🇺🇲 The Monday Fungo: May 27

May 27, 1984: Mariners 6 – Tigers 1

W: Matt Young (4-3) – L: Dan Petry (7-2) | Boxscore

Record: 35-8

Highlights

  • Despite 10 hits, the Tigers eked out a single run off three Mariners pitchers. Alan Trammell went 3 for 4
  • Petry three four innings and gave up nine hits; Aurelio López pitched the other four and gave up five.
  • The Tigers got the hell out of Seattle and headed for Oakland on a three-game losing streak.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Seattle Kingdome
  • Umpires: HP – Al Clark, 1B – Don Denkinger, 2B – Rich Garcia, 3B – Mike Reilly
  • Time of Game: 2:50
  • Attendance: 12,755

Edwin Núñez #41

Reliever Edwin Núñez signed with the Tigers on April 1, 1989. He was a mainstay with the Mariners from 1982 through July ’88, when he was dealt to the Mets.

After signing a free-agent deal in April, the 6′ 5″, 235 lb. righty made his Tigers debut on June 29, 1989, against the Yankees, pitching four-and-a-third innings in relief of Frank Tanana. Núñez took the loss.

He appeared in 27 games for 1989 Tigers, with 3-4 record, a save and a 4.17 ERA. In 1990, Núñez appeared in 42 games, posting a 3-1 record with six saves and a 2.24 ERA.

On Oct. 2, 1990, his Tigers career came to close as it had opened: taking the loss in a game against the Yankees — one inning, three runs, two hits and a walk. Núñez signed with the Brewers in the offseason.

Birthdays

Edwin Núñez, Ron Tingley and the late Pinky Higgins

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 421 9/9: Rarity: 14

See you tomorrow.

The Saturday Fungo: May 25

May 25, 1984: Mariners 7 – Tigers 3

W: Ed Vande Berg (4-2) – L: Milt Wilcox (6-1) – Save: Paul Mirabella (2) | Boxscore

Record: 35-6

Highlights

  • The loss snaps the Tigers’ A.L. record road winning streak at 17
  • Seattle jumped on Wilcox for six runs in four and a third, and lefty Vande Berg kept the Tigers off balance in his seven innings.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Seattle Kingdome
  • Umpires: HP – Rich Garcia, 1B – Mike Reilly, 2B – Al Clark, 3B – Don Denkinger
    Time of Game: 2:54
    Attendance: 15,722

Danny Bautista #29

Danny Bautista was a promising young outfield for the early-’90s Tigers. Here are few things to know about him:

  • He made his debut on Sept. 15, 1993 against the Blue Jays, as a pinch runner for Rich Rowland.
  • Bautista’s first major-league start — and hit — came two days later, batting leadoff against the Indians. He singled off Jason Grimsley.
  • On Oct. 1, he hit his first career homer, at Yankee Stadium off Frank Tanana. He finished the ’93 season with a .311 average in 17 games.
  • Bautista played parts of four seasons in Detroit, mostly as a part-timer, appearing in 162 games. He hit .228 with 14 homers.

Birthdays

Randall Simon, Joey Eischen and Bill Haselman 

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 419 8/9: Rarity: 147

See you tomorrow.

The Friday Fungo: May 24

May 24, 1984: Tigers 5 – Angels 1

W: Jack Morris (9-1) – L: Jim Slaton (1-2) | Boxscore

Record: 35-5

Highlights

  • A complete-game four-hitter for The Cat — with 10 strikeouts.
  • The win puts the Tigers at the still-mind blowing 35 and 5 mark. Certainly, with the mediocre Mariners next on the schedule, 38 and 5 is assured. Right?

Miscellany

  • Venue: Anaheim Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Terry Cooney, 1B – Richard Shulock, 2B – Derryl Cousins, 3B – Bill Kunkel
  • Time of Game: 2:14
  • Attendance: 43,580

Birthdays

Brad Penny, Danny Bautista, Dave Machemer and the late Milt Jordan

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 418 9/9: Rarity: 54

See you tomorrow.

The Thursday Fungo: May 23

May 23, 1984: Tigers 4 – Angels 2

W: Dan Petry (7-1) – L: Frank LaCorte (0-2) – Save: Willie Hernández (7) | Boxscore

Record: 34-5

Highlights

  • Petry pitched a seven-inning gem in his hometown, allowing five hits and striking out five, surrendering only a Doug DeCinces two-run homer in the fourth.
  • Hernandez pitched two flawless innings of relief.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Anaheim Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Bill Kunkel, 1B – Terry Cooney, 2B – Richard Shulock, 3B – Derryl Cousins
  • Time of Game: 2:39
  • Attendance: 41,205

Birthdays

Jordan Zimmermann and the late Charlie Sullivan and Frosty Thomas 

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 417 9/9: Rarity: 30

See you tomorrow.

The Wednesday Fungo: May 22

May 22, 1984: Tigers 3 – Angels 1

W: Juan Berenguer (3-2) – L: Mike Witt (4-4) – Save: Aurelio López (6) | Boxscore

Record: 33-5

Highlights

  • The Tigers opened the scoring thanks to a Kirk Gibson first-inning single followed by a stolen base, and then an RBI single by Lance Parrish.
  • Berenguer gave up a solo homer to Rod Carew in the home half of the first and then settled down to allow just two more hits in six innings, striking out nine.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Anaheim Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Derryl Cousins, 1B – Bill Kunkel, 2B – Terry Cooney, 3B – Richard Shulock
  • Time of Game: 2:53
  • Attendance: 41,253

Bob Adams #40

Here are a few things to know about the right-handed hitting first baseman and catcher, Bob Adams.

  • The Tigers drafted him in the third round of the 1973 amateur draft.
  • He appeared in 15 games for the Tigers that year, 12 as a pinch hitter. On Aug. 26, he pinch hit for Tom Veryzer in the eighth-inning, a solo homer off the Angels’ Frank Tanana.
  • His major-league numbers: .250 average, two home runs, two RBI.

Birthdays

Andre Lipcius, Al Levine, Jose Mesa, the late Al Simmons and Al Shaw

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 416 9/9: Rarity: 89

See you tomorrow.

The Wednesday Fungo: May 15

May 15, 1984: Tigers 6 – Mariners 4

W: Jack Morris (7-1) – L: Roy Thomas (3-2) – Save: Willie Hernández (5) | Boxscore

Record: 28-5

Highlights

  • At one point, the Tigers led 6-1.
  • Morris and Hernandez combined for a five hitter.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Tiger Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Terry Cooney, 1B – Richard Shulock, 2B – Derryl Cousins, 3B – Bill Kunkel
  • Time of Game: 3:32
  • Attendance: 21,782

Birthdays

Kody Clemens, Jim Adduci, A.J. Hinch and Jason Karnuth 

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 409 9/9: Rarity: 6

See you tomorrow.

The Tuesday Fungo: May 14

May 14, 1984: Tigers 7 – Mariners 5

W: Aurelio López (4-0) – L: Ed Vande Berg (2-2) | Boxscore

Record: 27-5

Highlights

  • Homers for Tram, his fourth, off Ed Vande Berg, in the first inning; and Rusty, his first, also off Vande Berg, in the fourth.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Tiger Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Bill Kunkel, 1B – Terry Cooney, 2B – Richard Shulock, 3B – Derryl Cousins
  • Time of Game: 3:05
  • Attendance: 18,830

Les Moss #28

In 1979, John Lester Moss took over for the retired Ralph Houk as Tigers manager. The Tigers finished Houk’s final season at 86-76, and the club seemed ready to make a move in an albeit stacked* American League East.

*Six of the seven teams finished over .500, and three had 90+ wins.

Moss had been in the Tigers farm system managing the Triple-A Evansville Triplets in the American Association and presumably his familiarity with the Tigers’ young core made him a logical choice.

Moss managed the Tigers for just 53 games in ’79. Detroit sat at a 27-26, on the morning of June 14 and before the day over, he was out of a job and Sparky Anderson was the Tigers’ new manager.

As a player, Moss had a 13-year career as a catcher, making his debut in 1946 as a 21-year-old with the St. Louis Browns. He played in just a dozen games that year but finished a .371 average.

Though he didn’t hang around Detroit for very long, Les Moss is another player in the Tigers’ rich history.

Birthdays

Efren Navarro and the late Les Moss

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 408 8/9: Rarity: 124

See you tomorrow.