The win puts the Tigers at the still-mind blowing 35 and 5 mark. Certainly, with the mediocre Mariners next on the schedule, 38 and 5 is assured. Right?
Miscellany
Venue: Anaheim Stadium
Umpires: HP – Terry Cooney, 1B – Richard Shulock, 2B – Derryl Cousins, 3B – Bill Kunkel
Petry pitched a seven-inning gem in his hometown, allowing five hits and striking out five, surrendering only a Doug DeCinces two-run homer in the fourth.
The Tigers opened the scoring thanks to a Kirk Gibson first-inning single followed by a stolen base, and then an RBI single by Lance Parrish.
Berenguer gave up a solo homer to Rod Carew in the home half of the first and then settled down to allow just two more hits in six innings, striking out nine.
He appeared in 15 games for the Tigers that year, 12 as a pinch hitter. On Aug. 26, he pinch hit for Tom Veryzer in the eighth-inning, a solo homer off the Angels’ Frank Tanana.
The Tigers drafted outfielder Bob Molinaro in the second round of the 1968 June Amateur Draft from Essex Catholic High School in Newark, N.J.
He played in parts of seven minor-league seasons before making his debut on Sept. 18, 1975 against the Indians. He batted fifth, played right field and went hitless in two at bats, facing Jim Bibby — but he walked in his first plate appearance.
In his second game, on Sept. 20 against the Red Sox, he went 3 for 4 and got his first major-league hit — a triple — off Luis Tiant. He appeared in six games in ’75.
Molinaro spent the 1976 season in Evansville and was a September call up in 1977, appearing in four games before being selected off waivers on Sept. 22 by the White Sox.
He had two tours with White Sox, and short stints with Baltimore, the Cubs and the Phillies before wrapping his career how it started: September games with the Tigers.
After being released by the Phillies, Detroit signed him as a free agent on Sept. 1, 1983 and he appeared in eight games, five as a pinch runner, three as pinch hitter. He was 0 for 3 with a walk.
One of Whitaker’s hits was his fourth homer of the year.
Morris 7.1 IP, eight hits, six walks and six strikeouts.
Miscellany
Venue: Tiger Stadium
Umpires: HP – Dan Morrison, 1B – Marty Springstead, 2B – Jim McKean, 3B – Durwood Merrill
Time of Game: 3:00
Attendance: 42,906
Luis Salazar #12
The Tigers signed veteran utility man Luis Salazar as a free agent on Feb, 20, 1988. He has spent the previous season with the Padres, where he began his career in 1980.
The Tigers await the arrival of Oakland for a weekend set.
Record: 29-5
Mark Carreon #15
Outfielder/DH Mark Carreon came to Detroit with Tony Castillo in a Jan. 22, 1992 trade with the Mets for lefty reliever Paul Gibson and minor leaguer Randy Marshall — one of many curious deals the Tigers made in the 1990s.
In his one season in Detroit, Carreon hit just .232 with 10 homers and .636 OPS in 101 games. He homered in his first Tigers at bat, off the Blue Jays’ Juan Guzmán, on April 9.
Carreon had success before and after coming to the Tigers:
5 seasons with the Mets: .272 average, .746 OPS
4 seasons with the Giants: .289/.813
1 season with the Indians: .324/.835
He filed for free agency after the season and signed with the Giants in January 1993.
Bonus! A Taste of Up North
I discovered this live stream cam from Charlevoix looking out at Lake Michigan, and I check it a few times a week. In the winter, it makes me feel great about living in Arizona. In the summer, not so much.
Umpires: HP – Richard Shulock, 1B – Derryl Cousins, 2B – Bill Kunkel, 3B – Terry Cooney
Time of Game: 2:52
Attendance: 22,001
Dave Machemer #9
Here are a few things to know about infielder Dave Machemer. But first, a nugget from his profile in the 1979 Tigers Yearbook:
Born in St. Joseph, on the west side of Michigan, Dave and his wife still live in neighboring Benton Harbor. The 27-year-old infielder has another Michigan tie, being a 1973 graduate of Central Michigan University at Mt. Pleasant.
Machemer homered in his first major league at bat, on June 21, 1978, when he debuted with the California Angels. He led off the game by homering off Twins starter Geoff Zahn. Spoiler: It would be his only career homer.
After a 10-game stint with the ’78 Angels, the Tigers drafted Machemer in the Rule 5 pick that December.
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