‘84 Tigers take 3 of 4 from ‘98 Bombers to clinch best record in baseball.

Friday September 26 at Yankee Stadium. 

That Jack Morris is not in the Hall of Fame is a travesty.  No pitcher came up bigger in big games than did "The Cat" during the 80s and early 90s and even in action that is how it goes.  The Tigers and Yankees were tied with identical 25-9 records but the Tigers needed to take three of four in this series as the Yankees held the tie breaker.  Tough to score when you only get one hit and one hit was Morris allowed the Yankees as he threw a complete game shutout.  Lou Whitaker led off the game with his 6th homer of the season off starter and loser Ramiro Mendoza (3-2, 3.86).  The remaining Tiger runs scored on a ground out and two sacrifice flies but it was all Morris needed as he extended his record to 7-1 with a 3.00 era.  Tigers 4  Yankees 0

Saturday September 27 at Yankee Stadium

Lou Whitaker liked leading off game one of the series with a homerun so much, he did it again in game 2. (7).  Juan Bereguer started for the Tigers against David Cone.  Berenguer came into the game with an era under 2, but the Yankees got to him in the first when Tim Raines walked, went to third on David Jeter's double and scored on a ground out.  The Tigers took the lead in the second when Dave Bergman led off with a single and scored on Chet Lemon's double.  Then the Tigers tallied 5 more in the fifth on a couple of sacrifice flies and a three run Lemon homer (3).  Whitaker added another homer in the 6th and Lemon had a two run shot in the 7th as the Tigers cruised in this one.  Berenguer pitched 6 innings for the win (5-1, 2.03).  Cone was the loser (4-4, 3.69)  Tigers 10  Yankees 2

Sunday September 28 at Tiger Stadium

The Yankees had to win this game or the last game of the series would be meaningless.  Manager Ross Gottleib sent lefty David Wells out to do the job, and he did it masterfully.  Dan Petry tried to match him but to no avail.  The Tigers opened the scoring in the 3rd when Alan Trammell hit his 7th homer.  The Yankees came back in the 6th.  Paul O'Neill opened the inning with a single and scored on Tino Martinez' double.  After getting the next hitter, Petry gave up a two run homer to Scott Brosius (4) who had been mired in a season long slump.  The Yankees added another run in the 8th when Chad Curtis singled home Martinez.  Wells scattered 7 hits over 7.1 innings to earn the win (7-1, 3.18).  Petry took the loss (3-3, 3.88)  Yankees 4  Tigers 2

Monday September 29 at Tiger Stadium

It all came down to this last game, The winner would win the division and have home field advantage throughout the playoffs and World Series, the loser would get the first wild card.  Orlando Hernandez would face Milt Wilcox.  The Tigers again scored first in the opening inning when Alan Trammell singled, went to second on Darrell Evans' ground out and scored on a Lance Parrish single.   They added a run in the third when Evans led off with a walk, went to second on a passed ball and scored on Kirk Gibson's single.  In the fifth, Trammell opened the inning with a walk (walks killed the Yankees in this game as they issued 8 through out the game), stole second and scored on a Parrish single.  The Yankees got one back in the 7th as Brosius walked, pinchhitter Homer Bush singled and pinchhitter Tim Raines followed with another single to load the bases.  A walk to Jeter forced in a run, but then reliever Doug Bair got Chuck Knoblauch to ground back to him for a force at the plate and struck out the always dangerous Bernie Williams with the sacks full.  Willie Hernandez came on to face the Yankees in the 8th.  In 20 appearances covering 30.1 innings, he had not allowed a run.  The Yanks ended that streak in the 8th as O'Neill led off with a single.  Willie got the next two Yanks, but a Brosius single and another single by late inning replacement Rickey Ledee made the score 3-2.  (A case of history repeating itself as Willie's only blown save during his MVP, Cy Young season of '84 came against the Yankees in the second to last game of the season.)  The Tigers though added three runs of their own in the bottom of the 8th.  Lemon led off with a double, then three straight walks forced in a run.  Two groundouts produced two more runs and Willie took a 6-2 lead into the ninth.  A walk marred an otherwise perfect two strikeout inning and the Tigers won the division crown on the last day of the season.Orlando Hernandez took the loss (2-3, 3.30).  Wilcox was the winner (3-3, 2.86), Hernandez earned the save (9 saves, 0.28)  Tigers 6  Yankees 2

--submitted by Tom”Crash” Davis--