Tag: Al Cowens

Aug. 13, 1984: Off Day in Detroit

The Angels are coming to town for a three-game series, starting with a doubleheader to make up for a May 13 rainout.

Aug. 13, 1980: Tigers 2 – Red Sox 1

W: Dan Petry (8-6) – L: John Tudor (3-2) – S: Aurelio López (17) | Boxscore

Record: 59-50 — Third place, 8.5 games behind the Yankees

Highlights

  • Petry pitched seven innings, scattered nine hits and struck out four. Tudor was good, too: six innings, four hits and two unearned runs.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Tiger Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Fred Spenn, 1B – Al Clark, 2B – Steve Palermo, 3B – Larry McCoy
  • Time of Game: 2:56
  • Attendance: 24,565

Birthdays

Dustin Garneau, Román Colón, Jarrod Washburn, Eddie Gaillard and the late George Susce

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 499 5/9 — Rarity: 6

A mic-drop Grid.

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 Monday Fungo

Al Cowens – #10

Stop me if you’ve read this here before: When the Tigers traded Jason Thompson for Al Cowens, I was not a happy 12 year old.

But Cowens was an intriguing player to me because he was on those great Royals teams in the late-’70s.

Presumably the Tigers and Angels, at the time of the trade, thought a change of scenery would help both players — and it seemed to work.

  • Cowens was hitting .227 with the Angels with a homer, 17 RBI and a .597 OPS. As a Tiger, he hit .280 in 108 games, with five homers, 42 RBI and a .709 OPS. All told, his 1980 line was: .268, six homers, 59 RBI and a .684 OPS.
  • Thompson hit just .214 with four homers, 20 RBI and a .638 OPS, in Detroit, but warmed up quickly in Anaheim: .317, 17 home runs, 70 RBI and a .965 OPS. He finished the year at .288, 21 home runs, 90 RBI and .873 OPS.

Just four days after the trade, Cowens made his Tigers debut* against the Angels on May 30, 1980 at Tiger Stadium. He batted fifth, going 2 for 5 with a run scored.

*Thompson made his Angels debut on May 28 against the Rangers, pinch hitting for catcher Tom Donohue. He hit a bases-loaded double off Sparky Lyle, clearing the bases, and scored when Dickie Thon drove him home.

In 1981, Cowens appeared in 85 games for the Tigers, hitting .261 with one home run, 18 RBI and a .667 OPS … and that was it for his time in Detroit.

On March 28, 1982, the Mariners purchased his contract and he had a nice bounce-back year in Seattle, hitting .270 with 20 home runs, 78 RBI and an .800 OPS.

Cowens’ final game with the Mariners, and in the majors, was June 8, 1986. The club released him four days later.

Birthdays

The late Bill Lawrence and Art Ruble.

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 344 8/9 — Rarity: 129

See you tomorrow.

The Monday Fungo

Dennis Kinney

The Tigers picked up southpaw Dennis Kinney from the Padres on Dec. 12, 1980 for Dave Stegman.

After spending most of the ’81 campaign in Triple-A Evansville, Kinney appeared in six late-season games for the Tigers, debuting against the Red Sox in Detroit on Sept. 9, a 6-5 loss.

His final appearance came at County Stadium on Oct. 2 against the Brewers, entering with two out in the fifth in relief of Dan Petry. The Tigers lost, 8-2.

His Tigers career by the numbers:

  • 3.2 innings pitched
  • 4 walks
  • 3 hits
  • 4 runs, all earned
  • 9.82 ERA.

Kinney was released almost a year to the day he was acquired: Dec. 14, 1981. On Feb. 7, 1982, he signed with the A’s.

His final big-league appearance came on May 20, 1982 at Tiger Stadium in a 11-3 Tigers win. Kinney’s line: 3.0 IP, 7 H, 0 SO, 1 BB, 3 ER.

Random Game: May 9, 1981

Angels 15 – Tigers 1

The Tigers scored first on a Kirk Gibson RBI single to plate Al Cowens. And that was it.

Here’s your boxscore.

Details

  • Saturday, May 9, 1981
  • Attendance: 32,040
  • Venue: Anaheim Stadium
  • Game Duration: 2:42
  • Night Game, on grass

Birthdays

Dennis Kinney, Don Lee and the late Rip Collins

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 330 9/9 — Rarity: 74
Screenshot 2024-02-26
One former Tiger today.

See you tomorrow.

Today’s Tiger: Jason Thompson

Jason Thompson

  • Born: July 6, 1954 in Hollywood, Calif.
  • Bats: Left Throws: Left
  • Height: 6′ 4″ Weight: 200 lb.
  • Acquired: Drafted by the Tigers in the fourth round of the 1975 amateur draft.
  • Seasons in Detroit: 5 (1976-80)
  • Uniform Number: 30
  • Stats: .256 avg., 98 HR, 354 RBI, .779 OPS
  • Awards: Three-time All Star (1977, ’78 and ’82)

JasonThompson.jpg
On May 27, 1980, Tigers GM Jim Campbell traded my favorite player, first baseman Jason Thompson, to the California Angels for outfielder Al Cowens.

The Hollywood native joined the Tigers full time in 1976 and played 123 games that year, hitting .218, with 17 home runs and 54 RBI. Two of the homers cleared the rightfield roof at Tiger Stadium. It was in 1977, though, that he made his mark: .270, 31 homers and 105 RBI — and earned an All Star Game selection.

Continue reading “Today’s Tiger: Jason Thompson”