Tag: Mark Fidrych

November 20, 2024

Number 20

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.

After that, it belonged to:

*Rich Hebner, in 1982, was the final player to wear number 2 before it was retired.

Birthdays

Tarik Skubal, Jacob Robson, Lino Urdaneta and the late Ron Cash, Lou Berberet, Augie Prudhomme and Ray Powell

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 598 8/9 — Rarity: 176

See you tomorrow-ish.

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.

The Friday Fungo: April 26

April 26, 1984: Tigers 7 – Rangers 5

W: Doug Bair (2-0) – L: Frank Tanana (2-2) – Save: Aurelio López (2) | Boxscore

Record: 16-1

Highlights

  • No pitching duel in this one. The Tigers ambushed Frank Tanana with five hits and four runs in the first inning. He lasted
  • ‘Twas also a rough start for Dave Rozema: 4.1 IP, 5 runs, 7 hits and 3 home runs.
  • Doug Bair and Señor Smoke carried the load the rest of the way, blanking the Rangers on just four hits.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Arlington Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Don Denkinger, 1B – Dan Morrison, 2B – Mike Reilly, 3B – Al Clark
  • Time of Game: 2:50
  • Attendance: 13,559

Rick Schu #35

Rick Schu was tasked with replacing Mike Schmidt when he retired from the Phillies. That could not have been fun, nor could it have been fun coming to the 1989 Tigers, who were 14-24 when the club purchased his contract from the Orioles on May 19.

He made his debut on May 21 against the Royals. He started at third and batted ninth, going 1 for 2.

Schu’s final game with the Tigers came on Oct. 1, a 5-3 Tigers win against Yankees to close out a 59-103 season. He went 1 for 4.

His Tigers career ended after 98 games, with a .214 average, seven home runs and 21 RBI. The Tigers released him on Dec. 8, 1989.

Birthdays

Felipe Lira and the late Virgil Trucks and Dale Alexander

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 390 8/9 – Rarity: 189

Ken Griffey Jr. did not win the Rookie of the Year?

See you tomorrow.

🌎 The Monday Fungo: April 22

1984 Game 13: Tigers 9 – White Sox 1

W: Juan Berenguer (1-0) – L: Tom Brennan (0-1) | Boxscore

Record: 12-1

On a cold and wet Easter Sunday, Juan Berenguer delivered one of his best Tigers starts, at least that I can remember. He gave up just two hits — and didn’t allow one until the fifth — with one walk. He struck out seven.

The Tigers had 18 hits, paced by:

Michigan native and fellow WMU alum first baseman Mike Squires was pressed into pitching duty, with two gone in the five-run eighth, for the final out.

Miscellany

  • Umpires: HP – Nick Bremigan, 1B – Vic Voltaggio, 2B – Joe Brinkman, 3B – Larry McCoy
  • Time of Game: 2:58
  • Attendance: 10,603

Jim Crawford – #28

Lefty Jim Crawford was acquired by the Tigers in a Randy Smith-style trade with the Astros on Dec. 6, 1975. He came to Detroit with Milt May and Dave Roberts for Terry Humphrey, Mark Lemongello, Gene Pentz and Leon Roberts.

He appeared in parts of three seasons, 1976-78, as a reliever and spot starter.

Crawford made his Tigers debut on April 20, 1976 against the A’s in Oakland. He came into the game in the ninth, relieving starter Joe Coleman, with the Tigers clinging to a 5-3 lead. Crawford got Bill North to line out but the next batter, Joe Rudi, singled to tie the game. Crawford was lifted for rookie Mark Fidrych who gave up a single to Don Baylor and the A’s won, 6-5.

His final game came on July 27, 1978 against the Orioles. Starter Jim Slaton gave up five runs on nine hits in three innings and Crawford came in to pitch the fourth — and gave up two runs of his own on three hits. Jack Morris relieved him with four scoreless.

Crawford’s final line in Detroit: 10-19, 4.62 ERA and 3 saves.

Birthdays

Tyson Ross, David Purcey

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 386 9/9 — Rarity: 9

See you tomorrow.

The Wednesday Fungo: April 17

April 17, 1984: 🌧️ Rained Out in Detroit

The rain seemed to follow the Tigers home from Boston, as they were rained out for the third-consecutive game.

Record: STILL 8-0

Pedro Garcia – #3

He didn’t play for the Tigers for very long, just 77 games, but he certainly arrived at the right time: The Year of the Bird.

Here are a few things to know about second baseman Pedro Garcia:

  • The Tigers got him on June 10, 1976 from the Brewers for Gary Sutherland.
  • Garcia finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting in 1973. He hit .245 with 15 homers and a league-leading 32 doubles. Those were the career high-water marks for him offensively.
  • He was hitting .217 in 44 games with the Brewers when he was dealt to Detroit.
  • For the Tigers, he hit .198 with three homers and 20 RBI. In 245 plate appearances, he struck out 40 times with nine walks.
  • The Tigers released him on Dec. 16, 1976.
  • In 1977, he played on the inaugural Toronto Blue Jays team, hitting .208 in 42 games before being released.
  • You can see him play in this classic Monday Night Baseball telecast Mark Fidrych versus the late Ken Holtzman. The Tigers won, 5-1.

Birthdays

Ronny Rodriguez, Ryan Raburn, Max St. Pierre, Pedro Garcia and the late Charlie Jaeger

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 381 8/9 — Rarity: 179

See you tomorrow.

The Thursday Fungo

Tigers’ Opening Day Record, 1977-1994

The wheelhouse of The Daily Fungo is the Ralph Houk, Les Moss and Sparky Anderson years. So, through that narrow lens in the Tigers’ much broader history, let’s look at how the teams from 1977 through 1994 opened their respective seasons.

* Indicates I was at the game.

YearOpening DayScorePitchers
1977April 7
Home
Boxscore		Royals 7
Tigers 4		W: Paul Splittorff
L: Dave Roberts
Save: Mark Littell
1978April 7
Home
Boxscore		Tigers 6
Blue Jays 2		W: Mark Fidrych
L: Dave Lemanczyk
1979April 7*
Home
Boxscore		Rangers 8
Tigers 2		W: Ferguson Jenkins
L: Dave Rozema
1980April 10
Away
Boxscore		Tigers 5
Royals 1		W: Jack Morris
L: Dennis Leonard
1981April 9*
Home
Boxscore		Tigers 6
Blue Jays 2		W: Jack Morris
L: Joey McLaughlin
1982April 9*
Away
Boxscore		Royals 4
Tigers 2		W: Larry Gura
L: Jack Morris
1983April 5
Away
Boxscore		Tigers 11
Twins 3		W: Jack Morris
L: Brad Havens
1984April 3
Away
Boxscore		Tigers 8
Twins 1		W: Jack Morris
L: Albert Williams
1985April 8
Home
Boxscore		Tigers 5
Indians 4		W: Jack Morris
L: Ernie Camacho
Save: Willie Hernandez
1986April 7*
Home
Boxscore		Tigers 6
Red Sox 5		W: Jack Morris
L: Sammy Stewart
Save: Willie Hernandez
1987April 6*
Home
Boxscore		Yankees 2
Tigers 1
10 innings		W: Dave Righetti
L: Jack Morris
1988April 4
Away
Boxscore		Tigers 5
Red Sox 3
10 innings		W: Jack Morris
L: Lee Smith
Save: Mike Henneman
1989April 4
Away		Rangers 4
Tigers 0		W: Charlie Hough
L: Jack Morris
1990April 9
Away
Boxscore		Red Sox 5
Tigers 2		W: Roger Clemens
L: Jack Morris
Save: Lee Smith
1991April 8
Home
Boxscore		Tigers 6
Yankees 4		W: Paul Gibson
L: Greg Cadaret
Save: Mike Henneman
1992April 6
Home
Boxscore		Blue Jays 4
Tigers 2		W: Jack Morris
L: Bill Gullickson
1993April 5
Away
Boxscore		A’s 9
Tigers 4		W: Bob Welch
L: Mike Moore
Save: Dennis Eckersley
1994April 4
Away
Boxscore		Red Sox 9
Tigers 8		W: Scott Bankhead
L: Storm Davis
Save: Jeff Russell

The result? An even 9 and 9, with Jack Morris notching a 6-4 record — not counting his win against the Tigers on Opening Day 1992 as a member of the Blue Jays.

Birthdays

Craig Paquette and the late Jimmy Barrett

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 361 9/9 – Rarity: 69

See you tomorrow.

The Saturday Fungo

Dave Tobik: 5 Things to Know

Today is Tobik’s 70th birthday. Here are five things you need to know:

  1. RHP Dave Tobik was drafted by the Tigers in the first round, second overall, of the 1975 MLB January Draft-Secondary Phase from Ohio University.

  2. He debuted on Aug. 26, 1978 against the Brewers, a 9-5 loss. His line: 3.0 IP, 6 H, 1 SO, 1 BB, 3 ER.

  3. He first wore number 38, then switched to 45.

  4. The Tigers traded him to the Rangers on March 24, 1983 for Johnny Grubb.

  5. Gist of Tobik’s time in Detroit: 5 seasons, 10-16 record, 3.65 ERA and 13 saves. (He started two games.)

Birthdays

Dave Tobik, Jim Nettles, Jim Brady and the late Chico Hernandez. Check out Brady’s ghastly record — and that equally ghastly Tigers hat in his photo.

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 335 7/9 — Rarity: 235

See you tomorrow.