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06-28-2006, 05:50 PM
June 28, 1976
Tiger Stadium
Detroit, MI
A heavy rain fell earlier in the Detroit area, but the weather system had moved out of the area by game time that evening. It was still a bit muggy as temps hovered around 80, but the nearly 48,000 who clicked the turnstiles didn’t seem bothered a bit.
There were three reasons why they still poured through the gates despite the pouring rain that had fallen. One, it was a nationally televised game as part of the Monday Night baseball broadcasts. Secondly, the Tigers opposition this evening was none other than the hated New York Yankees.
Lastly, Detroit’s best pitcher would be on the hill. Rookie Mark Fidrych, who would turn 22 about six weeks later, was the newest sensation in the majors. Nicknamed ‘The Bird’ for his resemblance to Big Bird on PBS’ Sesame Street, Fidrych had been called up towards the end of April and pitched a couple of games in relief before getting his first starting assignment about six weeks before this game. This was just his ninth major league start, and so far he was 6-1 with one no-decision in the previous seven. He had gone 11 innings in back-to-back starts against the Brewers and Rangers, and completed all but one of his starts up to this point with an ERA of 2.18.
Tigers manager Ralph Houk needed all the help he could get, especially on the mound. He didn’t have much power in his batting order that relied heavily on the legs of leadoff hitter Ron LeFlore. And other than what Fidrych had provided thus far, Houk had almost no pitching to praise save for reliever John Hiller.
Detroit was coming off a road trip that ended the day before in Boston, and their 32-35 record found them in fourth and 11 games behind in the NL East.
New York was out in front of everyone in that AL East. With a 43-24 record, they already had a 9-game cushion over 2nd-place Cleveland. Billy Martin was in his first stint as the Yankees skipper, and first full season in the position after taking over for Bill Virdon in 1975. Martin had a solid lineup with power and speed, but the real bread-&-butter for New York was their pitching, especially in the bullpen with Sparky Lyle and Dick Tidrow busy posting zeroes. Ken Holtzman would be the Yankees’ starter in this one. The left-hander was making just his third start for New York after arriving from Baltimore in a huge, 10-player trade just two weeks prior.
On this night, Fidrych would do his part to keep Holtzman from his first New York win as well as keeping the New York bullpen from factoring into the final score.
The Bird got through the first inning pretty easy, allowing a 2-out single to Carlos May before catching Chris Chambliss looking at strike three to end New York’s at bat.
LeFlore walked to lead off the Detroit’s half of the initial frame, but was out at second on an infield grounder by 2-hole hitter and shortstop Tom Veryzer. Rusty Staub was next up, and he smoked an offering from Holtzman out of the park to give the Tigers a quick 2-0 lead.
New York cut that lead in half in the top of the second on a 2-out solo shot by catcher Elrod Hendricks who had come from Baltimore in the same deal that brought Holtzman to New York. But that would be all the Yanks got that inning and, as it turned out, all they would get the entire game.
Fidrych survived a 2-out double by Roy White in the third before working 1-2-3 frames in the fourth through sixth innings. A Graig Nettles single to open the New York seventh never amounted to anything. His third base counterpart for Detroit, Aurelio Rodriguez, homered in the bottom of that inning to increase the Tigers’ lead to 3-1.
White doubled for a second time in the top of the eighth, and for the second time it came with two outs as he was stranded at the middle bag.
Detroit tacked on a couple more in the bottom of the eighth thanks to LeFlore’s speed and an Alex Johnson double. Fidrych took the mound in the ninth with a comfortable 5-1 margin.
Once again he retired the first two batters, Chambliss swinging and Nettles on an infield grounder, before New York got a hit, this time an Oscar Gamble single. But Hendricks grounded out to end it and push Fidrych’s record to 8-1 on the season and 8-1 on his young and promising career.
Tiger Stadium
Detroit, MI
A heavy rain fell earlier in the Detroit area, but the weather system had moved out of the area by game time that evening. It was still a bit muggy as temps hovered around 80, but the nearly 48,000 who clicked the turnstiles didn’t seem bothered a bit.
There were three reasons why they still poured through the gates despite the pouring rain that had fallen. One, it was a nationally televised game as part of the Monday Night baseball broadcasts. Secondly, the Tigers opposition this evening was none other than the hated New York Yankees.
Lastly, Detroit’s best pitcher would be on the hill. Rookie Mark Fidrych, who would turn 22 about six weeks later, was the newest sensation in the majors. Nicknamed ‘The Bird’ for his resemblance to Big Bird on PBS’ Sesame Street, Fidrych had been called up towards the end of April and pitched a couple of games in relief before getting his first starting assignment about six weeks before this game. This was just his ninth major league start, and so far he was 6-1 with one no-decision in the previous seven. He had gone 11 innings in back-to-back starts against the Brewers and Rangers, and completed all but one of his starts up to this point with an ERA of 2.18.
Tigers manager Ralph Houk needed all the help he could get, especially on the mound. He didn’t have much power in his batting order that relied heavily on the legs of leadoff hitter Ron LeFlore. And other than what Fidrych had provided thus far, Houk had almost no pitching to praise save for reliever John Hiller.
Detroit was coming off a road trip that ended the day before in Boston, and their 32-35 record found them in fourth and 11 games behind in the NL East.
New York was out in front of everyone in that AL East. With a 43-24 record, they already had a 9-game cushion over 2nd-place Cleveland. Billy Martin was in his first stint as the Yankees skipper, and first full season in the position after taking over for Bill Virdon in 1975. Martin had a solid lineup with power and speed, but the real bread-&-butter for New York was their pitching, especially in the bullpen with Sparky Lyle and Dick Tidrow busy posting zeroes. Ken Holtzman would be the Yankees’ starter in this one. The left-hander was making just his third start for New York after arriving from Baltimore in a huge, 10-player trade just two weeks prior.
On this night, Fidrych would do his part to keep Holtzman from his first New York win as well as keeping the New York bullpen from factoring into the final score.
The Bird got through the first inning pretty easy, allowing a 2-out single to Carlos May before catching Chris Chambliss looking at strike three to end New York’s at bat.
LeFlore walked to lead off the Detroit’s half of the initial frame, but was out at second on an infield grounder by 2-hole hitter and shortstop Tom Veryzer. Rusty Staub was next up, and he smoked an offering from Holtzman out of the park to give the Tigers a quick 2-0 lead.
New York cut that lead in half in the top of the second on a 2-out solo shot by catcher Elrod Hendricks who had come from Baltimore in the same deal that brought Holtzman to New York. But that would be all the Yanks got that inning and, as it turned out, all they would get the entire game.
Fidrych survived a 2-out double by Roy White in the third before working 1-2-3 frames in the fourth through sixth innings. A Graig Nettles single to open the New York seventh never amounted to anything. His third base counterpart for Detroit, Aurelio Rodriguez, homered in the bottom of that inning to increase the Tigers’ lead to 3-1.
White doubled for a second time in the top of the eighth, and for the second time it came with two outs as he was stranded at the middle bag.
Detroit tacked on a couple more in the bottom of the eighth thanks to LeFlore’s speed and an Alex Johnson double. Fidrych took the mound in the ninth with a comfortable 5-1 margin.
Once again he retired the first two batters, Chambliss swinging and Nettles on an infield grounder, before New York got a hit, this time an Oscar Gamble single. But Hendricks grounded out to end it and push Fidrych’s record to 8-1 on the season and 8-1 on his young and promising career.