Author: Mike McClary

Upbeat guy.

Sept. 6, 1984: Preparing for Toronto Showdown

Record: 89-51 — 81/2 games up on Toronto

Magic Number: 15

The Tigers and Blue Jays both have off days as Detroit travels to Toronto and the Jays fly home from New York.

Even with just a few weeks left in the season, an 81/2-game lead still didn’t seem like enough. We all wanted to Tigers to end Toronto’s hopes of a miracle comeback to win the division.

Birthdays

Brant Hurter and the late Jack “Stretch” Phillips

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 523: 9/9 – Rarity: 13

See you tomorrow.

Sept. 5, 1984: Tigers 1 – Orioles 0

W: Juan Berenguer (8-9) – L: Mike Flanagan (11-12) – S: Willie Hernández (28) | Boxscore

Record: 89-51 — 8.5 games up on Toronto

Magic Number: 15

Highlights

  • Berenguer was the story of this one. The Tigers gave him a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first, and he made it hold up. He pitched 71/3 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and striking out seven. Willie took it the rest of the way, giving up just one hit.
  • On the other side, Flanagan was terrific. He gave up six hits, all singles except for Alan Trammell‘s double. Cal Ripken, Jr. made two errors, including a bad throw that allowed Tram to score on a Bárbaro Garbey single.
  • The Tigers have an off day before traveling to Toronto for a weekend showdown.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Tiger Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Vic Voltaggio, 1B – Larry McCoy, 2B – Joe Brinkman, 3B – Nick Bremigan
  • Time of Game: 2:30
  • Attendance: 34,065

Birthdays

Rob Richie and the late Wayne Belardi, Gene Bearden, Bob Maier, Merv Shea and Pete LePine

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 522 9/9 – Rarity: 20

See you tomorrow.

Sept. 4, 1984: Orioles 4 – Tigers 1

W: Mike Boddicker (17-9) – L: Dave Rozema (7-6) – S: Sammy Stewart (11) | Boxscore

Record: 88-51 — 7.5 games up on Toronto

Highlights

  • The Tigers had no answer for Orioles starter Mike Boddicker, though he gave them plenty of opportunity: six hits and six walks. He also struck out six.
  • Sparky had zero patience for Rozema, pulling him after facing just four batters in the first, giving up two runs and getting one out. Bill Scherrer got the Tigers out of the inning.
  • Then, righty Roger Mason made his major-league debut, pitching the final eight innings allowing two runs on five hits, while striking out six.
  • Detroit cut the 2-0 deficit in half when Nelson Simmons — making his major-league debut — singled home Johnny Grubb for the Tigers’ only run.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Tiger Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Nick Bremigan, 1B – Vic Voltaggio, 2B – Larry McCoy, 3B – Joe Brinkman
  • Time of Game: 2:41
  • Attendance: 27,767

Birthdays

Doyle Alexander, Paul Jata and the late Red Corriden and John Terry

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 521 9/9 — Rarity: 32

See you tomorrow.

Sept. 3, 1984: Orioles 7 – Tigers 4

W: Sammy Stewart (7-2) – L: Jack Morris (17-10) | Boxscore

Record: 88-50 — 8.5 games up on Toronto

Highlights

  • Morris was lifted from this one in eighth*, with the score tied at three and two outs. The problem was, he walked the bases loaded. Sparky brought in Aurelio López who coughed up a grand slam to Mike Young.

*According to Roger Craig’s entry in his “Inside Pitch” diary, The Cat had thrown 128 pitches.

  • All told, Morris gave up six earned runs on nine hits and four walks; he struck out six.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Tiger Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Joe Brinkman, 1B – Nick Bremigan, 2B – Vic Voltaggio, 3B – Larry McCoy
  • Time of Game: 3:14
  • Attendance: 36,797

Birthdays

Nate Robertson, Luis Gonzalez, Dave Clark, and the late Bill Gilbreth, Steve Boros and Bill Moore.

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 520 9/9 — Rarity: 19

See you tomorrow.

Sept. 2, 1984: Tigers 6 – A’s 3

W: Dan Petry (16-8) – L: Tim Conroy (1-4) – S: Willie Hernández (27) | Boxscore

Record: 88-49 — 8.5 games up on Toronto

Highlights

  • Peaches had to grind it out. He gave up 11 hits in 51/3 innings; meanwhile, three Oakland pitchers allowed 10 hits in seven inning.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
  • Umpires: HP – Dave Phillips, 1B – Steve Palermo, 2B – Rick Reed, 3B – Jerry Neudecker
  • Time of Game: 3:01
  • Attendance: 20,393

Birthdays

Dusty Ryan, Johnny Paredes, Nate Snell and Luke Walker

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 519 9/9 — Rarity: 19

See you tomorrow.

Sept. 1, 1984: A’s 7 – Tigers 5

W: Curt Young (7-3) – L: Juan Berenguer (7-9) – S: Chuck Rainey (1) | Boxscore

Record: 87-49 — 8.5 games up on Toronto

Highlights

1984 Bair_Doug.
  • Berenguer didn’t make it out of the first inning. He allowed six runs on three hits and three walks. The dagger was a two-out, three-run homer by Mike Davis. Doug Bair got the final out of the first and pitched 32/3 of scoreless relief.

  • The Tigers cut the deficit in half with three runs in the second, and drew to within 6-5 in the sixth. Dwayne Murphy‘s two-out homer in the Oakland sixth provided an insurance run which held up.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
  • Umpires: HP – Jerry Neudecker, 1B – Dave Phillips, 2B – Steve Palermo, 3B – Rick Reed
  • Time of Game: 2:37
  • Attendance: 25,021

Birthdays

Dave Rucker, Gary Ignasiak and the late Paul Campbell, Fred Nicholson and Jimmy Wiggs

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 518 9/9 — Rarity: 17

See you tomorrow.

Aug. 31, 1984: A’s 7 – Tigers 6 (13)

W: Keith Atherton (7-5) – L: Dave Rozema (7-5) | Boxscore

Record: 87-48 — 9.5 games up on Toronto

Highlights

  • Sparky had a short leash on Milt Wilcox, with good reason, pulling him after 32/3 innings in which he gave up five runs on four hits and five walks. Aurelio López  and Willie Hernández pitched the next eight and a third, allowing just three hits and combining for eight strikeouts.
  • The Tigers let four leads slip away, including in the ninth when they took a 6-5 lead. Rozema’s wild pitch with two out in the 13th allowed Mike Davis to score from third with the winning run.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
  • Umpires: HP – Rick Reed, 1B – Jerry Neudecker, 2B – Dave Phillips, 3B – Steve Palermo
  • Time of Game: 4:19
  • Attendance: 15,836

Birthdays

John Hicks, Ramon Santiago, Shane Loux, Hideo Nomo, Morris Madden, Bill Nahorodny, former Tigers coach Boots Day, and the late Jack Burns and Norman Glaser.

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 517 7/9 — Rarity: 276

See you tomorrow.

Aug. 30, 1984: Mariners 2 – Tigers 1

W: Jim Beattie (10-15) – L: Jack Morris (17-9) – S: Ed Núñez (4) | Boxscore

Record: 87-47 — 10.5 games up on Toronto

Highlights

  • Morris pitched a gem, eight innings, four hits, one earned run and eight strikeouts, and was the hard-luck loser. He kept the Mariners off the board until the eighth when his throwing error on a comebacker led to two runs scoring.
  • The Tigers offense mustered seven hits, all singles, off three Seattle pitchers and they scored in the ninth on a two-out, bases-loaded walk by Alan Trammell.

Miscellany

  • Venue: The Kingdome
  • Umpires: HP – Durwood Merrill, 1B – Dan Morrison, 2B – Tim Welke, 3B – Marty Springstead
  • Time of Game: 2:34
  • Attendance: 9,583

Birthdays

Randy O’Neal, Steve Baker and the late Steve Partenheimer and Pol Perritt

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 516: 9/9 — Rarity: 62

See you tomorrow.

Aug. 29, 1984: Mariners 5 – Tigers 1

W: Mark Langston (13-9) – L: Dan Petry (15-8) | Boxscore

Record: 87-46 — 11.5 games up on Toronto

Highlights

  • Surprise, surprise: Langston shut down the Tigers again. The rookie allowed just two hits, four walks and struck out 12.
  • The Tigers had to feel good about themselves, taking a 1-0 lead in the second. Seattle tied it in the bottom half and then scored four more runs of Petry in the fifth.
  • Peaches’ final line: 41/3, 10 hits, five earned, one strikeout. He allowed a three-run homer to Ken Phelps in that fifth inning before giving way to Dave Rozema and Aurelio López. They gave up just one hit combined, and each struck out one.

Miscellany

  • Venue: The Kingdome
  • Umpires: HP – Marty Springstead, 1B – Durwood Merrill, 2B – Dan Morrison, 3B – Tim Welke
  • Time of Game: 2:11
  • Attendance: 10,863

Birthdays

Wayne McLeland, Buck Marrow and Jack Warner; and Frank Cox of the Detroit Wolverines

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 515: 9/9 — Rarity: 28

See you tomorrow.

Aug. 28, 1984: Tigers 5 – Mariners 4

W: Willie Hernández (8-2) – L: Mike Stanton (4-4) | Boxscore

Record: 87-45 — 11.5 games up on Toronto

Highlights

  • The Mariners took a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the seventh, but the Tigers tied it in the eighth, thanks to an Alan Trammell two-run homer.
  • Juan Berenguer started, going 62/3 and allowing four runs (only one earned.) Bill Scherrer made his Tigers debut, relieving Berenguer and getting the final out of the seventh.

Miscellany

  • Venue: The Kingdome
  • Umpires: HP – Tim Welke, 1B – Marty Springstead, 2B – Durwood Merrill, 3B – Dan Morrison
  • Time of Game: 2:51
  • Attendance: 8,353

Birthdays

Joe Yeager, he hit .260 with the Tigers from 1901-03.

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 514 9/9 — Rarity: 19

See you tomorrow.