One of the Best …

I am hoping to see the Detroit Tigers advance in the playoffs. My heart aches at the collapse of the team at the end of the season. To be up 15 games and not show up for the end of the season is just unbelievable.

Instead of thinking about that, I was reminded of a happy Detroit Tiger Memory. Darrell Evans played a huge part on the 1984 team that would go on to win the World Series. He would often play first base, and occasionally he would be in the DH spot.

In 1973, he hit 41 home runs for the Atlanta Braves. At 38 years old, in 1985 Evans led the MLB in home runs with 40. As a matter of fact, it was on this day in 1985 that he hit his 40th home run. By doing so, he became the first in MLB history to have a 40-homer season in both the American and the National Leagues.

Baseball historian Bill James called Evans “the most underrated player in baseball history.” I would agree. He was the 22nd player in MLB history to hit 400 home runs and the second to hit at least 100 home runs with three different teams. His 1,605 walks ranked eighth in MLB history at the time of his retirement, and he drew 90 or more walks in eight separate seasons (reaching 100+ walks five times).