Navin Field postcard. (Photo by Mark Rucker/Transcendental Graphics, Getty Images)
On the Fourth of July in 1912, George Mullin became the first Detroit Tigers pitcher to throw a no-hitter. Guiding him from behind the plate that day at Navin Field was a durable catcher named Oscar Stanage.
Spencer Turnbull threw the eighth no-hitter in Detroit Tigers history on May 18, 2021. Eric Haase was his catcher that evening in Seattle. Turnbull became the sixth Detroiter to twirl a no-no, while Haase became the eighth different Tiger to catch one. They were the latest pair of battery mates to travel down a path in franchise history that was first carved out by hurler George Mullin and backstop Oscar Stanage in 1912.