1987 Detroit Tigers season

Last updated

1987  Detroit Tigers
AL East Champions
League American League
Division Eastern Division
Ballpark Tiger Stadium
City Detroit, Michigan
Owners Tom Monaghan
General managers Bill Lajoie
Managers Sparky Anderson
Television WDIV-TV
(George Kell, Al Kaline)
PASS
(Larry Osterman, Jim Northrup)
Radio WJR
(Ernie Harwell, Paul Carey)
←  1986 Seasons 1988  →

The 1987 Detroit Tigers season saw the Tigers make a startling late-season comeback to win the American League Eastern Division on the season's final day. The Tigers finished with a Major League-best record of 98-64, two games ahead of the Toronto Blue Jays. Detroit lost the American League Championship Series to the Minnesota Twins in 5 games.

Contents

This would be the last time the Tigers made the postseason until 2006.

Offseason

Regular season

After their 1984 championship season, the Tigers finished in third place in the AL East in both 1985 and 1986. The 1987 Tigers faced lowered expectations – which seemed to be confirmed by an 11–19 start to the season. The team hit its stride thereafter and gradually gained ground on its AL East rivals. This charge was fueled in part by the acquisition of pitcher Doyle Alexander from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for minor league pitcher John Smoltz. Alexander started 11 games for the Tigers, posting 9 wins without a loss and a 1.53 ERA. The deal came at a price. Smoltz, a Lansing, Michigan native, went on to have a long, productive career with the Braves winning a Cy Young Award and eventually gaining entry into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015.

Despite their improvement, they entered September neck-and-neck with the Toronto Blue Jays. The two teams would square off in seven hard-fought games during the final two weeks of the season. All seven games were decided by one run, and in the first six of the seven games, the winning run was scored in the final inning of play. At Exhibition Stadium, the Tigers dropped three in a row to the Blue Jays before winning a dramatic extra-inning showdown.

The Tigers entered the final week of the 1987 season 3.5 games behind. After a series against the Baltimore Orioles, the Tigers returned home trailing by a game and swept the Blue Jays. Detroit clinched the division in a 1–0 victory over Toronto in front of 51,005 fans at Tiger Stadium on Sunday afternoon, October 4. Frank Tanana pitched a complete-game shutout, and outfielder Larry Herndon hit a second-inning solo home run for the game's only run. Detroit finished the season with a Major League-best 98–64, two games ahead of Toronto. The team hit 225 home runs, the most since the 1961 New York Yankees. [2]

In what would be their last postseason appearance until 2006, the Tigers lost the 1987 American League Championship Series to the underdog Minnesota Twins (who would go on to win the World Series) in five games.

The 1987 Tigers' winning percentage ranks as the 10th 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
4 1984 10458.642Won 1984 World Series over Padres
5 1968 10359.636Won 1968 World Series over Cardinals
6 1961 10161.6232nd in AL behind Yankees
7 1950 9559.6172nd in AL behind Yankees
8 1935 9358.616Won 1935 World Series over Cubs
9 1907 9258.613Lost 1907 World Series to Cubs
1019879864.605Lost 1987 ALCS to Twins

Season standings

AL East 		W L Pct. GB Home Road
Detroit Tigers 98640.605—54–2744–37
Toronto Blue Jays 96660.593252–2944–37
Milwaukee Brewers 91710.562748–3343–38
New York Yankees 89730.549951–3038–43
Boston Red Sox 78840.4812050–3028–54
Baltimore Orioles 67950.4143131–5136–44
Cleveland Indians 611010.3773735–4626–55

Record vs. opponents

1987 American League record

Sources:
TeamBALBOSCALCWSCLEDETKCMILMINNYYOAKSEATEXTOR
Baltimore —1–129–38–47–64–99–32–115–73–107–54–87–51–12
Boston 12–1—4–83–97–62–116–66–77–57–64–87–57–56–7
California 3–98–4—8–57–53–95–87–58–53–96–77–65–85–7
Chicago 4–89–35–8—7–53–96–76–66–75–79–46–77–64–8
Cleveland 6–76–75–75–7—4–96–64–93–96–74–85–72–105–8
Detroit 9–411–29–39–39–4—5–76–78–45–85–77–58–47–6
Kansas City 3–96–68–57–66–67–5—4–88–55–75–89–47–68–4
Milwaukee 11–27–65–76–69–47–68–4—3–97–66–64–89–39–4
Minnesota 7–55–75–87–69–34–85–89–3—6–610–39–46–73–9
New York 10–36–79–37–57–68–57–56–76–6—5–77–55–76–7
Oakland 5–78–47–64–98–47–58–56–63–107–5—5–86–77–5
Seattle 8–45–76–77–67–55–74–98–44–95–78–5—9–42–10
Texas 5–75–78–56–710–24–86–73–97–67–57–64–9—3–9
Toronto 12–17–67–58–48–56–74–84–99–37–65–710–29–3—

Transactions

Roster

1987 Detroit Tigers
Roster
PitchersCatchers

Infielders

OutfieldersManager

Coaches

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 Matt Nokes 135461133.2893287
1B Darrell Evans 150499128.2573499
2B Lou Whitaker 149604160.2651659
3B Tom Brookens 143444107.2411459
SS Alan Trammell 151597205.34328105
LF Kirk Gibson 128487135.2772479
CF Chet Lemon 146470130.2772075
RF Pat Sheridan 141421109.259649
DH Bill Madlock 8732691.2791450

Other batters

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

PlayerGABHAvg.HRRBI
Mike Heath 9327076.281833
Larry Herndon 8922573.324947
Dave Bergman 9117247.273622
Darnell Coles 5314927.181415
Jim Morrison 3411724.205419
Johnny Grubb 5911423.202213
Billy Bean 266617.25804
Terry Harper 316413.203310
Jim Walewander 535413.24114
Scott Lusader 234715.31918
Dwight Lowry 13255.20001
Orlando Mercado 10223.13601
Tim Tolman 9121.08301
Doug Baker 810.00000

Pitching

Starting pitchers

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

PlayerGIPWLERASO
Jack Morris 34266.018113.38208
Walt Terrell 35244.217104.05143
Frank Tanana 34218.215103.91146
Dan Petry 30134.2975.6193
Jeff Robinson 29127.1965.3798
Doyle Alexander 1188.1901.5344

Relief pitchers

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

PlayerGWLSVERASO
Eric King 556994.8989
Mike Henneman 5511372.9875
Willie Hernández 453483.6730
Mark Thurmond 480154.2321
Nate Snell 221203.9619
Dickie Noles 40024.500
Bryan Kelly 50105.0610
Morris Madden 200016.200

Farm system

LevelTeamLeagueManager
AAA Toledo Mud Hens International League Leon Roberts
AA Glens Falls Tigers Eastern League Tom Burgess, Tom Gamboa and Paul Felix
A Lakeland Tigers Florida State League John Wockenfuss
A Fayetteville Generals South Atlantic League Johnny Lipon
Rookie Bristol Tigers Appalachian League Rick Magnante

[9]

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References

  1. ↑ Brian Harper page at Baseball Reference
  2. ↑ "Team Batting Season Finder: For Single Seasons, from 1960 to 1989, Standard stats, requiring Home Runs >= 200, sorted by greatest Home Runs". Stathead. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  3. ↑ Travis Fryman page at Baseball Reference
  4. ↑ Torey Lovullo page at Baseball Reference
  5. ↑ Bill Madlock page at Baseball Reference
  6. ↑ Darnell Coles page at Baseball Reference
  7. ↑ Doyle Alexander page at Baseball Reference
  8. ↑ Dickie Noles page at Baseball Reference
  9. ↑ Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 1997
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