Tag: Rusty Kuntz

The Thursday Fungo: May 9

May 9, 1984: Tigers 3 – Royals 1

W: Dan Petry (5-1) – L: Danny Jackson (0-4) – Save: Aurelio López (4) | Boxscore

Record: 25-4

Highlights

  • Petry pitched six and two-thirds, allowing seven hits and just one run. Aurelio López pitched the rest of the way, giving up just a walk and striking out four.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Royals Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Larry McCoy, 1B – Nick Bremigan, 2B – Vic Voltaggio, 3B – Joe Brinkman
  • Time of Game: 2:48
  • Attendance: 15,709

Birthdays

Ian Krol, Daniel Schlereth, Prince Fielder, Ron Jackson, and the late Tom Yewcic and Lew Drill

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 403 9/9 – Rarity: 11

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 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 Friday Fungo – April 5

Game 2 – April 5, 1984

Tigers 7 – Twins 3

W: Dan Petry (1-0) – L: Frank Viola (0-1) | Boxscore

  • Kirk Gibson, batting eighth, with a two-out, three-run homer off Viola in fourth.
  • Petry: 7 IP, 5 hits, 3 runs (2 earned), 4 walks, 1 strikeout.
  • Record: 2-0

Miscellany

  • Umpires: HP – Larry McCoy, 1B – Nick Bremigan, 2B – Vic Voltaggio, 3B – Joe Brinkman
  • Time of Game: 2:33
  • Attendance: 8,373

3 Things to Know About Larry Pashnick #22

  • He appeared in 40 games for the Tigers across the 1982 and ‘83 seasons, 19 of them starts, finishing with a 5-7 record and a 4.17 ERA.
  • On Dec. 8, 1983, the Tigers traded him to the Twins for Rusty Kuntz.

Birthdays

Beau Brieske

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 369 8/9 – Rarity: 131

I was thwarted by thinking former Tiger Mike Moore had won 20 games while pitching for the A’s. Alas, he topped out at 19 wins for 1989 World Series champs.

Have a great weekend. See you tomorrow.

Sept. 18, 1984: Tigers Clinch American League East Title

On this date in 1984, the Tigers clinched the American League East title, beating the Brewers 3-0.

Randy O’Neal pitched seven shutout innings, allowing four hits, one walk and striking out six. As he often did, Willie Hernandez earned a two-inning save, his 30th of the year.

Tom Brookens hit a solo homer off Brewers’ starter Bob McClure. Lance Parrish drove in Detroit’s other two runs.

If you want to take a deep dive into the ’84 club, pickup a copy of Detroit Tigers 1984: What a Start! What a Finish! from Amazon.com. (Disclosure: I wrote the bios of Rusty Kuntz, Johnny Grubb, Chet Lemon and Carl Willis that appear in the book.)

Just Released: “Detroit Tigers 1984: What a Start! What a Finish!”

A few years ago, I was offered a chance to contribute to a book about the 1984 World Series Champion Tigers – the team of my high school years and a team for the ages.

What an incredible experience it was to write four player biographies for the book and, along the way, talk with two former Tigers that played crucial roles for that club.

If you’d have told me in 1984 that some day I’d talk on the phone with Johnny Grubb or I’d sit in the Royals’ spring training clubhouse talking to Rusty Kuntz, I’m not sure I could’ve conjured up a plausible scenario where those events would’ve come together.

From the book’s cover:

Detroit Tigers 1984: What a Start! What a Finish!, an effort by the society of American Baseball research’s BioProject Committee, brings together biographical profiles of every Tiger from that magical season, plus those of field management, top executives, the broadcasters — even venerable Tiger Stadium and the city itself. A team of more than 40 writers and editors compiled the biographies and supporting essays that make up the most comprehensive look at this remarkable team.

Order the book for yourself or for a Tigers fan that wants to relive a magical season.

(For what it’s worth, I don’t get a commission on any sales.)