Author: Mike McClary

Upbeat guy.

Sept. 16, 1984: Tigers 8 – Blue Jays 3

W: Juan Berenguer (9-10) – L: Bryan Clark (1-2) | Boxscore

Record: 95-54 — 12 games up on Toronto

Magic Number: 2

Highlights

  • The Tigers were up 7-0 in third inning and banged out 12 hits off five Blue Jays pitchers. Berenguer eked out a five-inning win, allowing three hits, two runs and striking out four.
  • And that was all she wrote for the Blue Jays. The Tigers’ Magic Number was shrinking and the Jays were out of time.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Tiger Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Richard Shulock, 1B – Terry Cooney, 2B – Larry Young, 3B – Derryl Cousins
  • Time of Game: 3:01
  • Attendance: 45,488

Birthdays

Matt Vierling, Robbie Grossman, Mark Parent, Chris Pittaro, Mickey Tettleton and the late Vito Valentinetti

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 533: 9/9 – Rarity: 63

See you tomorrow.

Sept. 15, 1984: Tigers 2 – Blue Jays 1

W: Milt Wilcox (17-7) – L: Dave Stieb (14-7) – S: Willie Hernández (29) | Boxscore

Record: 94-54 — 11 games up on Toronto

Magic Number: 4

Highlights

  • Milt was superb: seven innings, one run, one hit and one walk but eight strikeouts.
  • Ruppert Jones homered off Stieb in the fourth and that was it for the scoring.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Tiger Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Derryl Cousins, 1B – Richard Shulock, 2B – Terry Cooney, 3B – Larry Young
  • Time of Game: 2:33
  • Attendance: 44,349

Birthdays

Javier Cardona, John Pacella and the late Jean Dubuc

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 532: 9/9 — Rarity: 23

See you tomorrow.

Sept. 14, 1984: Blue Jays 7 – Tigers 2

W: Jim Clancy (12-14) L: Jack Morris (17-11) S: Jimmy Key (9) | Boxscore

Record: 93-54 — 10 games up on Toronto

Magic Number: 6

Highlights

  • Morris appeared to be limping toward the postseason. In this one he made it through six innings and allowed seven hits, three of them homers: two by Willie Aikens and one from Roseville’s own Ernie Whitt.
  • Clancy kept the Tigers in check, giving up four hits. Jimmy Key got the quintessential 1980s four-inning save.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Tiger Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Larry Young, 1B – Derryl Cousins, 2B – Richard Shulock, 3B – Terry Cooney
  • Time of Game: 2:51
  • Attendance: 46,040

Birthdays

Andrew Vasquez, Derek Law, Delmon Young, George Lombard, Jerry Don Gleaton and the late Icehouse Wilson.

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 531: 6/9 — Rarity: 321

😬

See you tomorrow.

Sept. 13, 1984: Off Day at Home

The Tigers have an 11-game lead on the Blue Jays, who come to town still alive in the American League East race.

The weekend series begins the Tigers’ last home stand of the season, three each against Toronto, Milwaukee and New York.

One year later, the Blue Jays will sweep the Tigers in Toronto and fourth-place Detroit will fall to 161/2 games back.

But that can wait.

Magic Number: 6

Birthdays

Luke French, Nelson Cruz (the other one) and late George Susce

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 530 9/9 — Rarity: 13

See you tomorrow.

Sept. 12, 1984: Orioles 3 –Tigers 1

W: Dennis Martínez (6-7) – L: Roger Mason (0-1) | Boxscore

Record: 93-53 — 101/2 games up on Toronto

Magic Number: 7

Highlights

  • Dennis Martínez neutralized the Tigers’ offense, tossing a complete-game six-hitter, with six strikeouts and no walks.
  • This one featured three newcomers on the mound: starter Mason, who allowed all three runs in four innings of work. He allowed six hits, walked two and struck out three. Randy O’Neal and Bill Scherrer combined for four innings of one-hit relief apiece. 
  • Lance Parrish had two hits, and the Tigers scored their only run on a wild pitch.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Memorial Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Al Clark, 1B – Tim McClelland, 2B – Don Denkinger, 3B – Rich Garcia
  • Time of Game: 2:33
  • Attendance: 24,561

Birthdays

José Ureña, Masao Kida, Scotti Madison, Mickey Lolich and the late George Freese, Charlie Keller, Ole Olsen and Pepper Peploski

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 529: 9/9 — Rarity: 43

See you tomorrow.

Sept. 11, 1984: Tigers 9 – Orioles 2

W: Dan Petry (17-8) – L: Bill Swaggerty (3-2) | Boxscore

Record: 93-52 — 11.5 games up on Toronto

Magic Number: 7

Highlights

  • The game was scoreless until a five-run fifth inning, part of a 16-hit Tigers attack. Petry went 62/3, allowing two runs on five hits before handing it over to Doug Bair and Willie Hernández.
  • Larry Herndon pinch hit for Ruppert Jones in the fifth and proceeded to have a three-for-three night, including a homer and three RBI.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Memorial Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Rich Garcia, 1B – Al Clark, 2B – Tim McClelland, 3B – Don Denkinger
  • Time of Game: 3:07
  • Attendance: 25,193

Birthdays

Shannon Penn and the late Dave Roberts, Clay Smith and Frank Kitson

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 528 9/9 — Rarity: 22

Comment

See you tomorrow.

Sept. 10, 1984: Orioles 3 – Tigers 1

W: Mike Flanagan (12-12) – L: Juan Berenguer (8-10) | Boxscore

Record: 92-52 — 11.5 games up on Toronto

Magic Number: 8

Highlights

  • Berenguer pitched well in this one but, except for a Kirk Gibson homer, got no run support. Juan pitched seven innings, gave up five hits and two runs, and he walked four.
  • Flanagan pitched his fourth complete game against the Tigers in 1984 — and allowed two earned runs total. He gave up five hits and struck out five.
  • The score was 2-1 heading to the bottom of the eighth and Eddie Murray added an insurance run with his 27th homer of the year, off Aurelio López.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Memorial Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Don Denkinger, 1B – Rich Garcia, 2B – Al Clark, 3B – Tim McClelland
  • Time of Game: 2:38
  • Attendance: 27,440

Birthdays

Dustin Peterson, Riccardo Ingram, Bruce Robbins, the late Augie Johns and Sammy Hale

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 527 9/9 — Rarity: 6

See you tomorrow.

Sept. 9, 1984: Tigers 7 – Blue Jays 2

W: Milt Wilcox (16-7) – L: Jim Clancy (11-14) | Boxscore

Record: 92-51 — 11.5 games up on Toronto

Magic Number: 9

Highlights

  • And that just about does it for the Blue Jays. Their weekend started with a heartbreaker and ended in two deflating losses. So, the Tigers left town with an 111/2-game lead with 19 to play.
  • The Blue Jays scored first, in the bottom of the first, but it was all Tigers after that. Gibby went three for five with a homer and three RBI. Tram, Lance Parrish and Johnny Grubb each had two hits, and Grubb hit his eighth homer.
  • Detroit was up 3-2 in the sixth and then pulled away with four in the seventh. Oh, and the Tigers matched their 1983 win total in this one.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Exhibition Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Rick Reed, 1B – Jerry Neudecker, 2B – Dave Phillips, 3B – Steve Palermo
  • Time of Game: 2:39
  • Attendance: 37,392

Birthdays

Edwin Jackson, Dan Miceli and the late Reggie Sanders, Jim Proctor, Bud Thomas, Waite Hoyt, Charlie Perkins and John Eubank.

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 526 9/9 — Rarity: 24

See you tomorrow.

Sept. 8, 1984: Tigers 10 – Blue Jays 4

W: Bill Scherrer (2-1) – L: Luis Leal (13-6) – S: Aurelio López (13) | Boxscore

Record: 91-51 — 101/2 games up on Toronto

Magic Number: 11

Highlights

  • Sparky had starter Jack Morris on a short leash, pulling him with one out in the fifth after giving up just two runs.
  • This was a 2-2 game in the fifth. Then, the Tigers scored two in the seventh and six in the eighth to break it open.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Exhibition Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Steve Palermo, 1B – Rick Reed, 2B – Jerry Neudecker, 3B – Dave Phillips
  • Time of Game: 3:06
  • Attendance: 41,059

Birthdays

Bobby Parnell, Chance Ruffin, Mike Rivera and the late Casey Wise and Lou Sleater

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 525: 9/9 — Rarity: 54

See you tomorrow.

Sept. 7, 1984: Tigers 7 – Blue Jays 4 (10)

W: Willie Hernández (9-2) – L: Ron Musselman (0-1) | Boxscore

Record: 90-51 — 91/2 games up on Toronto

Magic Number: 13

Highlights

  • Dan Petry started and gave up two runs in the third and fourth innings before being pulled. Bill Scherrer, Doug Bair and Willie kept the Jays scoreless the rest of the way.
  • A pair of clutch three-run homers put the Tigers over the top. They scored four in the eighth to tie it — thanks to Kirk Gibson‘s homer off Doyle Alexander — and three on Dave Bergman‘s three-run shot in the 10th to win it. Bergie was 4 for 5 on the night.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Exhibition Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Dave Phillips, 1B – Steve Palermo, 2B – Rick Reed, 3B – Jerry Neudecker
  • Time of Game: 3:28
  • Attendance: 37,420

Birthdays

Jarrod Patterson and the late Tom Matchick

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 524: 9/9 — Rarity: 14

See you tomorrow.