Tag: Milt Wilcox

The Monday Fungo: May 20

May 20, 1984: Tigers 4 – A’s 3

W: Milt Wilcox (6-0) – L: Lary Sorensen (1-6) – Save: Willie Hernández (6)  | Boxscore

Record: 32-5

Highlights

  • Milt scattered just three hits and allowed two runs.
  • Willie notched a three-inning save.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Tiger Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Marty Springstead, 1B – Jim McKean, 2B – Durwood Merrill, 3B – Dan Morrison
  • Time of Game: 2:22
  • Attendance: 27,073

Birthdays

Luis Garcia, David Wells, the late Tom Morgan, Earl Rapp – whose Tigers career spanned one plate appearance in 1949 – and Hal Newhouser

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 414 8/9: Rarity: 153

I’m embarrassed to report that I did not know that Al Kaline‘s career average was under .300.

See you tomorrow.

The Saturday Fungo: May 11

May 11, 1984: Tigers 8 – Angels 2

W: Milt Wilcox (4-0) – L: Mike Witt (4-2) – S: Willie Hernández (4) | Boxscore

Record: 26-4

Highlights

  • Six solid, scoreless innings from Wilcox and a less-than-pristine three-inning save from Willie: 5 hits allowed, 2 runs.
  • A lot of traffic on the base paths during this one: 25 combined hits (14 for Detroit) and seven combined walks (6 for the Tigers.)

Miscellany

  • Venue: Tiger Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Drew Coble, 1B – Jim Evans, 2B – Greg Kosc, 3B – Ted Hendry
  • Time of Game: 2:55
  • Attendance: 44,187

Birthdays

Francisco Cordero, Bill Bean, Mark Huismann, Walt Terrell, the late Rip Sewell and Charlie Gehringer 

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 405 9/9 – Rarity: 17

See you tomorrow.

The Wednesday Fungo: May 1

May 1, 1984: Tigers 12 – Red Sox 2

W: Milt Wilcox (3-0) – L: Bruce Hurst (3-3) | Boxscore

Record: 19-2

Highlights

  • The Red Sox scored once in the bottom of the first but it was all Tigers after that: dropping a dozen runs on 16 hits on Hurst and Oil Can Boyd.
  • Wilcox tossed eight solid innings, giving up seven hits and just one earned run with five strikeouts.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Tiger Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Ken Kaiser, 1B – Rocky Roe, 2B – Larry Barnett, 3B – Dale Ford
  • Time of Game: 2:31
  • Attendance: 17,495

Dan Gakeler #32

Here are a few things to know about right hander Dan Gakeler:

A former 31st-round draft pick of the Brewers (1983) and a year later a number-one pick of the Red Sox (secondary phase), Gakeler made it to the majors in 1991 with the Tigers, appearing in 31 games, seven of them starts.

He made his major-league debut on June 9, 1991 against the Angels. He started opposite Chuck Finley and lasted three innings: seven hits, five runs and two walks.

Gakeler made his final appearance on Oct. 5, 1991 against the Orioles. He pitched one-third of an inning and struck out the only batter he faced: Cal Ripken.

His MLB career line: 1-4 with two saves and a 5.74 ERA.

Birthdays

Casey Mize, Fausto Cruz, Phil Hiatt, Dan Gakeler and the late Bob Harris

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 395 7/9 – Rarity 216

Swings and misses: Jack Clark top middle, George Bell bottom middle.

See you tomorrow.

The Thursday Fungo: April 25

1984 Game 16: Tigers 9 – Rangers 4

W: Milt Wilcox (2-0) – L: Dave Stewart (0-5) – Save: Willie Hernández (2) | Boxscore

Record: 15-1

Highlights

  • Wilcox went six innings, allowing six hits and two runs.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Arlington Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Al Clark, 1B – Don Denkinger, 2B – Dan Morrison, 3B – Mike Reilly
  • Time of Game: 2:38
  • Attendance: 25,883

Bill Krueger #30

Here are a few things to know about lefty Bill Krueger:

Bill Krueger, not displaying his tremendous high leg kick.
  • The Tigers signed Krueger on Dec. 11, 1992. He spent the ’92 season with the Twins and Expos.
  • He made his Tigers debut on April 7, 1993 against his original club, the A’s, in a 12-7 Tigers loss. His line: 3.1 IP, 5 hits, 2 runs, 3 walks and 3 strikeouts.
  • The 1994 Tigers were not good and Krueger’s year aligned with his team’s. He had appeared in 16 games — his last a June 2 start against the Orioles in Baltimore — before the Tigers released him on June 4, with an 0-2 record and a 9.61 ERA.
  • Bill Krueger’s final line in Detroit: 6-6 with a 4.60 ERA.

Birthdays

Daniel Norris, Jacque Jones, Larry Pashnick and the late Tony Phillips, Woody Davis and Fred Haney

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 389 7/9 – Rarity: 219

My misses: Bruce Bochy in the middle square, and Tommy Henrich bottom left.

See you tomorrow.

The Saturday Fungo: April 20

Game 11: April 20, 1984

Tigers 3 – White Sox 2

W: Aurelio López (2-0) – L: Ron Reed (0-1) | Boxscore

Highlights

  • Milt Wilcox celebrated his 34th birthday with a solid outing: eight innings, eight hits, three walks three strikeouts and just two runs: a second-inning, two-run homer to Ron Kittle.
  • Floyd Bannister was just as good for the White Sox: 6.1 innings, eight hits and two earned runs.
  • Record: 10-1

Miscellany

  • Umpires: HP – Joe Brinkman, 1B – Larry McCoy, 2B – Nick Bremigan, 3B – Vic Voltaggio
  • Time of Game: 2:36
  • Attendance: 33,554

5 Things to Know About Tim Tolman – #38

  1. The Tigers signed the right-handed hitting outfielder/first baseman Tim Tolman* as free agent on Feb. 10, 1986.
  2. After hitting .298 with 11 home runs and 71 RBI (.812 OPS) at Triple A Nashville, Tolman was a September call-up in 1986. He played almost every day — appearing in 16 games from Sept. 7 to Oct. 4 — and batted .186 with six hits in 34 plate appearances.
  3. In 1987, Tolman started the season at Triple A Toledo and hit .314 / 14 homers / 30 doubles and a .919 OPS. He was called up in July and played in nine games, hitting .083 — one hit in 21 plate appearances.
  4. His final big-league game was Aug. 16, 1987 against the Royals.
  5. Tolman passed away on June 3, 2021 at age 65 from Parkinson’s Disease.

Birthdays

Milt Wilcox and the late Tim Tolman, Earl Harrist and Lou Vedder

Today’s Grid

See you tomorrow.

The Saturday Fungo: April 13

Game 8: April 13, 1984

Tigers 13 – Red Sox 9

W: Doug Bair (0-1) L: Bruce Hurst (1-2) | Boxscore

Highlights

Talk about the tale of two games. The Tigers ambushed Bruce Hurst for seven runs in an eight-run first. Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell walked, Barbaro Garbey reached on an error.

Lance Parrish struck out and then the next eight batters reached:

  • Rusty Kuntz: single (5-0), and that was it for Hurst.
  • Whitaker reached on an error by Jerry Remy, scoring Kuntz and Brookens. (8-0)
  • Trammell doubled.
  • Dave Bergman, pinch-hit for Garbey — how often does that happen in the first inning? — and walks.
  • Parrish grounds into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
  • Milt Wilcox takes the mound with an 8-0 lead … and allows the first seven hitters to reach. He gets one more out than Hurst, but after yielding five runs, gives way to Doug Bair.
  • Boston scores again in the second, to make it 8-6, and the Tigers in the fourth, on a Parrish solo shot.
  • Instead, the Red Sox tag him with three runs in the bottom of the eighth.
  • Mercifully, the ninth is scoreless, but not exactly clean, and Tigers hold on.
  • Record: 8-0

Miscellany

  • Umpires: HP – Drew Coble, 1B – Jim Evans, 2B – Greg Kosc, 3B – Ted Hendry
  • Time of Game: 3:11
  • Attendance: 35,179

Birthdays

Doug Strange, Mark Leiter and the late Ike Brown, Jake Mooty, Roxie Lawson, Ken Jones, Rufe Clarke, Al Platte, Red Killefer, Kid Elberfeld, Herman Long

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 377 8/9 – Rarity: 159

Have a great weekend. See you tomorrow.

The Sunday Fungo: April 7

Game 4: April 7, 1984

Tigers 4 – White Sox 0

W: Jack Morris (2-0) – L: Floyd Bannister (0-2) | Boxscore

So much to say about this game.

A hot start, a Game of the Week appearance and a win would have been enough to satisfy me at an age, but at 16, well, adding a no-hitter by my favorite Tiger … come on.

  • As no-hitters go, it wasn’t clean — Morris walked six — but who cared? He struck out eight, facing 32 batters.
  • Then, with Fisk on third and Baines on second, Morris struck out Ron Kittle to end the inning.
  • Chet Lemon hit a two-run homer in the second, and the Tigers scored a pair in the fifth to make it 4-0.
  • Record: 4-0

Miscellany

  • Umpires: HP – Durwood Merrill, 1B – Tim McClelland, 2B – Marty Springstead, 3B – Jim McKean
  • Time of Game: 2:44
  • Attendance: 24,616
  • Start Time Weather: 50° F, Wind 8mph in from Centerfield, Sunny, No Precipitation

5 Things to Know About Jack Lazorko – #36

No Tigers baseball card for Lazorko, it seems.
  • Jack Lazorko signed as a free agent with the Tigers on Feb, 7, 1986.
  • He spent most of the season in Triple-A Nashville, where he made 29 starts, finishing with an 8-6 record and 3.20 ERA — and one save.
  • The right-hander appeared in three games over the course of six days with the ’86 Tigers, his first on Aug. 9 against the Red Sox in Detroit: 1.2 IP, 3 hits, 2 runs, 3 walks and a strikeout.

Birthdays

Ben Petrick and the late Ed Lafitte

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 371 8/9 – Rarity: 171

Three former Tigers today, and my blank square was a guess for George Kell. He didn’t hit .300 for the Orioles, but got close. In his final big-league season, at age 34, he hit .297 for Baltimore.

See you tomorrow.