Final Approval Pizza Cake for New Tiger Owner

The sale of the Detroit Tigers from Thomas Monaghan to Mike Ilitch was unanimously approved, and the formal transfer of control will take place today.

Baseball owners from the American and National leagues approved the sale in a few minutes by telephone conference call. Ilitch also owns the Detroit Red Wings of the NHL and Little Caesar’s Enterprises Inc., a pizza rival of Monaghan’s company, Domino’s Pizza Inc.

The sale price was about $85 million. Monaghan purchased the Tigers for $53 million Oct. 10, 1983, from John E. Fetzer, who owned the franchise for almost 30 years.