Tag: Tom Brookens

The Tuesday Fungo: April 2

5 Things to Know About Jerry Turner – #20

The late* left-handed hitting outfielder John Webber “Jerry” Turner played seven-ish seasons with the Padres and part of one with the White Sox before signing with the Tigers on Feb. 12, 1982.

Here are five things to know about his one year in Detroit:

1. He made his Tigers debut on April 12, 1982 against the Blue Jays, as the DH and batting sixth. He went one for four with a run scored.

2. He hit his first Tigers homer on April 24 against the Yankees’ Doyle Alexander.

3. Turner’s most productive day came on June 9 against the Indians: three for four with a homer.

4. His final Tigers game came on Sept. 26, also against the Indians. He went hitless in three at bats but with a walk.

5. Turner’s totals in Detroit: 85 games, .248 average, eight home runs, 27 RBI and a .687 OPS.

*Turner died Aug. 20, 2023

Today’s Random Game: July 24, 1982

Tigers 3 – Rangers 1

W: Larry Pashnick (3-3) – L: Doc Medich (7-8) | Boxscore

Highlights

  • Jerry Turner homered as part of two for three night — plus a walk.
  • Pashnick went the distance, scattering nine hits, walking two and striking out one.

Miscellany

  • Location: Tiger Stadium
  • Umpires: HP – Bill Haller, 1B – Jerry Neudecker, 2B – Dan Morrison, 3B – Ken Kaiser
  • Time of Game: 2:26
  • Attendance: 35,470

Birthdays

Pete Incaviglia and the late Billy Pierce, Earl Johnson, Cotton Pippen, Harry Moran, Ed Siever and Hughie Jennings 

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 366 7/9 — Rarity: 244

Swings and misses: Jerry Mumphrey bottom left, José Lima bottom middle. Can you identify the one former Tiger? (Answer below)

Him.

See you tomorrow.

🐇 The Sunday Fungo

The Tigers on Easter Sunday

Happy Easter! Here’s a rundown of the Tigers’ performance on Easter Sunday in games from 1977 through ’94. They appeared in nine games, winning three:

April 10, 1977: Royals 5 – Tigers 0 | W: Colborn – L: Ruhle – Save: Gura
April 15, 1979: Tigers 11 – Rangers 6 | W: Burnside – L: Lyle
April 19, 1981: Blue Jays 9 – Tigers 1 | W: Bomback – L: Morris
April 11, 1982: Tigers 2 – Royals 1 | W: Rozema – L: Blue – Save: Saucier
April 22, 1984: Tigers 9 – White Sox 1 | W: Berenguer – L: Brennan
April 19, 1987: White Sox 7 – Tigers 1 | W: Bannister – L: Petry
April 15, 1990: Orioles 6 – Tigers 0 | W: Milacki – L: Robinson
April 19, 1992: Orioles 3 – Tigers 2 | W: Milacki – L: Terrell – Save: Olson
April 11, 1993: Angels 7 – Tigers 6 | W: Crim – L: Krueger – Save: Grahe

Birthdays

Tracy Jones, Bill Denehy and the late Marv Grissom and Johnny Couch.

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 364 9/9 – Rarity: 3

I don’t think I can do better than this. It checks all boxes except for the all-Tigers box.

See you tomorrow.

The Monday Fungo

Today’s Game: July 20, 1985

Tigers 6 – Rangers 5, 15 Innings

W: Bill Scherrer (1-1) – L: Greg Harris (2-3) | Boxscore

When Brookens started the game at third, chances are he didn’t expect to finish it as part of the Tigers’ battery.

A routine Saturday evening game at Tiger Stadium, with Jack Morris pitching a typical eight and two thirds, and Willie Hernandez entering in relief of a 3-3 tie in the ninth got interesting in the top of the 11th when, given limited bench flexibility, to say the least, Sparky was forced to move Tom Brookens from third base to catcher … where he stayed for five innings.

Here’s how it happened:

In the bottom of the eighth, and the Tigers down 2-1, Alejandro Sánchez pinch hit for Bob Melvin with one out and pinch runner Dave Bergman on first — and homers! A two-run shot to give the Tigers a 3-2 lead.

Then, in the top of the ninth, Marty Castillo replaced Sánchez in the lineup at catcher.

Morris allowed the tying run in the top of the ninth and the Tigers failed to score in the bottom half.

Bottom of the 10th: Johnny Grubb pinch hits for Castillo.

Bottom of the 11th: Aurelio López replaces Hernández pitching, and Brookens moves from third to catcher, and Doug Flynn replaces Grubb playing third batting ninth.

So, Brookens caught three innings for Señor Smoke and two for lefty Bill Scherrer — talk about two different type of pitchers — and was flawless. No passed balls and no errors.

The teams traded runs in 10th and 13th, and the Tigers scored in the bottom of the 15th to win it.

Alan Trammell singled and went to second on an error by Rangers left fielder (and future Tiger) Gary Ward. The next hitter, Barbaro Garbey, singled Tram home.

A great win, but the story of the game was Brookens. His 1 for 6 night is a mere footnote in what was undoubtedly one of the most memorable games of his career.

Miscellany

  • Umpires: HP – Ken Kaiser, 1B – Rocky Roe, 2B – Larry McCoy, 3B – Larry Barnett.
  • Time of Game: 4:14
  • Attendance: 38,602

Birthdays

Travis Fryman, Scott Sanders and the late Alan Koch.

Today’s Grid

⚾️ Immaculate Grid 358 7/9 — Rarity: 251

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.

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.)

October Surprise Part 4: Bullpen Collapses in Game 3

As the Tigers and Twins square off for the biggest series of the year with the division title hanging in the balance, we continue our look back on the last great race in Tigers history: 1987 and the seven games against the Toronto Blue Jays in the season’s final 10 days. Today: Game 3.

American League East Standings: September 26, 1987

Team Record Pct. GB
Toronto 95-59 .617 –
Detroit 92-61 .601 2.5

BallTherapy.jpgIf the Tigers suffered any ill effects from the previous two games, they certainly didn’t show it in the third game of the series.

Detroit pummeled Toronto’s ace Dave Steib, tagging the right-hander for six runs on four hits in just 2.1 innings. Matt Nokes drove in six runs in his first two at bats: a first-inning two-run homer and a grand slam in the third.

The Blue Jays were having nearly as much fun with Detroit starter Walt Terrell. In his 2.1 innings, the Blue Jays came up with four runs on seven hits. The Tigers attacked five additional Toronto hurlers for a 9-4 lead in the fifth inning. Toronto wouldn’t go away quietly, tacking on three more runs. Heading into the bottom half of the ninth Detroit clung to a 9-7 lead.

Continue reading “October Surprise Part 4: Bullpen Collapses in Game 3” →