Yikes. Another forgettable game by Morris: Four innings (he faced three batters in the fifth), seven earned runs, 10 hits, and two walks.
Roger Craig’s 1984 season journal, “Inside Pitch,” is in many ways superior to Sparky’s “Bless You Boys” because of the focus on the pitchers. Here’s part of what Craig wrote about this game:
Our five-game winning streak died in a Morris tantrum. He flew into a fit over a borderline ball-strike call by home plate umpire Mark Johnson and proceeded to lose 3-1 and 4-3 leads in a 10-6 loss …
… Jack seems unable to comprehend the serious nature of his frustrations. He ranted and raved. He embarrassed me, himself, Sparky, and the front office. He incensed his teammates. Quite obviously, Jack has a lot of growing up to do. He’s not having fun pitching and he’s not a happy person.
I did not talk to Jack following the game, but he’s going to hear from me tomorrow.
The Tigers scored three in the first and let it ride the rest of the way, thanks to a strong 72/3 innings from Dan Petry. He allowed just five hits and a walk to go with five strikeouts.
He spent most of the ’91 season in Toledo, apart from the six games for the Tigers that amounted to a 0-0 record with a 9.64 ERA in 91/3 innings.
In 1992, Muñoz was a fixture in Sparky’s bullpen, appearing in 65 games and notching a 1-2 record, two saves and a 4.71 ERA.
He appeared in eight games for the ’93 Tigers — 0-1 with a 6.00 ERA — before being released. Muñoz’s last game as a Tiger came on April 28 against the Rangers, in which he took the loss. His final Tigers line: 1-3, two saves and a 4.18 ERA in 79 games.
Muñoz eventually signed with the Rockies where he carved out a nice career, pitching six seasons in Denver.
Umpires: HP – Ted Hendry, 1B – Drew Coble, 2B – Mark Johnson, 3B – Greg Kosc
Time of Game: 2:29
Attendance: 41,935
Jim Lentine OF – #27
The Tigers picked up the right-handed hitting outfielder Jim Lentine on June 2, 1980, from the Cardinals for Al Greene and John Martin.
Lentine made his Tigers debut the following day against the Mariners in Detroit. Sparky slotted him seventh in the lineup, playing left field; he went 0 for 3.
He appeared in 67 games for the 1980 Tigers, and finished with a .261 average, with one home run, 17 RBI and a .719 OPS.
Lentine’s final big-league appearance came on Oct. 5, 198o, the last game of the season, against the Yankees. He started the game at DH, batting eighth, and finished 0 for 1 with a walk. In his final plate appearance he flied out to left off Tim Lollar.
The Tigers released him at the end of Spring Training 1981.
With one out in the ninth, Dave Bergman tied it at four with a pinch-hit solo homer off Ron Davis.
The Tigers scored two in the 12th to take a 6-4 lead. Hernández pitched three innings and allowed a two-out home run to Tim Teufel in the 12th, before getting Ron Washington (!) for the final out.
Milt Wilcox started and pitched 52/3 allowing four runs on eight hits; Doug Bair pitched a flawless 31/3.
Jack Morris and Twins starter John Butcher matched up more or less evenly through seven. The Tigers gave Morris a 3-2 lead in the top of the eighth — thanks to a Johnny Grubb solo homer — only to see The Cat allow the tying run in the bottom half.
Lou Whitaker‘s 11th-inning two-run homer off Lysander gave the Tigers a 5-3 lead. Aurelio López earned the save by pitching a quintessential Señor Smoke inning: one hit, one walk and one strikeout.
Whitaker, Lance Parrish, Chet Lemon and Tom Brookens each had two hits. In fact, the Tigers got four hits in five at bats out of the number-nine spot: One from Doug Baker, Grubb’s homer and Brookens’ double and triple.
Miscellany
Venue: The Metrodome
Umpires: HP – Nick Bremigan, 1B – Vic Voltaggio, 2B – Joe Brinkman, 3B – Larry McCoy
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.
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