From 1977 to 1992, only two players wore number 14 for the Tigers, both of them (mostly) played first base and were fan favorites:
John Wockenfuss, wore it from 1977-1983, resurrecting the number after a three-year layoff following Bill Slayback’s two-season tenure, 1973 and ‘74. In his 10 seasons in Detroit, Johnny B played in 677 games and hit .261 with 80 home runs and 284 RBI.
Dave Bergman put on number 14 within days after being traded for Wockenfuss in March 1984. From then until he retired in 1992, he wore it in 871 games, batting .259 with 39 homers and 219 RBI.
There are many candidates for this distinction, but I think Mike Moore was the quintessential Dave Duncan reclamation project in the late 1980s.
He went from a so-so starter in Seattle to a 19-game winner in Oakland.
By the time he signed a three-year, $10 million contract with the Tigers in 1993, most of that Duncan magic had vanished … much like the benefit of the spacious foul territory in the Oakland-Alameda County Stadium.
But we wouldn’t find out right away. Soon, but not right away.
As it seems to often happen in baseball, if not all sports, Moore made his Tigers debut on Opening Day 1993, April 5, against his former team in Oakland. It was a start to forget and a sign of things to come — again, we didn’t know it yet! — 42/3 innings, six hits, three walks and four earned runs. The Tigers lost 9-4.
Four days later, he started against the Angels in Anaheim and got only four outs. In 11/3 innings, he gave up six hits and five runs.
To recap: In his first two Tigers starts, he pitched six innings and allowed nine runs on 12 hits.
Although Moore’s ERA dipped below five once all year — 4.99, after his two-hit shutout of the White Sox on Sept. 10 — he did have a couple of incredible starts:
Moore was certainly durable* in his first season in Detroit: 36 starts and 223 innings. His final line: 13-9, 5.91 ERA, with three shutouts.
*In nine of his 14 seasons, he finished with more than 200 innings pitched — and in 1990 he threw 1991/3.
Well, 1994 and 1995 went about as well for Moore as it did for his Tigers teams. Still, the man did take the ball every fifth day (maybe fourth day back then?), pitching 25 starts both years.
In 1994, he could’ve reached 30+ starts again if not for the player’s strike, but anyway …
The third and final year of his Tigers contract, 1995, was a disaster: 25 starts, 5-15 and a 7.53 ERA.
Looking back 30 years, it wasn’t fair to expect Mike Moore, at 33, to be a top-of-the-rotation starter. After the mirage of 1993, the Tigers were not good in 1994 and ’95, so it wasn’t going to make a difference whether Moore was the staff’s ace, the fifth starter or a long reliever.
Oh and just looping back to the benefits of pitching home games in Oakland versus Detroit: Tiger Stadium’s cozy dimensions not only hurt him in the no-foul-territory fashion but also in surrendering the long ball: He made 86 starts and gave up 86 homers. Not all of them at The Corner, of course, but enough of them.
I asked my Dad if I could skip the afternoon portion of that junior-year school day. It was a hard no.
I was on the yearbook staff and we decided it the 1984-85 edition of Spectus would not be complete without some on-the-ground photos and coverage of the Tigers World Series Parade.
So, yeah, I went.
My Dad seemed to be — at best — okay with my going downtown during a school day in the service of my, ahem, studies.
It was a blast for me and about a half dozen of my friends, some of whom were on the school newspaper staff and, yes, they needed fresh copy too.
The only person I think that did not enjoy themselves was the poor soul who parked their brown Chevy Nova-like car on Michigan Avenue. So many people — maybe us too? — stood or sat on it that the roof was caved in.
Two homers by Gibby, who drove in five, and a solo shot by Lance Parrish, a sacrifice fly/pop out by Rusty Kuntz. What more to say?
I was going to write about Game 5, but why waste your time when you can relive it down here 👇🏻. If you want the short version from Ernie, try this one.
Poor Dan Petry finished the postseason with a 0-1 record and an ERA of 6.00!
Miscellany
Venue: Tiger Stadium
Umpires: HP – Paul Runge, 1B – Mike Reilly, 2B – Doug Harvey, 3B – Larry Barnett, LF – Bruce Froemming, RF – Rich Garcia
Time of Game: 2:55
Attendance: 51,901
Postscript
Was there a downside to the Tigers winning this game? For me, yes.
Weeks before the postseason began, I was asked to be on clean-up duty at a small wedding reception for the aunt of my then-girlfriend. I didn’t even think to look at the postseason calendar — I was 16! As luck would have it, I missed the entire game.
Using a phone on the wall at the reception hall, I was left to listen to Ernie and Paul through a phone my sister placed next to the radio at home.
So, the next World Series the Tigers win, will be the first one I ever see.
Alan Trammell all but sewed up his World Series MVP in this game, driving in all four runs with a pair of two-run homers — both off Padres starter Show. Tram finished the day three for four.
The Cat was superb: a complete-game five-hitter, striking out four. It was his second World Series win, and third in the postseason.
One more to go.
Miscellany
Venue: Tiger Stadium
Umpires: HP – Rich Garcia, 1B – Paul Runge, 2B – Mike Reilly, 3B – Doug Harvey, LF – Larry Barnett, RF – Bruce Froemming
I call this one The Kurt Bevacqua Revenge Game. The Tigers looked to be on the road to taking Game 2 with a five-hit, three-run first inning that dispatched Padres started Ed Whitson after he retired only two outs.
Petry started and lasted just 41/3 innings and gave up five earned runs on eight hits and three walks. The big blow was Bevacqua’s three-run homer in the fifth which sent Peaches to the showers.
Padres reliever Andy Hawkins was pretty much untouchable over his 51/3 innings, allowing just one hit, and Craig Lefferts was just as good in his three innings.
The Tigers jumped on Thurmond and got half of their eight hits in the first inning. A Lou Whitaker leadoff double followed by an Alan Trammell single brought home the game’s first run. Lance Parrish and Larry Herndon also singled in the inning but were stranded.
San Diego followed suit and tagged The Cat for a pair of runs in the home half of the first. After quickly dispatching Alan Wiggins and Tony Gwynn, the Padres strung together three hits, singles by Graig Nettles and Steve Garvey, and an RBI double from Terry Kennedy, to take a 2-1 lead.
The difference in the game was Herndon’s fifth-inning two-run homer off Thurmond.
In the bottom of the seventh, we witnessed a dazzling defensive play by Kirk Gibson, who fielded Kurt Bevacqua‘s liner to the right field corner and threw a perfect relay to Whitaker who nailed Bevacqua at third.
Morris cruised the rest of the way, scattering eight hits, walking three and striking out nine.
Miscellany
Venue: Jack Murphy Stadium
Umpires: HP – Doug Harvey, 1B – Larry Barnett, 2B – Bruce Froemming, 3B – Rich Garcia, LF – Paul Runge, RF – Mike Reilly
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