Tag: Doug Bair

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: June 29

June 29, 1984: Doubleheader in Detroit

Game 1: Twins 5 – Tigers 3

W: Albert Williams (3-3) – L: Jack Morris (12-4) – S: Ron Davis (15) | Boxscore

Record: 53-21

Highlights

  • Morris began — or maybe he was already mired in? — his mid-season slump. He allowed 10 hits, three walks and five earned runs over 52/3 innings.
  • Doug Bair pitched the final 31/3 giving up just two hits in a scoreless outing.

Miscellany

  • Umpires: HP – Nick Bremigan, 1B – Mark Johnson, 2B – Joe Brinkman, 3B – Larry McCoy
  • Time of Game: 2:50
  • Attendance: Not Given

Game 2: Tigers 7 – Twins 5

W: Willie Hernández (4-0) – L: Pete Filson (4-2) | Boxscore

Record: 54-21 — 10 games up on Toronto

Highlights

  • The Tigers chased Twins starter Mike Smithson after 11/3 with five hits — three of them homers — and four earned runs.
  • That 4-0 Tigers lead turned into a 5-4 deficit thanks to the Twins’ tagging Milt Wilcox for five runs on five hits in five innings.
  • Detroit tied it in the seventh and the Gibby hit his second two-run homer of the game to walk it off.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Tiger Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Mark Johnson, 1B – Joe Brinkman, 2B – Larry McCoy, 3B – Nick Bremigan
  • Time of Game: 3:00
  • Attendance: 44,619

Birthdays

Eddie Miller, Bruce Kimm, the late Bob Shaw, Dizzy Trout and Bobby Veach

See you tomorrow.

The Tuesday Fungo: June 25

June 25, 1984: Yankees 7 –Tigers 3

W: Ron Guidry (6-5) – L: Doug Bair (4-1) – S: Jay Howell (2) | Boxscore

Record: 52-19 — 9 games up on Toronto

Highlights

  • A 1-1 game at the end of the sixth became a 3-1 Tigers lead and soon thereafter 4-3 Yankees.
  • Then, in the bottom of the eighth, Willie Hernández proved he was human: 1 inning, 2 hits, 3 walks and 3 runs.
  • Dan Petry started and allowed 11 hits in his 61/3 innings.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Yankee Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Dan Morrison, 1B – Marty Springstead, 2B – Jim McKean, 3B – Tim McClelland
  • Time of Game: 3:11
  • Attendance: 29,237

Birthdays

The late Don Demeter, Alex Garbowski, Johnny Pasek and John Deering

See you tomorrow.

The Thursday Fungo: June 20

June 20, 1984: Tigers 9 – Yankees 6 (13)

W: Doug Bair (4-0) – L: José Rijo (1-7) | Boxscore

Record: 49-17 — 7.5 up on Toronto

Highlights

  • Chet went 4 for 5.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Tiger Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Dave Phillips, 1B – Jerry Neudecker, 2B – John Hirschbeck, 3B – Steve Palermo
  • Time of Game: 3:51
  • Attendance: 43,972

Jim Morrison – IF #9 and #17

The Tigers picked up Jim Morrison from the Pirates on Aug. 7, 1987 for a player to be named later* and Darnell Coles.

*Five days later, they sent Morris Madden to Pittsburgh to complete the trade.

Morrison was expected to be another veteran presence for a Tigers team that was, after a dreadful start, in the thick of the American League East race.

On Aug. 7 against the Yankees**, he made his Tigers debut (a game I attended) at third based and batting sixth. He led off the bottom of the sixth with a homer off New York starter Rick Rhoden.

**The Tigers won 8-0 and sat in third place, just a game behind second-place New York and a game and half behind Toronto.

When the Tigers got him, he was hitting .264 with the Pirates with nine home runs and a .726 OPS. Although Morrison became Sparky’s everyday third baseman for the rest of the year, that performance didn’t carry over to Detroit. He hit just .205 — which was still 20+ points higher than what Coles was hitting at the time of the trade.

After 24 games in 1988, the Tigers released him on June 6. In his final game with Detroit, on June 3, he pinch hit for Pat Sheridan and singled off future-Tiger Jeff Kaiser, driving in a run.

His final line with the Tigers: .209, 4 HR, 25 RBI and a .534 OPS.

Birthdays

Bobby Seay, Paul Bako, the late Charlie Grover, Jim Delahanty and Win Mercer

See you tomorrow.

The Thursday Fungo: June 13

June 13, 1984: Blue Jays 7 – Tigers 3

W: Dave Stieb (8-2) – L: Milt Wilcox (7-4) | Boxscore

Record: 44-16 — 6 games up on Toronto

Highlights

  • The Tigers were down 7-0 heading to the eighth. Wilcox, five innings, four runs, and Doug Bair, two innings, three runs, took the brunt of the damage.
  • Stieb shut down Detroit over seven innings, allowing just three hits.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Exhibition Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – John Hirschbeck, 1B – Steve Palermo, 2B – Dave Phillips, 3B – Jerry Neudecker
  • Time of Game: 2:28
  • Attendance: 34,122

Steve Baker – RHP #31

Steve Baker‘s major-league debut was a good one. On May 25, 1978, he started against the Orioles and went 61/3 and allowed just one run on eight hits and six strikeouts. Baltimore scored off of John Hiller in the eighth to take a 2-1 lead, and that was the final score.

According to his profile in the 1979 Tigers Yearbook, managers in the American Association, to which Triple-A Evansville belonged, in 1978 picked Baker as “the best prospect and pitcher with the best curve.”

He pitched in 15 games for the ’78 Tigers, 10 of them starts, finishing with a 2-4 record and a 4.55 ERA.

In 1979, Baker’s career with the Tigers nosedived in a hurry.

On April 26, he started against the Brewers and in his 52/3 innings gave up four runs on seven hits and five walks. He won his next start, 5-2 against the White Sox.

May wasn’t kind to Baker, June and July were worse — and, well, August just piled on.

  • June: Three starts, 121/3 innings, 13 earned runs.
  • July: Four starts, 271/3 innings, 16 earned runs
  • August: One appearance, 4 innings, six hits, four earned runs

When the dust settled, Baker had just one scoreless appearance all year, and finished 1-7 with a 6.64 ERA and one save.

He began the 1980 season in Evansville before the Blue Jays purchased his contract on June 6. Baker’s final Tigers line: 3-11, 5.74 ERA and that one save.

Birthdays

James McCann, Drew Smyly, Justin Miller, Bob Strampe, the late Gene Desautels and Marty Kavanagh

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 438 9/9: Rarity: 14

See you tomorrow.

The Monday Fungo: June 10

June 10, 1984: Game 1 Tigers 10 – Orioles 4

W: Doug Bair (3-0) – L: Mike Boddicker (7-5) – Save: Willie Hernández (9) | Boxscore

Record: 42-14

Highlights

  • The Tigers got to Boddicker early, five runs on seven hits in 41/3 innings. Glenn Abbott faired slightly less bad: three runs, seven hits in 22/3.
  • Bair threw 31/3 scoreless, one-hit innings.
  • The game featured 24 hits — 13 by Detroit — and the Orioles made four errors.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Memorial Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Jim Evans, 1B – Greg Kosc, 2B – Ted Hendry, 3B – Drew Coble
  • Time of Game: 2:48

Game 2 Tigers 8 – Orioles 0

W: Dan Petry (9-3) – L: Dennis Martínez (1-3) | Boxscore

Record: 43-14 — 7 games up on Toronto

Highlights

  • Petry was stellar: a complete-game three-hitter.
  • All told: Gibby had six hits and six RBI in the two games‚ while Tram and Johnson each had five hits. Lou scored five runs in the first game. 

Miscellany

  • Venue: Memorial Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Greg Kosc, 1B – Ted Hendry, 2B – Drew Coble, 3B – Jim Evans
  • Time of Game: 2:44
  • Attendance: 51,764

Then, After the Doubleheader …

George Kell informed us that “the Tigers just announced they have acquired the rights to left-handed pitcher … (and it seemed like an eternity before revealing it was …) Sid Monge.”

Birthdays

Al Alburquerque, Elias Sosa and Hank Foiles

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 435 9/9: Rarity: 28

See you tomorrow.

The Saturday Fungo: June 8

June 8, 1984: Tigers 3 – Orioles 2

W: Milt Wilcox (7-3) – L: Storm Davis (6-2) – Save: Willie Hernández (8) | Boxscore

Record: 41-13; 51/2 games up on Toronto

Highlights

  • A solid start for Milt: six-and-a-third innings, four hits and two runs.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Memorial Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Ted Hendry, 1B – Drew Coble, 2B – Jim Evans, 3B – Greg Kosc
  • Time of Game: 3:18
  • Attendance: 50,361

Birthdays

Matt Perisho, Dave Mlicki, Kevin Ritz and Joe Grzenda

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 433 9/9: Rarity: 35

See you tomorrow.