Detroit Tigers - The Reagan Years (1980-1989)  
   
 
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        Yr P W L   Yr P W L   Yr P W L               1980  
        1980 5 84 78   1983 2 92 70   1987 1 98 64               Decade  
        1981 x 60 49   1984 1 104 58   1988 2 88 74               Click  
        1982 4 83 79   1985 3 84 73   1989 7 59 103               on Logo  
                  1986 3 87 75                            
                                                       
   
  Titles:  Top Tigers Players of the Eighties  
  1984 World Champs (Beat San Diego)  
  1987 Division Champs (Lost to Minnesota) Pitchers:  
    Jack Morris (30.53) -    113  
  BallPark: Dan Petry (14.59) -    60  
  Tiger Stadium Milt Wilcox (6.78) -    40  
    Frank Tanana (10.13) -    36  
  Team Name:  Walt Terrell (7.1) -    33  
  Tigers Guillermo Hernandez (8.5) -    31  
    Aurelio Lopez (4.2) -    23  
  Owner:  Doyle Alexander (6.37) -    20  
  John Fetzer  (1980-1982) Mike Henneman (5.61) -    16  
  Tom Monaghan (1983-1989) Dave Rozema (4.24) -  8  
    John Smoltz (0) -   0  
  General Managers:    
  Jim Campbell Catchers:  
    Lance Parrish (24.55) -    75  
  Managers: Matt Nokes (6.29) -    16  
  Sparky Anderson  Mike Heath (5.44) -    13  
    John Wockenfuss (4.52) -   8  
  No Hitters:     
  Jack Morris (1984) First Basemen:  
    Darrell Evans (14.51) -    32  
  Hall of Famers: Richie Hebner (3.18) -    12  
  Jack Morris      
  John Smoltz Second Basemen:  
  Alan Trammell Lou Whitaker (43.55) -    63  
       
  Rookie of the Year: ShortStop:  
  None Allen Trammell (52.85) -    107  
       
  MVP: Third Base:  
  Guillermo Hernandez (1984) Tom Brookens (11.53) -    24  
       
  Cy Young: Outfield:  
  Guillermo Hernandez (1984) Chet Lemon (28.32) -    70  
    Kirk Gibson (24.39) -    58  
  Notable Events: Larry Herndon (11.25) -    24  
    Gary Pettis (4.72) -    21  
  1980 - Coming into the Eighties, the Tigers are set up for a nice run.  Steve Kemp (7.27) -    16  
  The GM Jim Campbell (and owner John Fetzer and VP Rick Ferrell) led  Glenn Wilson (4.57) -   10  
  front office was on an absolute roll the second half of the previous decade  John Grubb (4.64) -   2  
  regarding the amateur draft.     
  Here's a list of the gems they picked up (round in parens): Notable Events:  
  1974    
  □  C-Lance Parrish, 24 (1)  1984 - The Bengals get off to the best start in baseball history,   
  □ 1B-Jason Thompson, 25 (4)  going 35-5. That projects out to 140 wins for a season.  
  □ RHP-Mark Fidrych, 25 (10) - hurt his arm, no longer effective in the big leagues   Even great pitchers don't put up those types of W-L totals.   
  1975   Detroit goes on to coast to the division title, sweep the Royals in the  
    □ 2B Lou Whitaker, 23 (5)  ALCS and beat the Padres in the World Series.   
  1976  The 1984 Tigers are truly one of baseball history's great teams.   
    □ OF-Steve Kemp, 25 (1) The team is comprised of all of the draftees listed earlier,  
      □ SS-Alan Trammell, 22 (2)   plus non home grown stars outfielders Chet Lemon and Larry Herndon,  
    □ RHP-Dan Petry, 21 (4) DH Darrell Evans and relievers Willie Hernandez and Aurelio Lopez  
     □ RHP-Jack Morris, 25 (5)    
   1978  1985 - LHP Frank Tanana, 31, is stolen from Texas for Duane James  
     □ OF-Kirk Gibson, 23 (1)    
  1979  1985 - Forty year old Darrell Evans becomes the oldest home  
     □ 3B-Howard Johnson, 20 (1) run champ as he hits 40 for the Tigers.  
    He had been signed as a FA from the Giants prior to the '84 season.  
  1980 - Detroit hires on Sparky Anderson as manager.     
  He would remain for sixteen years. Sparky had managed the Big Red  1987 - Ace reliever righthander Mike Henneman, 25, is a rookie.   
  Machine in the Seventies. He is a winner and knows how to allow a talented He was a fourth round pick in the'84 draft.   
  team go out and win.     
  1987 - In what turns out to be an absolutely horrific trade in the long run,  
  1981 - The Player's Strike interrupts the baseball season. The first half altho' a good one at the time, the Tigers deal future HOFer   
   champs playoff against the second half champs, neither of which John Smoltz, 19, to the Braves for RHP Doyle Alexander, 37, at the  
  are the Tigers July trade deadline. Alexander goes 9-0 1.53 down the stretch.  
       
  1982 - OF Chet Lemon, 27, is obtained from the White Sox in a deal  1987 - Detroit overcomes an 11-19 start by going 87-45 the rest  
  for Steve Kemp. Quality for quality.  of the way to win the division. The Twins beat Detroit in the ALCS  
       
  1983 - Domino's Pizza magnate Tom Monaghan buys the club from John Fetzer. 1988 - The Tigers almost overcome the loss of Kirk Gibson to   
  . He continues with Jim Campbell as his GM. Smart move. Monaghan has enough  free agency, finishing second, one game behind the Red Sox  
  "dough"  to keep the Tigers competitive and with Campbell at the helm  in the division race  
  Detroit will stay the course thru the ownership change.  
    1989  - Detroit collapses, dropping a whopping 29 games in the   
  1984 - Closer Willie Hernandez, 29, is picked up in a trade from the Phillies   standings from 88 wins to 59 wins.  
     They go from scoring 703 runs in '88 to 617 runs in '89.  
     And they go from giving up 658 runs in '88 to 816 runs in '89.  
     That adds up to a lot of no bueno (244 runs difference) .  
    The big four starters Morris, Alexander, Robinson  and Morris,   
    go from a combined 56-41 to a combined 26-51.   
    Detroit isn't totally finished yet as they will hover around .500 for the   
    first four seasons of the Nineties before it truly is all over.