Sept. 30, 1984: Yankees 9 – Tigers 2

W: Dennis Rasmussen (9-6) – L: Randy O’Neal (2-1) | Boxscore

Record: 104-58 — 15 games up on Toronto

Highlights

O’Neal started and lasted only three and two-thirds, getting knocked around for nine hits, four walks and seven runs.

Bárbaro Garbey, Chet Lemon and Doug Baker each had two hits.

Doug Bair, Aurelio López, Bill Scherrer and Willie Hernández each pitched an inning of post-season tune up. Sid Monge made his final big-league appearance: one inning, two runs, two hits and a walk.

Miscellany

Venue: Yankee Stadium
Umpires: HP – Al Clark, 1B – Mike Reilly, 2B – Don Denkinger, 3B – Rich Garcia
Time of Game: 2:35
Attendance: 30,602

Birthdays

Travis Demeritte, Danny Worth, Carlos Guillen, John DeSilva, Scott Lusader, Dan Gonzales and the late Jose Lima, Johnny Podres and Ben Taylor

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 547 9/9 — Rarity: 74

See you tomorrow.

Sept. 28, 1984: Tigers 4 – Yankees 2 (12)

W: Doug Bair (5-3) – L: Joe Cowley (9-2) | Boxscore

Record: 103-57 — 15 games up on Toronto

Highlights

Dan Petry started and went six innings, scattered five hits and allowed one run. Willie Hernández blew his second save in a row, sending this one to extra innings.

Doug Bair threw four sparkling innings: no runs, no hits and just two walks.

Bárbaro Garbey had three of the Tigers’ 16 hits. Detroit took the lead in the 12th on Lou Whitaker’s two-run homer off righty Joe Cowley.

Miscellany

Venue: Yankee Stadium
Umpires: HP – Don Denkinger, 1B – Rich Garcia, 2B – Al Clark, 3B – Mike Reilly
Time of Game: 3:43
Attendance: 19,422

Birthdays

Riley Greene, Thad Weber and the late Dick Gernert, Bob Dustal and Paul Easterling

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 545 8/9 — Rarity: 124

See you tomorrow.

Sept. 24, 1984: Tigers 7 – Brewers 3

W: Juan Berenguer (10-10) – L: Paul Hartzell (0-1) | Boxscore

Record: 101-55 — 14^1/2 games up on Toronto

Highlights

Berenguer evened his record by going five innings, giving up just five hits. Dave Rozema, Doug Bair, Bill Scherrer and Aurelio López each pitched one inning to close it out.

Chet Lemon, number 20, and Lou Whitaker, his 12th, both homered off Milwaukee reliever Rick Waits.

Dave Bergman had three hits, and Lou, Ruppert Jones, Nelson Simmons and Doug Baker all had two hits.

Miscellany

Venue: County Stadium
Umpires: HP – Marty Springstead, 1B – Durwood Merrill, 2B – Dan Morrison, 3B – Jim McKean
Time of Game: 2:32
Attendance: 9,506

Birthdays

Nate Cornejo, John McDonald and the late Dixie Walker, Tom Seats, Joe Sargent and John Kane

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid #541: 9/9 — Rarity 14

See you tomorrow.

Sept. 11, 1984: Tigers 9 – Orioles 2

W: Dan Petry (17-8) – L: Bill Swaggerty (3-2) | Boxscore

Record: 93-52 — 11.5 games up on Toronto

Magic Number: 7

Highlights

The game was scoreless until a five-run fifth inning, part of a 16-hit Tigers attack. Petry went 6^2/3, allowing two runs on five hits before handing it over to Doug Bair and Willie Hernández.

Larry Herndon pinch hit for Ruppert Jones in the fifth and proceeded to have a three-for-three night, including a homer and three RBI.

Darrell Evans homered and went four for four, and Kirk Gibson had three hits in five at bats.

Miscellany

Venue: Memorial Stadium
Umpires: HP – Rich Garcia, 1B – Al Clark, 2B – Tim McClelland, 3B – Don Denkinger
Time of Game: 3:07
Attendance: 25,193

Birthdays

Shannon Penn and the late Dave Roberts, Clay Smith and Frank Kitson

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 528 9/9 — Rarity: 22

Comment

See you tomorrow.

Sept. 7, 1984: Tigers 7 – Blue Jays 4 (10)

W: Willie Hernández (9-2) – L: Ron Musselman (0-1) | Boxscore

Record: 90-51 — 9^1/2 games up on Toronto

Magic Number: 13

Highlights

Dan Petry started and gave up two runs in the third and fourth innings before being pulled. Bill Scherrer, Doug Bair and Willie kept the Jays scoreless the rest of the way.

A pair of clutch three-run homers put the Tigers over the top. They scored four in the eighth to tie it — thanks to Kirk Gibson‘s homer off Doyle Alexander — and three on Dave Bergman‘s three-run shot in the 10th to win it. Bergie was 4 for 5 on the night.

Miscellany

Venue: Exhibition Stadium
Umpires: HP – Dave Phillips, 1B – Steve Palermo, 2B – Rick Reed, 3B – Jerry Neudecker
Time of Game: 3:28
Attendance: 37,420

Birthdays

Jarrod Patterson and the late Tom Matchick

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 524: 9/9 — Rarity: 14

See you tomorrow.

Sept. 1, 1984: A’s 7 – Tigers 5

W: Curt Young (7-3) – L: Juan Berenguer (7-9) – S: Chuck Rainey (1) | Boxscore

Record: 87-49 — 8.5 games up on Toronto

Highlights

Berenguer didn’t make it out of the first inning. He allowed six runs on three hits and three walks. The dagger was a two-out, three-run homer by Mike Davis. Doug Bair got the final out of the first and pitched 3^2/3 of scoreless relief.

The Tigers cut the deficit in half with three runs in the second, and drew to within 6-5 in the sixth. Dwayne Murphy‘s two-out homer in the Oakland sixth provided an insurance run which held up.

Rusty Kuntz had two hits and drove in two runs.

Miscellany

Venue: Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Umpires: HP – Jerry Neudecker, 1B – Dave Phillips, 2B – Steve Palermo, 3B – Rick Reed
Time of Game: 2:37
Attendance: 25,021

Birthdays

Dave Rucker, Gary Ignasiak and the late Paul Campbell, Fred Nicholson and Jimmy Wiggs

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 518 9/9 — Rarity: 17

See you tomorrow.

Aug. 22, 1984: Tigers 11 – A’s 4

W: Juan Berenguer (7-8) – L: Bill Krueger (8-10) | Boxscore

Record: 84-44 — 12.5 games up on Toronto

Highlights

Bárbaro Garbey, Alan Trammell and Marty Castillo each had two hits, and Marty drove in three.

Berenguer had another great start, throwing seven innings and allowing just five hits and one run.

The Tigers stole six bases in this one.

Miscellany

Venue: Tiger Stadium
Umpires: HP – Tim Welke, 1B – Marty Springstead, 2B – Durwood Merrill, 3B – Dan Morrison
Time of Game: 2:54
Attendance: 35,335

Birthdays

Ryan Carpenter, Randy Wolf, Jeff Weaver, Doug Bair and the late Wally Schang and Al Bashang

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 508 9/9 — Rarity: 99

See you tomorrow.

Aug. 16, 1984: Tigers 8 – Angels 7 (12)

W: Willie Hernández (7-2) – L: John C urtis (0-1) | Boxscore

Record: 79-43 — 10 games up on Toronto

Highlights

At the end of the second inning it was 5-0 Tigers. At the end of the fourth inning, it was 7-5 Angels.

Jack Morris has another miserable outing: 3^2/3 innings, nine hits, four walks, and seven earned runs. A trio of Tigers relievers held the Angels in check for the next eight innings — Doug Bair, 3^1/3 scoreless; Aurelio López, 1^1/3 scoreless; and Willie Hernández 3^2/3 scoreless. I still can’t get over Sparky using his closer for nearly four innings.

Alan Trammell, Kirk Gibson, Lance Parrish and Chet Lemon each had two hits. Brian Downing had three hits and five RBI for California.

Miscellany

Venue: Tiger Stadium
Umpires: HP – Mike Reilly, 1B – Rich Garcia, 2B – Tim McClelland, 3B – Don Denkinger
Time of Game: 4:02
Attendance: 37,779

Birthdays

Akil Baddoo, Roger Cedeño and Damian Jackson

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 502 9/9 — Rarity: 27

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.

Five Tigers had two or more hits, and Chet Lemon had three including his 15th home run of the year. Lance Parrish and Tom Brookens also homered.

Dan Petry started and last 4^2/3 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 4^2/3 innings and allowed five runs on six hits.

Wade Boggs (4 for 5) and Tony Armas (3 for 4) had almost half of Boston’s hits. Boggs had two homers, and he and Mike Easler both drove in three runs.

Howard Johnson hit a solo home run off Clemens in the seventh.

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. 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.

Kirk Gibson had three hits, including two triples, and Ruppert Jones homered.

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.