Two July 4s to Remember

Here are a couple of fond memories from the Tigers’ recent play on Independence Day, courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com:

• 2000 – In the Tigers’ 11 – 0 win over Tampa Bay, Shane Halter takes over the catching duties in the eighth from Brad Ausmus. Halter has now played every position in the majors: with the Royals, he pitched on July 17, 1998. Dave Mlicki is the winner with Dean Palmer powering a pair of home runs.

• 2001 – The 50 people stranded on the Ferris wheel ride at Comerica Park for two hours during the Royal-Tiger game are rescued by firefighters and emergency crews using a cherry picker and a fire truck ladder. The fans received tickets to another game, free dinner and team autographs from the Tigers.

Hope yours was a safe and festive Fourth.