Carl Willis made his major-league debut, pitching the final 21/3, giving up just one hit and a walk.
Miscellany
Venue: Memorial Stadium
Umpires: HP – Drew Coble, 1B – Jim Evans, 2B – Greg Kosc, 3B – Ted Hendry Time of Game: 2:41 Attendance: 44,404
John Pacella #27 and #43
Here are a few things to know about John Pacella, who spent part of the year with the 1986 Tigers:
The Brooklyn-born right-hander made his major-league debut on Sept. 15, 1977, his 21st birthday, for the Mets against the Phillies.
Fast forward to Dec. 28, 1984 when the Tigers signed Pacella. He spent the ’85 season with the Tigers’ Triple-A affiliate in Nashville posting a 7-7 mark with a 3.23 ERA. In 1986, he started the year with the Sounds notching a 7-6 record and 2.90 ERA before getting called up to Detroit.
His first Tigers appearance came on June 16 at Baltimore. He pitched 11/3 scoreless innings and earned the save. Pacella pitched four more times for the Tigers that year; his longest outing was 52/3 innings against the Yankees in which he allowed seven walks.
His final major-league appearance was on July 12, 1986, at Kansas City. He faced Greg Pryor in the bottom of the seventh and gave up an RBI single. The Tigers lost, 7-4.
Pacella started the 1987 season with Detroit’s new Triple-A club, the Toledo Mud Hens. On June 30, 1987, the Yokohama Bay Stars purchased his contract from Detroit. In 1988 he was back in the States pitching at the Triple-A level for the Brewers, Orioles and then, hey now, the Tigers.
After 19 professional seasons, six major league, 13 minor league, Pacella finished with a mark of 4-10, 5.73 ERA in the majors, 71-86, 3.94 in the minors.
Homers for Tram, his fourth, off Ed Vande Berg, in the first inning; and Rusty, his first, also off Vande Berg, in the fourth.
Miscellany
Venue: Tiger Stadium
Umpires: HP – Bill Kunkel, 1B – Terry Cooney, 2B – Richard Shulock, 3B – Derryl Cousins
Time of Game: 3:05
Attendance: 18,830
Les Moss #28
In 1979, John Lester Moss took over for the retired Ralph Houk as Tigers manager. The Tigers finished Houk’s final season at 86-76, and the club seemed ready to make a move in an albeit stacked* American League East.
*Six of the seven teams finished over .500, and three had 90+ wins.
Moss had been in the Tigers farm system managing the Triple-A Evansville Triplets in the American Association and presumably his familiarity with the Tigers’ young core made him a logical choice.
Moss managed the Tigers for just 53 games in ’79. Detroit sat at a 27-26, on the morning of June 14 and before the day over, he was out of a job and Sparky Anderson was the Tigers’ new manager.
Umpires: HP – Dan Morrison, 1B – Marty Springstead, 2B – Jim McKean, 3B – Durwood Merrill
Time of Game: 3:06
Attendance: 8,497
Rick Leach #7
Here are seven things to know about Rick Leach, who went from start Michigan quarterback to Tigers first baseman.
He was drafted by the Tigers in the first round (13th) of the 1979 MLB June Amateur Draft from University of Michigan. He was previously drafted by the Phillies twice: in the 11th round of the 1975 draft from Flint Southwestern High, and in the 24th round of the 1978 draft from Michigan.
On May 6 in Oakland, Leach got his first big-league start: batting seventh and place first. He finished 0 for 1 that night, but with three walks. The following day, he got his first major-league hit, a single to left off Matt Keough that drove in Champ Summers.
Leach saw his playing time increase between 1981 and 1983, appearing 54, 82 and 99 games respectively. His best year was 1983: .248, three home runs and 28 RBI.
With Dave Bergman, Bárbaro Garbey and Darrell Evans all slated for playing time at first, the Tigers released Leach on March 24, 1984 — the same day of The Trade that brought Bergman and Willie Hernandez to Detroit. And he signed, with of all teams, the Blue Jays. (He appeared in only two games against the Tigers.)
Leach had his best years in Toronto. In five seasons, he batted .283, eight home runs and 95 RBI.
The Red Sox scored once in the bottom of the first but it was all Tigers after that: dropping a dozen runs on 16 hits on Hurst and Oil Can Boyd.
Rusty Kuntz, Bárbaro Garbey and Chet Lemon led the offense with three hits apiece. Lemon and Garbey drove in four each — Chet had two home runs — and Kuntz drove in three.
Wilcox tossed eight solid innings, giving up seven hits and just one earned run with five strikeouts.
Miscellany
Venue: Tiger Stadium
Umpires: HP – Ken Kaiser, 1B – Rocky Roe, 2B – Larry Barnett, 3B – Dale Ford
Time of Game: 2:31
Attendance: 17,495
Dan Gakeler #32
Here are a few things to know about right hander Dan Gakeler:
A former 31st-round draft pick of the Brewers (1983) and a year later a number-one pick of the Red Sox (secondary phase), Gakeler made it to the majors in 1991 with the Tigers, appearing in 31 games, seven of them starts.
He made his major-league debut on June 9, 1991 against the Angels. He started opposite Chuck Finley and lasted three innings: seven hits, five runs and two walks.
Gakeler made his final appearance on Oct. 5, 1991 against the Orioles. He pitched one-third of an inning and struck out the only batter he faced: Cal Ripken.
Umpires: HP – Al Clark, 1B – Don Denkinger, 2B – Dan Morrison, 3B – Mike Reilly
Time of Game: 2:38
Attendance: 25,883
Bill Krueger #30
Here are a few things to know about lefty Bill Krueger:
Bill Krueger, not displaying his tremendous high leg kick.
The Tigers signed Krueger on Dec. 11, 1992. He spent the ’92 season with the Twins and Expos.
He made his Tigers debut on April 7, 1993 against his original club, the A’s, in a 12-7 Tigers loss. His line: 3.1 IP, 5 hits, 2 runs, 3 walks and 3 strikeouts.
The 1994 Tigers were not good and Krueger’s year aligned with his team’s. He had appeared in 16 games — his last a June 2 start against the Orioles in Baltimore — before the Tigers released him on June 4, with an 0-2 record and a 9.61 ERA.
Bill Krueger’s final line in Detroit: 6-6 with a 4.60 ERA.
It was Easter vacation, so I went to this one with my friend Steve and, after much guilt-heaping and nagging, my sister and her then-boyfriend, now husband.
If this game had been played today, it would’ve been called a bullpen game. Petry, Abbott and Lopez each pitched three innings.
A third-inning double by Bárbaro Garbey scored Alan Trammell to open the scoring for Detroit. Then, Lance Parrish‘s three-run homer off Viola in the fifth capped it.
The Tigers turned three double plays, including a pivotal one in the ninth with the potential tying run on first.
Miscellany
Umpires: HP – Mike Reilly, 1B – Al Clark, 2B – Don Denkinger, 3B – Dan Morrison
On a cold and wet Easter Sunday, Juan Berenguer delivered one of his best Tigers starts, at least that I can remember. He gave up just two hits — and didn’t allow one until the fifth — with one walk. He struck out seven.
Michigan native and fellow WMU alum first baseman Mike Squires was pressed into pitching duty, with two gone in the five-run eighth, for the final out.
Miscellany
Umpires: HP – Nick Bremigan, 1B – Vic Voltaggio, 2B – Joe Brinkman, 3B – Larry McCoy
He appeared in parts of three seasons, 1976-78, as a reliever and spot starter.
Crawford made his Tigers debut on April 20, 1976 against the A’s in Oakland. He came into the game in the ninth, relieving starter Joe Coleman, with the Tigers clinging to a 5-3 lead. Crawford got Bill North to line out but the next batter, Joe Rudi, singled to tie the game. Crawford was lifted for rookie Mark Fidrych who gave up a single to Don Baylor and the A’s won, 6-5.
His final game came on July 27, 1978 against the Orioles. Starter Jim Slaton gave up five runs on nine hits in three innings and Crawford came in to pitch the fourth — and gave up two runs of his own on three hits. Jack Morris relieved him with four scoreless.
Crawford’s final line in Detroit: 10-19, 4.62 ERA and 3 saves.
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