Tag: Kirk Gibson

May 26, 1984: Mariners 9 – Tigers 5

May 26, 1984: Mariners 9 – Tigers 5

W: Mike Moore – L: Juan Berenguer | Boxscore

Record: 35-7

Highlights

  • Kirk Gibson hit a first-inning homer to put the Tigers up 1-0 … and then the Mariners took control, scoring four off Berenguer in the home half.
  • Berenguer retired only one batter: Seattle’s leadoff hitter, Jack Perconte. The following hitters walked, singled, singled, singled, then a wild pitch, and two more singles. Mariners 4, Tigers 1.
  • The Tigers scored three in the ninth and out-hit the Mariners, 13 to 11.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Seattle Kingdome
  • Umpires: HP – Mike Reilly, 1B – Al Clark, 2B – Don Denkinger, 3B – Rich Garcia
  • Time of Game: 2:51
  • Attendance: 41,342

Bob Sykes #27

The Tigers drafted lefty Bob Sykes in the 19th round of the 1974 MLB June Amateur Draft from Miami Dade College.

  • After three seasons in the minors, he made his debut on April 9, 1977, at age 22, pitching four-and-two-thirds in a Royals 16-2 rout — but he managed to blank K.C., allowing just two hits and a walk.
  • Sykes appeared in 32 games that season, 20 of them starts, and finished with a record of 5-7 and a 4.41 ERA.
  • In 1978, appeared in 22 games, starting 10 and throwing a pair of shutouts. His record was 6-6 with a 3.94 ERA; he also earned two saves.
  • That offseason, Dec. 4, 1978, he was traded to the Cardinals, with minor leaguer John Murphy, in a deal that worked out well for the Tigers, who received Aurelio López and Jerry Morales in return.
  • Sykes’ final numbers in Detroit: 11-13, 4.22 ERA and two saves. He pitched three seasons in St. Louis before being traded to the Yankees for a young outfielder named Willie McGee.

Birthdays

Darrell Evans and the late Jack Cronin

See you tomorrow.

May 22, 1984: Tigers 3 – Angels 1

May 22, 1984: Tigers 3 – Angels 1

W: Juan Berenguer (3-2) – L: Mike Witt (4-4) – Save: Aurelio López (6) | Boxscore

Record: 33-5

Highlights

  • The Tigers opened the scoring thanks to a Kirk Gibson first-inning single followed by a stolen base, and then an RBI single by Lance Parrish.
  • Berenguer gave up a solo homer to Rod Carew in the home half of the first and then settled down to allow just two more hits in six innings, striking out nine.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Anaheim Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Derryl Cousins, 1B – Bill Kunkel, 2B – Terry Cooney, 3B – Richard Shulock
  • Time of Game: 2:53
  • Attendance: 41,253

Bob Adams #40

Here are a few things to know about the right-handed hitting first baseman and catcher, Bob Adams.

  • The Tigers drafted him in the third round of the 1973 amateur draft.
  • He appeared in 15 games for the Tigers that year, 12 as a pinch hitter. On Aug. 26, he pinch hit for Tom Veryzer in the eighth-inning, a solo homer off the Angels’ Frank Tanana.
  • His major-league numbers: .250 average, two home runs, two RBI.

Birthdays

Andre Lipcius, Al Levine, Jose Mesa, the late Al Simmons and Al Shaw

See you tomorrow.

May 15, 1984: Tigers 6 – Mariners 4

May 15, 1984: Tigers 6 – Mariners 4

W: Jack Morris (7-1) – L: Roy Thomas (3-2) – Save: Willie Hernández (5) | Boxscore

Record: 28-5

Highlights

  • At one point, the Tigers led 6-1.
  • Morris and Hernandez combined for a five hitter.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Tiger Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Terry Cooney, 1B – Richard Shulock, 2B – Derryl Cousins, 3B – Bill Kunkel
  • Time of Game: 3:32
  • Attendance: 21,782

Birthdays

Kody Clemens, Jim Adduci, A.J. Hinch and Jason Karnuth 

See you tomorrow.

May 13, 1984: Rained Out in Detroit

May 13, 1984: Rained Out in Detroit

The Tigers are rained out yet again in the first six weeks. Seattle comes to town for three starting tomorrow.

Record: 26-5, 7.5 games up

Glenn Wilson #12

A torrid start in Evansville led to Glenn Wilson‘s promotion to the Tigers in time for the Tigers on Opening Day in Detroit, April 15, 1982, against the Blue Jays.

Just two years earlier Wilson was a Tigers first-round pick, 18th overall, out of Sam Houston State University in Texas.

Wilson entered the ’82 home opener in the bottom of the eighth pinch-hitting for DH Jerry Turner. Facing Jays’ reliever Jerry Garvin, he stuck out looking.

The next day, Wilson collected his first major-league hit the next day against Ron Guidry, leading off the ninth with a double to left center.

Wilson made the most of his opportunity, hitting .467 in his first six games, and playing excellent defense in the outfield. Thanks to his hot start, he stuck with the Tigers until early May when he was sent back to Evansville only to return in July.

Wilson ended up playing in 84 big-league games that season, 80 of them in centerfield, and finished at .292 with 12 home runs.

In 1983 the Tigers were depending on Wilson to maintain the pace he began in his rookie season. He shifted from centerfield to right, allowing Chet Lemon to take over his natural position. Wilson appeared in 144 games that year and hit .268 with 11 HR and 64 RBI.

The Tigers saw him as a key piece of the puzzle heading into 1984. But the Tigers were determined to make Kirk Gibson their regular right fielder in ’84 which complicated the outfield picture and likely meant Wilson was a man without a position.

On March 24, the Tigers sent Wilson and John Wockenfuss to the Phillies for Willie Hernandez and Dave Bergman. Wilson spent four seasons with the Phillies and was named to the National League All-Star team in 1985. He finished the season with a .275 average, 14 home runs and 102 RBI.

With stops in Seattle, Pittsburgh and his hometown Astros, Wilson had a solid 10-year major-league career. His place in Tigers lore is set, if only as a player traded away on the eve of a magical season.

I for one enjoyed watching him play in Detroit — he was one of my favorite players — and wish he’d hung around a bit longer.

Birthdays

Happy Birthday to the late, old-time Tigers: Alex Main (1914 Tigers), Jimmy Archer (1907 Tigers) and Jack Burns (1903-04 Tigers)

See you tomorrow.

May 11, 1984: Tigers 8 – Angels 2

May 11, 1984: Tigers 8 – Angels 2

W: Milt Wilcox (4-0) – L: Mike Witt (4-2) – S: Willie Hernández (4) | Boxscore

Record: 26-4

Highlights

  • Six solid, scoreless innings from Wilcox and a less-than-pristine three-inning save from Willie: 5 hits allowed, 2 runs.
  • A lot of traffic on the base paths during this one: 25 combined hits (14 for Detroit) and seven combined walks (6 for the Tigers.)

Miscellany

  • Venue: Tiger Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Drew Coble, 1B – Jim Evans, 2B – Greg Kosc, 3B – Ted Hendry
  • Time of Game: 2:55
  • Attendance: 44,187

Birthdays

Francisco Cordero, Bill Bean, Mark Huismann, Walt Terrell, the late Rip Sewell and Charlie Gehringer 

See you tomorrow.

May 2, 1984: Red Sox 5 – Tigers 4

May 2, 1984: Red Sox 5 – Tigers 4

W: Mike Brown (1-2) – L: Juan Berenguer (1-1) – Save: Bob Stanley (4) | Boxscore

Record: 19-3

Highlights

  • A pair of two-run homers off Berenguer, one by Dwight Evans, the other by Jim Rice, gave the Red Sox a 4-0 lead in the third. Boston tacked on a run in the fifth to go up 5-0. 
  • The Tigers scratched back with a run in the sixth and eighth, and then two in the ninth off Stanley.
  • Kirk Gibson went 4 for 5 with a double, triple and an RBI.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Tiger Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Rocky Roe, 1B – Larry Barnett, 2B – Dale Ford, 3B – Ken Kaiser
  • Time of Game: 2:33
  • Attendance: 23,085

Darrell Evans #41

Before Pudge Rodriguez and Magglio Ordoñez, the Tigers’ big splash in the free agent market came on Dec. 17, 1983, when they signed 36-year-old* slugger Darrell Evans.

*He turned 37 in May 1984.

As most seasoned Tigers fans remember, the club’s leadership, or at least GM Jim Campbell — whose opinion was the only one that mattered — hated free agency. In fact, Campbell hated paying for his own free agent players and loved to trade them before their walk year. He certainly wasn’t going to spend on someone else’s players.

That changed in 1983 when Evans chose a Detroit offer which was, of course, lower than those of the Yankees, Giants and other clubs that tried to sign, or in the case of San Francisco, re-sign him. The allure of joining a team poised to win right away made Detroit the choice.

As we’ve covered, in his first game as a Tiger, April 3, 1984, Evans homered of the Twins’ Keith Comstock, a three-run jack, and Detroit was off to the races. A week later, on Opening Day in Detroit, he homered in his first Tiger Stadium at bat, an upper-deck blast off the Rangers’ Dave Stewart.

He’d hit only 14 more home runs in 1984, but quickly became a fan favorite. In 1985, he hit 40 homers, 29 in ’86 and then 34, at age 40!, in 1987. Even in 1988, his final year in Detroit, at age 41, he hit 22.

In five seasons with the Tigers, Evans hit 141 of his career 414 home runs. In 1989, he finished his career where it began: with the Atlanta Braves.

Birthdays

Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Neftali Feliz, Mark Johnson, Jim Walewander, Keith Moreland, Steve Grilli and the late Gates Brown 

See you tomorrow.

April 29, 1984: Tigers 6 – Indians 1

April 29, 1984: Tigers 6 – Indians 1

W: Dan Petry (3-1) – L: Dan Spillner (0-1) | Boxscore

Record: 18-2

Highlights

  • Dan Petry took a no-hitter into the eighth inning before allowing a two-out double to George Vukovich. He retired the next batter.
  • Petry: 8 IP, 1 hit, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Tiger Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Dale Ford, 1B – Ken Kaiser, 2B – Rocky Roe, 3B – Larry Barnett
  • Time of Game: 2:20
  • Attendance: 24,853

Bruce Robbins #48 and #44

The Tigers drafted Bruce Robbins in the 14th round of the 1977 amateur draft, and it was a rapid rise for the lefty out of Blackford High School in Hartford City, Ind.

Robbins spent 1978 in the low minors, Lakeland and Bristol. In 1979, he started in Lakeland, and then after going 7-1 with a 2.97 ERA with Double-A Montgomery, he got the call to Detroit.

He made his major-league debut, at age 19, on July 28, 1979 against the Blue Jays. He took the loss, but what a terrific debut: six innings, two runs, four hits, no walks, three strikeouts.

He made his final appearance in the majors on Sept. 23, 1980 also against the Blue Jays. Robbins pitched a third of an inning in relief of Milt Wilcox. The Tigers lost 9-7.

In between, he finished his career with a 7-5 record and a 5.34 ERA in 25 games.

I remember hearing that Robbins had decided to retire at age 21-ish and trying, at my own young age, to comprehend why someone so new to the big leagues would retire. I don’t know that we ever found out.

The Tigers seemed to have so much young pitching on the farm — Robbins, Mike Chris, Pat Underwood, Kip Young — that it bummed out this young Tigers fan that one was calling it quits.

Birthdays

Omir Santos and the late Mickey McDermott

See you tomorrow.

April 23, 1984: 🌧️ Postponed

🌧️ Game 14: Postponed

Easter Sunday’s cold and rainy weather in Detroit persisted and the Tigers and Twins face a doubleheader on April 24.

Record: 12-1

Eric Davis – #33

The 1993 season was a weird one. From April 23 to June 25, the Tigers were either in first place or tied for the division lead.

Then, beginning June 23, they lost 10 in a row and 13 of 14. The next thing you know, they were 4.5 games back by July 1.

On Aug. 31, sitting in third place and six games back of the Blue Jays, the Tigers made a curious and intriguing deal with the Dodgers, acquiring former All-Star outfielder Eric Davis for a player to be named later.

Davis was a superstar with the Reds and was traded to Los Angeles in December 1991 and re-signed with his hometown team in November 1992. He didn’t match the dual-threat production he had in his first eight seasons* in Cincinnati — 177 homers, 247 stolen bases — so at the Aug. 31 traded deadline, the former Gold Glover was sent to Detroit.

The power hitter joined a lineup already full of power hitters: Cecil Fielder, Rob Deer, Mickey Tettleton, Pete Incaviglia and even Kirk Gibson.

He debuted with the Tigers on Sept. 3 at Tiger Stadium against the White Sox. Sparky slotted him in the seven spot, in centerfield. He doubled in his second at bat and homered in the bottom of the eighth — a three-run shot to draw the Tigers to within two, 8-6. That was the final score.

Davis’s 1993 Detroit totals: 23 games, six homers, .253 average and a .904 OPS. He also stole two bases, bringing his L.A./Detroit combo to 35.

As for the Tigers, they finished tied for third, 10 games back of Toronto.

The Tigers brought Davis back in 1994, but injuries limited him to just 37 games. He batted .183 with three home runs.

His final game with Detroit was July 26, 1994; he went 0 for 2 with a walk and a run scored in a 9-1 win over the Mariners.

All told, his 60-game Tigers career wrapped with a .210 average, nine home runs, seven stolen bases and a .706 OPS.

*After sitting out 1995, he returned to the Reds for one more season in 1996, and then had a post-cancer resurgence with the Orioles, Cardinals and Giants.

Birthdays

Zach Logue and the late Elam Vangilder and Harry Coveleski

See you tomorrow.

🌎 April 22, 1984: Tigers 9 – White Sox 1

1984 Game 13: Tigers 9 – White Sox 1

W: Juan Berenguer (1-0) – L: Tom Brennan (0-1) | Boxscore

Record: 12-1

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.

The Tigers had 18 hits, paced by:

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
  • Time of Game: 2:58
  • Attendance: 10,603

Jim Crawford – #28

Lefty Jim Crawford was acquired by the Tigers in a Randy Smith-style trade with the Astros on Dec. 6, 1975. He came to Detroit with Milt May and Dave Roberts for Terry Humphrey, Mark Lemongello, Gene Pentz and Leon Roberts.

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.

Birthdays

Tyson Ross, David Purcey

See you tomorrow.

April 19, 1984: Royals 5 – Tigers 2

Game 10: April 19, 1984*

*Rescheduled from April 17 (rain)

Royals 5 – Tigers 2

W: Bret Saberhagen (1-0) – L: Dan Petry (2-1) – Save: Dan Quisenberry (5) | Boxscore

Highlights

  • Fifteen days after making his major-league debut, the 20-year-old Saberhagen handed the Tigers their first loss of the year. He went six innings, allowing just one run on six hits, two walks and four strikeouts.
  • Petry gave up eight hits in as many innings, five runs (four earned), two walks and four strikeouts.
  • Frank White hit a two-out, two-run homer off Petry in the eighth that turned a 3-1 game into a 5-1 game. 
  • Kirk Gibson homered off Quisenberry (who pitched three innings of relief!) with one out in the bottom of the ninth to draw the Tigers to 5-2.
  • Record: 9-1

Miscellany

  • Umpires: HP – Vic Voltaggio, 1B – Joe Brinkman, 2B – Larry McCoy, 3B – Nick Bremigan
  • Time of Game: 2:27
  • Attendance: 12,100

Kip Young – #37 and #44

Right-handed pitcher Kip Young was drafted by the Tigers in the 23rd round of the 1976 amateur draft from Bowling Green State University — a proud MAC school!

He made his Tigers debut on July 21, 1978 against the Angels at Tiger Stadium. Young took the loss in the 11-inning, 4-2 game, pitching the 10th and 11th.

Young pitched in 14 games in ’78, finishing 6-7 with 2.81 ERA over 105.2 innings.

As I remember it, after a few appearances there was some excitement around Young joining Jack Morris, Dan Petry and Milt Wilcox in the rotation — and don’t get me started on Bruce Robbins and Mike Chris.

It appears he made the 1979 club out of Spring Training, making starts in mid-April and early May. In fact, he pitched for the Tigers in every month except August. He spent time in Evansville, too, presumably late July and August.

His final appearance came on Sept. 26, 1979 against the Orioles. Young entered in the bottom of third, relieving starter Mike Chris with two on and nobody out.

He faced five batters — Eddie Murray, Lee May, Gary Roenicke, Doug DeCinces and Rich Dauer — and retired none of them. He was charged with three runs, two earned.

On Nov. 21, 1979 his contract was purchased by the Mariners. Young spent time at Triple A with the Mariners, Reds and Twins, but he didn’t appear in the majors again.

Kip Young’s final major-league line: 8-9, 3.86 ERA, seven complete games, all with the Tigers.

Birthdays

Bryan Garcia, Heath Murray, Sean Whiteside and the late John Wyatt, Bernie DeViveiros and Chick Shorten 

Have a great weekend. See you tomorrow.