July 3, 1984: White Sox 9 – Tigers

July 3, 1984: White Sox 9 – Tigers 5

W: Tom Seaver (7-6) – L: Jack Morris (12-5) – S: Ron Reed (4) | Boxscore

Record: 55-24 — 8 games up Toronto

Highlights

The Tigers lost their third-consecutive game for the first time since the Memorial Day sweep at the hands of the Mariners.

Morris fooled no one and Seaver was not much better — but good enough to win. The Cat lasted 4^1/3, giving up eight runs on nine hits. Tom Terrific allowed five earned runs on five hits — three of them homers — walked three and struck out seven.

Lance Parrish, Ruppert Jones and Howard Johnson each took Seaver deep.

Miscellany

Venue: Comiskey Park
Umpires: HP – Drew Coble, 1B – Jim Evans, 2B – Greg Kosc, 3B – Ted Hendry
Time of Game: 2:42
Attendance: 43,094

Birthdays

Logan Kensing, Frank Tanana, Phil Meeler and the late Luke Hamlin and Jack Dalton

See you tomorrow.

June 29, 1984: Doubleheader in Detroit

Game 1: Twins 5 – Tigers 3

W: Albert Williams (3-3) – L: Jack Morris (12-4) – S: Ron Davis (15) | Boxscore

Record: 53-21

Highlights

Morris began — or maybe he was already mired in? — his mid-season slump. He allowed 10 hits, three walks and five earned runs over 5^2/3 innings.

Doug Bair pitched the final 3^1/3 giving up just two hits in a scoreless outing.

Lou Whitaker had three hits and Lance Parrish drove in two.

Miscellany

Umpires: HP – Nick Bremigan, 1B – Mark Johnson, 2B – Joe Brinkman, 3B – Larry McCoy
Time of Game: 2:50
Attendance: Not Given

Game 2: Tigers 7 – Twins 5

W: Willie Hernández (4-0) – L: Pete Filson (4-2) | Boxscore

Record: 54-21 — 10 games up on Toronto

Highlights

The Tigers chased Twins starter Mike Smithson after 1^1/3 with five hits — three of them homers — and four earned runs.

Kirk Gibson‘s two-run shot in the first, and solo homers by Chet Lemon and Ruppert Jones in the second sent Smithson to the showers.

That 4-0 Tigers lead turned into a 5-4 deficit thanks to the Twins’ tagging Milt Wilcox for five runs on five hits in five innings.

Detroit tied it in the seventh and the Gibby hit his second two-run homer of the game to walk it off.

Miscellany

Venue: Tiger Stadium
Umpires: HP – Mark Johnson, 1B – Joe Brinkman, 2B – Larry McCoy, 3B – Nick Bremigan
Time of Game: 3:00
Attendance: 44,619

Birthdays

Eddie Miller, Bruce Kimm, the late Bob Shaw, Dizzy Trout and Bobby Veach

See you tomorrow.

June 26, 1984: Tigers 9 – Yankees 7 (10)

W: Willie Hernández (3-0) – L: Clay Christiansen (2-3) | Boxscore

Record: 53-19: 10 games up on Toronto

Highlights

The Tigers score three in the eighth to tie it and take the lead in the 10th on a Lance Parrish two-run homer.

Detroit had 16 hits and five Tigers had two hits a piece; Tom Brookens went 3 for 5.

Juan Berenguer lasted only 2^1/3 innings, giving up five hits and three earned runs.

Miscellany

Venue: Yankee Stadium
Umpires: HP – Marty Springstead, 1B – Jim McKean, 2B – Tim McClelland, 3B – Dan Morrison.
Time of Game: 3:22
Attendance: 32,301

Birthdays

Chris Shelton, Mike Myers and the late Babe Herman

See you tomorrow.

June 24, 1984: Tigers 7 – Brewers 1

W: Jack Morris (12-3) – L: Moose Haas (4-6) – S: Aurelio López (9) | Boxscore

Record: 52-18 — 8.5 up on Toronto

Highlights

The Tigers scored five runs on five hits off Brewers starter Moose Haas.

Morris, 6 innings, 1 hit, and Señor Smoke, 3 innings, 2 hits, 1 run, throttled Milwaukee.

Lance Parrish had a 3 for 4 day with a solo homer, and Ruppert Jones hit a three-run shot.

Miscellany

Venue: County Stadium
Umpires: HP – Durwood Merrill, 1B – Dan Morrison, 2B – Marty Springstead, 3B – Jim McKean
Time of Game: 2:32
Attendance: 39,067

Birthdays

George Harper

See you tomorrow.

June 23, 1984: Tigers 5 – Brewers 1

W: Milt Wilcox (8-5) – L: Chuck Porter (5-3) | Boxscore

Record: 51-18 — Up 7.5 on Toronto

Highlights

Milt tossed a beaut: Eight innings, four hits, one run.

The Tigers raced out to a 5-0 lead by the third inning, fueled by homers from Kirk Gibson, a solo shot in the first, and Howard Johnson a three-run job in the second.

Lance Parrish had a pair a doubles and Gibby went three for four.

Miscellany

Venue: Tiger Stadium
Umpires: HP – Jim McKean, 1B – Durwood Merrill, 2B – Dan Morrison, 3B – Marty Springstead
Time of Game: 2:33
Attendance: 44,680

Bill Nahorodny – C #18

He didn’t play very long for his hometown Tigers, but catcher Bill Nahorodny can, at the very least, say he appeared in a game, for the home team, at Tiger Stadium. Here are a few things to know about him:

The Hamtramck native was drafted by the Phillies in the sixth round of the 1972 MLB June Amateur Draft from St. Clair County Community College in Port Huron.

After several seasons with the White Sox and Braves and one each with the Phillies and Indians, he signed with the Tigers on March 1, 1983.

At Evansville, he ran roughshod over International League pitching in 1983 — 127 games, a .335 average, 21 home runs, 94 RBI and a .945 OPS — and it earned him a September call up.

Nahordony’s Tigers debut came on Sept. 24 at Tiger Stadium. In the bottom of the eighth he pinch for Marty Castillo and, facing John Tudor, grounded out to shortstop Ed Jurak.

Four days later, facing the Orioles, he pinch hit for Mike Laga and drew a walk off Tippy Martinez.

And that would be it for Nahorodny’s Tigers career. The Tigers released him on Oct. 21, 1983. He spent the ’84 season with the Mariners

Birthdays

The late Tom Haller, Bubba Floyd, Aaron Robinson and Al Clauss

See you tomorrow.

June 22, 1984: Tigers 7 – Brewers 3

W: Dave Rozema (4-0) L: Bob McClure (1-3) S: Willie Hernández (13) | Boxscore

Record: 50-18 — 7.5 up on Toronto

Highlights

The Tigers chased McClure with five in the first, on three hits and two walks. He got only one batter out.

Rozema went six, allowing two homers — one to Jim Gantner and another to Ben Oglivie.

Kirk Gibson and Lance Parrish each had two RBI.

Miscellany

Venue: Tiger Stadium
Umpires: HP – Marty Springstead, 1B – Jim McKean, 2B – Durwood Merrill, 3B – Dan Morrison
Time of Game: 2:53
Attendance: 48,497

Birthdays

Ian Kinsler, Esteban Yan, Jake Wood and late Walt Masterson

Have a great weekend. See you tomorrow.

June 20, 1984: Tigers 9 – Yankees 6 (13)

W: Doug Bair (4-0) – L: José Rijo (1-7) | Boxscore

Record: 49-17 — 7.5 up on Toronto

Highlights

Howard Johnson‘s three-run homer, his fifth of the year, with two out in the bottom of the 13th won it for Detroit. Alan Trammell, Lance Parrish and Chet Lemon all homered.

Chet went 4 for 5.

Willie Hernández pitched four innings of relief. Wait, what?

Miscellany

Venue: Tiger Stadium
Umpires: HP – Dave Phillips, 1B – Jerry Neudecker, 2B – John Hirschbeck, 3B – Steve Palermo
Time of Game: 3:51
Attendance: 43,972

Jim Morrison – IF #9 and #17

The Tigers picked up Jim Morrison from the Pirates on Aug. 7, 1987 for a player to be named later* and Darnell Coles.

*Five days later, they sent Morris Madden to Pittsburgh to complete the trade.

Morrison was expected to be another veteran presence for a Tigers team that was, after a dreadful start, in the thick of the American League East race.

On Aug. 7 against the Yankees**, he made his Tigers debut (a game I attended) at third based and batting sixth. He led off the bottom of the sixth with a homer off New York starter Rick Rhoden.

**The Tigers won 8-0 and sat in third place, just a game behind second-place New York and a game and half behind Toronto.

When the Tigers got him, he was hitting .264 with the Pirates with nine home runs and a .726 OPS. Although Morrison became Sparky’s everyday third baseman for the rest of the year, that performance didn’t carry over to Detroit. He hit just .205 — which was still 20+ points higher than what Coles was hitting at the time of the trade.

After 24 games in 1988, the Tigers released him on June 6. In his final game with Detroit, on June 3, he pinch hit for Pat Sheridan and singled off future-Tiger Jeff Kaiser, driving in a run.

His final line with the Tigers: .209, 4 HR, 25 RBI and a .534 OPS.

Birthdays

Bobby Seay, Paul Bako, the late Charlie Grover, Jim Delahanty and Win Mercer

See you tomorrow.

June 19, 1984: Tigers 7 – Yankees 6

W: Aurelio López (6-0) – L: Ron Guidry (5-5) – S: Willie Hernández (12) | Boxscore

Record: 48-17 — 6^1/2 up on Toronto

Highlights

Carl Willis made his first big-league start: 4^1/3 innings, nine hits, four earned runs.

The Tigers took it to Ron Guidry: a dozen hits and seven earned runs over 7^1/3.

Lance Parrish‘s first-inning two-run homer opened the scoring.

Chet Lemon, Larry Herndon and Tom Brookens each doubled; and Herndon had a three-hit game.

Miscellany

Venue: Tiger Stadium
Umpires: HP – Steve Palermo, 1B – Dave Phillips, 2B – Jerry Neudecker, 3B – John Hirschbeck
Time of Game: 2:49
Attendance: 41,192

Doug Flynn – IF #20

The Tigers signed veteran infielder Doug Flynn as a free agent on June 20, 1985, nine days after he was released by the Expos. Here are four things to know about his brief time in Detroit:

He debuted on June 22 against the Yankees, starting at second base and batting ninth. He singled off Ron Guidry in his first at bat, one of just four hits Guidry allowed.

His final major-league game was Oct. 5, 1985 against the Orioles. He replaced Doug Baker at short — Alejandro Sánchez pinch ran for Baker — in the eighth inning.

Flynn’s final line as a Tiger: 32 games, 55 plate appearances, .255 average, no home runs and two RBI.

The Tigers re-signed him in the offseason, but released him near the end of Spring Training 1986.

Birthdays

Willis Roberts*, Jim Slaton and the late Eddie Cicotte.

*Roberts appeared in one game for the 1999 Tigers: 1.1 IP, three hits, four runs, one HBP.

See you tomorrow.

June 15, 1984: Tigers 3 – Brewers 2

W: Dan Petry (10-3) – L: Jaime Cocanower (5-6) – Save: Willie Hernández (11) | Boxscore

Record: 45-16 — 6 games up on Toronto

Highlights

The Tigers scored first on a Lance Parrish solo homer in the second.

Peaches went seven, allowing seven hits. Willie closed out the game with a two-inning appearance.

Milwaukee had eight hits, with Dion James and Jim Gantner combining for six of them.

Johnny Grubb and Larry Herndon drove in the Tigers other two runs.

Miscellany

Venue: County Stadium
Umpires: HP – Tim Welke, 1B – Bill Kunkel, 2B – Mark Johnson, 3B – Terry Cooney
Time of Game: 2:42
Attendance: 32,074