Sports
Hal Newhouser
1921–1998 · baseball pitcher
Detroit-born left-hander who won back-to-back MVP awards for his hometown Tigers in 1944 and 1945; his No. 16 is retired and his statue stands at Comerica Park.
- Born
Detroit, Michigan- Died
Southfield, Michigan
aged 77- Birth name
- Harold Newhouser
- Also known as
- Prince Hal · Hurricane Hal
- Detroit years
- 1921–1998
- Field
- Sports
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Newhouser was born in Detroit to parents who had moved from Pittsburgh, and he grew up with little encouragement to play baseball. At Wilbur Wright Vocational High School he learned machining and pitched for the school team, and a Tigers scout, Wish Egan, signed him as a teenager; for a while he spent mornings in class and afternoons at Briggs Stadium. He debuted with his hometown club in 1939. After a wild start he became the dominant pitcher of the war years, winning the American League MVP in 1944 and again in 1945, the first pitcher to take the award in consecutive seasons, and helping Detroit win the 1945 World Series. He made seven straight All-Star teams. After his career he worked as a scout, famously urging Houston to draft Derek Jeter. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1992, and the Tigers retired his No. 16 in 1997.
Highlights
- American League MVP in 1944 and 1945, the first pitcher to win it twice in a row
- Won two games in the 1945 World Series champion season
- Seven straight All-Star selections, 1942–1948
- Elected to the Hall of Fame in 1992; No. 16 retired in 1997
- Statue at Comerica Park since 2000
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 4
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Played here · 1939–1953
Tiger Stadium site (Briggs Stadium), now The Corner Ballpark
Demolished · 1912–1999
His hometown ballpark, where he reported after morning classes as a teenager; demolished in 2008–2009.
Studied here · 1930s
Wilbur Wright Vocational High School
Status being checked
The Detroit trade school where he learned machining and pitched for the school team.
Memorial · 2000–
Comerica Park
One of the six statues of Tigers greats on the outfield concourse.
Buried here · 1998
Oakland Hills Memorial Gardens
His grave is in the cemetery's Masonic Garden.