July 11, 1984: The All-Star Break Continues

‘Twas the final day of the 1984 All-Star Break and the Tigers prepared to start the second half with a four-game series against the Twins at the Metrodome.

So, let’s look at a game from this date in another season: 1977.

July 11, 1977: Tigers 9 – Blue Jays 7

W: Steve Grilli (1-0) – L: Dennis DeBarr (0-1) | Boxscore

Record: 38-46 — 6th place, 10.5 games behind Boston

Highlights

The Blue Jays tagged Tigers starter Dave Roberts with five runs in the top of the first. Detroit answered with a run of their own in the first, and another four in the second to make it 5-5 heading to the third.

Rusty Staub led the Tigers’s 10-hit attack, with a two-for-three night — including a second-inning three-run homer — and four RBI.

Ron LeFlore, John Wockenfuss and Tom Veryzer each had two hits.

Roberts pitched 6^2/3, allowing seven runs on nine hits, and gave way to Steve Grilli who pitched 2^1/3 hitless innings to secure the win.

Miscellany

Venue: Tiger Stadium
Umpires: HP – Vic Voltaggio, 1B – Marty Springstead, 2B – Larry Barnett, 3B – Jim Evans
Time of Game: 2:30
Attendance: 9,057

Dickie Noles – RHP #27

The first, and perhaps last, thing to know about Dickie Noles‘ Tigers career is that he was the player to be named later in the trade that brought him to Detroit. On Sept. 21, 1987, he was traded by the Cubs to the Tigers for a player to be named later.

He appeared in four games:

Sept. 22: He entered the game against Boston with bases load and two out in the bottom of the ninth, and got Dwight Evans to hit into a 1-3 ground out. Noles earned the save.

Sept. 25: Facing the Blue Jays, he pitched 1^1/3 innings, allowing a hit, a walk and a run. The Tigers lost 3-2.

Sept. 26: This one still hurts. The Tigers took a 9-7 lead into the bottom of the ninth. Mike Henneman allowed a leadoff double to Jesse Barfield, an infield single to Willie Upshaw and then hit former Tiger Rick Leach. The next batter, Juan Beníquez, laced a triple to left off Noles and the Jays won, 10-9. We sobbed.

Sept. 27: Noles’ final Tigers appearance came in a huge, season-saving Tigers win. Doyle Alexander pitched the first 10^2/3 innings, and four relievers covered the final 2^1/3. Noles was the fourth; he entered with two out in the bottom of the 13th and they tying run on first. He got Barfield to hit it to shortstop for a force out at second. Tigers won 3-2 and that was it for Noles in Detroit.

On Oct. 23, 1987, he was returned to the Cubs. That’s a 32-day Tigers career. But given the mayhem of those final 10 days of the 1987 season, those were pretty good days to be with Detroit.

Birthdays

Johnny Barbato, Yorman Bazardo and the late Al Federoff

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 466 7/9: Rarity: 285

Ugly.

See you tomorrow.

July 10, 1984: National League 3 – American League 1

W: Charlie Lea (1-0) – L: Dave Stieb (0-1) – S: Rich Gossage (1) | Boxscore

Highlights

Lou Whitaker led off the game with a double to right off the Expos’ Charlie Lea. (Baseball Reference’s box score describes the hit as “Pop Fly to Short RF Line”.)

In the third, he singled off Fernando Valenzuela and finished two for three before being replaced by the Blue Jays’ Dámaso García in the sixth.

Lance Parrish started and batted seventh. He went hitless with two strikeouts. Jim Sundberg replaced him in the fifth.

Jack Morris relieved Stieb in the third and tossed two scoreless innings, allowing two hits and a walk, and striking out two.

Chet Lemon started and batted eighth. In the second inning he singled to center off Lea. In the top of the fifth, Lance, Chet and the Mariners’ Alvin Davis were struck out in succession by Dwight Gooden.

Willie Hernández allowed an eighth-inning homer to Dale Murphy which gave the N.L. the insurance run they needed.

Notable: A.L. Manager Joe Altobelli used five pitchers, two from Toronto (Stieb and Bill Caudill), two from Detroit and one, Richard Dotson, from Chicago.

Miscellany

Venue: Candlestick Park
Umpires: HP – Lee Weyer, 1B – Al Clark, 2B – Dutch Rennert, 3B – Durwood Merrill, LF – Fred Brocklander, RF – Rocky Roe
Time of Game: 2:29
Attendance: 57,756

Birthdays

Buddy Groom, the late Jim Walsh and Bobby Lowe

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 465 9/9: Rarity: 7

See you tomorrow.

July 9, 1984: The All-Star Break

The Tigers had six players on the 1984 American League All-Star team, three in the starting lineup …

… and three reserves:

Tram was on the disabled list, as I recall, with an elbow issue and wouldn’t play in the game, played at Candlestick Park.

I had held out hope that Morris would start the game. Alas, that assignment went to the Blue Jays’ Dave Stieb.

The Standings

A seven-game lead at the All-Star Break, even knowing how it all ends, is still remarkable. What I did not realize, until I started writing this post, was the Padres entered the break with the best record in the National League.

Birthdays

Orville Inman “Coot” Veal and the late Bud Black, Jimmy Shevlin, Glenn Myatt and Carl Holling

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 464 8/9 —Rarity: 159

See you tomorrow.

July 8, 1984: Rangers 9 – Tigers 7

W: Frank Tanana (9-8) – L: Doug Bair (4-2) – S: Dave Schmidt (5) | Boxscore

Record: 57-27 — 7 games up on Toronto

Highlights

Texas led this one 7-0 in the third, ringing the bell of Doug Bair in a spot start. He lasted 2^2/3 innings, serving up six runs on eight hits.

Tanana started for the Rangers and he gave up six runs, two earned, and struck out five in his six innings of work.

The Tigers trailed 8-2 to start the sixth inning and scored four runs — three on Howard Johnson‘s homer — to draw within 8-6. Another run in the eighth made it 8-7, but the Rangers tacked on an insurance run in the eighth to seal it.

Chet Lemon matched Johnson’s two-hit, three-RBI performance.

The Tigers head into the All-Star Break 30 games over .500.

Miscellany

Venue: Arlington Stadium
Umpires: HP – Joe Brinkman, 1B – Larry McCoy, 2B – Nick Bremigan, 3B – Mark Johnson
Time of Game: 2:37
Attendance: 16,010

Lerrin LaGrow – RHP #30

The Tigers drafted Phoenix-native Lerrin LaGrow in the sixth round of the 1969 MLB June Amateur Draft from Arizona State University.

He made his major-league debut the following season, on June 28, 1970.

He came in the eighth inning, in relief of starter Joe Niekro. He faced one batter, Paul Schaal, and gave up a single.

Here’s a snapshot of LaGrow’s Tigers career:

1970: 0-1, 7.03 ERA in 12 innings pitched
1972: 0-1, 1.32 in 27 IP
1973: 1-5, 4.33 in 54 IP
1974: 8-19, 4.66 in 216 IP
1975: 7-14, 4.38 in 164 IP

The Cardinals purchased his contract from the Tigers on April 2, 1976, which means he didn’t even get to enjoy the Mark Fidrych Era.

But, by leaving Detroit when he did, his number 30 became available for Jason Thompson.

Birthdays

Mike Gerber, Ernie Young, Lerrin LaGrow and the late Salty Parker, Roy Crumpler and Clyde Barfoot

See you tomorrow.

July 7, 1984: Tigers 5 – Rangers 2

W: Dave Rozema (5-1) – L: Danny Darwin (5-5) – S: Willie Hernández (16) | Boxscore

Record: 57-26 — 7 games up on Toronto

Highlights

A solid start for Rozema: six innings, nine hits and one earned run.

Hernández with another multi-inning save — three! — albeit a bit wild. Three walks and a hit.

Ruppert Jones had three hits and Lance Parrish hit a solo homer.

Miscellany

Venue: Arlington Stadium
Umpires: HP – Mark Johnson, 1B – Joe Brinkman, 2B – Larry McCoy, 3B – Nick Bremigan
Time of Game: 2:41
Attendance: 29,262

Birthdays

Alfredo Figaro, Dan Gladden and the late Mel Clark and the Georges: Smith, Spencer, Moriarty and Suggs.

See you tomorrow.

July 6, 1984: Rangers 5 – Tigers 3

W: Mike Mason (6-6) – L: Juan Berenguer (4-7) – S: Dave Schmidt (4) | Boxscore

Record: 56-26 — 6 games up on Toronto

Highlights

Detroit trailed 5-0 in the eighth when Darrell Evans hit a two-out, three-run homer off future Tiger Dickie Noles, but it wasn’t enough.

Juan Berenguer started and didn’t make it out of the third, giving up five hits, two walks and three runs — along with a wild pitch and a balk.

Chet Lemon had two hits.

Miscellany

Venue: Arlington Stadium
Umpires: HP – Nick Bremigan, 1B – Mark Johnson, 2B – Joe Brinkman, 3B – Larry McCoy
Time of Game: 2:42
Attendance: 22,378

Birthdays

Greg Norton, Omar Olivares, Jason Thompson and the late Karl Olson

See you tomorrow.

July 5, 1984: Tigers 7 – Rangers 4

W: Aurelio López (7-0) – L: Charlie Hough (8-7) – S: Willie Hernández (15) | Boxscore

Record: 56-25 — 7 games up on Toronto

Highlights

Down 4-1 heading to the top of the ninth, the Tigers scored six runs off of Rangers’ starter Charlie Hough.

Kirk Gibson‘s two-out, three-run homer turned a tie game into a 7-4 lead.

Dan Petry went 5^2/3, allowing four runs and striking out six.

Miscellany

Venue: Arlington Stadium
Umpires: HP – Larry McCoy, 1B – Nick Bremigan, 2B – Mark Johnson, 3B – Joe Brinkman
Time of Game: 2:26
Attendance: 15,151

Birthdays

Doug Bochtler and Tim Worrell

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 459 9/9: Rarity 28

See you tomorrow.

🇺🇲 July 4, 1984: White Sox 8 – Tigers 2 🇺🇲

July 4, 1984: White Sox 8 – Tigers 2

W: Richard Dotson (11-4) – L: Milt Wilcox (8-6) | Boxscore

Record: 55-25 — 7 games up on Toronto

Highlights

Detroit’s skid hits four games in a pitcher’s duel-turned-blowout.

Wilcox and Dotson matched zeroes through five innings, and in the sixth the wheels came off of Milt and the Sox took an 8-0 lead.

Aurelio López relieved Wilcox, who’d given up six runs, but he managed to get just one out before handing it over to Sid Monge. Poor Isidro gave up two runs and a homer in his two innings of work.

Dotson allowed just three of the Tigers five hits.

Darrell Evans and Johnny Grubb hit homers.

Miscellany

Venue: Comiskey Park
Umpires: HP – Jim Evans, 1B – Greg Kosc, 2B – Ted Hendry, 3B – Drew Coble
Time of Game: 2:34
Attendance: 37,665

Birthdays

Francisco Cruceta and the late Bill Tuttle, Babe Birrer and George Mullin

See you tomorrow.

July 3, 1984: White Sox 9 – Tigers

July 3, 1984: White Sox 9 – Tigers 5

W: Tom Seaver (7-6) – L: Jack Morris (12-5) – S: Ron Reed (4) | Boxscore

Record: 55-24 — 8 games up Toronto

Highlights

The Tigers lost their third-consecutive game for the first time since the Memorial Day sweep at the hands of the Mariners.

Morris fooled no one and Seaver was not much better — but good enough to win. The Cat lasted 4^1/3, giving up eight runs on nine hits. Tom Terrific allowed five earned runs on five hits — three of them homers — walked three and struck out seven.