Author: Mike McClary

Upbeat guy.

The Saturday Fungo: June 29

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 52/3 innings.
  • Doug Bair pitched the final 31/3 giving up just two hits in a scoreless outing.

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 11/3 with five hits — three of them homers — and four earned runs.
  • 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.

The Friday Fungo: June 28

June 28, 1984: Off Day at Home

The Tigers have an off day after losing the series to the Yankees in New York. Up next: a doubleheader against the Twins in Detroit. Let’s look back on a game played on June 28 in another year.

June 28, 1980: Tigers 8 – Blue Jays 3

W: Dave Rozema (4-4) – L: Jack Kucek (1-1) | Boxscore

Record: 37-30 — 3rd place, 6.5 games behind the Yankees

Highlights

  • Rozema pitched seven innings, scattered seven hits and allowed just two earned runs. Dan Schatzeder and Aurelio López covered the final two innings.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Exhibition Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Ted Hendry, 1B – Larry Barnett, 2B – Fred Spenn, 3B – Jim Evans
  • Time of Game: 2:53
  • Attendance: 20,059

Birthdays

Chris Spurling, Greg Keagle, Tom Fletcher, Orlando McFarlane, Frank Scheibeck and the late Fred Gladding

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 453 9/9 — Rarity: 26

See you tomorrow.

The Thursday Fungo: June 27

June 27, 1984: Yankees 5 – Tigers 4

W: Jay Howell (3-4) – L: Carl Willis (0-1) – Save: | Boxscore

Record: 53-20 — 10 games up on Toronto

Highlights

  • The Tigers had a 4-2 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth. Willis relieved starter Dave Rozema and gave up two hits and three runs.
  • Bárbaro Garbey drove in a pair, and the Tigers eked out just five hits.
  • The Yankees take two out of three in the series but the Tigers remain 10 games ahead of second-place Toronto.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Yankee Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Jim McKean, 1B – Tim McClelland, 2B – Larry Young, 3B – Marty Springstead
  • Time of Game: 2:36
  • Attendance: 30,428

Birthdays

Jim Johnson, Oscar Salazar, Nelson Simmons, Dick Marlowe, Gus Zernial, Lou Kretlow and Charlie Wheatley

See you tomorrow.

The Wednesday Fungo: June 26

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 21/3 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.

The Tuesday Fungo: June 25

June 25, 1984: Yankees 7 –Tigers 3

W: Ron Guidry (6-5) – L: Doug Bair (4-1) – S: Jay Howell (2) | Boxscore

Record: 52-19 — 9 games up on Toronto

Highlights

  • A 1-1 game at the end of the sixth became a 3-1 Tigers lead and soon thereafter 4-3 Yankees.
  • Then, in the bottom of the eighth, Willie Hernández proved he was human: 1 inning, 2 hits, 3 walks and 3 runs.
  • Dan Petry started and allowed 11 hits in his 61/3 innings.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Yankee Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Dan Morrison, 1B – Marty Springstead, 2B – Jim McKean, 3B – Tim McClelland
  • Time of Game: 3:11
  • Attendance: 29,237

Birthdays

The late Don Demeter, Alex Garbowski, Johnny Pasek and John Deering

See you tomorrow.

The Monday Fungo: June 24

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.

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.

The Sunday Fungo: June 23

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.

The Saturday Fungo: June 22

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.

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.

The Friday Fungo: June 21

June 21, 1984: Brewers 4 – Tigers 3

W: Don Sutton (4-7) – L: Juan Berenguer (4-5) – S: Rollie Fingers (12) | Boxscore

Record: 49-18 – 6.5 up on Toronto

Highlights

  • The Brewers tagged Berenguer for four runs on seven hits over 51/3.
  • Sid Monge pitched 22/3 scoreless, one-hit innings to keep the Tigers in it.
  • Detroit scored three in the seventh, two on Larry Herndon‘s pinch-hit home run, and got the tying run on base in the ninth but Fingers doused that flame.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Tiger Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Dan Morrison, 1B – Marty Springstead, 2B – Jim McKean, 3B – Durwood Merrill
  • Time of Game: 2:30
  • Attendance: 32,291

Gene Pentz RHP #39

I’m again stretching the boundaries of this site to feature Gene Pentz on his birthday. Here are five things to know about the Johnstown, Pa. native:

  • The 1975 Tigers were awful, so don’t read too much into the fact that they were 0-13 in games that Pentz appeared.
  • His final line: 0-4, 3.50 ERA, 251/3 innings pitched.

Birthdays

Jefry Marté, Jeff Baker, Sean Runyan and Gene Pentz

See you tomorrow.