Sports
Lou Whitaker
born 1957 · baseball second baseman
Tigers second baseman for 19 seasons and half of baseball's longest double-play partnership with Alan Trammell; his No. 1 was retired in 2022.
- Born
Brooklyn, New York
age 69- Birth name
- Louis Rodman Whitaker Jr.
- Also known as
- Sweet Lou
- Detroit years
- 1977–1995
- Field
- Sports
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Born in Brooklyn and raised in Virginia, Whitaker was a fifth-round pick of the Tigers in 1975. He reached Detroit late in 1977 on the same day as shortstop Alan Trammell, won the American League Rookie of the Year award in 1978, and never played for another team. That same year fans began greeting him with a long, rolling "Loooou" whenever he came to the plate, a Tiger Stadium tradition that lasted his whole career. A graceful fielder with surprising power, he won three straight Gold Gloves (1983–1985), four Silver Slugger awards and five consecutive All-Star selections, and he was a key member of the 1984 world champions. Only Ty Cobb and Al Kaline played more games for Detroit. Whitaker retired in 1995 and entered the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 2000. After years of fan campaigns, the Tigers retired his No. 1 in August 2022.
Highlights
- 1978 American League Rookie of the Year
- 2,390 games for Detroit, third in club history
- Five straight All-Star selections, 1983–1987
- Starting second baseman for the 1984 world champions
- No. 1 retired by the Tigers in August 2022
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 2
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 · 1977–1995
Tiger Stadium (site)
Demolished · 1912–1999
Where fans greeted him with the long "Lou" chant for nineteen seasons; demolished in 2008–2009.
Memorial · 2022
Comerica Park
His No. 1 was retired here in August 2022. The park is due to be renamed Fifth Third Park before 2027.