Downriver Today

No. 1 will finally get the notice it deserves for the Detroit Tigers.

The team will be retiring Lou Whitaker's No. 1 jersey on Aug. 6 at Comerica Park before the game against the Tampa Bay Rays, the Tigers reported in a release.

"It brings a smile to my face to be able to finally see Lou Whitaker get some of the recognition that he deserves," teammate Lance Parrish said in a video on the team's site. "One of the great things about Lou is seeing Lou's face light up with a big smile, and I'm looking forward to seeing that happen on the day they retire his jersey."

The second baseman was with the Tigers from 1977-1995, Baseball Reference reported. He was the American League Rookie of the Year in 1978 and was voted to the All-Star Game five times.

The plan to retire Whitaker's number was first announced Dec. 17, 2019, soon after the Hall of Fame's Modern Era Committee didn't come up with enough votes to induct him into the Hall in Cooperstown, New York, the Tigers reported. It was Whitaker's first appearance on the Modern Era ballot. He had been overlooked a couple of years earlier when his teammates Alan Trammell and Jack Morris made the cut. Whitaker's next opportunity to earn his place in the Hall will be in two years.

The Tigers made a public push for Whitaker to get into the Hall in the 2019 vote, the team reported. Although it didn't work out, the Tigers are showing their respect for his contributions to the organization by retiring his jersey. It will hang on the wall with the likes of Trammell, Morris, Charlie Gehringer, Hank Greenberg, Al Kaline, Sparky Anderson, Hal Newhouser, Willie Horton and Jackie Robinson.