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  
  Sparky Anderson     
  Jack Morris   Second Basemen:  
  John Smoltz Lou Whitaker (43.55) -    63  
  Alan Trammell    
    ShortStop:  
  Rookie of the Year: Allen Trammell (52.85) -    107  
  None    
    Third Base:  
  MVP: Tom Brookens (11.53) -    24  
  Guillermo Hernandez (1984)    
    Outfield:  
  Cy Young: Chet Lemon (28.32) -    70  
  Guillermo Hernandez (1984) Kirk Gibson (24.39) -    58  
    Larry Herndon (11.25) -    24  
  Notable Events: Gary Pettis (4.72) -    21  
    Steve Kemp (7.27) -    16  
  1980 - Coming into the Eighties, the Tigers are set up for a nice run.  Glenn Wilson (4.57) -   10  
  The GM Jim Campbell (and owner John Fetzer and VP Rick Ferrell) led  John Grubb (4.64) -   2  
  front office was on an absolute roll the second half of the previous decade     
  regarding the amateur draft.  Notable Events:  
  Here's a list of the gems they picked up (round in parens):    
  1974  1984 - The Bengals get off to the best start in baseball history,   
  □  C-Lance Parrish, 24 (1) going 35-5. That projects out to 140 wins for a season.  
  □ 1B-Jason Thompson, 25 (4)    Even great pitchers don't put up those types of W-L totals.   
  □ RHP-Mark Fidrych, 25 (10) - hurt his arm, no longer effective in the big leagues  Detroit goes on to coast to the division title, sweep the Royals in the  
  1975   ALCS and beat the Padres in the World Series.   
    □ 2B Lou Whitaker, 23 (5) The 1984 Tigers are truly one of baseball history's great teams.   
  1976  The team is comprised of all of the draftees listed earlier,  
    □ OF-Steve Kemp, 25 (1)   plus non home grown stars outfielders Chet Lemon and Larry Herndon,  
      □ SS-Alan Trammell, 22 (2) DH Darrell Evans and relievers Willie Hernandez and Aurelio Lopez  
    □ RHP-Dan Petry, 21 (4)    
     □ RHP-Jack Morris, 25 (5) 1985 - LHP Frank Tanana, 31, is stolen from Texas for Duane James  
   1978     
     □ OF-Kirk Gibson, 23 (1) 1985 - Forty year old Darrell Evans becomes the oldest home  
  1979  run champ as he hits 40 for the Tigers.  
     □ 3B-Howard Johnson, 20 (1) He had been signed as a FA from the Giants prior to the '84 season.  
       
  1980 - Detroit hires on Sparky Anderson as manager.  1987 - Ace reliever righthander Mike Henneman, 25, is a rookie.   
  He would remain for sixteen years. Sparky had managed the Big Red  He was a fourth round pick in the'84 draft.   
  Machine in the Seventies. He is a winner and knows how to allow a talented    
  team go out and win.  1987 - In what turns out to be an absolutely horrific trade in the long run,  
  altho' a good one at the time, the Tigers deal future HOFer   
  1981 - The Player's Strike interrupts the baseball season. The first half John Smoltz, 19, to the Braves for RHP Doyle Alexander, 37, at the  
   champs playoff against the second half champs, neither of which July trade deadline. Alexander goes 9-0 1.53 down the stretch.  
  are the Tigers    
    1987 - Detroit overcomes an 11-19 start by going 87-45 the rest  
  1982 - OF Chet Lemon, 27, is obtained from the White Sox in a deal  of the way to win the division. The Twins beat Detroit in the ALCS  
  for Steve Kemp. Quality for quality.     
    1988 - The Tigers almost overcome the loss of Kirk Gibson to   
  1983 - Domino's Pizza magnate Tom Monaghan buys the club from John Fetzer. free agency, finishing second, one game behind the Red Sox  
  . He continues with Jim Campbell as his GM. Smart move. Monaghan has enough   in the division race  
  "dough"  to keep the Tigers competitive and with Campbell at the helm  
  Detroit will stay the course thru the ownership change. 1989  - Detroit collapses, dropping a whopping 29 games in the   
     standings from 88 wins to 59 wins.  
  1984 - Closer Willie Hernandez, 29, is picked up in a trade from the Phillies   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.