The Tuesday Fungo: June 4

June 4, 1984: Tigers 6 – Blue Jays 3 (10)

W: Aurelio López (5-0) – L: Jimmy Key (2-3) | Boxscore

Record: 39-11

Highlights

Miscellany

  • Venue: Tiger Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Terry Cooney, 1B – Richard Shulock, 2B – Derryl Cousins, 3B – Bill Kunkel
  • Time of Game: 3:30
  • Attendance: 26,733

Birthdays

Jorge Bonifacio and Steve Searcy

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 429 7/9: Rarity: 216

See you tomorrow.

The Thursday Fungo: April 18

Game 9: April 18, 1984

Tiger 4 – Royals 3, 10 innings

W: Willie Hernandez (1-0) L: Joe Beckwith (0-1) | Boxscore

Highlights

  • The Tigers took a 3-0 lead into the top of the eighth. With two out, Jorge Orta hit a three-run homer of Jack Morris to tie it.
  • Morris and Royals starter Bud Black both scattered nine hits, allowed three runs and struck out three. Morris did it in nine innings, Black in seven.
  • Parrish homered, part of a three for five night. Chet Lemon hit two doubles.
  • Record: 9-0

Miscellany

  • Umpires: HP – Nick Bremigan, 1B – Vic Voltaggio, 2B – Joe Brinkman, 3B – Larry McCoy
  • Time of Game: 3:02
  • Attendance: 12,310

6 Things to Know about Rico Brogna – #13

A left-handed hitting first baseman, Rico Brogna was, like Travis Fryman and Steve Searcy and Rich Rowland, a highly anticipated Tigers prospect in the early 1990s. 

Here are a few things to know about him:

  • He was the Tigers’ first-round pick in the 1988 draft.
  • Brogna made his Tigers debut against the Blue Jays, doubling in his first at bat, off Dave Stieb.
  • He finished the night one for four. On Aug. 11, he hit his first major-league homer, off Melido Perez, at Tiger Stadium.
  • He appeared in just nine games before being sent back to Toledo, where he’d spend the rest of the ’92 season and all of 1993.
  • On March 31, 1994, the Tigers dealt him to the Mets for catcher Alan Zinter.
  • Brogna went on to have a nice career with the Mets and even more so with the Phillies.

Birthday

Jake Rogers, Miguel Cabrera, Rico Brogna, Doug Flynn and the late Brian Dubois and Wahoo Sam Crawford

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 382 9/9 — Rarity: 15

See you tomorrow.

Remember Rich Monteleone?

Before the names of Kyle Sleeth, Kenny Baugh, Justin Thompson and even Scott Aldred and Steve Searcy evoked images of a star-studded starting rotation for the Tigers, there was one name the personified unfulfilled promise for Tiger fans: Rich Monteleone.

Before the names of Kyle Sleeth, Kenny Baugh, Justin Thompson and even Scott Aldred and Steve Searcy evoked images of a star-studded starting rotation for the Tigers, there was one name the personified unfulfilled promise for Tiger fans: Rich Monteleone. (Actually, Monteleone and 1981 first-rounder Ricky Barlow led this category in the early ’80s, but we’ll focus on Monteleone who celebrates his 45th birthday today. Ironically, Barlow’s 45th was yesterday.)

Anyone who’s followed the Tigers at least since the late 1970s likely remembers the name. Detroit’s first-round pick in the 1982 amateur draft (#20), Monteleone, we were told, would slide into the rotation behind Dan Petry and someday become the Tigers’ ace.

So we waited. And waited.

Continue reading “Remember Rich Monteleone?”