Why the Tigers’ Roar of ’84 Became Dive of ’85

DETROIT —  It’s been known for some time the Detroit Tigers would not repeat as champions this season.

After disguising their ineptness by opening the season with six straight wins, Detroit’s “Roar of ‘84” became the “Dive in ’85.”

What went wrong with the powerhouse that swept Kansas City in the American League playoffs and then demolished San Diego in five games in the World Series?

What went wrong with a team that had an All-Star catcher, Lance Parrish, All-Star infielders Alan Trammell at short and Lou Whitaker at second, Kirk Gibson in right and a solid center fielder in Chet Lemon?

Ask Manager Sparky Anderson and he’ll show you three things: hitting, defense and bench.

The Tigers will hit more home runs than a year ago--but not produce as many runs. Their run production is down nearly a run a game from more than five per contest a year ago.

Left fielder Larry Herndon and Lemon, who put on a September surge, for most of the season were producing between them less than one outfielder should contribute to a good team.

“The top three teams in home runs are Baltimore, Detroit and Boston,” Anderson said. “They are fourth, fifth and sixth in the standings.

“That shows you the value of the home run. You have to pitch the ball and catch it.”

Detroit is fourth in the league in pitching, the only the reason the Tigers didn’t sink into the American Association to battle their Nashville farm club.

The starters--Jack Morris, Dan Petry, Walt Terrell, Frank Tanana and Juan Berenguer--are as good as any five in baseball.

But middle relief, where the club cleaned up a year ago, deteriorated worse than a rubber band left out in the sun all summer.

Where last year Anderson would bring in people like Doug Bair and Aurelio Lopez to keep 4-0 deficits from growing so Detroit could hit its way back into the game, this season they were departing after a third of an inning with the deficit up to federal budget size--8-0, 12-0.

Willie Hernandez, who may wind up with as many saves as last season’s 32 or more, had a human season instead of an invincible one.

There was a spell in August where he heard his first boos at home as Detroit slipped from cab-distance to airplane-distance behind Toronto. A half-dozen wins turned into losses in the eighth and ninth.

Detroit went from upper-middle defensively last season to dead last this season.

Darrell Evans and Tom Brookens have most of the errors but Trammell slumped badly in the field when his hitting stopped, and Gibson has more errors than a good outfielder should.

The Tigers’ bench produced guys like Rusty Kuntz, who had a career year in 1984, and Dave Bergman, who hit .273 and drove in 44 runs in 271 at-bats.

This season the entire Detroit bench didn’t drive in 44 runs and at one point in late August every sub except one was hitting below .200.

As it became evident early in May that Detroit wasn’t going to put up first-inning three-spots and four-spots as it did a year ago the mental aspect of defending took its toll.

They couldn’t pick up the ball, they couldn’t hit it, they couldn’t bunt it, they couldn’t throw it.

Like a piece of used sandpaper, the club just wore down mentally. The club looked a lot like Larry Holmes in his last fight--swinging its arms, but nobody was going down.

Anderson, who takes responsibility for letting some things like bunting deteriorate, believes outside distractions that go with winning a world championship affected the club.

He believes it can be rebuilt to contend, especially with its nucleus intact.

Rookie Nelson Simmons will provide some punch, probably in left, but he is adequate at best defensively and is slow on the bases, which should make him fit right in with many of his teammates.

For sure there will be a turnover in the Detroit bench, and Anderson already has left-hander Mickey Mahler penciled in for next season’s staff, either as a starter or long relief.

“I don’t know if we can win it again,” Anderson said. “But I think we can get in a position to contend again.”