July 19, 1984: Tigers 9 – Rangers 2

W: Milt Wilcox (9-6) – L: Dave Stewart (4-11) | Boxscore

Record: 63-29 — 8 games up on Toronto

Highlights

A terrific start for Wilcox: 7^1/3 innings, eight hits, two runs, seven strikeouts and no walks.

Ruppert Jones had quite a day: 4 for 4 with a pair of doubles — but just one RBI? — and Kirk Gibson and Lance Parrish homered. Lou Whitaker had three hits.

A juxtaposition of Tigers relievers in this one: Willie Hernández got the final two outs of the eighth, and Aurelio López took over in the ninth.

The Tigers are in the middle of a 15-game stretch where they go 12-3. 🔥

Miscellany

Venue: Tiger Stadium
Umpires: HP – Rocky Roe, 1B – Ken Kaiser, 2B – Dale Ford, 3B – Larry Barnett
Time of Game: 2:32
Attendance: 26,908

Mark Carreon OF — #15

Mark Carreon played just one season in Detroit, 1992, but what the hay, let’s look back on it:

Jan. 22, 1992: The Mets sent him along with Tony Castillo to the Tigers for minor leaguer Randy Marshall and Paul Gibson.

Carreon made his Tigers debut on April 9, 1992, and homered in his first at bat off the Blue Jays’ Juan Guzmán.

His final game also came against Toronto, on Oct. 4, but no highlights to speak of in this one: 0 for 5 with an error.

In between he had a few notable games: May 13 against the Angels in which he went 3 for 5 with a homer, and June 3, a four-hit game. On Sept. 11 and Sept. 13 he had 3 for 5 games.

All told, he hit .232 with 10 homers in 101 games. After the ’92 season he became a free agent and signed with the Giants.

Birthdays

Phil Coke, Mark Carreon, the late Mark Koenig, Earl Hamilton and Erve Beck

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 474 9/9: Rarity: 59

See you tomorrow.

July 17, 1984: Tigers 3 – White Sox 2

W: Dan Petry (12-4) – L: Gene Nelson (1-2) – S: Willie Hernández (17) | Boxscore

Record: 62-28 — 9 games up on Toronto

Highlights

The Tigers scored three in the first and let it ride the rest of the way, thanks to a strong 7^2/3 innings from Dan Petry. He allowed just five hits and a walk to go with five strikeouts.

Darrell Evans homered off Chicago starter Gene Nelson with one on in the first, and Ruppert Jones, Lance Parrish and Lou Whitaker each had a double. Johnny Grubb had two hits.

Nelson was equally solid, allowing just the three runs in eight innings.

Miscellany

Venue: Tiger Stadium
Umpires: HP – Drew Coble, 1B – Mark Johnson, 2B – Greg Kosc, 3B – Ted Hendry
Time of Game: 2:03
Attendance: 34,579

Mike Muñoz LHP – #43

Here are six things to know about lefty reliever Mike Munoz:

The Tigers acquired him on Sept. 30, 1990 from the Dodgers for minor leaguer Mike Wilkins.
Muñoz made his Tigers debut on June 19, 1991 against the A’s tossing one inning of relief.
He spent most of the ’91 season in Toledo, apart from the six games for the Tigers that amounted to a 0-0 record with a 9.64 ERA in 9^1/3 innings.
In 1992, Muñoz was a fixture in Sparky’s bullpen, appearing in 65 games and notching a 1-2 record, two saves and a 4.71 ERA.
He appeared in eight games for the ’93 Tigers — 0-1 with a 6.00 ERA — before being released. Muñoz’s last game as a Tiger came on April 28 against the Rangers, in which he took the loss. His final Tigers line: 1-3, two saves and a 4.18 ERA in 79 games.
Muñoz eventually signed with the Rockies where he carved out a nice career, pitching six seasons in Denver.

Birthdays

Hal Erickson and Guy Tutwiler

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 472 9/9: Rarity: 25

See you tomorrow.

July 14, 1984: Tigers 6 – Twins 5 (12)

W: Willie Hernández (6-0) – L: Mike Walters (0-3) | Boxscore

Record: 59-28 — 7 games up on Toronto

Highlights

With one out in the ninth, Dave Bergman tied it at four with a pinch-hit solo homer off Ron Davis.

The Tigers scored two in the 12th to take a 6-4 lead. Hernández pitched three innings and allowed a two-out home run to Tim Teufel in the 12th, before getting Ron Washington (!) for the final out.

Milt Wilcox started and pitched 5^2/3 allowing four runs on eight hits; Doug Bair pitched a flawless 3^1/3.

Detroit had a dozen hits, two apiece for Bárbaro Garbey, Chet Lemon and Howard Johnson.

Miscellany

Venue: Metrodome
Umpires: HP – Vic Voltaggio, 1B – Joe Brinkman, 2B – Larry McCoy, 3B – Nick Bremigan
Time of Game: 3:40
Attendance: 46,017

Birthdays

Enrique Gonzalez and the late John Peters

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 469 8/9: Rarity: 128

See you tomorrow.

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 10, 1984: National League 3 – American League 1

W: Charlie Lea (1-0) – L: Dave Stieb (0-1) – S: Rich Gossage (1) | Boxscore

Highlights

Lou Whitaker led off the game with a double to right off the Expos’ Charlie Lea. (Baseball Reference’s box score describes the hit as “Pop Fly to Short RF Line”.)

In the third, he singled off Fernando Valenzuela and finished two for three before being replaced by the Blue Jays’ Dámaso García in the sixth.

Lance Parrish started and batted seventh. He went hitless with two strikeouts. Jim Sundberg replaced him in the fifth.

Jack Morris relieved Stieb in the third and tossed two scoreless innings, allowing two hits and a walk, and striking out two.

Chet Lemon started and batted eighth. In the second inning he singled to center off Lea. In the top of the fifth, Lance, Chet and the Mariners’ Alvin Davis were struck out in succession by Dwight Gooden.

Willie Hernández allowed an eighth-inning homer to Dale Murphy which gave the N.L. the insurance run they needed.

Notable: A.L. Manager Joe Altobelli used five pitchers, two from Toronto (Stieb and Bill Caudill), two from Detroit and one, Richard Dotson, from Chicago.

Miscellany

Venue: Candlestick Park
Umpires: HP – Lee Weyer, 1B – Al Clark, 2B – Dutch Rennert, 3B – Durwood Merrill, LF – Fred Brocklander, RF – Rocky Roe
Time of Game: 2:29
Attendance: 57,756

Birthdays

Buddy Groom, the late Jim Walsh and Bobby Lowe

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 465 9/9: Rarity: 7

See you tomorrow.

July 9, 1984: The All-Star Break

The Tigers had six players on the 1984 American League All-Star team, three in the starting lineup …

… and three reserves:

Tram was on the disabled list, as I recall, with an elbow issue and wouldn’t play in the game, played at Candlestick Park.

I had held out hope that Morris would start the game. Alas, that assignment went to the Blue Jays’ Dave Stieb.

The Standings

A seven-game lead at the All-Star Break, even knowing how it all ends, is still remarkable. What I did not realize, until I started writing this post, was the Padres entered the break with the best record in the National League.

Birthdays

Orville Inman “Coot” Veal and the late Bud Black, Jimmy Shevlin, Glenn Myatt and Carl Holling

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 464 8/9 —Rarity: 159

See you tomorrow.

July 7, 1984: Tigers 5 – Rangers 2

W: Dave Rozema (5-1) – L: Danny Darwin (5-5) – S: Willie Hernández (16) | Boxscore

Record: 57-26 — 7 games up on Toronto

Highlights

A solid start for Rozema: six innings, nine hits and one earned run.

Hernández with another multi-inning save — three! — albeit a bit wild. Three walks and a hit.

Ruppert Jones had three hits and Lance Parrish hit a solo homer.

Miscellany

Venue: Arlington Stadium
Umpires: HP – Mark Johnson, 1B – Joe Brinkman, 2B – Larry McCoy, 3B – Nick Bremigan
Time of Game: 2:41
Attendance: 29,262

Birthdays

Alfredo Figaro, Dan Gladden and the late Mel Clark and the Georges: Smith, Spencer, Moriarty and Suggs.

See you tomorrow.

July 5, 1984: Tigers 7 – Rangers 4

W: Aurelio López (7-0) – L: Charlie Hough (8-7) – S: Willie Hernández (15) | Boxscore

Record: 56-25 — 7 games up on Toronto

Highlights

Down 4-1 heading to the top of the ninth, the Tigers scored six runs off of Rangers’ starter Charlie Hough.

Kirk Gibson‘s two-out, three-run homer turned a tie game into a 7-4 lead.

Dan Petry went 5^2/3, allowing four runs and striking out six.

Miscellany

Venue: Arlington Stadium
Umpires: HP – Larry McCoy, 1B – Nick Bremigan, 2B – Mark Johnson, 3B – Joe Brinkman
Time of Game: 2:26
Attendance: 15,151

Birthdays

Doug Bochtler and Tim Worrell

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 459 9/9: Rarity 28

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.