PRELIMINARY ROUND
Series #142
1983 Detroit Tigers (92-70) vs 2002 Detroit Tigers (55-106)
In 1983 in Detroit, Sparky Anderson was in the process of doing what he does best, building a juggernaut ready for a championship. The 83 Tigers won 90 games and had finally built the talent on the roster to make a bigger push. Catcher Lance Parrish hit 27 home runs and drove in 114 RBI as a start of a lineup that scored almost 800 runs and hit 156 home runs at small Tiger Stadium. The iconic double play combination of Allan Trammell and Lou Whitaker was coming into its own and a strength of the club. Whitaker had an .837 OPS and hit .320 with 40 doubles and 94 runs scored making him among the best second baseman in the game. Trammell hit .319 with only 64 strikeouts and stole 30 bases while crossing the plate 84 times. Enos Cabell had the most time at first as more a line drive hitter hitting .311 but with only 5 home runs and a slugging of .434. Tom Brookens took the role at third but really struggled hitting .214 with no power and a brutal 68 OPS+. Chet Lemon brought a lot to the table in center hitting 24 home runs with an .814 OPS and a quality glove. Larry Herndon hit 20 bombs and drove in 92 runs while tipping his average at a nice .302. Glenn Wilson was in right hitting .268 with 65 RBI and 25 doubles; his production was fairly average. At DH for the most part was hard nosed Kirk Gibson who was not the Gibson we all remember hitting only .227 with 15 home runs and 51 RBI. He did steal 14 bases and always gave everything between the lines. John Wockenfuss drove in 44 from a bench spot and Rick Leach was the most frequent replacement at first base hitting .248. A 22 year old Howard Johnson was also on the roster. Jack Morris was the ace and threw like you would expect one too. He won 20 games throwing 293 innings and striking out 232. He threw hard hard and didn’t mind intimidating while holding a 3.34 ERA. Dan Petry won 19 games and had a 3.92 ERA with two shutouts and was more of the soft contact finesse type who knew how to pitch. Milt Wilcox had a 3.97 ERA in 26 starts with a 4.26 FIP. Juan Berenguer had a nicer 3.14 ERA in 19 starts but was also run through the pen a bit in a role suitable to Sparky. Dave Rozema made 16 starts with a 3.43 capping a good set of arms for the Tigers and a number of options in a series like this. Aurelio Lopez saved 18 games with a 2.81 ERA and some nasty stuff while Doug Bair and Dave Gumbert were the adequate setup options. These were the days before Willie Hernandez. A hungry exciting club playing out of Detroit, and the type of competitors that should make them clutch in a short series.
At the beginning of the new century the Tigers were searching for a formula that would get them back to their traditional winning ways. In 2002 they were strictly a work still in progress losing 106 games and trailing close to last in league attendance. No one on the pitching staff won more then 8 games with Mark Redman the only pitcher to throw over 200 innings. Redman had a 4.21 ERA in 30 starts ending with a 1.29 ERA. Steve Sparks allowed 23 home runs which is a lot at Comerica Park with a 5.52 ERA and a 1.61 WHIP; at 36 years old he was ready to call it a day. Mike Maroth was 6-10 with a 4.48 ERA but only 58 K in 128 innings, still he showed some potential. Jeff Weaver had a more impressive 3.18 ERA with a 1.19 WHIP and likely had the best arm on the team. Jose Lima was a train wreck in his 12 starts with an unlucky 7.77 ERA while Adam Bernero among others couldn’t help fill the gaps in the rotation. Juan Acevedo was good as the closer saving 28 games in his limited opportunities with a 2.65 ERA and higher 3.63 FIP. Jeff Farnsworth was hit hard in relief with a 5.79 ERA while Julio Santana and Jaimie Walker were much better but carried heavy workloads when the starters often struggled. A 4.92 ERA is indicative of the way things went for this club. Scoring runs was a big challenge for the team as might be expected. The club was a station to station offense with Bobby Higginson leading the team with 12 steals while hitting .282. Higgy hit 10 home runs and drove in 63 but was depended upon more then expected. Wendell Magee played in 97 games in center hitting .271 with 19 doubles but shared time with George Lombard who hit .241 with 13 steals. Robert Fick hit 17 home runs out of right and hit .270 with 36 doubles and some real power while striking out a decent 90 times with a .331 OBP. Randall Simon was the DH hitting 19 home runs with a team high 82 RBI and a .779 overall OPS. Brandon Inge was the very light hitting catcher at .202 with 101 strikeouts but his leadership on defense did bring value. Damion Easley was at second hitting .224 in 85 games but Damian Jackson was the more steady player at the position with an 87 OPS plus and some speed with 12 steals and 20 doubles. Shane Halter did his best as the everyday shortstop hitting .239 with 10 home runs but only 39 driven in. He grounded into a team lead 12 double plays. Chris Truby played 3rd in 89 games hitting .199 with a .496 OPS which says it all. Craif Pauquetter was the backup third baseman but he did even worse at .194. Carlos Pena was the 24 year old first baseman hitting 12 home runs with 36 RBI and a .253 average. Pena had the most potential on the team at the plate but rarely had men on base. Dimitri Young was a decent name on the bench but the pickings were thin anywhere you looked. In this battle of Tiger teams, there really should be only one team standing, but after what we saw in Series 141, anything is truly possible in this game.
Game 1 At Tiger Stadium
56 clear
2002 Tigers.......................7
1983 Tigers.......................8 (18 inn)
WP: B. James (1-0) LP: A. Van Hekken (0-1)
HR: D. Easley (1), E. Cabell (1)
POG: Bob James
1983 Tigers lead series 1-0
Sixteen runs in the first nine innings and none after up until the 18th, an epic battle to open this series that eventually goes to the home side. Howard Johnson hit a sacrifice fly scoring Glenn Wilson after he had tripled. The drama was highest in the bottom of the ninth when the visiting Tigers were up by two but with two down, Allen Trammell doubled in two runs to tie the score. Bob James threw 5 shutout innings in relief for the win.
Game 2 At Tiger Stadium
Rain 50
2002 Tigers.......................5
1983 Tigers.......................3
WP: M. Redman (1-0) LP: J. Morris (0-1) S: M. Anderson (1)
HR: D. Easley (2)
POG: Damion Easley
Series tied at 1
Mark Redman had better stuff then Jack Morris and helped carry the 02 Tigers to a win to even the series. Damian Easley drove in three runs including a go ahead double in the 7th inning; Easley also homered for the second straight game. The home team did rally in the ninth, but Matt Anderson closed the door to preserve the win. Good baseball in the opening two games and its all square.
Game 3 At Comerica Park
Cloudy 52
1983 Tigers.........................2
2002 Tigers.........................6
WP: S. Sparks (1-0) LP: D. Rozema (0-1) S: J. Acevedo (1)
HR: J. Cruz (1)
POG: Steve Sparks
2002 Tigers lead series 2-1
Four runs in the second inning knocked starter Dave Rozema out of the game and gave Steve Sparks and the 02 Tigers the lead they needed to take game three. Sparks went one out away from completing the game after walking four and striking out five. Juan Acevedo got out of a ninth inning jam and the 10 hit effort was enough as the 02 Tigers continue to impress.
Game 4 At Comerica Park
Cloudy 54
1983 Tigers......................10
2002 Tigers......................11 (11 inn)
WP: A. Van Hekken (1-1) LP: D. Gumpert (0-1)
HR: B. Higginson (1)
POG: Larry Herndon
2002 Tigers lead series 3-1
The 2002 Tigers did it again and refused to quit in what has become an outstanding series. Down 7-1 in the 8th inning, the improbable rally came with a six run inning to tie the score and ruin the night of Dan Petry. The visitors seemed to have gotten it all back when in the 11th they scored twice off a Enos Cabell two run single. In the bottom of the same frame however, with Dave Gumpert on in relief and two outs and the bases loaded pinch hitter Jose Macias hit a bases clearing walk off double in the gap to end the game. An incredible fight back and now one win away for the massively overlooked 2002 Tigers. Larry Herndon went 5-5 with 3 RBI in the loss.
Game 5 At Comerica Park
Partly cloudy 47
1983 Tigers........................6
2002 Tigers........................2
WP: M. Wilcox (1-0) LP: J. Weaver (0-1)
HR: L. Herndon (1), L. Whitaker (1), B. Higginson (2)
POG: Milt Wilcox
2002 Tigers lead series 3-2
Sparky Anderson and his team wasnt about to quit despite the very hard loss in game four. Milt Wilcox threw a calming game and the visitors put three runs on the board in the first inning as Larry Herndon smacked a two run home run off Jeff Weaver. Wilcox went 8 striking out five and the Tigers turned four double plays as their dynamite infield finally made a difference and even Lou Whitaker went deep with the bat. Now the series goes back to Tiger Stadium where Jack Morris takes the hill to force a game seven.
Game 6 At Tiger Stadium
Clear 46
2002 Tigers....................4
1983 Tigers....................17
WP: J. Berenguer (1-0) LP: M. Redman (1-1)
HR: R. Fick (1), K. Gibson (1), G. Wilson 2 (2)
POG: Glenn Wilson
Series tied at 3
The 1983 Tigers scored in every inning and sent a clear message in scoring 17 runs and winning game six easily. Glenn Wilson hit two home runs and 5 RBI while Lance Parrish drove in three and Enos Cabell went 4 for 6. Jack Morris did not have his best stuff not making it out of the 4th, but the result was never in doubt and Juan Berenguer pitched the rest of the way. Now this fun and exciting series comes down to one single game, expect it to be a dogfight.
Game 7 At Tiger Stadium
Clear 55
2002 Tigers.....................3
1983 Tigers.....................4 (10 inn)
WP: D. Gumpert (1-1) LP: J. Acevedo (0-1)
HR: K. Gibson (2)
POG: Dave Rozema
Few classic moment players in the history of the game can match that of Kirk Gibson. And after his team lost a two run lead in the ninth, and things looking gloomy in the 10th with the game tied, Gibson provided the final moment of magic with a walk off series ending home run over the right field wall, it was almost like it was Roy Hobbs. Dave Rozema had pitched a heck of a game and held a 2-0 lead into the 8th striking out six and allowing only one run. Dave Gumpert came to close the series out in the 9th but once again couldnt get the job done as the 02 Tigers scored twice to send the game to extras. Juan Acevedo should have known better then to pitch to Gibson. The series was one of the better ones and the 1983 team fought all the way back from a 3-1 deficit in the series to believe it and do it for Sparky Anderson and themselves.
1983 Detroit Tigers Win Series 4 Games To 3
Series MVP:
Glenn Wilson
(.452, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 6 R, .500 OBP, 1.210 OPS)