Oct. 3, 1984: ALCS Game 2

Tigers 5 – Royals 3 (11)

W: Aurelio López (1-0) – L: Dan Quisenberry (0-1) | Boxscore

Tigers lead series, 2-0.

Highlights

  • The Royals scored two off Dan Petry, who was excellent. He pitched seven innings, allowing just four hits, a walk and two runs; he struck out four.
  •  Willie Hernández took over in the eighth, surrendering two hits and a walk, which led to the Royals knotting the score at three.
  • Señor Smoke tossed three innings of scoreless relief to keep the Tigers in it. As they had back in April, Detroit got to Royals closer Quisenberry late. 
  • The Tigers head home with a chance to clinch the pennant. And I have a ticket.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Royals Stadium
  • Replacement Umpires: HP – Bill Deegan, 1B – Jon Bible, 2B – Randy Christal, 3B – Bob Jones, LF – Richard Denny, RF – Carl Nothnagel
  • Time of Game: 3:37
  • Attendance: 42,019

Birthdays

Matt Young, Eric Munson, Tim Hyers, Junior Felix, Steve Foucault, Chuck Scrivener, and the late Joe Wood and Fred House

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 550: 9/9 — Rarity: 2!

See you tomorrow.

Sept. 9, 1984: Tigers 7 – Blue Jays 2

W: Milt Wilcox (16-7) – L: Jim Clancy (11-14) | Boxscore

Record: 92-51 — 11.5 games up on Toronto

Magic Number: 9

Highlights

  • And that just about does it for the Blue Jays. Their weekend started with a heartbreaker and ended in two deflating losses. So, the Tigers left town with an 111/2-game lead with 19 to play.
  • The Blue Jays scored first, in the bottom of the first, but it was all Tigers after that. Gibby went three for five with a homer and three RBI. Tram, Lance Parrish and Johnny Grubb each had two hits, and Grubb hit his eighth homer.
  • Detroit was up 3-2 in the sixth and then pulled away with four in the seventh. Oh, and the Tigers matched their 1983 win total in this one.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Exhibition Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Rick Reed, 1B – Jerry Neudecker, 2B – Dave Phillips, 3B – Steve Palermo
  • Time of Game: 2:39
  • Attendance: 37,392

Birthdays

Edwin Jackson, Dan Miceli and the late Reggie Sanders, Jim Proctor, Bud Thomas, Waite Hoyt, Charlie Perkins and John Eubank.

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 526 9/9 — Rarity: 24

See you tomorrow.

Sept. 8, 1984: Tigers 10 – Blue Jays 4

W: Bill Scherrer (2-1) – L: Luis Leal (13-6) – S: Aurelio López (13) | Boxscore

Record: 91-51 — 101/2 games up on Toronto

Magic Number: 11

Highlights

  • Sparky had starter Jack Morris on a short leash, pulling him with one out in the fifth after giving up just two runs.
  • This was a 2-2 game in the fifth. Then, the Tigers scored two in the seventh and six in the eighth to break it open.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Exhibition Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Steve Palermo, 1B – Rick Reed, 2B – Jerry Neudecker, 3B – Dave Phillips
  • Time of Game: 3:06
  • Attendance: 41,059

Birthdays

Bobby Parnell, Chance Ruffin, Mike Rivera and the late Casey Wise and Lou Sleater

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 525: 9/9 — Rarity: 54

See you tomorrow.

Sept. 4, 1984: Orioles 4 – Tigers 1

W: Mike Boddicker (17-9) – L: Dave Rozema (7-6) – S: Sammy Stewart (11) | Boxscore

Record: 88-51 — 7.5 games up on Toronto

Highlights

  • The Tigers had no answer for Orioles starter Mike Boddicker, though he gave them plenty of opportunity: six hits and six walks. He also struck out six.
  • Sparky had zero patience for Rozema, pulling him after facing just four batters in the first, giving up two runs and getting one out. Bill Scherrer got the Tigers out of the inning.
  • Then, righty Roger Mason made his major-league debut, pitching the final eight innings allowing two runs on five hits, while striking out six.
  • Detroit cut the 2-0 deficit in half when Nelson Simmons — making his major-league debut — singled home Johnny Grubb for the Tigers’ only run.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Tiger Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Nick Bremigan, 1B – Vic Voltaggio, 2B – Larry McCoy, 3B – Joe Brinkman
  • Time of Game: 2:41
  • Attendance: 27,767

Birthdays

Doyle Alexander, Paul Jata and the late Red Corriden and John Terry

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 521 9/9 — Rarity: 32

See you tomorrow.

Aug. 31, 1984: A’s 7 – Tigers 6 (13)

W: Keith Atherton (7-5) – L: Dave Rozema (7-5) | Boxscore

Record: 87-48 — 9.5 games up on Toronto

Highlights

  • Sparky had a short leash on Milt Wilcox, with good reason, pulling him after 32/3 innings in which he gave up five runs on four hits and five walks. Aurelio López  and Willie Hernández pitched the next eight and a third, allowing just three hits and combining for eight strikeouts.
  • The Tigers let four leads slip away, including in the ninth when they took a 6-5 lead. Rozema’s wild pitch with two out in the 13th allowed Mike Davis to score from third with the winning run.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
  • Umpires: HP – Rick Reed, 1B – Jerry Neudecker, 2B – Dave Phillips, 3B – Steve Palermo
  • Time of Game: 4:19
  • Attendance: 15,836

Birthdays

John Hicks, Ramon Santiago, Shane Loux, Hideo Nomo, Morris Madden, Bill Nahorodny, former Tigers coach Boots Day, and the late Jack Burns and Norman Glaser.

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 517 7/9 — Rarity: 276

See you tomorrow.

Aug. 20, 1984: Tigers 14 – A’s 1

W: Jack Morris (16-8) – L: Curt Young (6-2) | Boxscore

Record: 82-44 — 10.5 games up on Toronto

Highlights

  • The Tigers blasted Oakland starter, Saginaw native and Central Michigan product, Young in his two innings: eight hits, six earned runs and two homers. He was replaced by Chuck Rainey who fared worse: 41/3 innings, 10 hits and eight runs.
  • The most-notable part of this game? Former Tigers infielder Mark Wagner pitched the final inning and two-thirds, allowing just two hits, a walk and striking out one (Johnny Grubb.)

Miscellany

  • Venue: Tiger Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Durwood Merrill, 1B – Dan Morrison, 2B – Tim Welke, 3B – Marty Springstead
  • Time of Game: 2:45
  • Attendance: 38,431

Birthdays

Gene Kingsale, Jose Paniagua and the late George Zuverink, Beau Bell and Ross Reynolds

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 506 8/9 — Rarity: 123

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. 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.

July 13, 1984: Tigers 5 – Twins 3 (11)

July 13, 1984: Tigers 5 – Twins 3 (11)

W: Willie Hernández (5-0) – L: Rick Lysander (0-1) – S: Aurelio López (10) | Boxscore

Record: 58-28 — 7 games up on Toronto

Highlights

  • 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
  • Time of Game: 3:11
  • Attendance: 30,050

Birthdays

Clint Sodowsky and the late George Cunningham

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 468 9/9: Rarity: 20

See you tomorrow.

🇺🇲 July 4, 1984: White Sox 8 – Tigers 2 🇺🇲

July 4, 1984: White Sox 8 – Tigers 2

W: Richard Dotson (11-4) – L: Milt Wilcox (8-6) | Boxscore

Record: 55-25 — 7 games up on Toronto

Highlights

  • Detroit’s skid hits four games in a pitcher’s duel-turned-blowout.
  • Wilcox and Dotson matched zeroes through five innings, and in the sixth the wheels came off of Milt and the Sox took an 8-0 lead.
  • Aurelio López relieved Wilcox, who’d given up six runs, but he managed to get just one out before handing it over to Sid Monge. Poor Isidro gave up two runs and a homer in his two innings of work.
  • Dotson allowed just three of the Tigers five hits.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Comiskey Park
  • Umpires: HP – Jim Evans, 1B – Greg Kosc, 2B – Ted Hendry, 3B – Drew Coble
  • Time of Game: 2:34
  • Attendance: 37,665

Birthdays

Francisco Cruceta and the late Bill Tuttle, Babe Birrer and George Mullin

See you tomorrow.