Ted Power

The Tuesday Fungo: April 23

🌧️ Game 14: Postponed

Easter Sunday’s cold and rainy weather in Detroit persisted and the Tigers and Twins face a doubleheader on April 24.

Record: 12-1

Eric Davis – #33

The 1993 season was a weird one. From April 23 to June 25, the Tigers were either in first place or tied for the division lead.

Then, beginning June 23, they lost 10 in a row and 13 of 14. The next thing you know, they were 4.5 games back by July 1.

On Aug. 31, sitting in third place and six games back of the Blue Jays, the Tigers made a curious and intriguing deal with the Dodgers, acquiring former All-Star outfielder Eric Davis for a player to be named later.

Davis was a superstar with the Reds and was traded to Los Angeles in December 1991 and re-signed with his hometown team in November 1992. He didn’t match the dual-threat production he had in his first eight seasons* in Cincinnati — 177 homers, 247 stolen bases — so at the Aug. 31 traded deadline, the former Gold Glover was sent to Detroit.

The power hitter joined a lineup already full of power hitters: Cecil Fielder, Rob Deer, Mickey Tettleton, Pete Incaviglia and even Kirk Gibson.

He debuted with the Tigers on Sept. 3 at Tiger Stadium against the White Sox. Sparky slotted him in the seven spot, in centerfield. He doubled in his second at bat and homered in the bottom of the eighth — a three-run shot to draw the Tigers to within two, 8-6. That was the final score.

Davis’s 1993 Detroit totals: 23 games, six homers, .253 average and a .904 OPS. He also stole two bases, bringing his L.A./Detroit combo to 35.

As for the Tigers, they finished tied for third, 10 games back of Toronto.

The Tigers brought Davis back in 1994, but injuries limited him to just 37 games. He batted .183 with three home runs.

His final game with Detroit was July 26, 1994; he went 0 for 2 with a walk and a run scored in a 9-1 win over the Mariners.

All told, his 60-game Tigers career wrapped with a .210 average, nine home runs, seven stolen bases and a .706 OPS.

*After sitting out 1995, he returned to the Reds for one more season in 1996, and then had a post-cancer resurgence with the Orioles, Cardinals and Giants.

Birthdays

Zach Logue and the late Elam Vangilder and Harry Coveleski

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 387 9/9 — Rarity: 92

Two former Tigers …

See you tomorrow.

The Wednesday Fungo: Jan. 31

The Colt Keith extension got me wondering if 45 years ago, and these early extensions were a thing, the Tigers would have considered signing Kirk Gibson to a long-term extension.

It’s hard to take this notion even half seriously given that Jim Campbell was the Tigers’ GM back then.

But still.

Today’s Random Nuggets

On this date in 1952, Harry Heilmann was elected to the Hall of Fame.

Today’s birthdays: Hank Aguirre and Ted Power.

Today’s Immaculate Grid

Four Tigers in today’s grid:

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 304 — 9/9: Rarity: 17

One Last Thing

I cannot wait to watch the new Netflix documentary, “The Greatest Night in Pop”, about the recording, in 1985, of “We Are the World” — perhaps the song of my junior year.

And here’s the video:

See you tomorrow.

Tuesday Tananas: Fred Lynn, Ted Power and Don Draper

Is it just me or were there a lot of Aug. 31 trades made back in the day? Back in the late ’80s and early ’90s it seemed that Oakland was always adding a big name at the deadline — Willie McGee, Ruben Sierra, Harold Baines. Just asking.

The last time the Tigers made any noise worth noting at the Aug. 31 trade deadline was in 1988 when the made two deals, acquiring outfielder Fred Lynn from the Orioles for RHP Cesar Mejia, LHP Robinson Garces and catcher Chris Hoiles. They also picked up RHP Ted Power from the Royals for LHP Mark Lee and catcher Rey Palacios. In 2004, they acquired cash considerations from the Cubs for catcher Mike Difelice.

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