Tag: Scott Fletcher

July 30, 1984: An Off Day in Detroit

The Tigers had a Monday off day at home before the Indians came to town for a three-game set. Let’s look back on a game played on this date 45 years ago …

July 30, 1979: Tigers 6 – Rangers 4

W: John Hiller (4-7) – L: Danny Darwin (2-2) – S: Aurelio López (9) | Boxscore

Record: 53-49 — 5th place, 16 games behind Baltimore

Highlights

  • Jack Morris started and went six innings, allowing eight hits and two runs. He departed with a 4-0 lead.
  • John Hiller blew a save opportunity but the Tigers scored a run in the eighth and again in the ninth to secure the win.

Miscellany

  • Venue: Arlington Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Bill Deegan, 1B – Greg Kosc, 2B – George Maloney, 3B – Dan Morrison
  • Time of Game: 2:40
  • Attendance: 14,297

Birthdays

Scott Fletcher, Mickey Mahler, and the late Gus Triandos and Joe Coleman, Sr.

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 485 9/9 — Rarity: 58

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 Saturday Fungo

Charles Hudson – #27

In retrospect, the 1989 Tigers season was doomed from the start.

The core of the ’84 team was aging or playing elsewhere, and the farm system was dried up.

Thanks to the mirage of 1988’s 88-win, second-place finish, one game behind the Red Sox, there was only the flimsiest of hope that the ’89 team could contend.

Looking back, it’s obvious the club’s immediate and long-term futures were bleak.

So, they made curious deals like trading Tom Brookens to the Yankees for Charles Hudson, on March 23, 1989.

Three or four years earlier, Hudson would have been a shrewd pickup for Bill Lajoie: a veteran arm for rotation insurance or long relief. 

Alas, 1989 was the late ‘80s not the middle, and Hudson was too little too late for a bad, bad team. It wasn’t his fault!

Here are a few things to know about the right-hander’s time in Detroit:

  • Hudson made his Tigers debut on April 11 agains the Twins. Jack Morris started and lasted only until two outs in the fourth — he gave up eight hits, four walks and five runs. Hudson came in and settled things down, tossing three and a third innings, allowing just three hits and a run. Final score: Twins 14 – Tigers 0.
  • His final major-league appearance came on Aug. 11, 1989, against the Rangers in relief of Frank Tanana, was not a bad one: 3.1 IP, two hits, one run, two walks and four strikeouts. The Tigers lost, 7-3.
  • Hudson’s Tigers career: 18 appearances, 7 starts, a 1-5 record with a 6.35 ERA.

Birthdays

Curtis Granderson, Charles Hudson and the late Ralph Works.

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 349 9/9 — Rarity: 29

I was cruising until the final square, Jose Canseco. Also, three former Tigers in today’s offering.

See you tomorrow.