Tag: Bárbaro Garbey

The Friday Fungo: April 12

Game 7: April 12, 1984

Tigers 9 – Rangers 4

W: Jack Morris (3-0) – L: Frank Tanana (0-1) | Boxscore

Highlights

  • Record: 7-0

Miscellany

  • Umpires: HP – Jim McKean, 1B – Durwood Merrill, 2B – Tim McClelland, 3B – Marty Springstead
  • Time of Game: 2:48
  • Attendance: 19,154

Birthdays

Brennan Boesch and the late Woodie Fryman, Charley Lau, Bill Wight, Jack Wilson, Eric McNair and Lew Post

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 376 8/9 – Rarity: 137

See you tomorrow.

The Thursday Fungo: April 11

April 11, 1984: Off Day in Detroit

Note: I had mistakenly posted today a game recap for April 12 — forgetting that the Tigers had an off day on April 11 for the usual Opening Day rainout makeup date. Check back tomorrow for that recap.

5 Things to Know About Sid Monge #42

The Tigers purchased his contract from the Padres on June 10, 1984.

He debuted with the Tigers on June 11 against the Blue Jays. He faced one batter, Willie Upshaw, who singled to center.

Monge’s longest outing with the Tigers came on Aug. 7 against the Red Sox, in the first game of a doubleheader. Boston chased Jack Morris after an inning and a third, surrendering nine runs. Sid came in for four and two thirds, allowing six hits and three earned runs.

His final appearance with the Tigers came on the last day of the season: a one-inning stint against the Yankees: one inning, two hits, two earned runs.

Sid wasn’t on the Tigers postseason roster. His final line: 19 appearances, 1-0 and a 4.25 ERA.

Birthdays

Pete Kozma, Charlie Furbush, Sean Bergman, John Martin, Sid Monge and Mike Kilkenny and the late Barney McCosky

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 375 8/9 — Rarity: 161

See you tomorrow.

The Monday Fungo: April 8

Game 5: April 8, 1984

Tigers 7 – White Sox 3

W: Aurelio López (1-0) – L: Tom Seaver (0-1) | Boxscore

Highlights

  • The Tigers chase Tom Seaver, tagging him for five runs on seven hits in four and a third.
  • Kirk Gibson hits his first homer of the year, off Seaver.
  • Bárbaro Garbey, who pinch hits for Dave Bergman in the fifth, still gets three at bats with two doubles and three RBI.
  • Record: 5-0

Miscellany

  • Umpires: HP – Tim McClelland, 1B – Marty Springstead, 2B – Jim McKean, 3B – Durwood Merrill
  • Time of Game: 3:17
  • Attendance: 20,478

Birthdays

Artie Lewicki, Bobby Wilson, Dane Sardinha, Timo Pérez, John Hiller, Western Michigan University alum Charlie “Paw Paw” Maxwell (97!) and the late Bob Mavis

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 372 8/9 – Rarity: 141

Bert Blyleven never had 200+ strikeouts for Cleveland — but in 1985 he had 206 with the Indians and the Twins.

The Sunday Fungo: April 7

Game 4: April 7, 1984

Tigers 4 – White Sox 0

W: Jack Morris (2-0) – L: Floyd Bannister (0-2) | Boxscore

So much to say about this game.

A hot start, a Game of the Week appearance and a win would have been enough to satisfy me at an age, but at 16, well, adding a no-hitter by my favorite Tiger … come on.

  • As no-hitters go, it wasn’t clean — Morris walked six — but who cared? He struck out eight, facing 32 batters.
  • Then, with Fisk on third and Baines on second, Morris struck out Ron Kittle to end the inning.
  • Chet Lemon hit a two-run homer in the second, and the Tigers scored a pair in the fifth to make it 4-0.
  • Record: 4-0

Miscellany

  • Umpires: HP – Durwood Merrill, 1B – Tim McClelland, 2B – Marty Springstead, 3B – Jim McKean
  • Time of Game: 2:44
  • Attendance: 24,616
  • Start Time Weather: 50° F, Wind 8mph in from Centerfield, Sunny, No Precipitation

5 Things to Know About Jack Lazorko – #36

No Tigers baseball card for Lazorko, it seems.
  • Jack Lazorko signed as a free agent with the Tigers on Feb, 7, 1986.
  • He spent most of the season in Triple-A Nashville, where he made 29 starts, finishing with an 8-6 record and 3.20 ERA — and one save.
  • The right-hander appeared in three games over the course of six days with the ’86 Tigers, his first on Aug. 9 against the Red Sox in Detroit: 1.2 IP, 3 hits, 2 runs, 3 walks and a strikeout.

Birthdays

Ben Petrick and the late Ed Lafitte

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 371 8/9 – Rarity: 171

Three former Tigers today, and my blank square was a guess for George Kell. He didn’t hit .300 for the Orioles, but got close. In his final big-league season, at age 34, he hit .297 for Baltimore.

See you tomorrow.

The Monday Fungo

Today’s Game: July 20, 1985

Tigers 6 – Rangers 5, 15 Innings

W: Bill Scherrer (1-1) – L: Greg Harris (2-3) | Boxscore

When Brookens started the game at third, chances are he didn’t expect to finish it as part of the Tigers’ battery.

A routine Saturday evening game at Tiger Stadium, with Jack Morris pitching a typical eight and two thirds, and Willie Hernandez entering in relief of a 3-3 tie in the ninth got interesting in the top of the 11th when, given limited bench flexibility, to say the least, Sparky was forced to move Tom Brookens from third base to catcher … where he stayed for five innings.

Here’s how it happened:

In the bottom of the eighth, and the Tigers down 2-1, Alejandro Sánchez pinch hit for Bob Melvin with one out and pinch runner Dave Bergman on first — and homers! A two-run shot to give the Tigers a 3-2 lead.

Then, in the top of the ninth, Marty Castillo replaced Sánchez in the lineup at catcher.

Morris allowed the tying run in the top of the ninth and the Tigers failed to score in the bottom half.

Bottom of the 10th: Johnny Grubb pinch hits for Castillo.

Bottom of the 11th: Aurelio López replaces Hernández pitching, and Brookens moves from third to catcher, and Doug Flynn replaces Grubb playing third batting ninth.

So, Brookens caught three innings for Señor Smoke and two for lefty Bill Scherrer — talk about two different type of pitchers — and was flawless. No passed balls and no errors.

The teams traded runs in 10th and 13th, and the Tigers scored in the bottom of the 15th to win it.

Alan Trammell singled and went to second on an error by Rangers left fielder (and future Tiger) Gary Ward. The next hitter, Barbaro Garbey, singled Tram home.

A great win, but the story of the game was Brookens. His 1 for 6 night is a mere footnote in what was undoubtedly one of the most memorable games of his career.

Miscellany

  • Umpires: HP – Ken Kaiser, 1B – Rocky Roe, 2B – Larry McCoy, 3B – Larry Barnett.
  • Time of Game: 4:14
  • Attendance: 38,602

Birthdays

Travis Fryman, Scott Sanders and the late Alan Koch.

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 358 7/9 — Rarity: 251

See you tomorrow.

The Monday Fungo

Mark Wagner – #5

Infielder Mark Wagner debuted on Aug. 20, 1976, in a 3-2 Tigers win over the Twins at Tiger Stadium. He went 2 for 3 with an RBI, highlighted by a single, off lefty Eddie Bane, in his first major league at bat.

Here are four things to know about the guy nicknamed Peanut:

Random Game: April 26, 1977

White Sox 10 – Tigers 7 (14 innings)

W: Lerrin LaGrow (1-0) – L: Steve Foucault (0-1) | Boxscore

More proof of how baseball has changed over the past 50ish years: A 14-inning game and Ralph Houk used only three pitchers: Dave Rozema started and went 7 innings, John Hiller went 6 in relief, and Steve Foucault pitched the 14th, giving up three runs.

  • This was Rozema’s third career start and appearance.
  • Aurelio Rodriguez and Phil Mankowski teamed up to go 5 for 6 on the day.
  • Fellow St. Clair Shores native Jim Essian hit a paid of doubles in 6 at bats.
  • LaGrow went six innings in relief agains his former team.
  • Ron LeFlore had a rough day at the plate: 1 for 7, but he doubled in a run.

Miscellany

  • Umpires: HP – Don Denkinger, 1B – Larry McCoy, 2B – Durwood Merrill, 3B – Dave Phillips.
  • Time of Game: 3:58.
  • Attendance: 6,396.
  • Start Time Weather: 60° F

Birthdays

Nick Castellanos, Jack Hannahan, Mark Wagner and the late Les Mueller.

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 337 8/9 — Rarity: 132

See you tomorrow.

Did You Know…?

BarbaroGarbey.jpgOn this date in 1995, the first-ever major league trade of utility players was made between the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians. Cincinnati obtained former Tigers first baseman/DH Barbaro Garbey and four others in return for “future considerations.”

Garbey — whom Sparky called “Bobby” because he (apparently) couldn’t pronounce Barbaro — hadn’t appeared in the majors since a stint with the Rangers in 1988 and he never appeared in a game for the Reds.

What a bizarre trade.

In two seasons with Detroit (1984-85), Garbey hit .275 with 11 home runs and 81 RBI. During the ’84 season, he was the epitome of utility player. He played 65 games at first, 20 games at third, 17 as DH, 10 in the outfield and two games at second base.