Tag: 1984 World Series

He was no screwball, but he threw a mean one!

It was on this day in 1984 that Guillermo “Willie” Hernández won the American League Cy Young Award. He would also win the American Leagues MVP award that year. He is among just 11 pitchers to win the Cy Young and MVP in the same year. He was just one of many players who were a part of the Detroit Tigers magical season.

Hernández put up some great numbers that season. He had a 9-3 record and 32 saves in 33 chances in 1984, with a 1.92 ERA over 80 games and 140⅓ innings. He would go on to have an excellent postseason and got the final out of the clinching Game 5 of the ’84  World Series by coaxing a short fly ball to left field from Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, setting off a celebration. 

Willie became only the third player to win MVP honors, the Cy Young Award and World Series in the same season, joining Sandy Koufax (1963) and (Fellow Detroit Tiger) Denny McLain (1968).

Willie was so fun to watch. I was always fascinated watching his screwball in slow motion during the games. What a pitch!!

Hernández was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 2012. He sadly passed away on November 20, 2023 at age 69.

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).

Perhaps featuring a World Series champ today will bring the Tigers luck? One can hope