Tag: Chet Lemon

The Monday Fungo: July 15

July 15, 1984: Tigers 6 – Twins 2

W: Dave Rozema (6-1) – L: Ken Schrom (2-4) – S: Aurelio López (11) | Boxscore

Record: 60-28 — 7 games up on Toronto

Highlights

  • The Tigers had 15 hits on the night, 10 off Twins starter Schrom in 42/3 innings.
  • Rozema turned in a solid start: 51/3, eight hits, two runs and five strikeouts.

Miscellany

  • Venue: The Metrodome
  • Umpires: HP – Joe Brinkman, 1B – Larry McCoy, 2B – Nick Bremigan, 3B – Vic Voltaggio
  • Time of Game: 3:00
  • Attendance: 27,965

Birthdays

Scott Livingstone and the late Bob Miller, Joe Rogalski and Red Oldham

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 470 9/9: Rarity: 172

Pete Rose is likely the least-rare guess of my Grid-playing career.

See you tomorrow.

The Sunday Fungo: July 14

July 14, 1984: Tigers 6 – Twins 5 (12)

W: Willie Hernández (6-0) – L: Mike Walters (0-3) | Boxscore

Record: 59-28 — 7 games up on Toronto

Highlights

  • The Tigers scored two in the 12th to take a 6-4 lead. Hernández pitched three innings and allowed a two-out home run to Tim Teufel in the 12th, before getting Ron Washington (!) for the final out.
  • Milt Wilcox started and pitched 52/3 allowing four runs on eight hits; Doug Bair pitched a flawless 31/3.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Metrodome
  • Umpires: HP – Vic Voltaggio, 1B – Joe Brinkman, 2B – Larry McCoy, 3B – Nick Bremigan
  • Time of Game: 3:40
  • Attendance: 46,017

Birthdays

Enrique Gonzalez and the late John Peters

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 469 8/9: Rarity: 128

See you tomorrow.

The Saturday Fungo: July 13

July 13, 1984: Tigers 5 – Twins 3 (11)

W: Willie Hernández (5-0) – L: Rick Lysander (0-1) – S: Aurelio López (10) | Boxscore

Record: 58-28 — 7 games up on Toronto

Highlights

  • Jack Morris and Twins starter John Butcher matched up more or less evenly through seven. The Tigers gave Morris a 3-2 lead in the top of the eighth — thanks to a Johnny Grubb solo homer — only to see The Cat allow the tying run in the bottom half.
  • Lou Whitaker‘s 11th-inning two-run homer off Lysander gave the Tigers a 5-3 lead. Aurelio López earned the save by pitching a quintessential Señor Smoke inning: one hit, one walk and one strikeout.
  • Whitaker, Lance Parrish, Chet Lemon and Tom Brookens each had two hits. In fact, the Tigers got four hits in five at bats out of the number-nine spot: One from Doug Baker, Grubb’s homer and Brookens’ double and triple.

Miscellany

  • Venue: The Metrodome
  • Umpires: HP – Nick Bremigan, 1B – Vic Voltaggio, 2B – Joe Brinkman, 3B – Larry McCoy
  • Time of Game: 3:11
  • Attendance: 30,050

Birthdays

Clint Sodowsky and the late George Cunningham

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 468 9/9: Rarity: 20

See you tomorrow.

The Wednesday Fungo: July 10

July 10, 1984: National League 3 – American League 1

W: Charlie Lea (1-0) – L: Dave Stieb (0-1) – S: Rich Gossage (1) | Boxscore

Highlights

  • Lou Whitaker led off the game with a double to right off the Expos’ Charlie Lea. (Baseball Reference’s box score describes the hit as “Pop Fly to Short RF Line”.)
  • Jack Morris relieved Stieb in the third and tossed two scoreless innings, allowing two hits and a walk, and striking out two.
  • Chet Lemon started and batted eighth. In the second inning he singled to center off Lea. In the top of the fifth, Lance, Chet and the Mariners’ Alvin Davis were struck out in succession by Dwight Gooden.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Candlestick Park
  • Umpires: HP – Lee Weyer, 1B – Al Clark, 2B – Dutch Rennert, 3B – Durwood Merrill, LF – Fred Brocklander, RF – Rocky Roe
  • Time of Game: 2:29
  • Attendance: 57,756

Birthdays

Buddy Groom, the late Jim Walsh and Bobby Lowe

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 465 9/9: Rarity: 7

See you tomorrow.

The Tuesday Fungo: July 9

July 9, 1984: The All-Star Break

The Tigers had six players on the 1984 American League All-Star team, three in the starting lineup …

… and three reserves:

Tram was on the disabled list, as I recall, with an elbow issue and wouldn’t play in the game, played at Candlestick Park.

I had held out hope that Morris would start the game. Alas, that assignment went to the Blue Jays’ Dave Stieb.

The Standings

A seven-game lead at the All-Star Break, even knowing how it all ends, is still remarkable. What I did not realize, until I started writing this post, was the Padres entered the break with the best record in the National League.

Birthdays

Orville Inman “Coot” Veal and the late Bud Black, Jimmy Shevlin, Glenn Myatt and Carl Holling

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 464 8/9 —Rarity: 159

See you tomorrow.

The Monday Fungo: July 8

July 8, 1984: Rangers 9 – Tigers 7

W: Frank Tanana (9-8) – L: Doug Bair (4-2) – S: Dave Schmidt (5) | Boxscore

Record: 57-27 — 7 games up on Toronto

Highlights

  • Texas led this one 7-0 in the third, ringing the bell of Doug Bair in a spot start. He lasted 22/3 innings, serving up six runs on eight hits.
  • Tanana started for the Rangers and he gave up six runs, two earned, and struck out five in his six innings of work.
  • The Tigers trailed 8-2 to start the sixth inning and scored four runs — three on Howard Johnson‘s homer — to draw within 8-6. Another run in the eighth made it 8-7, but the Rangers tacked on an insurance run in the eighth to seal it.
  • Chet Lemon matched Johnson’s two-hit, three-RBI performance.
  • The Tigers head into the All-Star Break 30 games over .500.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Arlington Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Joe Brinkman, 1B – Larry McCoy, 2B – Nick Bremigan, 3B – Mark Johnson
  • Time of Game: 2:37
  • Attendance: 16,010

Lerrin LaGrow – RHP #30

The Tigers drafted Phoenix-native Lerrin LaGrow in the sixth round of the 1969 MLB June Amateur Draft from Arizona State University.

He made his major-league debut the following season, on June 28, 1970.

He came in the eighth inning, in relief of starter Joe Niekro. He faced one batter, Paul Schaal, and gave up a single.

Here’s a snapshot of LaGrow’s Tigers career:

  • 1970: 0-1, 7.03 ERA in 12 innings pitched
  • 1972: 0-1, 1.32 in 27 IP
  • 1973: 1-5, 4.33 in 54 IP
  • 1974: 8-19, 4.66 in 216 IP
  • 1975: 7-14, 4.38 in 164 IP

The Cardinals purchased his contract from the Tigers on April 2, 1976, which means he didn’t even get to enjoy the Mark Fidrych Era.

But, by leaving Detroit when he did, his number 30 became available for Jason Thompson.

Birthdays

Mike Gerber, Ernie Young, Lerrin LaGrow and the late Salty Parker, Roy Crumpler and Clyde Barfoot

See you tomorrow.

The Saturday Fungo: July 6

July 6, 1984: Rangers 5 – Tigers 3

W: Mike Mason (6-6) – L: Juan Berenguer (4-7) – S: Dave Schmidt (4) | Boxscore

Record: 56-26 — 6 games up on Toronto

Highlights

  • Detroit trailed 5-0 in the eighth when Darrell Evans hit a two-out, three-run homer off future Tiger Dickie Noles, but it wasn’t enough.
  • Juan Berenguer started and didn’t make it out of the third, giving up five hits, two walks and three runs — along with a wild pitch and a balk.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Arlington Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Nick Bremigan, 1B – Mark Johnson, 2B – Joe Brinkman, 3B – Larry McCoy
  • Time of Game: 2:42
  • Attendance: 22,378

Birthdays

Greg Norton, Omar Olivares, Jason Thompson and the late Karl Olson

See you tomorrow.