In 124 seasons, only 15 players have worn number 13* for the Tigers. For me, it will always be Lance Parrish‘s number, which he wore for 10 seasons, 1977 through 1986.
Here’s something: Before The Big Wheel put on number 13 in 1977, the number sat unworn for 13 years after Bill Faul hung it up after two seasons, 1963 and ’64.
With the exception of Alex Avila, who first wore it in 2010, no player of consequence has worn it since Lance … with apologies to Rico Brogna (1992) and Mark Leiter (1993).
*Gio Urshela was the most recent player to wear it, in 2024.
According to Baseball Reference, 54 players have worn the number 12 in Tigers franchise history. Casey Mize currently wears it. Let’s look at a few Tigers that wore number 12 during the Fungo’s focus, 1977 through 1994:
There are many candidates for this distinction, but I think Mike Moore was the quintessential Dave Duncan reclamation project in the late 1980s.
He went from a so-so starter in Seattle to a 19-game winner in Oakland.
By the time he signed a three-year, $10 million contract with the Tigers in 1993, most of that Duncan magic had vanished … much like the benefit of the spacious foul territory in the Oakland-Alameda County Stadium.
But we wouldn’t find out right away. Soon, but not right away.
As it seems to often happen in baseball, if not all sports, Moore made his Tigers debut on Opening Day 1993, April 5, against his former team in Oakland. It was a start to forget and a sign of things to come — again, we didn’t know it yet! — 42/3 innings, six hits, three walks and four earned runs. The Tigers lost 9-4.
Four days later, he started against the Angels in Anaheim and got only four outs. In 11/3 innings, he gave up six hits and five runs.
To recap: In his first two Tigers starts, he pitched six innings and allowed nine runs on 12 hits.
Although Moore’s ERA dipped below five once all year — 4.99, after his two-hit shutout of the White Sox on Sept. 10 — he did have a couple of incredible starts:
Moore was certainly durable* in his first season in Detroit: 36 starts and 223 innings. His final line: 13-9, 5.91 ERA, with three shutouts.
*In nine of his 14 seasons, he finished with more than 200 innings pitched — and in 1990 he threw 1991/3.
Well, 1994 and 1995 went about as well for Moore as it did for his Tigers teams. Still, the man did take the ball every fifth day (maybe fourth day back then?), pitching 25 starts both years.
In 1994, he could’ve reached 30+ starts again if not for the player’s strike, but anyway …
The third and final year of his Tigers contract, 1995, was a disaster: 25 starts, 5-15 and a 7.53 ERA.
Looking back 30 years, it wasn’t fair to expect Mike Moore, at 33, to be a top-of-the-rotation starter. After the mirage of 1993, the Tigers were not good in 1994 and ’95, so it wasn’t going to make a difference whether Moore was the staff’s ace, the fifth starter or a long reliever.
Oh and just looping back to the benefits of pitching home games in Oakland versus Detroit: Tiger Stadium’s cozy dimensions not only hurt him in the no-foul-territory fashion but also in surrendering the long ball: He made 86 starts and gave up 86 homers. Not all of them at The Corner, of course, but enough of them.
The Tigers scored three in the first and let it ride the rest of the way, thanks to a strong 72/3 innings from Dan Petry. He allowed just five hits and a walk to go with five strikeouts.
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 91/3 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.
Umpires: HP – Al Clark, 1B – Don Denkinger, 2B – Dan Morrison, 3B – Mike Reilly
Time of Game: 2:38
Attendance: 25,883
Bill Krueger #30
Here are a few things to know about lefty Bill Krueger:
Bill Krueger, not displaying his tremendous high leg kick.
The Tigers signed Krueger on Dec. 11, 1992. He spent the ’92 season with the Twins and Expos.
He made his Tigers debut on April 7, 1993 against his original club, the A’s, in a 12-7 Tigers loss. His line: 3.1 IP, 5 hits, 2 runs, 3 walks and 3 strikeouts.
The 1994 Tigers were not good and Krueger’s year aligned with his team’s. He had appeared in 16 games — his last a June 2 start against the Orioles in Baltimore — before the Tigers released him on June 4, with an 0-2 record and a 9.61 ERA.
Bill Krueger’s final line in Detroit: 6-6 with a 4.60 ERA.
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