Tag: Lou Whitaker

Aug. 25, 1984: Tigers 5 – Angels 1

W: Jack Morris (17-8) – L: Bruce Kison (3-3) | Boxscore

Record: 85-45 — 12 games up on Toronto

Highlights

  • Morris pitched eight innings and allowed nine hits and five walks. He allowed to singles in the ninth and Sparky brought in Willie Hernández.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Anaheim Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Joe Brinkman, 1B – Nick Bremigan, 2B – Vic Voltaggio, 3B – Larry McCoy
  • Time of Game: 2:40
  • Attendance: 51,203

Birthdays

Justin Upton, and Detroit Wolverines outfielder and shortstop Frank Jones

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 512 9/9 – Rarity: 7

See you tomorrow.

Aug. 14, 1984: A Doubleheader Letdown

Game 1: Angels 6 – Tigers 4

W: Don Aase (2-1) – L: Willie Hernández (6-2) – S: Luis Sánchez (11) | Boxscore

Record: 77-42

Highlights

  • A decent start from Juan Berenguer, six innings, five hits, six strikeouts, is wasted by the bullpen. The Tigers were up 4-3 in the seventh until Bob Boone homered off Aurelio López to tie it. Then Willie surrendered two runs on three hits and a walk.
  • Both teams had 10 hits; Juan Beníquez had four of them for California.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Tiger Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Rich Garcia, 1B – Tim McClelland, 2B – Don Denkinger, 3B – Mike Reilly
  • Time of Game: 2:53

Game 2: Angels 12 – Tigers 1

W: Bruce Kison (3-1) – L: Dave Rozema (7-4) | Boxscore

Record: 77-43 — 7.5 games up on Toronto

Highlights

  • Rozema started and last two innings, giving up five runs on seven hits. Doug Bair wasn’t good either: 31/3 innings, five runs, five hits and three walks.
  • Darrell Evans drove in the Tigers lone run on an RBI single in the eighth.

Miscellany

  • Umpires: HP – Tim McClelland, 1B – Don Denkinger, 2B – Mike Reilly, 3B – Rich Garcia
  • Time of Game: 2:33
  • Attendance: 38,597

Birthdays

Colt Keith and the late Mark Fidrych and Skinny Graham

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 500: 5/9 — Rarity: 426

A clunker compared to yesterday.

See you tomorrow.

Aug. 9, 1984: Travel Day to K. C.

The Tigers likely savored the off day after all the doubleheaders. Let’s look ahead 10 years to a markedly different brand of Tigers baseball played in 1994. 😬

Aug. 9, 1994: Tigers 10 – Brewers 4

W: Sean Bergman (2-1) – L: Cal Eldred (11-11) | Boxscore

Record: 52-61 — Fifth place; 19 games behind the Yankees

Highlights

  • As seems appropriate for this team, Cecil Fielder provided 60% of the Tigers’ runs despite one for three night: a grand slam and two sac-fly RBI.
  • After this game, the last-place Tigers had two more before the player’s strike.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Tiger Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – John Hirschbeck, 1B – Ted Barrett, 2B – Rich Garcia, 3B – Larry Young
  • Time of Game: 3:05
  • Attendance: 15,874
  • Field Condition: Dry
  • Start Time Weather: 61° F, Wind 5 mph from Left to Right, Night, No Precipitation.

Birthdays

Steven Moya, Dusty Allen, Troy Percival, Bob Scanlan, John Moses, Kevin Saucier, and the late Bill Campbell, Jerry Moses, Milt Bolling, Ralph Houk and Sam Vico.

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 495 9/9 — Rarity: 32

See you tomorrow.

Aug. 3, 1984: Royals 9 – Tigers 6

W: Bret Saberhagen (5-8) – L: Milt Wilcox (11-7) – S: Dan Quisenberry (28) | Boxscore

Record: 72-35 — 10.5 games up on Toronto

Highlights

  • Milt gave up six runs on six hits, one of them a Frank White grand slam, in three innings of work — though he pitched to five hitters in the fourth inning. At that point, the Royals handed their starter Bud Black an 8-2 lead.
  • Saberhagen relieved Black and pitched an inning and two-thirds to earn the win. Quisenberry allowed only two hits in his 22/3 innings.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Tiger Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Bill Kunkel, 1B – Terry Cooney, 2B – Derryl Cousins, 3B – Richard Shulock
  • Time of Game: 2:37
  • Attendance: 39,480

Birthdays

Pat McCoy, Matt Joyce, Wendell Magee, Dan Meyer and the late Jim Hegan and Harry Heilmann, who hit .342 in 15 years with the Tigers. He hit over .390 four times, including .403 in 1923. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1952.

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 489 9/9 — Rarity: 32

See you tomorrow.

Aug. 2, 1984: Tigers 2 – Indians 1

W: Jack Morris (14-7) – L: Bert Blyleven (10-5) – S: Willie Hernández (22) | Boxscore

Record: 72-34 — 11.5 games up on Toronto

Highlights

  • This is a special game for me. My Dad treated me, my brother and my friend Gordie, to this one to celebrate my 16th birthday. We ate at the greasiest of greasy spoons on Trumbull, in the Checker (?) Cab building. Then we made our way to our box seats — an absolute rarity — down the left field line, above the Tigers’ bullpen.
  • Morris and Blyleven were evenly matched and homers supplied all the runs: Andre Thornton hit a solo home run in the top of the fourth, and Lou Whitaker hit a two-run shot in the fifth to cap the scoring.
  • Blyleven threw six innings and allowed seven hits and struck out two. Morris tossed eight innings and also allowed seven hits with one strikeout.
  • Willie allowed a leadoff single in the ninth and then retired the next three batters to earn the save.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Tiger Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Ted Hendry, 1B – Drew Coble, 2B – Jim Evans, 3B – Greg Kosc
  • Time of Game: 2:39
  • Attendance: 28,700

Birthdays

Colby Lewis, Matt Miller, the pride of Macomb Community College, Art “Spider” James, and the late William “Kid” Nance.

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 488 9/9 — Rarity: 63

See you tomorrow.

July 31, 1984: Doubleheader versus Cleveland

Game 1: Tigers 5 – Indians 1

W: Juan Berenguer (5-7) – L: Roy Smith (4-3) | Boxscore

Record: 71-32

Highlights

  • This was a makeup game from the previous week’s rainout in Cleveland.
  • Berenguer was solid: 61/3 innings, four hits, two walks and four strikeouts — and just one run.
  • The Tigers jumped all over Indians’ starter Smith with five runs in the second inning. Doug Baker hit a bases-loaded triple and Ruppert Jones hit a solo shot which sent Smith to the showers.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Tiger Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Drew Coble, 1B – Jim Evans, 2B – Greg Kosc, 3B – Ted Hendry
  • Time of Game: 2:30

Game 2: Indians 6 – Tigers 4

W: Neal Heaton (8-10) – L: Dave Rozema (7-3) – S: Tom Waddell (5) | Boxscore

Record: 71-33 — 12 games up on Toronto

Highlights

  • Cleveland chased Rozey with six runs on seven hits in 21/3 innings.
  • At the time, I wish I had better appreciated the freak of nature that was Aurelio López. Sparky used him in every situation except for spot starter — and he probably would have excelled in the role. In this one, he pitched 62/3 of shutout relief, allowing just four hits, one walk and striking out five.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Tiger Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Jim Evans, 1B – Greg Kosc, 2B – Ted Hendry, 3B – Drew Coble
  • Time of Game: 2:50
  • Attendance: 32,158

Birthdays

Reese Olson, Andy Van Hekken, Gabe Kapler, Howard Bailey, Dave Dombrowski, Terry Fox and the late Al Aber, Harry Malmberg and Billy Hitchcock

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 486 9/9 — Rarity: 37

See you tomorrow.

July 28, 1984: Red Sox 3 – Tigers 2

W: Bob Stanley (7-6) – L: Jack Morris (13-7) – S: Mark Clear (3) | Boxscore

Record: 69-32 — 12 games up on Toronto

Highlights

  • Morris had one of his better starts of late, seven innings pitched, three runs, eight hits and seven strikeouts, but the Boston trio of John Henry Johnson, Bob Stanley and Mark Clear held the Tigers’s offense in check.
  • The Tigers had bases loaded with two out in the ninth, but Ruppert Jones grounded out.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Tiger Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Don Denkinger, 1B – Al Clark, 2B – Mike Reilly, 3B – Tim McClelland
  • Time of Game: 2:58
  • Attendance: 49,372

Birthdays

Brendon Davis the late Ted Lepcio, Ben Steiner, John Glaiser, Hank Perry and Bob Wood

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 483 — Rarity:25

See you tomorrow.