Tag: Alan Trammell

The Monday Fungo

Today’s Game: July 20, 1985

Tigers 6 – Rangers 5, 15 Innings

W: Bill Scherrer (1-1) – L: Greg Harris (2-3) | Boxscore

When Brookens started the game at third, chances are he didn’t expect to finish it as part of the Tigers’ battery.

A routine Saturday evening game at Tiger Stadium, with Jack Morris pitching a typical eight and two thirds, and Willie Hernandez entering in relief of a 3-3 tie in the ninth got interesting in the top of the 11th when, given limited bench flexibility, to say the least, Sparky was forced to move Tom Brookens from third base to catcher … where he stayed for five innings.

Here’s how it happened:

In the bottom of the eighth, and the Tigers down 2-1, Alejandro Sánchez pinch hit for Bob Melvin with one out and pinch runner Dave Bergman on first — and homers! A two-run shot to give the Tigers a 3-2 lead.

Then, in the top of the ninth, Marty Castillo replaced Sánchez in the lineup at catcher.

Morris allowed the tying run in the top of the ninth and the Tigers failed to score in the bottom half.

Bottom of the 10th: Johnny Grubb pinch hits for Castillo.

Bottom of the 11th: Aurelio López replaces Hernández pitching, and Brookens moves from third to catcher, and Doug Flynn replaces Grubb playing third batting ninth.

So, Brookens caught three innings for Señor Smoke and two for lefty Bill Scherrer — talk about two different type of pitchers — and was flawless. No passed balls and no errors.

The teams traded runs in 10th and 13th, and the Tigers scored in the bottom of the 15th to win it.

Alan Trammell singled and went to second on an error by Rangers left fielder (and future Tiger) Gary Ward. The next hitter, Barbaro Garbey, singled Tram home.

A great win, but the story of the game was Brookens. His 1 for 6 night is a mere footnote in what was undoubtedly one of the most memorable games of his career.

Miscellany

  • Umpires: HP – Ken Kaiser, 1B – Rocky Roe, 2B – Larry McCoy, 3B – Larry Barnett.
  • Time of Game: 4:14
  • Attendance: 38,602

Birthdays

Travis Fryman, Scott Sanders and the late Alan Koch.

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 358 7/9 — Rarity: 251

See you tomorrow.

The Saturday Fungo

My Top-5 Tigers

Lately I’ve been giving a lot of thought to who my all-time favorite Tigers are and who would make a tidy list.

Putting together my top 10 would be easy. Narrowing it to just five would be tough but I wanted to give it a shot.

What’s the criteria for this list?

I decided that this was my purely subjective list based on players I enjoyed watching play for the Tigers.

For example, Mark Fidrych doesn’t make the list simply because I never saw him play live — and I decided ESPN Classic and MLB Network reruns don’t count.

The legend of The Bird and his place in Tigers lore is secure for me.

Here’s my list* — not in order of favorite-ness, but in order of how they came to mind — which has been revised right up to the moment I clicked “Publish” on this post.

Honorable Mentions

*Always subject to revision.

Birthdays

None!

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 356 9/9 – Rarity: 11

See you tomorrow.

The Friday Fungo

Morris Madden – #42

Lefty Morris Madden had a micro-career with the Tigers, appearing just twice during the 1987 season.

Appearance 1: On June 11 versus Milwaukee at Tiger Stadium, he came in during the sixth inning to relieve Eric King, who had relieved starter Jeff Robinson, with the bases loaded and walked Brewers second baseman Jim Gantner.

In his one inning of work, he allowed two earned runs and three walks. The Tigers lost the game 8-5.

Appearance 2: Robinson’s next start*, on June 16 at Toronto’s Exhibition Stadium, Madden came in to start the fifth inning.

*The Jays lit up Robinson for eight runs in three and two-thirds on the way to a 10-4 win.

  • The first hitter he faced, Fred McGriff doubled to center.
  • And that was the end of Morris Madden’s Tigers career.

Less than a month later, on Aug. 12, 1987, the Tigers sent Madden to the Pirates to complete the Aug. 7 trade of Darnell Coles for Jim Morrison.

If you’re wondering how he fared with Jim Leyland‘s Pirates, it depends on the year.

  • In 1988, he appeared in five games, allowed five hits and seven walks in five innings but didn’t allow a run. 
  • In ’89, Madden pitched 14 innings across nine games — including three starts — he allowed a stunning 13 walks, 17 hits, 14 runs, 11 earned. Final ERA: 7.07.

On Nov. 21, 1989, he was released by the Pirates, and though he pitched for the AAA Albuquerque Dukes in 1990, his major-league career was over.

Birthdays

Michael Fulmer, Robert Fick and the late Ralph “Sailor” Stroud, George Disch and James Casey

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 348 9/9 — Rarity: 19

See you tomorrow.

The Thursday Fungo

Chuck Scrivener – #9

If ever there were a time to break into major leagues, the forlorn Tigers of the mid-1970s presented a golden opportunity … unless you happened to play middle infield.

That was the scenario facing Chuck Scrivener who, it appeared, had the talent to be a big leaguer. I mean, he was drafted four times over three years:

  • Twins in the 17th round of the 1966 MLB June Amateur Draft
  • Braves in the 4th round of the 1967 MLB January Draft-Secondary Phase
  • Giants in the 8th round of the 1967 MLB June Draft-Secondary Phase
  • Tigers in the 2nd round of the 1968 MLB January Draft-Secondary Phase

Here’s a snapshot of Scrivener’s career:

  • Played nine seasons in the Tigers minor-league system before making his major-league debut on Sept. 18, 1975 against the Indians. He started at shortstop, batting leadoff, and struck out looking against Jim Bibby. Scrivener finished the night 0 for 4.
    • His final four appearances came as a defensive replacement, capped by his last Sept. 29, 1977, against his hometown Orioles, subbing in for rookie Alan Trammell.
    • With Trammell and Lou Whitaker establishing themselves, there was no path for Scrivener in Detroit. After spending 1978 in Evansville, hitting .262, the Tigers released him on Dec. 4. A month later, he signed with the Blue Jays, but didn’t appear in a game, in Toronto or in the minors.

    Chuck Scrivener: By the Numbers

    Birthdays

    Blaine Hardy and the late Mike Strahler, Marty McManus and Hub Pernoll

    Today’s Grid

    ⚾️ Immaculate Grid 347 9/9 — Rarity: 26

    See you tomorrow.

    The Sunday Fungo

    March 10, 1983: George Kell to Cooperstown

    On this date in 1983, George Kell was elected to the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee. Former Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers manager Walter Alston was elected too.

    In his 15-year career, Kell:

    • Batted over .300 nine times
    • Was a 10-time All-Star
    • Led American League third basemen in fielding percentage seven times

    In Detroit, he:

    • Wore three uniform numbers: 21, 15 and 7
    • Hit .325 with 25 homers, 414 RBI and a .824 OPS
    • Was named an all star in six of his seven seasons

    Random Game: Aug. 10, 1986

    Red Sox 9 – Tigers 6

    W: Joe Sambito (2-0) – L: Bill Campbell (2-4) – Save: Calvin Schiraldi (3) | Boxscore

    My friend Doug and I attended this game, sitting in the centerfield bleachers for budgetary reasons, and choosing the lower deck for meteorological.

    ‘Twas a soggy day for the finale of a three-game set that, at the outset, provided foolish hope the Tigers could gain ground on the Red Sox, which entered the series four-and-a-half games up on second-place Detroit.

    Instead, the Tigers were swept and this one ended with an eighth-inning bullpen collapse.

    • Neither Roger Clemens nor Walt Terrell were sharp: Clemens allowed seven hits, five walks and three earned runs in six innings. Terrell: six hits, three walks and four earned in seven innings.
    • The Red Sox led 4-0 until the Tigers scored two in the sixth, on a two-run homer by Alan Trammell, and Darrell Evans grand slam in the seventh to go up 6-4.
    • Bill Campbell (three) and Willie Hernandez (two) coughed up five runs in the top of the eight and Boston held on to win.
    • Rich Gedman hit a grand slam off Willie; two of the runs were charged to Campbell.
    • Darnell Coles went 3 for 5 with a double.
    • Boston left town with a seven-and-a-half game lead over the Tigers.

    Miscellany

    • Umpires: HP – Richard Shulock, 1B – Dan Morrison, 2B – Mark Johnson, 3B – Rocky Roe
    • Time of Game: 3:11
    • Attendance: 39,866

    Birthdays

    Bill Heath and the late Art Herring and Jim Curry

    Today’s Grid

    ⚾️ Immaculate Grid 343 9/9 — Rarity: 22

    See you tomorrow.

    The Wednesday Fungo

    Wayne Krenchicki – #15

    The summer of 1983 gave Tigers fans a glimpse of what was to come a year later: a young core of star players ready to move to the next level in the American League East. Detroit was in the race until September when the eventual World Series champion Orioles pulled away for good.

    That season also introduced fans — ever-so briefly — to a role player with one of the best names in baseball history: Wayne Krenchicki.

    He came to the Tigers in a late-June trade with the Reds for once-promising-lefty Pat Underwood. With Alan Trammell nursing injuries, the club needed some infield help.

    As he always did with newly acquired players, manager Sparky put Krenchicki right to work, inserting him in the starting lineup against the Orioles and rookie Storm Davis.

    On July 1, batting eighth in the lineup, Krenchicki went hitless in three at bats against Davis and the Tigers lost 9-5. He got his first Tigers hit two days later, a third-inning double off Tim Stoddard, in a 10-1 Tigers win.

    In all, Krenchicki appeared in 59 games for the Tigers in 1983, seeing time at every infield position but played primarily at third. His time in Detroit was brief; in November that year, the Reds purchased his contract from the Tigers.

    He finished his eight-year big-league career with the Reds and Expos, and retired after the 1986 season.

    Birthdays

    Leonys Martin, Marcus Thames, Gabe Alvarez, Roberto Duran, Joe Hall, Karl Best*, Ed Mierkowicz and the late Joe Orrell and Bob Swift.

    *Best was traded by the Mariners to the Tigers for Bryan Kelly on June 22, 1987, but never appeared in a game. On March 28, 1988, the Tigers dealt him to the Twins for Don Schulze … who also never appeared in a game for the Tigers.

    Today’s Grid

    ⚾️ Immaculate Grid 339 9/9 — Rarity: 21

    Four former Tigers and one Tigers nemesis.

    See you tomorrow.

    The Friday Fungo

    Fernando Valenzuela?

    Yes. Briefly.

    This blog could not exist without Baseball Reference, and the $80 a year for the ad-free subscription is a steal given how much time I spend on the site. I always seem to uncover some delightful tidbit and lately it seems to be the result of post-Immaculate Grid curiosity.

    Today’s discovery might be atop the list, if I kept a list.

    Did we know Fernando Valenzuela was, for 75 days, in the Tigers system?

    This development leads to a less-intriguing but worthy follow-up question: Did we know Rick Renteria was too?

    My answer, at least, is: no!

    Random Game: Aug. 13, 1983

    Tigers 6 – Yankees 3

    W: Jack Morris (14-8) – L: Ron Guidry (13-8) | Boxscore

    • I sat in the upper-deck bleachers, dead center, for this game with my brother, future brother in law, and my friends (to this day!) Rob and Jeff.

    • It could not have been a better stage: A warm August Saturday night, a packed house to see Jack Morris face Ron Guidry in a classic 1980s A.L. East showdown with the teams tied for the division lead.

    • This was the first time in my Tigers fandom that the Tigers were this good, this close to first place, this late in the season — not counting 1981.

    • The game took place a few days after Yankees right fielder Dave Winfield had dispatched a seagull with a warmup toss at Toronto’s Exhibition Stadium. Those of us in the bleachers tormented him with bird-like arm waving. Top-notch hijinks for a 15 year old.

    • We went crazy after the game when the scoreboard showed the standings with the Tigers on top by a game. Insanity.

    Highlights

    • The Yankees led 3-2 until the bottom of the seventh when John Wockenfuss launched a homer to left, scoring Larry Herndon, to take a 4-2 lead. (I can still it in my mind, the ball arching in slow motion to left … but now I can’t remember if it was upper or lower deck.)

    • Glenn Wilson hit a two-run double in the eighth to widen the lead to 6-2.

    • Alan Trammell went 4 for 4.

    • Morris went the distance, scattering six hits and striking out 12.

    • According to The New York Times game story by Murray Chass, the loss snapped Guidry’s seven-game Tiger Stadium winning streak. The Tigers had last beaten him in Detroit May 21, 1979, 3-1.

    Miscellany

    • Umpires: HP – Al Clark, 1B – Bill Kunkel, 2B – Richard Shulock, 3B – Derryl Cousins.
    • Time of Game: 2:27
    • Attendance: 50,016
    • Start Time Weather: 76° F

    Birthdays

    José Valdez, Joe Mantiply, Jimmy Hurst, Doug Creek, Kris Keller and the late Tim Thompson. 

    Today’s Grid

    ⚾️ Immaculate Grid 334 7/9 — Rarity: 212

    Swings and misses include: Jerry Morales and Scott Rolen. But a couple of former Tigers*.

    *Phil Plantier, in a classic Randy Smith move, was dealt away before he ever appeared in a regular season game for the Tigers.

    Have a great weekend. We’ll see you tomorrow.

    The Wednesday Fungo

    Random Game: Oct. 2, 1986

    It’s hard to find a matchup more ’80s than Jack Morris versus Pete Vuckovich.

    • The Cat prevailed in this one, 2-1, raising his record to 21-8. Vuckovich fell to 2-4.
    • Alan Trammell homered with two out in the fifth, and Lou Whitaker stole home for the Tigers’ second run.
    • Ben Oglivie led off the bottom of the ninth with a solo shot to right, but Morris got three straight fly outs to end it.

    Here’s your boxscore.

    Details
    • Attendance: 6,268
    • Venue: County Stadium
    • Game Duration: 2:15
    • Night Game, on grass

    Birthdays

    Alan Trammell, Bill Slayback, Doug Gallagher, Jack Billingham and the late Alex Remneas

    Today’s Grid

    ⚾️ Immaculate Grid 325 9/9 — Rarity: 47

    • Three ex-Tigers.

    See you tomorrow.

    The Monday Fungo: Feb. 19

    On Vinyl! “The Year of the Tiger ’68”

    Last week I posted the Channel 4 review of the 1968 season, but this is the original as far as I’m concerned. My Dad bought this 33 rpm record for me in 1978 — we had to send away for it, as we said then — and I just about wore it out. I’m so thankful this stuff lives on in the depths of the Internet.

    Start your week with the sounds of a young(er) Ernie Harwell.

    Random Game: Aug. 10, 1981

    Milt Wilcox versus Jim Clancy in the Tigers’ first game after the players strike. Tigers win 4-3 on a walkoff, bases-loaded single to left by Alan Trammell to score Kirk Gibson.

    Monday, August 10, 1981

    Birthdays

    Jackie Moore and the late Chris Zachary and Russ Sullivan.

    Today’s Grid

    ⚾️ Immaculate Grid 323 7/9: Rarity: 207

    FYI: Kirk Gibson did not appear in center for the Royals, but I was able to slot three former Tigers in today’s edition.

    See you tomorrow.