Tag: Chuck Scrivener

Oct. 3, 1984: ALCS Game 2

Tigers 5 – Royals 3 (11)

W: Aurelio López (1-0) – L: Dan Quisenberry (0-1) | Boxscore

Tigers lead series, 2-0.

Highlights

  • The Royals scored two off Dan Petry, who was excellent. He pitched seven innings, allowing just four hits, a walk and two runs; he struck out four.
  •  Willie Hernández took over in the eighth, surrendering two hits and a walk, which led to the Royals knotting the score at three.
  • Señor Smoke tossed three innings of scoreless relief to keep the Tigers in it. As they had back in April, Detroit got to Royals closer Quisenberry late. 
  • The Tigers head home with a chance to clinch the pennant. And I have a ticket.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Royals Stadium
  • Replacement Umpires: HP – Bill Deegan, 1B – Jon Bible, 2B – Randy Christal, 3B – Bob Jones, LF – Richard Denny, RF – Carl Nothnagel
  • Time of Game: 3:37
  • Attendance: 42,019

Birthdays

Matt Young, Eric Munson, Tim Hyers, Junior Felix, Steve Foucault, Chuck Scrivener, and the late Joe Wood and Fred House

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 550: 9/9 — Rarity: 2!

See you tomorrow.

🐇 The Sunday Fungo

The Tigers on Easter Sunday

Happy Easter! Here’s a rundown of the Tigers’ performance on Easter Sunday in games from 1977 through ’94. They appeared in nine games, winning three:

April 10, 1977: Royals 5 – Tigers 0 | W: Colborn – L: Ruhle – Save: Gura
April 15, 1979: Tigers 11 – Rangers 6 | W: Burnside – L: Lyle
April 19, 1981: Blue Jays 9 – Tigers 1 | W: Bomback – L: Morris
April 11, 1982: Tigers 2 – Royals 1 | W: Rozema – L: Blue – Save: Saucier
April 22, 1984: Tigers 9 – White Sox 1 | W: Berenguer – L: Brennan
April 19, 1987: White Sox 7 – Tigers 1 | W: Bannister – L: Petry
April 15, 1990: Orioles 6 – Tigers 0 | W: Milacki – L: Robinson
April 19, 1992: Orioles 3 – Tigers 2 | W: Milacki – L: Terrell – Save: Olson
April 11, 1993: Angels 7 – Tigers 6 | W: Crim – L: Krueger – Save: Grahe

Birthdays

Tracy Jones, Bill Denehy and the late Marv Grissom and Johnny Couch.

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 364 9/9 – Rarity: 3

I don’t think I can do better than this. It checks all boxes except for the all-Tigers box.

See you tomorrow.

The Saturday Fungo

Charles Hudson – #27

In retrospect, the 1989 Tigers season was doomed from the start.

The core of the ’84 team was aging or playing elsewhere, and the farm system was dried up.

Thanks to the mirage of 1988’s 88-win, second-place finish, one game behind the Red Sox, there was only the flimsiest of hope that the ’89 team could contend.

Looking back, it’s obvious the club’s immediate and long-term futures were bleak.

So, they made curious deals like trading Tom Brookens to the Yankees for Charles Hudson, on March 23, 1989.

Three or four years earlier, Hudson would have been a shrewd pickup for Bill Lajoie: a veteran arm for rotation insurance or long relief. 

Alas, 1989 was the late ‘80s not the middle, and Hudson was too little too late for a bad, bad team. It wasn’t his fault!

Here are a few things to know about the right-hander’s time in Detroit:

  • Hudson made his Tigers debut on April 11 agains the Twins. Jack Morris started and lasted only until two outs in the fourth — he gave up eight hits, four walks and five runs. Hudson came in and settled things down, tossing three and a third innings, allowing just three hits and a run. Final score: Twins 14 – Tigers 0.
  • His final major-league appearance came on Aug. 11, 1989, against the Rangers in relief of Frank Tanana, was not a bad one: 3.1 IP, two hits, one run, two walks and four strikeouts. The Tigers lost, 7-3.
  • Hudson’s Tigers career: 18 appearances, 7 starts, a 1-5 record with a 6.35 ERA.

Birthdays

Curtis Granderson, Charles Hudson and the late Ralph Works.

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 349 9/9 — Rarity: 29

I was cruising until the final square, Jose Canseco. Also, three former Tigers in today’s offering.

See you tomorrow.

The Thursday Fungo

Chuck Scrivener – #9

If ever there were a time to break into major leagues, the forlorn Tigers of the mid-1970s presented a golden opportunity … unless you happened to play middle infield.

That was the scenario facing Chuck Scrivener who, it appeared, had the talent to be a big leaguer. I mean, he was drafted four times over three years:

  • Twins in the 17th round of the 1966 MLB June Amateur Draft
  • Braves in the 4th round of the 1967 MLB January Draft-Secondary Phase
  • Giants in the 8th round of the 1967 MLB June Draft-Secondary Phase
  • Tigers in the 2nd round of the 1968 MLB January Draft-Secondary Phase

Here’s a snapshot of Scrivener’s career:

  • Played nine seasons in the Tigers minor-league system before making his major-league debut on Sept. 18, 1975 against the Indians. He started at shortstop, batting leadoff, and struck out looking against Jim Bibby. Scrivener finished the night 0 for 4.
    • His final four appearances came as a defensive replacement, capped by his last Sept. 29, 1977, against his hometown Orioles, subbing in for rookie Alan Trammell.
    • With Trammell and Lou Whitaker establishing themselves, there was no path for Scrivener in Detroit. After spending 1978 in Evansville, hitting .262, the Tigers released him on Dec. 4. A month later, he signed with the Blue Jays, but didn’t appear in a game, in Toronto or in the minors.

    Chuck Scrivener: By the Numbers

    Birthdays

    Blaine Hardy and the late Mike Strahler, Marty McManus and Hub Pernoll

    Today’s Grid

    ⚾️ Immaculate Grid 347 9/9 — Rarity: 26

    See you tomorrow.

    Happy Birthday, Fernando Arroyo

    If you spend time looking through old Tigers yearbooks, especially those from the 1970s, and you have no recollection of the barren period of Tigers baseball, you might think those teams were this close to pennant contention.

    FernandoArroyo.jpgIf you spend time looking through old Tigers yearbooks, especially those from the 1970s, and you have no recollection of the barren period of Tigers baseball, you might think those teams were this close to pennant contention.

    As if.

    The descriptions of the players in the yearbook are deftly crafted. Take, for example, Chuck Scrivener [emphasis is mine]:

    Chuck bounced around the Tiger farm system for seven years before getting his first chance, low plate figures holding him back. But he broke loose with a .251 average at Evansville in 1975 to help lead the Triplets to the Junior World Series title.

    Hmm. Batting .251 in Triple-A is considered “breaking loose”? Those were lean times for Detroit.

    Another name you’ll find in the Tigers yearbooks of that era is Fernando Arroyo, who just so happens to turn 56 today.

    In 1975, Arroyo appeared in 14 games and earned a 2-1 record, with a 4.58 ERA. The Sacramento native spent all of the ’76 campaign in Evansville before returning to Detroit in 1977. In 38 games that year his record was 8-18 with a 4.18 ERA.

    Here’s what the yearbook had to say about that ’77 campaign:

    Fernando had lost 18 games — but six were by one run and 12 came when the Tigers failed to score, scored once or scored twice. That’s not the kind of support to enhance a pitcher’s record.

    In 1978 and ’79, Arroyo — who wore number 36 — pitched a mere 16 innings in eight games for Detroit compiling a 1-1 record.

    On Dec. 5, 1979, he was traded to the Minnesota Twins for Jeff Holly. He spent parts of three seasons with the Twins before being released. Arroyo pitched in the White Sox organization from 1982-84.

    Almost two years later, he reappeared in the big leagues, this time with Oakland. On Monday, Aug. 11, 1986, Arroyo came into a 4-4 game in the top of the ninth against the Mariners with two out, Danny Tartabull at first and Ken Phelps at second.

    He walked the first batter he faced, Bob Kearney, to load the bases. Next he walked Spike Owen to bring home Phelps and the go-ahead run. Then he walked Domingo Ramos, plating Tartabull and giving the Mariners a 6-4 lead. Dave Leiper replaced Arroyo and got Harold Reynolds to flyout to center to end the inning.

    And that was the last we heard of Fernando Arroyo.