1984 Detroit Tigers season

Last updated

1984  Detroit Tigers
World Series Champions
American League Champions
American League East Champions
League American League
Division East
Ballpark Tiger Stadium
City Detroit, Michigan
Record104-58 (.642)
Divisional place1st
Owners Tom Monaghan
General managers Bill Lajoie
Managers Sparky Anderson
Television WDIV-TV
(George Kell, Al Kaline)
PASS
(Bill Freehan, Larry Osterman)
Radio WJR
(Ernie Harwell, Paul Carey)
  1983 Seasons 1985  

The 1984 Detroit Tigers won the 1984 World Series, defeating the San Diego Padres, 4 games to 1. The season was their 84th since they entered the American League in 1901.

Contents

It was the franchise's best season in terms of overall wins (104) and their best win percentage (.642) in a 162-game season. The Tigers led the American League East wire-to-wire, opening the season 9–0 and eventually topping out at 35–5 after 40 games. The team won its first Division title since 1972, their first American League championship since 1968 (and ninth overall) and the franchise's fourth (and most recent) World championship.

Detroit relief pitcher Willie Hernández won the Cy Young Award and was chosen as the American League Most Valuable Player.

Players

Catcher: Parrish

Catcher Lance Parrish, known as the "Big Wheel", led the team in home runs (33) and RBIs (98) -- and strikeouts (120) as well. Parrish was the starting catcher for the American League All Star team and won the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards in 1984. He hit 2 home runs and had 5 RBIs in postseason play.

Infield: Bergman, Whitaker, Trammell and Johnson

Dave Bergman was acquired from the Giants (via the Phillies) in March 1984 and became the Tigers' principal first baseman, playing 114 games at the position. He hit .273 in the regular season, but failed to get a hit in 5 games of the 1984 World Series. On June 4, 1984, Bergman had an 11th inning at-bat at home in a big game against second-place Toronto, who at that point trailed the Tigers by only five games. The at-bat lasted 13 pitches (7 minutes), with Bergman fouling off seven straight pitches from Roy Lee Jackson before hitting a walk-off, three-run home run. Sparky Anderson called it the greatest at-bat he had ever seen. [1]

Second baseman Lou Whitaker, known as "Sweet Lou", had his best year in 1983, hitting .320 with 40 doubles and 206 hits. Though his batting numbers were much lower in 1984 (.289 average, 25 doubles and 161 hits), he was selected as the starting second baseman for the American League All Star team and won the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards in 1984.

Shortstop Alan Trammell had a big year in 1984. His .314 batting average was 5th best in the American League and 25 points higher than any other Tiger. He was selected for the American League All Star team and won his 4th Gold Glove award at shortstop. Trammell was also named the Most Valuable Player of the 1984 World Series after batting .450, driving in 6 runs and hitting 2 home runs.

World Series MVP Alan Trammell Alan Trammell 2.jpg
World Series MVP Alan Trammell

Third base was a weak spot in the Detroit lineup, with light-hitting Tom Brookens entering as the starter from 1980 to 1983. In 1984, manager Sparky Anderson searched for the right third baseman, as five different players appeared in 19 or more games at the position that season: 108 by Howard Johnson, 68 by Brookens, 33 by Marty Castillo, 20 by Bárbaro Garbey, and 19 by Darrell Evans.

Howard Johnson, nicknamed "HoJo", was the starting third baseman on Opening Day and through most of the 1984 season. Johnson had a disappointing year, batting .248 with 12 home runs and 50 RBIs. In the 1984 World Series, Sparky Anderson gave the third base job to Marty Castillo, and HoJo had only 1 pinch-hit at bat. Johnson was traded to the Mets less than 2 months after the World Series, and went on to have some big years in New York (36 HRs, 101 RBIs in 1989).

Outfield: Gibson, Lemon and Herndon

The image of Kirk Gibson with his arms raised above his head after hitting a 3-run home run in the 1984 World Series has become the iconic symbol of the Tigers' 1984 season. The blast came off Goose Gossage, the best reliever in the National League, in the 8th inning of the 5th and final game. It put the Tigers ahead, 8–4, and sealed the championship. During the regular season, the Detroit area native played right field and led the team with a .516 slugging percentage. He also contributed 27 home runs, 91 RBIs and 29 stolen bases, and was #6 in the American League Most Valuable Player voting.

Chet Lemon was the starting center fielder in the 1984 All Star game and a major contributor to the Tigers' success in 1984. One of the best defensive outfielders in baseball, Lemon had 427 putouts in 1984 with a .995 fielding percentage; his 3.09 Range factor rating was far above the league average of 2.17. Lemon also contributed to the team's offensive output with a .287 batting average, 20 home runs, 34 doubles, 76 RBIs, and a.495 slugging percentage.

Larry Herndon played 117 games in left field for the 1984 Tigers and hit .280. In the World Series, he had a .333 batting average and hit a home run. His 2-run homer in Game 1 was the difference in a 3–2 Tigers win. He also caught the final out of the World Series, a fly ball off the bat of Tony Gwynn.

Pitching: Morris, Petry, Wilcox, Hernandez, Rozema, and Lopez

Jack Morris was the leader of the Tigers pitching staff. He started the season with a no-hitter in April and was 10–1 before the end of May. He was selected for the 1984 All Star team, but finished the season 9–10 from June through September. He was 19–11 in the regular season with a 3.60 ERA. He won all three of his post-season starts, tossing two complete games and allowing only five earned runs in 25 innings (1.80 ERA).

The team's #2 starter, Dan Petry, finished the year 18–8 with the 3rd best winning percentage (.692) in the American League. His 3.24 ERA in the regular season was the lowest among the Tiger starters.

The team's #3 starter, Milt Wilcox, was 17–8 with a 4.00 ERA. Wilcox was 2–0 in the post-season, giving up only 1 run in 14 innings. He combined with the bullpen to shut out the Royals, 1–0, in the third and final game of the ALCS.

Though Morris was the ace, the Tigers' MVP was Willie Hernández. The Tigers traded John Wockenfuss and Glenn Wilson to the Phillies in March for Hernández and Dave Bergman. Hernández appeared in a team record 80 games for the 1984 Tigers and was virtually untouchable. He allowed 96 hits and only 6 home runs while throwing an incredible 140+13 innings out of the bullpen, and finished the season with a stellar 1.92 ERA. His Adjusted ERA+ of 204 is one of the highest in Detroit Tigers history. With 32 saves and 68 games finished, Hernandez won the Cy Young Award and was voted the American League's Most Valuable Player. His 32 saves came in 33 opportunities, his only blown save coming in late September after the Tigers had already secured the AL East Division title. Hernandez saved three post-season games, including the series-clinching games in both the ALCS and World Series.

The popular Aurelio López, known as "Señor Smoke", also had a strong season as the Tigers #2 relief pitcher. Lopez finished the season with 41 games finished, a record of 10–1 and a 2.94 ERA. He also saved 14 games while pitching 137+23 innings. Lopez earned a win in Game 2 of the ALCS, tossing three scoreless innings as the Tigers won in 11 innings. Almost lost in the World Series Game 5 hitting heroics of Kirk Gibson was Lopez earning the win with 2+13 innings of scoreless relief, in which he didn't allow a baserunner.

Designated Hitter: Darrell Evans

Darrell Evans was the Tigers' big free agent signing before the 1984 season. Though he had big years in 1985 (40 HRs, 94 RBIs) and 1987 (34 HRs, 99 RBIs), Evans struggled in his first year in the American League, batting .232 with 16 home runs and 63 RBIs. In the 1984 World Series, Evans went 1-for-15 for an .067 batting average.

Role players: Garbey, Jones, Kuntz and Castillo

The 1984 Tigers had several non-starters who made big contributions to the team's success.

As a rookie in 1984, Bárbaro Garbey played in 110 games, including appearances at first base, second base, third base, DH, and each of the outfield positions. Garbey hit .287 and had more RBIs (52) than several starters, including Howard Johnson, Larry Herndon and Dave Bergman.

Ruppert Jones was signed as a free agent one week into the season on April 10, 1984. He played in 79 games, mostly as a backup in left field. Jones contributed 12 home runs and 49 RBIs in only 215 at-bats. His .516 slugging percentage was tied with Kirk Gibson for the team lead.

Slick-fielding outfielder Rusty Kuntz played in 84 games, primarily as a late-inning defensive replacement, and hit .286 in 140 at-bats—easily the best offensive season of his major league career. Kuntz's sacrifice fly in the fifth inning of Game 5 of the 1984 World Series broke a 4-4 tie and turned out to be the game-winning and Series-clinching RBI.

Possibly the most popular of the role players was Marty Castillo. In 1984, Castillo appeared in 70 games as a third baseman and backup catcher, and came through in the clutch at several key moments, including: scoring 3 runs to secure a win on August 26; hitting a home run to beat the Yankees on September 23; collecting the game-winning, pennant clinching RBI in Game 3 of the ALCS, a 1–0 victory; catching the ball at third base for the final out of the ALCS; hitting .333 with a .455 on-base percentage and a .667 slugging percentage in the World Series; hitting a two-run home run in Game 3 of the World Series; and scoring in Game 5 when Kirk Gibson hit his 3-run home run off Goose Gossage.

Manager: Sparky Anderson

Detroit manager Sparky Anderson is fifth on the all-time list for manager career wins in Major League Baseball, and in 1984 he became the first manager to win the World Series while leading clubs in both leagues. He previously managed the Cincinnati Reds to the 1975 and 1976 championships, but the Reds inexplicably fired him after a second-place finish in the 1978 season. Sparky kept a journal during the 1984 season, which was published under the title "Bless You Boys: Diary of the Detroit Tigers' 1984 Season". On the day the Tigers clinched the pennant, Sparky wrote in his journal: "I have to be honest. I've waited for this day since they fired me in Cincinnati. I think they made a big mistake when they did that. Now no one will ever question me again." [2]

Offseason

Regular season

Season standings

AL East W L Pct. GB Home Road
Detroit Tigers 104580.64253–2951–29
Toronto Blue Jays 89730.5491549–3240–41
New York Yankees 87750.5371751–3036–45
Boston Red Sox 86760.5311841–4045–36
Baltimore Orioles 85770.5251944–3741–40
Cleveland Indians 75870.4632941–3934–48
Milwaukee Brewers 67940.41636½38–4329–51

Record vs. opponents


Sources:

TeamBALBOSCALCWSCLEDETKCMILMINNYYOAKSEATEXTOR
Baltimore 6–78–47–57–67–65–77–65–75–86–69–39–34–9
Boston 7–69–37–510–37–63–99–46–67–67–54–85–75–8
California 4–83–98–58–44–86–78–44–98–47–69–45–87–5
Chicago 5–75–75–88–44–85–87–58–57–56–75–85–84–8
Cleveland 6–73–104–84–84–96–69–47–52–117–58–49–36–7–1
Detroit 6–76–78–48–49–47–511–29–37–69–36–610–28–5
Kansas City 7–59–37–68–56–65–76–66–75–75–89–46–75–7
Milwaukee 6–74–94–85–74–92–116–65–76–74–86–65–610–3
Minnesota 7–56–69–45–85–73–97–67–58–48–57–68–51–11
New York 8–56–74–85–711–26–77–57–64–88–47–56–68–5
Oakland 6–65–76–77–65–73–98–58–45–84–88–58–54–8
Seattle 3–98–44–98–54–86–64–96–66–75–75–810–35–7
Texas 3–97–58–58–53–92–107–66–55–86–65–83–106–6
Toronto 9–48–55–78–47–6–15–87–53–1011–15–88–47–56–6

Roster

1984 Detroit Tigers
Roster
PitchersCatchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Other batters

Manager

Coaches

Season summary

The Tigers began the year with an unprecedented start of 35–5. For the rest of the season, the team went 69–53 (a .564 winning percentage, which is the pace of a 91 win season). There was a stretch in late July and August where the team lost 12 out of 18. The Tigers finished with a 104–58 record, 15 games ahead of the second place Toronto Blue Jays. They outscored their opponents 829–643.

The 1984 Tigers' 104 wins is a franchise record and their .642 winning percentage ranks as the 4th best in team history, as follows:

Best Seasons in Detroit Tigers History
RankYearWinsLossesWin % Finish
1 1934 10153.656Lost 1934 World Series to Cardinals
2 1915 10054.6492nd in AL behind Red Sox
3 1909 9854.645Lost 1909 World Series to Pirates
4198410458.642Won 1984 World Series over Padres
5 1968 10359.636Won 1968 World Series over Cardinals

Season highlights

Game log

Regular season

1984 regular season game log: 104–58 (Home: 53–29; Away: 51–29)
April: 18–2 (Home: 10–2; Away: 8–0)
#DateTime (ET)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/
Streak
1 April 38:35 p.m. EST @ Twins 8–1 Morris (1–0) Williams (0–1)2:1034,3811–0 W1
2 April 51:15 p.m. EST @ Twins 7–3 Petry (1–0) Viola (0–1)2:338,3732–0 W2
3 April 62:30 p.m. EST @ White Sox 3–2 Wilcox (1–0) Dotson (0–1) Hernández (1)2:5142,6923–0 W3
4 April 71:50 p.m. EST @ White Sox 4–0 Morris (2–0) Bannister (0–1)2:4424,6164–0 W4
5 April 82:30 p.m. EST @ White Sox 7–3 López (1–0) Seaver (0–1)3:1720,4785–0 W5
6 April 101:30 p.m. EST Rangers 5–1 Petry (2–0) Stewart (0–2)2:3251,2386–0 W6
7 April 121:30 p.m. EST Rangers 9–4 Morris (3–0) Tanana (0–1)2:4819,1547–0 W7
8 April 132:05 p.m. EST @ Red Sox 13–9 Bair (1–0) Hurst (1–2)3:1135,1798–0 W8
April 15@ Red Sox Postponed (Rain)(Makeup date: August 6)
April 16@ Red Sox Postponed (Rain)(Makeup date: August 7)
April 17 Royals Postponed (Rain)(Makeup date: April 19)
9 April 187:35 p.m. EDT Royals W 4–3 (10) Hernández (1–0) Beckwith (0–1)3:0212,3109–0 W9
10 April 191:30 p.m. EST Royals L 2–5 Saberhagen (1–0) Petry (2–1) Quisenberry (5)2:2712,1009–1 L1
11 April 207:35 p.m. EDT White Sox 3–2 López (2–0) Reed (0–1)2:3633,55410–1 W1
12 April 212:15 p.m. EDT White Sox 4–1 Rozema (1–0) Hoyt (2–1) Bair (1)2:3534,39511–1 W2
13 April 221:30 p.m. EST White Sox 9–1 Berenguer (1–0) Brennan (0–1)2:5810,60312–1 W3
April 23 Twins Postponed (Rain)(Makeup date: April 24)
14 April 245:30 p.m. EST Twins 6–5 Morris (4–0) Davis (2–2)2:16N/A13–1 W4
15 April 248:21 p.m. EST Twins 4–3 Abbott (1–0) Viola (0–3) López (1)2:2920,31514–1 W5
16 April 258:35 p.m. EST @ Rangers 9–4 Wilcox (2–0) Stewart (0–5) Hernández (2)2:3825,88315–1 W6
17 April 268:35 p.m. EST @ Rangers 7–5 Bair (2–0) Tanana (2–2) López (2)2:5013,55916–1 W7
18 April 277:35 p.m. EDT Indians 4–8 (19) Aponte (1–0) Abbott (1–1)5:4434,11216–2 L1
19 April 282:15 p.m. EST Indians 6–2 Morris (5–0) Behenna (0–1)2:2528,25317–2 W1
20 April 291:30 p.m. EDT Indians 6–1 Petry (3–1) Spillner (0–1)2:2024,85318–2 W2
May: 19–7 (Home: 8–3; Away: 11–4)
#DateTime (ET)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/
Streak
21 May 17:35 p.m. EDT Red Sox 11–2 Wilcox (3–0) Hurst (3–3)2:3117,49519–2 W3
22 May 27:35 p.m. EDT Red Sox 4–5 Brown (1–2) Berenguer (1–1) Stanley (4)2:3323,08519–3 L1
23 May 31:30 p.m. EDT Red Sox 0–1 Ojeda (2–2) Morris (5–1)2:1822,61719–4 L2
24 May 47:05 p.m. EDT @ Indians 9–2 Petry (4–1) Spillner (0–2) Hernández (3)3:068,49720–4 W1
25 May 51:35 p.m. EDT @ Indians 6–5 Abbott (2–1) Heaton (2–3) López (3)2:579,28221–4 W2
26 May 61:35 p.m. EDT @ Indians 6–5 (12) López (3–0) Camacho (0–2)4:2016,12522–4 W3
27 May 78:35 p.m. EDT @ Royals W 10–3 Berenguer (2–1) Gubicza (0–3) Bair (2)3:0219,47423–4 W4
28 May 88:35 p.m. EDT @ Royals W 5–2 Morris (6–1) Black (3–2)2:3514,30424–4 W5
29 May 98:35 p.m. EDT @ Royals W 3–1 Petry (5–1) Jackson (0–4) López (4)2:4815,70925–4 W6
30 May 117:35 p.m. EDT Angels W 8–2 Wilcox (4–0) Witt (4–2) Hernández (4)2:5544,18726–4 W7
31 May 121:20 p.m. EDT Angels L 2–4 John (3–2) Berenguer (2–2)2:3238,51626–5 L1
May 13 Angels Postponed (Rain)(Makeup date: August 14)
32 May 14 Mariners 7–5LopezVande Berg3:0518,83027–5 W1
33 May 15 Mariners 6–4MorrisThomasHernandez3:3221,78228–5 W2
34 May 16 Mariners 10–1WilcoxYoung2:5222,00129–5 W3
35May 18 Athletics 8–4 (6)PetryKrueger41,13630–5
36May 19 Athletics 5–4MorrisMcCattyLopez42,90631–5
37May 20 Athletics 4–3WilcoxSorensenHernandez27,07332–5
38 May 2210:30 p.m. EDT @ Angels W 3–1 Berenguer (3–2) Witt (4–4) López (6)2:5341,25333–5 W7
39 May 2310:30 p.m. EDT @ Angels W 4–2 Petry (7–1) LaCorte (0–2) Hernández (7)2:3941,20534–5 W8
40 May 2410:30 p.m. EDT @ Angels W 5–1 Morris (9–1) Slaton (1–2)2:1443,58035–5 W9
41 May 25@ Mariners 3–7Vande BergWilcoxMirabella2:5415,72235–6 L1
42 May 26@ Mariners 5–9MooreBerenguer2:5141,34235–7 L2
43 May 27@ Mariners 1–6YoungPetry2:5012,75535–8 L3
44May 28@ Athletics 6–2MorrisCodiroli46,23836–8
45May 29@ Athletics 5–8KruegerWilcoxCaudill22,49936–9
46May 30@ Athletics 2–1HernandezMcCattyLopez15,22437–9
June: 18–12 (Home: 10–7; Away: 8–5)
#DateTime (ET)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/
Streak
47June 1 Orioles 14–2PetryMcGregorBair47,25238–9
48June 2 Orioles 0–5DavisMorris40,29238–10
49June 3 Orioles 1–2FlanaganWilcox34,22838–11
50June 4 Blue Jays W 6–3 (10)LopezKey26,73339–11W1
51June 5 Blue Jays L 4–8AckerAbbott35,98339–12L1
52June 6 Blue Jays L 3–6LealPetry38,16739–13L2
53June 7 Blue Jays W 5–3MorrisClancy40,87940–13W1
54June 8@ Orioles 3–2WilcoxDavisHernandez50,36141–13
55June 9@ Orioles 0–4FlanaganBerenguer44,40441–14
June 9@ Orioles Postponed (Schedule change)(Makeup date: June 10)
56June 10@ Orioles 10–4BairBoddickerHernandezN/A42–14
57June 10@ Orioles 8–0PetryMartinez51,76443–14
58June 11@ Blue Jays W 5–4RozemaLealHernandez35,06244–14W3
59June 12@ Blue Jays L 3–12ClancyMorris40,43744–15L1
60June 13@ Blue Jays L 3–7StiebWilcox34,12244–16L2
61June 15@ Brewers 3–2PetryCocanowerHernandez32,07445–16
62June 16@ Brewers 6–0BerenguerSutton50,39546–16
63June 17@ Brewers 7–4RozemaMcClureLopez44,90247–16
64June 18 Yankees 1–2NiekroWilcoxRijo40,31547–17
65June 19 Yankees 7–6LopezGuidryHernandez41,19248–17
66June 20 Yankees 9–6 (13)BairRijo43,97249–17
67June 21 Brewers 3–4SuttonBerenguerFingers32,29149–18
68June 22 Brewers 7–3RozemaMcClureHernandez48,49750–18
69June 23 Brewers 5–1WilcoxPorter44,68051–18
70June 24 Brewers 7–1MorrisHaasLopez39,06752–18
71June 25@ Yankees 3–7GuidryBairHowell29,23752–19
72June 26@ Yankees 9–7 (10)HernandezChristiansen32,30153–19
73June 27@ Yankees 4–5HowellWillis30,42853–20
74 June 295:35 p.m. EDT Twins 3–5 Williams (3–3) Morris (12–4) Davis (15)2:50N/A53–21 L2
75 June 299:00 p.m. EDT Twins 7–5 Hernández (4–0) Filson (4–2)3:0044,61954–21 W1
76 June 307:35 p.m. EDT Twins 4–3 Petry (11–3) Schrom (1–3) Hernández (14)2:4348,09555–21 W2
July: 16–12 (Home: 9–5; Away: 7–7)
#DateTime (ET)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/
Streak
77 July 11:30 p.m. EDT Twins 0–9 Viola (8–7) Berenguer (4–6)2:2143,48455–22 L1
78 July 28:20 p.m. CDT @ White Sox 1–7 Bannister (5–6) Rozema (4–1)2:2932,76855–23 L2
79 July 38:30 p.m. EDT @ White Sox 5–9 Seaver (7–6) Morris (12–5) Reed (4)2:4243,09455–24 L3
80 July 47:05 p.m. EDT @ White Sox 2–8 Dotson (11–4) Wilcox (8–6)2:3437,66555–25 L4
81 July 58:35 p.m. EDT @ Rangers 7–4 López (7–0) Hough (8–7) Hernández (15)2:2615,15156–25 W1
82 July 68:35 p.m. EDT @ Rangers 3–5 Mason (6–6) Berenguer (4–7) Schmidt (4)2:4222,37856–26 L1
83 July 78:35 p.m. EDT @ Rangers 5–2 Rozema (5–1) Darwin (5–5) Hernández (16)2:4129,26257–26 W1
84 July 88:35 p.m. EDT @ Rangers 7–9 Tanana (9–8) Bair (4–2) Schmidt (5)2:3716,01057–27 L1
55th All-Star Game in San Francisco, CA
85 July 128:35 p.m. EDT @ Twins 2–4 Viola (10–7) Petry (11–4) Davis (17)2:1829,72957–28 L2
86 July 138:35 p.m. EDT @ Twins 5–3 (11) Hernández (5–0) Lysander (0–1) López (10)3:1130,05058–28 W1
87 July 148:35 p.m. EDT @ Twins 6–5 (12) Hernández (6–0) Walters (0–3)3:4046,01759–28 W2
88 July 152:15 p.m. EDT @ Twins 6–2 Rozema (6–1) Schrom (2–4) López (11)3:0027,96560–28 W3
89 July 167:35 p.m. EDT White Sox 7–1 Abbott (3–2) Hoyt (8–10)2:2941,93561–28 W4
90 July 177:35 p.m. EDT White Sox 3–2 Petry (12–4) Nelson (1–2) Hernández (17)2:0334,57962–28 W5
91 July 187:35 p.m. EDT White Sox 6–10 Bannister (7–6) Morris (12–6) Agosto (3)2:5939,05162–29 L1
92 July 197:35 p.m. EDT Rangers 9–2 Wilcox (9–6) Stewart (4–11)2:3226,90863–29 W1
93 July 207:35 p.m. EDT Rangers 3–1 Rozema (7–1) Tanana (9–9) Hernández (18)2:1639,48464–29 W2
94 July 217:35 p.m. EDT Rangers 7–6 Monge (1–0) Noles (1–1) Hernández (19)2:3846,21965–29 W3
95 July 221:30 p.m. EDT Rangers 2–0 Petry (13–4) Hough (10–8) Hernández (20)2:1137,84666–29 W4
96 July 237:05 p.m. EDT @ Indians 4–1 Morris (13–6) Blyleven (9–4) Bair (4)3:0916,57667–29 W5
97 July 247:05 p.m. EDT @ Indians 9–5 Wilcox (10–6) Farr (1–7)3:2115,57868–29 W6
98 July 257:05 p.m. EDT @ Indians 1–4 Smith (4–2) Rozema (7–2) Camacho (12)2:4815,51668–30 L1
July 26@ Indians Postponed (Rain; Site change)(Makeup date: July 31)
99 July 275:30 p.m. EDT Red Sox 9–1 Petry (14–4) Hurst (10–6)2:30N/A69–30 W1 [ permanent dead link ]
100 July 278:35 p.m. EDT Red Sox 0–4 Ojeda (9–7) Abbott (3–3)2:2249,60769–31 L1 [ permanent dead link ]
101 July 287:35 p.m. EDT Red Sox 2–3 Stanley (7–6) Morris (13–7) Clear (3)2:5849,37269–32 L2
102 July 291:30 p.m. EDT Red Sox 3–0 Wilcox (11–6) Boyd (5–8) Hernández (21)2:0942,01370–32 W1
103 July 315:35 p.m. EDT Indians 5–1 Berenguer (5–7) Smith (4–3)2:30N/A71–32 W2 [ permanent dead link ]
104 July 318:40 p.m. EDT Indians 4–6 Heaton (8–10) Rozema (7–3) Waddell (5)2:5032,15871–33 L1 [ permanent dead link ]
August: 16–15 (Home: 8–8; Away: 8–7)
#DateTime (ET)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/
Streak
105 August 17:35 p.m. EDT Indians 2–4 Farr (2–7) Petry (14–5) Camacho (13)2:4627,27171–34 L2
106 August 21:30 p.m. EDT Indians 2–1 Morris (14–7) Blyleven (10–5) Hernández (22)2:3928,70072–34 W1
107 August 37:35 p.m. EDT Royals L 6–9 Saberhagen (5–8) Wilcox (11–7) Quisenberry (28)2:3739,48072–35 L1
108 August 42:15 p.m. EDT Royals L 5–9 Beckwith (4–2) Bair (4–3)2:5741,71472–36 L2
109 August 5(1)1:30 p.m. EDT Royals L 4–5 Saberhagen (6–8) Hernández (6–1) Quisenberry (29)2:57N/A72–37 L3
110 August 5(2)5:02 p.m. EDT Royals L 0–4 Leibrandt (6–4) Berenguer (5–8)2:3742,76172–38 L4
111 August 65:35 p.m. EDT @ Red Sox 9–7 López (8–0) Ojeda (9–9) Hernández (23)3:17N/A73–38 W1 [ permanent dead link ]
112 August 69:27 p.m. EDT @ Red Sox 2–10 Clemens (6–4) Willis (0–2)2:5531,05573–39 L1 [ permanent dead link ]
113 August 75:35 p.m. EDT @ Red Sox 7–12 Hurst (11–6) Morris (14–8) Clear (5)2:49N/A73–40 L2 [ permanent dead link ]
114 August 78:59 p.m. EDT @ Red Sox 7–5 (11) López (9–0) Gale (1–3) Hernández (24)3:3332,12074–40 W1 [ permanent dead link ]
115 August 87:35 p.m. EDT @ Red Sox 0–8 Boyd (7–8) Abbott (3–4)2:2832,56374–41 L1
116 August 108:35 p.m. EDT @ Royals W 5–4 López (10–0) Beckwith (5–3) Hernández (25)2:5932,18175–41 W1
117 August 118:35 p.m. EDT @ Royals W 9–5 Morris (15–8) Leibrandt (6–5) López (12)2:4240,50176–41 W2
118 August 122:35 p.m. EDT @ Royals W 8–4 Wilcox (12–7) Saberhagen (6–9)2:4732,75377–41 W3
119 August 14(1)5:35 p.m. EDT Angels L 4–6 Aase (2–1) Hernández (6–2) Sánchez (11)2:53N/A77–42 L1
120 August 14(2)9:03 p.m. EDT Angels L 1–12 Kison (3–1) Rozema (7–4)2:3338,59777–43 L2
121 August 157:35 p.m. EDT Angels W 8–3 Petry (15–5) John (7–10)2:4633,94078–43 W1
122 August 161:30 p.m. EDT Angels W 8–7 (12) Hernández (7–2) Curtis (0–1)4:0237,77979–43 W2
123 August 17 Mariners 6–2WilcoxMoore3:0836,49680–43 W3
124 August 18 Mariners 4–3BerenguerGeiselHernandez2:4136,71981–43 W4
125 August 19 Mariners 1–4LangstonPetryVande Berg2:5143,27781–44 L1
126August 20 Athletics 14–1MorrisYoung38,43182–44
127August 21 Athletics 12–6WilcoxSorensen34,06583–44
128August 22 Athletics 11–4BerenguerKrueger35,33584–44
129 August 2410:30 p.m. EDT @ Angels L 3–5 Witt (12–10) Petry (15–7) Aase (4)2:3341,45984–45 L1
130 August 2510:00 p.m. EDT @ Angels W 5–1 Morris (17–8) Kison (3–3)2:4051,20385–45 W1
131 August 264:00 p.m. EDT @ Angels W 12–6 Wilcox (15–7) John (7–12)3:0133,00886–45 W2
132 August 28@ Mariners 5–4HernandezStanton2:518,35387–45 W3
133 August 29@ Mariners 1–5LangstonPetry2:1110,86387–46 L1
134 August 30@ Mariners 1–2BeattieMorrisNunez2:349,58387–47 L2
135August 31@ Athletics 6–7 (13)AthertonRozema15,83687–48
September: 17–10 (Home: 8–4; Away: 9–6)
#DateTime (ET)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/
Streak
136September 1@ Athletics 5–7YoungBerenguerRainey25,02187–49
137September 2@ Athletics 6–3PetryConroyHernandez20,39388–49
138September 3 Orioles 4–7StewartMorris36,79788–50
139September 4 Orioles 1–4BoddickerRozemaStewart27,76788–51
140September 5 Orioles 1–0BerenguerFlanaganHernandez34,06589–51
141September 7@ Blue Jays W 7–4 (10)HernandezMusselman37,42090–51W2
142September 8@ Blue Jays W 10–4ScherrerLealLopez41,05991–51W3
143September 9@ Blue Jays W 7–2WilcoxClancy37,39292–51W4
144September 10@ Orioles 1–3FlanaganBerenguer27,44092–52
145September 11@ Orioles 9–2PetrySwaggerty25,19393–52
146September 12@ Orioles 1–3MartinezMason24,56193–53
147September 14 Blue Jays L 2–7ClancyMorrisKey46,04093–54L2
148September 15 Blue Jays W 2–1WilcoxStiebHernandez44,34994–54W1
149September 16 Blue Jays W 8–3BerenguerClark45,48895–54W2
150September 17 Brewers 7–3MasonWaitsLopez34,09196–54
151September 18 Brewers 3–0O'NealMcClureHernandez48,81097–54
152September 19 Brewers 4–2MorrisCandiottiHernandez23,05698–54
153September 21 Yankees 3–5MontefuscoWilcoxRighetti42,23898–55
154September 22 Yankees 6–0PetryChristiansen38,89799–55
155September 23 Yankees 4–1MorrisFontenotHernandez39,198100–55
156September 24@ Brewers 7–3BerenguerHartzell9,506101–55
157September 25@ Brewers 9–1O'NealGibson8,804102–55
158September 26@ Brewers 5–7SearageLopez8,853102–56
159September 27@ Yankees 1–2ShirleyHernandezRighetti16,732102–57
160September 28@ Yankees 4–2 (12)BairCowley19,422103–57
161September 29@ Yankees 11–3BerenguerGuidryMason35,685104–57
162September 30@ Yankees 2–9RasmussenO'Neal30,602104–58
Legend:       = Win       = Loss       = Postponement
Bold = Tigers team member

Postseason Game log

1984 Postseason game log: 7–1 (Home: 4–0; Away: 3–1)
AL Championship Series: vs. Kansas City Royals 3–0 (Home: 1–0; Away: 2–0)
#DateTime (ET)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceSeriesBox/
Streak
1 October 28:35 p.m. EDT @ Royals W 8–1 Morris (1–0) Black (0–1)2:4241,9731–0 W1
2 October 38:25 p.m. EDT @ Royals W 5–3 (11) López (1–0) Quisenberry (0–1)3:3742,0192–0 W2
3 October 58:25 p.m. EDT Royals W 1–0 Wilcox (1–0) Leibrandt (0–1) Hernández (1)2:3952,1683–0 W3
World Series: vs. San Diego Padres 4–1 (Home: 3–0; Away: 1–1)
#DateTime (ET)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceSeriesBox/
Streak
1 October 98:35 p.m. EDT @ Padres W 3–2 Morris (2–0) Thurmond (0–2)3:1857,9081–0 W1
2 October 108:25 p.m. EDT @ Padres L 3–5 Hawkins (1–0) Petry (0–1) Lefferts (1)2:4457,9111–1 L1
3 October 128:35 p.m. EDT Padres W 5–2 Wilcox (2–0) Lollar (0–1) Hernández (2)3:1151,9702–1 W1
4 October 131:30 p.m. EDT Padres W 4–2 Morris (3–0) Show (0–2)2:2052,1303–1 W2
5 October 144:45 p.m. EDT Padres W 8–4 López (2–0) Hawkins (1–1) Hernández (3)2:5551,9014–1 W3
Legend:       = Win       = Loss       = Postponement
Bold = Tigers team member

Player stats

= Indicates team leader


Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

PosPlayerGABHAvg.HRRBI
C Lance Parrish 147578137.2373398
1B Dave Bergman 12027174.273744
2B Lou Whitaker 143558161.2891356
3B Howard Johnson 11635588.2481250
SS Alan Trammell 139555174.3141469
CF Chet Lemon 141509146.2872076
RF Kirk Gibson 149531150.2822791
LF Larry Herndon 125407114.280743
DH Darrell Evans 98362109.2321663

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

PlayerGABHAvg.HRRBI
Bárbaro Garbey 11032794.287552
Tom Brookens 11322455.246526
Ruppert Jones 7921561.2841237
Johnny Grubb 8617647.267817
Marty Castillo 7014133.234417
Rusty Kuntz 8414040.286222
Doug Baker 4310820.24427
Dwight Lowry 324511.24427
Scott Earl 14354.11401
Nelson Simmons 93013.43303
Rod Allen 15278.29603
Mike Laga 9116.54501

Pitching

= Indicates league leader

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

PlayerGIPWLERASO
Jack Morris 35240.119113.60148
Dan Petry 35233.11883.24144
Milt Wilcox 33193.21784.00119
Juan Berenguer 31168.111103.48118
Dave Rozema 29101.0763.7448

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

PlayerGIPWLERASO
Glenn Abbott 1344.0345.938
Roger Mason 522.0114.5015
Randy O'Neal 418.2213.3812
Carl Willis 1016.0027.314

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W= Wins; L= Losses; SV = Saves; GF = Games Finished; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

PlayerGWLSVGFERASO
Willie Hernández 809332681.92112
Aurelio López 7110114412.9494
Doug Bair 47534123.7557
Sid Monge 1910064.2519
Bill Scherrer 1810021.8916

Postseason

American League Championship Series

The Tigers defeated the Kansas City Royals in the 1984 American League Championship Series, three games to none.

Detroit won the opening game 8–1. Jack Morris pitched 7 innings and allowed a single run, with Willie Hernández pitching the final 2 innings. Alan Trammell hit a triple and a home run for 3 RBIs, and Larry Herndon and Lance Parrish also hit home runs for Detroit.

In Game 2, the Tigers won in extra innings 5–3. Kirk Gibson doubled to drive in Lou Whitaker in the 1st inning and hit a home run in the 3rd. Dan Petry pitched 7 innings and gave up 2 runs, but a rare blown save by Willie Hernández cost him a victory. Johnny Grubb hit a double off Dan Quisenberry in the 11th inning to drive in Darrell Evans and Ruppert Jones. Aurelio López held the Royals scoreless in the 9th, 10th and 11th innings to earn the win.

Game 3 was a pitching duel between Milt Wilcox and Charlie Leibrandt. Leibrandt pitched a complete game, allowing only 1 run and 3 hits, while Wilcox gave up 2 hits and struck out 8 Royals, with Hernández pitching the 9th inning for the save. Marty Castillo batted in Chet Lemon for the game's only run, as the Tigers completed a 3-game sweep and advanced to the World Series.

Kirk Gibson was named the Most Valuable Player of the AL Championship Series.

World Series

The Tigers beat the San Diego Padres in the 1984 World Series, winning the series 4 games to 1.

In Game 1, the Padres led, 2–1, until Larry Herndon hit a 2-out, 2-run home run in the 5th. Jack Morris did not allow another run in his complete-game effort, and the Tigers won, 3–2.

The Padres evened the series in Game 2, on the strength of a Kurt Bevacqua 3-run homer off Dan Petry, as San Diego won its first (and to date only) World Series game.

In Game 3, the Tigers scored 4 runs in the 2nd inning, including 2 on a home run by Marty Castillo, while the San Diego pitchers gave up 11 bases on balls in the first 5 innings, en route to a 5–2 victory for Milt Wilcox.

In Game 4, Alan Trammell hit a pair of 2-run home runs to account for all of Detroit's offense as the Tigers beat Eric Show, 4–2. Jack Morris got his 2nd Series victory and 2nd complete game.

In Game 5, the Tigers scored 3 runs in the 1st inning, but the Padres rallied to tie it in the 4th inning. In the 8th, with Detroit leading 5–4, the Tigers got runners to 2nd and 3rd with 1 out. Padres manager Dick Williams called on Goose Gossage to walk Kirk Gibson and set up a possible double play. Gossage talked Williams into letting him pitch to Gibson, and Gibson responded with a 3-run blast into the right-field upper deck. Detroit radio announcer Ernie Harwell called Gibson's home run on WJR radio as follows:

A high drive to right, and it's a home run for Gibson! A 3-run home run and the Tigers lead it 8–4!

Following the Tigers' victory in Game 5, the celebration by Detroit fans turned violent. A well known photograph taken outside Tiger Stadium shows a Tigers "fan" holding a World Series pennant in front of an overturned burning Detroit police car. The image was printed in newspapers across the country, and became a symbol of Detroit's decline. One writer described the press reaction to the post-game violence as follows:

The final AP report read: "34 arrests, one dead, dozens injured." Few of those arrested had attended the game, but the pictures of burning police cars and taxis appeared in national newspapers and magazines. A photograph of seventeen-year-old Kenneth (Bubba) Helms, an eighth-grade dropout from Lincoln Park, in front of a burning police car, became the image of Detroit's celebration. [8]

World Series player stats

Batting

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

PlayerGABHAvg.HRRBI
Dave Bergman 550.00000
Tom Brookens 330.00000
Marty Castillo 393.33312
Darrell Evans 5151.06701
Bárbaro Garbey 4120.00000
Kirk Gibson 5186.33327
Johnny Grubb 431.33300
Larry Herndon 5155.33313
Ruppert Jones 230.00000
Rusty Kuntz 210.00001
Chet Lemon 5175.29401
Lance Parrish 5185.27812
Alan Trammell 5209.45026
Lou Whitaker 5185.27800

Pitching

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

PlayerGIPWLERASO
Jack Morris 218.0202.0013
Dan Petry 28.0019.004
Milt Wilcox 16.0101.504
Willie Hernández 35.1001.690
Aurelio López 23.0100.004
Bill Scherrer 33.0003.000
Doug Bair 10.2000.001

Award winners and league leaders

Sparky Anderson

Kirk Gibson

Willie Hernández

Chet Lemon

Jack Morris

Lance Parrish

Alan Trammell

Lou Whitaker

Players ranking among top 100 all time at position

The following members of the 1984 Detroit Tigers are among the top 100 of all time at their position (in fact, they are all in the top 50), as ranked by The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract in 2001:

PlayerPositionRankNote
Lance Parrish C19th
Lou Whitaker 2B13th
Alan Trammell SS9th
Darrell Evans 3B10thplayed in 131 games, but only 19 at third base in 1984
Howard Johnson 3B47th
Kirk Gibson LF36thplayed in 149 games, but none in left field in 1984
Chet Lemon CF48th

Not one of the players named above have been elected by the Baseball Writers' Association of America to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, and any eligibility to be elected as a player by the BBWAA has expired. Manager Sparky Anderson was inducted by the Veterans Committee in 2000. In December 2017, the Modern Baseball Era Committee elected to induct Trammell and pitcher Jack Morris in 2018.

Farm system

LevelTeamLeagueManager
AAA Evansville Triplets American Association Gordon Mackenzie
AA Birmingham Barons Southern League Roy Majtyka
A Lakeland Tigers Florida State League Bill Fahey
Rookie Bristol Tigers Appalachian League Hal Dyer

Notes

  1. Sparky Anderson. Bless You Boys.
  2. Sparky Anderson, "Bless You Boys" Iigers were the best in the American league in 1984. (1984), p. 214
  3. Sal Butera at Baseball-Reference
  4. Wayne Krenchicki at Baseball-Reference
  5. "Darrell Evans Stats".
  6. "Willie Hernandez Stats".
  7. "Rick Leach Stats".
  8. Patrick Harrigan, "The Detroit Tigers: Club and Community 1945–1955" (Univ. Toronto Press 1997), p. 219 https://books.google.com/books?id=pxKHntDzZC8C&dq=bubba+helms+1984&pg=PA219

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Trammell</span> American baseball player, coach and manager (born 1958)

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The 1984 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1984 season. The 81st edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion Detroit Tigers and the National League (NL) champion San Diego Padres. The Tigers won the series, four games to one. This was the city of Detroit's first sports championship since the Tigers themselves won the 1968 World Series.

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The 1987 American League Championship Series pitted the Minnesota Twins, the American League West champions, against the Detroit Tigers, the American League East champions. Minnesota won the Series four games to one, en route to winning the 1987 World Series four games to three over the St. Louis Cardinals.

The 1984 American League Championship Series matched the East Division champion Detroit Tigers against the West Division champion Kansas City Royals. The Tigers took the series in a three-game sweep to advance to the 1984 World Series against the San Diego Padres. The series was the 16th ALCS in all and the last to be played as a best-of-five. In 1985, the League Championship Series changed to a best-of-seven format.

The 1968 Detroit Tigers won the 1968 World Series, defeating the St. Louis Cardinals four games to three. The 1968 baseball season, known as the "Year of the Pitcher," was the Detroit Tigers' 68th since they entered the American League in 1901, their eighth pennant, and third World Series championship. Detroit pitcher Denny McLain won the Cy Young Award and was named the American League's Most Valuable Player after winning 31 games. Mickey Lolich pitched three complete games in the World Series – and won all three – to win World Series MVP honors.

The 1961 Detroit Tigers won 101 games but finished in second place, eight games behind the Yankees. The team's 1961 record tied the 1934 Tigers team record of 101 wins, and only twice in team history have the Tigers won more games: 1968 and 1984.

The 1972 Detroit Tigers won the American League East championship with a record of 86–70 (.551), finishing one-half game ahead of the Boston Red Sox. They played one more game than the Red Sox due to a scheduling quirk caused by the 1972 Major League Baseball strike—a game which turned out to allow them to win the division. They lost the 1972 American League Championship Series to the Oakland A's three games to two.

The 1977 Detroit Tigers finished in fourth place in the American League East with a record of 74–88, 26 games behind the New York Yankees. They were outscored by their opponents 751 to 714. The Tigers drew 1,359,856 fans to Tiger Stadium in 1977, ranking 7th of the 14 teams in the American League.

The 1979 Detroit Tigers finished in fifth place in the American League East with a record of 85–76, 18 games behind the Orioles. They outscored their opponents 770 to 738. The Tigers drew 1,630,929 fans to Tiger Stadium in 1979, ranking 7th of the 14 teams in the American League. This season is most notable for both the Tigers' involvement in the infamous Disco Demolition Night, of which they were the visiting team to the Chicago White Sox and declared winners by forfeit, as well as for their mid-season hiring of Sparky Anderson as manager. Anderson would manage the Tigers through the end of the 1995 season, winning the 1984 World Series along with two American League Eastern Division titles in 1984 and 1987.

The 1981 Detroit Tigers season was the team's 81st season as a member of the American League. Games were suspended for 50 days due to the 1981 Major League Baseball strike, causing a split season. The Tigers finished the first half of the season in fourth place in the American League East, and the second half of the season tied for second place. Their overall record was 60 wins and 49 losses, and they outscored their opponents 427 to 404. The Tigers drew 1,149,144 fans to their home games at Tiger Stadium, ranking fifth of the 14 teams in the American League.

The 1980 Detroit Tigers finished in fifth place in the American League East with a record of 84–78, 19 games behind the Yankees. They outscored their opponents 830 to 757. The Tigers drew 1,785,293 fans to Tiger Stadium in 1980, ranking 7th of the 14 teams in the American League. This was Sparky Anderson's first full season as Tigers manager.

The 1978 Detroit Tigers finished in fifth place in the American League East with a record of 86–76, 13½ games behind the Yankees. They outscored their opponents 714 to 653.

The 1982 Detroit Tigers finished in fourth place in the American League East with a record of 83–79 (.512), 12 games behind the AL Champion Brewers. The Tigers outscored their opponents 729 to 685. The Tigers drew 1,636,058 fans to Tiger Stadium in 1982, ranking 7th of the 14 teams in the American League.

The 1983 Detroit Tigers finished in second place in the American League East with a record of 92–70 (.568), six games behind the Orioles. The Tigers outscored their opponents 789 to 679. The Tigers drew 1,829,636 fans to Tiger Stadium in 1983, ranking 8th of the 14 teams in the American League.

The Tigers entered the season as the reigning World Series champions. The 1985 Detroit Tigers finished in third place in the American League East with a record of 84–77 (.522), 15 games behind the Blue Jays. The Tigers outscored their opponents 729 to 688. The Tigers drew 2,286,609 fans to Tiger Stadium in 1983, ranking 3rd of the 14 teams in the American League.

The Detroit Tigers' 1993 season was a season in American baseball. The club wasn't expected to do much after a sixth-place finish the previous season. The pitching staff was riddled with inconsistencies, but the Tigers were in first place as late as June 25 before a 10-game losing streak ended their hopes of a turnaround.

The 2011 Detroit Tigers season was the team's 111th season. The season began on March 31 at New York against the Yankees, and the home opener was on April 8 against the Kansas City Royals. The Tigers honored the late Sparky Anderson during the season. The Tigers sent five players to the 2011 Major League Baseball All-Star Game: starting pitcher Justin Verlander, first baseman Miguel Cabrera, catcher Alex Avila, shortstop Jhonny Peralta, and closer José Valverde. The regular season concluded September 28 at home against the Cleveland Indians, with the Tigers holding a 95–67 record.

References