Fifty-two Detroit Tigers have worn number 20, and it’s currently worn by Spencer Torkelson. But the first player I remember wearing number 20 was Mark Fidrych from 1976 to 1980.
Howard Johnson, 1983-1984. HoJo originally wore number 5, but it was retired during the ‘83 season (along with number 2*) to honor Hank Greenberg and Charlie Gehringer, respectively.
Jim Slaton, 1986. Slaton first pitched for the Tigers in 1977 and he wore number 21. When he returned in ‘86, he wore 20 and then changed to number 40.
The Tigers are rained out yet again in the first six weeks. Seattle comes to town for three starting tomorrow.
Record: 26-5, 7.5 games up
Glenn Wilson #12
A torrid start in Evansville led to Glenn Wilson‘s promotion to the Tigers in time for the Tigers on Opening Day in Detroit, April 15, 1982, against the Blue Jays.
Just two years earlier Wilson was a Tigers first-round pick, 18th overall, out of Sam Houston State University in Texas.
Wilson entered the ’82 home opener in the bottom of the eighth pinch-hitting for DH Jerry Turner. Facing Jays’ reliever Jerry Garvin, he stuck out looking.
The next day, Wilson collected his first major-league hit the next day against Ron Guidry, leading off the ninth with a double to left center.
Wilson made the most of his opportunity, hitting .467 in his first six games, and playing excellent defense in the outfield. Thanks to his hot start, he stuck with the Tigers until early May when he was sent back to Evansville only to return in July.
Wilson ended up playing in 84 big-league games that season, 80 of them in centerfield, and finished at .292 with 12 home runs.
In 1983 the Tigers were depending on Wilson to maintain the pace he began in his rookie season. He shifted from centerfield to right, allowing Chet Lemon to take over his natural position. Wilson appeared in 144 games that year and hit .268 with 11 HR and 64 RBI.
The Tigers saw him as a key piece of the puzzle heading into 1984. But the Tigers were determined to make Kirk Gibson their regular right fielder in ’84 which complicated the outfield picture and likely meant Wilson was a man without a position.
On March 24, the Tigers sent Wilson and John Wockenfuss to the Phillies for Willie Hernandez and Dave Bergman. Wilson spent four seasons with the Phillies and was named to the National League All-Star team in 1985. He finished the season with a .275 average, 14 home runs and 102 RBI.
With stops in Seattle, Pittsburgh and his hometown Astros, Wilson had a solid 10-year major-league career. His place in Tigers lore is set, if only as a player traded away on the eve of a magical season.
I for one enjoyed watching him play in Detroit — he was one of my favorite players — and wish he’d hung around a bit longer.
Birthdays
Happy Birthday to the late, old-time Tigers: Alex Main (1914 Tigers), Jimmy Archer (1907 Tigers) and Jack Burns (1903-04 Tigers)
The late* left-handed hitting outfielder John Webber “Jerry” Turner played seven-ish seasons with the Padres and part of one with the White Sox before signing with the Tigers on Feb. 12, 1982.
Here are five things to know about his one year in Detroit:
dailyfungo.com 