‘20 Tribe splits with ‘84 Tigers

Thursday  August 21 at Tiger Stadium 

The game started badly for Jack Morris and the Tigers as errors by Alan Trammell and Barbaro Garbey allowed Jack Graney and Steve O'Neill to reach base.  Those errors sandwiched a single by Tris Speaker and The Tribe had the bases loaded with one out.  Joe Sewell then doubled home two runs and the Tribe left the first leading 2-0.  In the bottom of the second, it was the Indians turn to play kick the ball.  Darrell Evans walked, Chet Lemon doubled and Kirk Gibson was safe on Doc Johnston's error, scoring Evans.  Tom Brookens grounded to second and Lemon came home to tie the game.  In the top of the third, Speaker singled and was forced at second by O'Neill.  Morris uncorked a wild pitch and Sewell then drove O'Neill home for his third rbi of the game. Morris finally got  his rage over his teammates errors in the first under control and that would be it for the Indians, but the Tigers had steam left in the tank.  Lance Parrish uncorked a three run homer (1) in the 5th and Trammell followed with his first dinger in the 6th.  Morris (1-0, 3.07) ran out gas in the 8th but Bill Scherrer came in to finish out the game and earn his first save.  Duster Mails took the loss (0-1, 5.63)  Tigers 7  Indians 3

Friday August 22, at Tiger Stadium

Tiger starter Dan Petry (0-1, 7.20) simply had no control, walking 6 in 4 innings and giving up 5 hits, including a 3 run homer to Elmer Smith (1) in the fifth after walking the first two Indians.   Meanwhile Stan Covelski (1-1, 3.50) scattered six hits and walked five while pitching a complete game.  The score could have been much worse as the Indins stranded 13 baserunners (seven by Graney alone).  Indians 5  Tigers 3

Saturday August 23 at League Park II. 

Jim Bagby, who won 31 in the Indians full season, needed little help in this game but got a bucketful.  The Indians went to town on three Tiger hurlers, driving Tiger starter Milt Wilcox (0-1, 3.48) from the mound after four and teeing off often and regularly on the Pussycat's bullpen.  7 Indians had a multiple hit game.  Elmer Smith hit his second homer of the season.  Graney, Larry Gardner and Len Nunnamaker each had two rbis.  The Tigers lone run came on a Rupert Jones' first homer of the season.  Bagby (2-0, 1.00) easily cruised to the victory.  Indians 11  Tigers 1

Sunday  August 24,  at League Park II. 

The Indians should have saved some of those runs from the previous day for this outing but even it might not have been enough.  Darrell Evans crushed a three run homer (3) in the second to cap a five run inning, and Tiger starter Juan Berenguer never looked back.  Rupert Jones drove home two more runs and Kirk Gibson, whose .111 batting average had him sitting for the first time this season, came on as a defensive replacement in the 6th and then showed his manager that he may have found his swing again by hitting a homer in the seventh (2).  Berenguer (2-0, 1.29) ran out of gas in the 9th and had to have relief help from Willie Hernandez to close out the shutout.  Tigers 8 Indians 0

--submitted by Tom “Crash” Davis--