Ray Knight?
On this date in 1988, the Orioles traded third baseman Ray Knight to the Tigers for lefty Mark Thurmond.
I remember hearing about this move and thinking it was a brilliant way to further the ’84 team’s last-gasp effort to be a force in the American League East. 😐
- Knight appeared in 105 games in his ‘88, and hit .217 with 3 home runs and 33 RBI.
- According to Baseball-Reference, he wore numbers 9 and 22 in Detroit.
- He one-third of his season HR total on Oct. 2, the final game of the season and of his career: a two-run shot off Yankees starter Pat Clement, scoring Chet Lemon.
- Knight also made two errors in the game.
- His final career at bat was a ground out to third baseman Luis Aguayo.
Remembering Johnny B.
Today would have been John Wockenfuss’s 75th birthday.
Never a superstar, he was a Super Sub before the phrase existed. He played key roles for the Tigers and helped the club bridge the gap between emerging contender and World Series Champion.
‘Fuss was drafted by the Washington Senators in the 42nd round of the 1967 amateur draft. His road to Detroit wound through Arlington, Texas, after the Senators relocated following the 1971 season.
On June 6, 1973 he was traded by the Rangers with Mike Nagy to the Cardinals for Jim Bibby. Less than six months later – on Dec. 3 – St. Louis sent him to the Tigers for minor-leaguer Larry Elliott.
During the lean years of the mid-1970s, Johnny B. – wearing first #45 and then, from 1976 on, #14 – steadily gained playing time, primarily behind the plate for manager Ralph Houk. When Sparky Anderson was hired in 1979, ‘Fuss became more of a first baseman/outfielder/DH hybrid.
For the next four seasons, Wockenfuss had a .265 average. His best year at the plate for Detroit was in 1982 when hit batted .301 in 79 games.
Read the full appreciation in the Archives.
Birthdays
Anibal Sanchez, Craig Monroe, Matt Stairs, Greg Cadaret, and the late Johnny Pesky and Cy Perkins.
Today’s Grid
⚾️ Immaculate Grid 331 9/9 — Rarity: 38
See you tomorrow.
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