The Friday Fungo: May 17

May 17, 1984: Off Day in Detroit

The Tigers await the arrival of Oakland for a weekend set.

Record: 29-5

Mark Carreon #15

Outfielder/DH Mark Carreon came to Detroit with Tony Castillo in a Jan. 22, 1992 trade with the Mets for lefty reliever Paul Gibson and minor leaguer Randy Marshall — one of many curious deals the Tigers made in the 1990s.

In his one season in Detroit, Carreon hit just .232 with 10 homers and .636 OPS in 101 games. He homered in his first Tigers at bat, off the Blue Jays’ Juan Guzmán, on April 9.

Carreon had success before and after coming to the Tigers:

5 seasons with the Mets: .272 average, .746 OPS
4 seasons with the Giants: .289/.813
1 season with the Indians: .324/.835

He filed for free agency after the season and signed with the Giants in January 1993.

Bonus! A Taste of Up North

I discovered this live stream cam from Charlevoix looking out at Lake Michigan, and I check it a few times a week. In the winter, it makes me feel great about living in Arizona. In the summer, not so much.

There are a couple of other views including Bridge Cam and Round Lake Cam.

Birthdays

Carlos Pena, Ozzie Virgil and the late Billy Hoeft

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 411 9/9 Rarity: 36

Have a great weekend, and we’ll see you tomorrow.

The Thursday Fungo: May 16

May 16, 1984: Tigers 10 – Mariners 1

W: Milt Wilcox (5-0) – L: Matt Young (2-3) | Boxscore

Record: 29-5

Highlights

The Tigers ambushed Matt Young for five first-inning runs, and then tacked on another five off the Mariners bullpen.

Every starter and pinch hitter got at least one hit — except for Dave Bergman. He was plunked by Dave Beard after Johnny Grubb homered.

Wilcox cruised through six innings, allowing just four hits. Doug Bair, Willie Hernández and Aurelio López each threw a scoreless inning.

Miscellany

Venue: Tiger Stadium
Umpires: HP – Richard Shulock, 1B – Derryl Cousins, 2B – Bill Kunkel, 3B – Terry Cooney
Time of Game: 2:52
Attendance: 22,001

Dave Machemer #9

Here are a few things to know about infielder Dave Machemer. But first, a nugget from his profile in the 1979 Tigers Yearbook:

Born in St. Joseph, on the west side of Michigan, Dave and his wife still live in neighboring Benton Harbor. The 27-year-old infielder has another Michigan tie, being a 1973 graduate of Central Michigan University at Mt. Pleasant.

Machemer homered in his first major league at bat, on June 21, 1978, when he debuted with the California Angels. He led off the game by homering off Twins starter Geoff Zahn. Spoiler: It would be his only career homer.

After a 10-game stint with the ’78 Angels, the Tigers drafted Machemer in the Rule 5 pick that December.

He made his Tigers debut on April 21, 1979, against the Blue Jays, entering the game in the bottom of the ninth as a pinch runner for Jason Thompson.

His finest game was on June 29 against the Orioles. Starting at second base and batting ninth, he went 3 for 4, including a double off Dennis Martínez.

Machemer’s final game was on July 2, 1979, when he pinch ran for Rusty Staub. His Tigers career totals: 19 games, .192 average.

Birthdays

Jack Morris, Doug Brocail, Bob Bruce, the late Billy Martin, Dave Philley, Stubby Overmire and John O’Connell

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate 410 9/9: Rarity: 12

See you tomorrow.

The Wednesday Fungo: May 15

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

Kind of an ugly game featuring five errors; three by the Tigers – Whitaker, Tram, and Howard Johnson.

At one point, the Tigers led 6-1.

Morris and Hernandez combined for a five hitter.

Kirk Gibson and Johnson each had two RBI.

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

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 409 9/9: Rarity: 6

See you tomorrow.

The Tuesday Fungo: May 14

May 14, 1984: Tigers 7 – Mariners 5

W: Aurelio López (4-0) – L: Ed Vande Berg (2-2) | Boxscore

Record: 27-5

Highlights

15 hits for the Tigers: Three each for Alan Trammell and Rusty Kuntz; two each for Bárbaro Garbey, Lance Parrish and Larry Herndon.

Homers for Tram, his fourth, off Ed Vande Berg, in the first inning; and Rusty, his first, also off Vande Berg, in the fourth.

Miscellany

Venue: Tiger Stadium
Umpires: HP – Bill Kunkel, 1B – Terry Cooney, 2B – Richard Shulock, 3B – Derryl Cousins
Time of Game: 3:05
Attendance: 18,830

Les Moss #28

In 1979, John Lester Moss took over for the retired Ralph Houk as Tigers manager. The Tigers finished Houk’s final season at 86-76, and the club seemed ready to make a move in an albeit stacked* American League East.

*Six of the seven teams finished over .500, and three had 90+ wins.

Moss had been in the Tigers farm system managing the Triple-A Evansville Triplets in the American Association and presumably his familiarity with the Tigers’ young core made him a logical choice.

Moss managed the Tigers for just 53 games in ’79. Detroit sat at a 27-26, on the morning of June 14 and before the day over, he was out of a job and Sparky Anderson was the Tigers’ new manager.

As a player, Moss had a 13-year career as a catcher, making his debut in 1946 as a 21-year-old with the St. Louis Browns. He played in just a dozen games that year but finished a .371 average.

Though he didn’t hang around Detroit for very long, Les Moss is another player in the Tigers’ rich history.

Birthdays

Efren Navarro and the late Les Moss

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 408 8/9: Rarity: 124

See you tomorrow.

The Monday Fungo: May 13

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)

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 407 9/9 – Rarity: 33

See you tomorrow.

The Sunday Fungo: May 12

May 12, 1984: Angels 4 – Tigers 2

W: Tommy John (3-3) – L: Juan Berenguer (2-2) | Boxscore

Record: 26-5

Highlights

The Tigers had a 2-0 lead into the fifth when Reggie Jackson blasted a two-run homer off Berenguer. (See the proof below.)

The Angels tacked on runs in seventh and eighth, the last a solo shot by Rob Wilfong off Aurelio López.

Tommy John pitched a complete game, and Sparky got ejected in this one for arguing a call at second base and tossing his hat in the air to boot.

Miscellany

Venue: Tiger Stadium
Umpires: HP – Jim Evans, 1B – Greg Kosc, 2B – Ted Hendry, 3B – Drew Coble
Time of Game: 2:32
Attendance: 38,516

Ron Jackson #15

The 1981 Tigers were in the hunt for a playoff spot as the second-half A.L. East champ, so they picked up right-handed hitting first baseman Ron Jackson for the stretch drive.

Here are a few things to know about his brief time in Detroit:

He came to Detroit from the Twins on Aug. 23, 1981 for a player to be named later. The Tigers sent Tim Corcoran on Sept. 4 to complete the trade.

Jackson made his Tigers debut that same August day, batting fifth and playing first base. He went 0 for 4 against the Rangers in a 5-4 Tigers win.

He became a regular during his brief stint in Detroit, appearing in 31 games and batting .284 with a homer and 12 RBI and a .758 OPS.

As I remember it, Jackson was a spark plug for the Tigers and it seemed like he would return in 1982. Instead, the Tigers let him go as a free agent (surprise, surprise).