Detroit, Michigan
The first major league team in the city was the Detroit Wolverines, who contended in the National League during 1881-1888. The nickname, which is now primarily associated with the University of Michigan teams, came from Michigan's nickname, "The Wolverine State".
The Wolverines' ownership, in a precursor to the New York Yankees, spent a great deal of money to bring a championship team to Detroit. As such, the team won an early World Series in 1887. However, Detroit was not yet the Motor City, and did not have a large enough population to sustain a major league franchise, so the team folded after one more season.
Several minor league clubs came and went over the next few years, most of them called the "Wolverines".
Read more about this topic: History Of Baseball Team Nicknames