Aug. 14, 1984: A Doubleheader Letdown

Game 1: Angels 6 – Tigers 4

W: Don Aase (2-1) – L: Willie Hernández (6-2) – S: Luis Sánchez (11) | Boxscore

Record: 77-42

Highlights

  • A decent start from Juan Berenguer, six innings, five hits, six strikeouts, is wasted by the bullpen. The Tigers were up 4-3 in the seventh until Bob Boone homered off Aurelio López to tie it. Then Willie surrendered two runs on three hits and a walk.
  • Both teams had 10 hits; Juan Beníquez had four of them for California.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Tiger Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Rich Garcia, 1B – Tim McClelland, 2B – Don Denkinger, 3B – Mike Reilly
  • Time of Game: 2:53

Game 2: Angels 12 – Tigers 1

W: Bruce Kison (3-1) – L: Dave Rozema (7-4) | Boxscore

Record: 77-43 — 7.5 games up on Toronto

Highlights

  • Rozema started and last two innings, giving up five runs on seven hits. Doug Bair wasn’t good either: 31/3 innings, five runs, five hits and three walks.
  • Darrell Evans drove in the Tigers lone run on an RBI single in the eighth.

Miscellany

  • Umpires: HP – Tim McClelland, 1B – Don Denkinger, 2B – Mike Reilly, 3B – Rich Garcia
  • Time of Game: 2:33
  • Attendance: 38,597

Birthdays

Colt Keith and the late Mark Fidrych and Skinny Graham

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 500: 5/9 — Rarity: 426

A clunker compared to yesterday.

See you tomorrow.

Aug. 12, 1984: Tigers 8 – Royals 4

W: Milt Wilcox (12-7) – L: Bret Saberhagen (6-9) | Boxscore

Record: 77-41 — 9 games up on Toronto

Highlights

  • Detroit sprinted to a 4-0 lead in the first, thanks to Ruppert Jones‘s two-run homer off Kansas City starter Bret Saberhagen.
  • In the bottom of the seventh, Milt allowed a single, double and a walk, and was tagged for three of the Royals’ four runs that inning, before being replaced by Aurelio López.
  • The Tigers continued their 1984 mastery* of Dan Quisenberry scoring three in the eighth to pull away for good.

*He pitched 12 innings against Detroit in the regular season and allowed 14 hits and six runs, including two homers.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Royals Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Dale Ford, 1B – Larry Barnett, 2B – Rocky Roe, 3B – Ken Kaiser
  • Time of Game: 2:47
  • Attendance: 32,753

Birthdays

Kyle Lobstein, Urbano Lugo, the late Fred Hutchinson, Marc Hall

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 498 9/9 — Rarity: 54

See you tomorrow.

Aug. 11, 1984: Tigers 9 – Royals 5

W: Jack Morris (15-8) – L: Charlie Leibrandt (6-5) – S: Aurelio López (12) | Boxscore

Record: 76-41 — 8 games up on Toronto

Highlights

  • The Cat was this close to a complete game win, but he allowed three ninth-inning runs and Sparky pulled him with two outs. Lopez came in and struck out Willie Wilson to end the game.
  • Former Tiger Lynn Jones had three hits off Morris.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Royals Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Ken Kaiser, 1B – Dale Ford, 2B – Larry Barnett, 3B – Rocky Roe
  • Time of Game: 2:42
  • Attendance: 40,501

Birthdays

Al Pedrique, and the late Bill Monbouquette and Bobo Newsom

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 497 8/9 — Rarity: 184

See you tomorrow.

Aug. 10, 1984: Tigers 5 – Royals 4

W: Aurelio López (10-0) – L: Joe Beckwith (5-3) – S: Willie Hernández (25) | Boxscore

Record: 75-41 — 8 games up on Toronto

Highlights

  • The Royals had a 4-3 lead before solo home runs in the sixth, by Kirk Gibson, and the eighth, Ruppert Jones, put the Tigers up for good.
  • Dan Petry started and last until two out in the seventh, striking out five. López and Hernández combined for 21/3 innings of scoreless relief.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Royals Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Rocky Roe, 1B – Ken Kaiser, 2B – Dale Ford, 3B – Larry Barnett
  • Time of Game: 2:54
  • Attendance: 32,181

Birthdays

Matt den Dekker, Anthony Gose, Josh Anderson, Jeff Frazier, Brandon Lyon, Tom Brookens and Rocky Colavito

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 496 9/9 — Rarity: 12

See you tomorrow.

Aug. 8, 1984: Red Sox 8 – Tigers 0

W: Oil Can Boyd (7-8) – L: Glenn Abbott (3-4) | Boxscore

Record: 74-41 — 8 games up on Toronto

Highlights

  • Abbott made his final appearance as a Tiger and as a major leaguer in this one. He started and wasn’t able to survive the first inning: 2/3 of an inning, five runs on five hits, including a three-run homer from Rich Gedman — who had a five-RBI game.
  • Juan Berenguer pitched 51/3 innings of solid relief — two days after pitching a complete game.
  • The Tigers had seven hits, all singles, off Boyd; Johnny Grubb had two of them.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Fenway Park
  • Umpires: HP – Jim McKean, 1B – Durwood Merrill, 2B – Dan Morrison, 3B – Tim Welke
  • Time of Game: 2:28
  • Attendance: 32,563

Birthdays

Alexis Gomez and the late Mike Ivie, Frank Howard, Marlin Stuart, Ken Holloway and Jack Smith*

*Smith appeared in one major-league game, for the Tigers, on May 18, 1912. He entered the game as a defensive substitution at third base, and didn’t have a plate appearance. This was an infamous game against the Athletics in Philadelphia when (future Catholic priest) Allan Travers was forced into duty and allowed 24 runs on 26 hits and seven walks. Read about him here.

See you tomorrow.

Aug. 6, 1984: Doubleheader Madness Begins

Thanks to April rainouts, the Tigers and Red Sox played back-to-back doubleheaders in Boston. These follow the schedule doubleheader against the Royals on Aug. 5.

Game 1: Tigers 9 – Red Sox 6

Rescheduled from the April 15 rainout.

W: Aurelio López – L: Bob Ojeda (9-9) – S: Willie Hernández (23) | Boxscore

Record: 73-39 — 8.5 games up on Toronto

Highlights

  • A classic 198o’s slugfest: 16 runs on 31 hits.
  • Dan Petry started and last 42/3 innings and gave up six runs on 11 hits and two walks.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Fenway Park
  • Umpires: HP – Jim McKean, 1B – Durwood Merrill, 2B – Dan Morrison, 3B – Tim Welke
  • Time of Game: 3:17

Game 2: Red Sox 10 – Tigers 2

W: Roger Clemens (6-4) – L: Carl Willis (0-2) | Boxscore

Record: 73-39 — 8.5 games up on Toronto

Highlights

  • Yikes. The Red Sox battered three Tigers pitchers — primarily starter Willis and relief man Doug Bair — for 15 hits.
  • Willis got only one batter out and it was a productive one for Jim Rice, who drove in the game’s first run. All told: 1/3 of an inning, five hits and four earned runs.
  • Bair pitched the next 42/3 innings and allowed five runs on six hits.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Fenway Park
  • Umpires: HP – Durwood Merrill, 1B – Dan Morrison, 2B – Tim Welke, 3B – Jim McKean
  • Time of Game: 2:55
  • Attendance: 31,055

See you tomorrow.

Aug. 5, 1984: Swept by the Royals

Game 1: Royals 5 – Tigers 4

W: Bret Saberhagen (6-8) – LP: Willie Hernández (6-1) – S: Dan Quisenberry (29) | Boxscore

Record: 72-37 — 8 games up on Toronto

Highlights

  • The Royals hand Willie his first loss of the year and Saberhagen gets his second win of the series.
  • Birthday boy Dave Rozema started and gave up three runs on 10 hits in six innings. Hernández pitched three innings and allowed six hits and two runs.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Tiger Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Derryl Cousins, 1B – Richard Shulock, 2B – Bill Kunkel, 3B – Terry Cooney
  • Time of Game: 2:57

Game 2: Royals 4 – Tigers 0

W: Charlie Leibrandt (6-4) – L: Juan Berenguer (5-8) | Boxscore

Record: 72-38 — 8 games up on Toronto

Highlights

  • K.C. scored four in the first off Berenguer and made it hold up thanks to a dazzling start by Liebrandt.
  • Berenguer settled down to pitch a complete game, giving up eight hits, a pair of walks and striking out eight.
  • Alan Trammell had two hits and that was about it for the offense.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Tiger Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Richard Shulock, 1B – Bill Kunkel, 2B – Terry Cooney, 3B – Derryl Cousins
  • Time of Game: 2:37
  • Attendance: 42,761

Birthdays

Dave Rozema and the late Vic Frazier and Sam Gibson

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 491: 9/9 — Rarity 23

See you tomorrow.

Aug. 4, 1984: Royals 9 – Tigers 5

W: Joe Beckwith (4-2) – L: Doug Bair (4-3) | Boxscore

Record: 72-36 — 9.5 games up on Toronto

Highlights

  • Let’s see, the Tigers had a 4-2 lead at one point in this one, then the Royals scored seven runs across the sixth and seventh innings and that was it. K. C. had 15 hits, with Don Slaught and Pat Sheridan each collecting three.
  • Doug Bair allowed just two runs — half of starter Glenn Abbott‘s total, and less than Sid Monge‘s three — but took the loss anyway. He faced five batters in the sixth: two walked, two got hits.
  • The Royals’ win got them within four games of the .500 mark … and 20 fewer wins than the Tigers.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Tiger Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Terry Cooney, 1B – Derryl Cousins, 2B – Richard Shulock, 3B – Bill Kunkel
  • Time of Game: 2:57
  • Attendance: 41,714

Birthdays

John Farrell, Terry Humphrey, Johnny Grubb, Frank Kostro, and the late Kevin Collins, Ray Oyler, Tuck Stainback, George Caster and Chick Galloway.

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 490 9/9 — Rarity: 23

See you tomorrow.

Aug. 3, 1984: Royals 9 – Tigers 6

W: Bret Saberhagen (5-8) – L: Milt Wilcox (11-7) – S: Dan Quisenberry (28) | Boxscore

Record: 72-35 — 10.5 games up on Toronto

Highlights

  • Milt gave up six runs on six hits, one of them a Frank White grand slam, in three innings of work — though he pitched to five hitters in the fourth inning. At that point, the Royals handed their starter Bud Black an 8-2 lead.
  • Saberhagen relieved Black and pitched an inning and two-thirds to earn the win. Quisenberry allowed only two hits in his 22/3 innings.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Tiger Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Bill Kunkel, 1B – Terry Cooney, 2B – Derryl Cousins, 3B – Richard Shulock
  • Time of Game: 2:37
  • Attendance: 39,480

Birthdays

Pat McCoy, Matt Joyce, Wendell Magee, Dan Meyer and the late Jim Hegan and Harry Heilmann, who hit .342 in 15 years with the Tigers. He hit over .390 four times, including .403 in 1923. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1952.

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 489 9/9 — Rarity: 32

See you tomorrow.

Aug. 2, 1984: Tigers 2 – Indians 1

W: Jack Morris (14-7) – L: Bert Blyleven (10-5) – S: Willie Hernández (22) | Boxscore

Record: 72-34 — 11.5 games up on Toronto

Highlights

  • This is a special game for me. My Dad treated me, my brother and my friend Gordie to this one to celebrate my 16th birthday. We ate at the greasiest of greasy spoons on Trumbull, in the Checker (?) Cab building. Then we made our way to our box seats — an absolute rarity — down the left field line, above the Tigers’ bullpen.
  • Morris and Blyleven were evenly matched and homers supplied all the runs: Andre Thornton hit a solo home run in the top of the fourth, and Lou Whitaker hit a two-run shot in the fifth to cap the scoring.
  • Blyleven threw six innings and allowed seven hits and struck out two. Morris tossed eight innings and also allowed seven hits with one strikeout.
  • Willie allowed a leadoff single in the ninth and then retired the next three batters to earn the save.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Tiger Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Ted Hendry, 1B – Drew Coble, 2B – Jim Evans, 3B – Greg Kosc
  • Time of Game: 2:39
  • Attendance: 28,700

Birthdays

Colby Lewis, Matt Miller, the pride of Macomb Community College, Art “Spider” James, and the late William “Kid” Nance.

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 488 9/9 — Rarity: 63

See you tomorrow.