Detroit Tigers left fielder Brett Callahan had a historic first at-bat. But the story behind that history is crazier than you may realize.
Callahan hit a two-run triple off Chicago White Sox pitcher Sean Burke to mark his first MLB hit on Sunday, Aug. 16, becoming just the seventh player in franchise history to hit a triple in his first MLB game. The last Tigers player to hit a triple in his first at-bat was Bill (Ed) Irwin, who did so in the fourth inning as a pinch hitter in an infamous 24-2 Tigers loss to the Philadelphia Athletics on May 18, 1912.
But according to his SABR biography, that was the only major league game Irwin ever played.
PRESSURE? WHAT PRESSURE? BRETT CALLAHAN 2-RUN RBI TRIPLE ON HIS FIRST @MLB PITCH!! pic.twitter.com/ujHeP6cPcm
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) August 16, 2026
Irwin was a journeyman minor leaguer living in Philadelphia who was recruited by Detroit to fill in for Tigers players striking against the indefinite suspension of franchise legend Ty Cobb. The strike lasted only one game, as American League President Ban Johnson threatened to ban every participating player, but it allowed Irwin to carve his name into Tigers lore.
Irwin actually hit two triples in that 1912 game, becoming the only Tigers player to do so in his major league debut, before never appearing in another major league contest. According to his biography, he died four years later in a saloon fight.
And there's a second piece of trivia related to Callahan that comes from that game.
The pitcher in that game was a 20-year-old by the name of Alan Travers, who allowed all 24 runs (only 14 earned) over his eight innings and later became a Catholic priest, the only player to do so in major league history. Travers was officially the first major leaguer to come from St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia, which is also where Callahan played his college ball.
As former Tigers catcher Jake Rogers said on Saturday, baseball has a weird way of explaining itself sometimes.
Need to catch up on the news during your lunch break? Sign up for our Sports Briefing newsletter to get daily summaries of Detroit sports!
You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tigers LF Brett Callahan hits historic triple in first MLB at-bat
