Oddly in a 1901 Detroit team photo, Holmes again wore a road shirt with no lettering.

Top row, left to right: R Miller (00-02), F Owen (Det 99-01, WB AtL 00), E Frisk (00, 01), E Siever (Det 00-02, 06-08), J Yeager (Det 00-03, Bro NL 00) and J Ryan (99, 00). Middle: J Cronin (00-02), P Dillon (Det 00-02, Pit NL 00), A Shaw (99, 00), S McAllister (00-03) and D Harley (Det 00, 02, Cin NL 00). Front: D Casey (Det 00, 01, Bro NL 00), K Elberfeld (99-03), G Nichol (Det 00, WB AtL 00) and D Holmes (00-02). Player IDs based on photo A. Years with team from baseball-reference.com. Info on release of Gray from The Sporting Life, July 7, 1900. Image scan from the Detroit Public Library, Ernie Harwell Collection. Original image by Charles Meyer, Kansas City.

Dated 1900, probably July 27-29, 1900. Detail view of photo C. Detail view showed the lettering on the road shirts was identical to the lettering on the home uniforms. Also note the position of the buttons in relationship to the letters, and the presence of a shirt pocket under the left breast.

Dated 1900, probably July 27-29, 1900. Another detail view of photo C. Detail view showed that the player at left, third baseman D Casey, wore dark-colored stockings with stirrups which were layered on top of white sanitary socks. The stirrups Casey wore may have been hand-cut and were the earliest example of this style to be shown in a photograph. Other photos of Casey with Detroit do not show that he consistently wore stirrup-style stockings and there was no mention of this “fashion first” in the newspapers of the day. According to research by historian Marc Okkonen, it was not until the 1912 season when the majority of major-league players began to wear baseball stirrups. However some players did wear this style soon after 1900. Two separate Detroit team photos from 1903 each showed a player wearing stirrups. Detail view also showed that Casey wore shoes without laces and it is unknown if these were baseball shoes or civilian shoes. Also note that the player at right, shortstop K Elberfeld, wore low-cut shoes, a style that had been occasionally worn by players since 1890 and that was to become common soon after 1900. It is also possible Elberfeld wore stockings with two color bands, most likely red bands on black stockings. No other player in the Detroit team photos from 1900 appeared to have worn stockings with color bands.

Photo D

Dated mid-September 1900. Year of photo can be determined by the appearance of players Jones, Sheehan and Nichol, all of whom only played for Detroit in 1900. A date range of mid-September can be determined by Jones and Sheehan in combination with the absence of player Elberfeld. Jones joined the team in early August and played his first game for Detroit on August 12. Sheehan played his first game for Detroit on August 30 replacing regular shortstop Elberfeld, who was suspended for a second time during the 1900 season, this time for “insubordination.” About the time of Sheehan’s first game, a newspaper noted that “Elberfeld wants release from Detroit as he fears he will be blacklisted at the end of the season.” A week later a newspaper reported that Elberfeld was “suspended for the balance of the season” and that he “did not accompany the team on its last western trip when it started for Chicago Friday [on September 7].” The American League season ended on September 18, and therefore it is likely photo D was made sometime between September 8 and September 18. As a side note, Elberfeld was not blacklisted by the league and continued to play with the Detroit team to 1903.

Players wore a light gray road uniform in this photo, with dark lettering and dark stockings. The cap was not shown. Newspapers described the color of the road uniforms as “Harvard gray.” The players wore both short-sleeved, 3/4-length-sleeved and long-sleeved shirts in this photo. Five of the fifteen players in this photo wore their shirts unbuttoned at the neck. One player, top row far right, wore a white shirt with no lettering. This player was outfielder D Holmes, who wore the same letter-free shirt in photo C. Oddly in a 1901 Detroit team photo Holmes again wore a road shirt with no lettering.

Top row, from left: C Jones (Det 00, Lon IL 00), D Casey (Det 00, 01, Bro NL 00), J Yeager (Det 00-03, Bro NL 00), A Shaw (99, 00) and D Holmes (00-02). Middle: D Sheehan (Det 00, Ham IL 00), D Harley (Det 00, 02, Cin NL 00), E Frisk (00, 01), S McAllister (00-03) and F Owen (Det 99-01, WB AtL 00). Front: G Nichol (Det 00, WB AtL 00), J Ryan (99, 00), P Dillon (Det 00-02, Pit NL 00), (J Burns, pres), (G Stallings mgr 98-01), E Siever (Det 00-02, 06-08) and J Cronin (00-02). Image scan and player IDs from the Detroit Public Library, Ernie Harwell Collection. Years with team and dates of first games played for Jones and Sheehan from baseball-reference.com. Info on Jones joining team from The Sporting Life, August 18, 1900. Info on Elberfeld’s second suspension from The Sporting Life, September 8 and 15, 1900.

Dated mid-September 1900. Detail view of photo D. Detail view showed the lettering on the road shirts was identical to the lettering on the home uniforms. Also note the position of the buttons in relationship to the letters, and the presence of a shirt pocket under the left breast.

Written documentation on these uniforms:
March 1900: “The American League intends to have something the National League cannot boast of — a league emblem. President Ban Johnson has decided to have all league passes stamped with the American eagle, which will be emblematic of the American Baseball League. It will also be stamped upon the league’s stationary.” From the Detroit Free Press, March 20, 1900.

March 1900: “Detroit uniforms have been ordered. That the Detroit club is to have the best there is to be had this season is evident from the order for uniforms Manager Stallings gave Hodgson, Howard & Marks yesterday afternoon [March 27, 1900]. The order calls for twenty-eight Spalding uniforms, fourteen of white material and fourteen of Harvard gray. The trimmings will be black and the word Detroit will be spelled out in black letters across the breast. A set of red golf coats completed the order. Manager Stallings says that it is his intention to have the Detroit team the neatest in the league. There will be no dirty, ragged suits, such as the patrons of Bennett Park [in Detroit] were accustomed to see under the old regime, and every man will be accountable for his appearance on the field. The white suits will be used at home and the gray when the team is upon the road.” From the Detroit Free Press, March 28, 1900. A portion of this story was published in the Buffalo Evening News, March 30, 1900. Research on both reports from Ed Morton. Hodgson, Howard & Marks was a seller of “athletic goods” located on Woodward Avenue in Detroit, presumably a Spalding outlet.

April 19, 1900, Detroit v. Buffalo, at Detroit, home opener: “The players of the Detroit club, wearing their new and neat white uniforms with black trimmings, were seated on one coach [in the parade], while the plain gray of the Buffalo men adorned the top of another coach.” From the Detroit Free Press, April 20, 1900. Research from Jeff Samoray. The newspaper noted that “The Tigers made a start yesterday such as was never equaled in the history of baseball” as Detroit was no-hit by Buffalo’s Doc Amole.

April 1900: “It was reported yesterday that the Detroit players would don their new traveling suits of gray for the first time today [on April 26, in the home opener in Buffalo]. The Tiger home uniforms being made of white material.” From the Buffalo Morning Express, April 26, 1900. Research from Ed Morton.

Team genealogy: Detroit 1894-
Detroit joined the Western League (WL) in 1894 when the league reformed. The reorganized WL operated between 1894 and 1899 and reformed again as the American League (AL) for the 1900 season. Detroit played in the WL between 1894 and 1899 and has played in the AL from 1900 to the present day. Information from wikipedia.com.