1984 World Series, Game 5: Padres @ Tigers

Oct 14, 1984
2½ hours

For the fourth consecutive game, the Padres' starting pitcher did not make it past the third inning, as the Tigers jumped on Mark Thurmond for three runs in the first inning. Lou Whitaker singled to lead off, then Kirk Gibson homered an out later, followed by consecutive singles by Lance Parrish, Larry Herndon and Chet Lemon. The Padres got on the board in the third when Bobby Brown hit a leadoff single off of Dan Petry, moved to third on two groundouts and scored on Steve Garvey's single. The Padres rallied to tie the score in the fourth when with runners on second and third Brown's sacrifice fly and Alan Wiggins's RBI single scored a run each to knock Petry out of the game, but the Tigers loaded the bases in the fifth off of Andy Hawkins when Rusty Kuntz's sacrifice fly put them up 4–3. Parrish's home run in the seventh off of Rich Gossage made it 5–3 Tigers, but the Padres cut the lead back to one on Kurt Bevacqua's home run off closer Willie Hernández. Kirk Gibson came to the plate in the bottom of the eighth for the Tigers with runners on second and third and one out. Gibson had homered earlier in the game, and Padres manager Dick Williams strolled to the mound to talk to Goose Gossage, seemingly with the purpose of ordering him to walk Gibson intentionally. Just before the at-bat, Gibson made a US$10 bet (flashing ten fingers) with his manager Sparky Anderson that Gossage (who had dominated Gibson in the past) would pitch to him. Gossage talked Williams into letting him pitch to Gibson, and Gibson responded with a three-run blast into the upper deck to clinch the Series for the Tigers. Gibson wound up driving in five runs and scoring three, including the run that gave Detroit the lead for good when he raced home on a pop-up sacrifice fly by little-used reserve Rusty Kuntz.

In the ninth, Willie Hernández closed out the series for the Tigers by getting Tony Gwynn to fly to Larry Herndon in left field for the final out.

F i l t e r   &   S o r t 
20 seconds Aug 21, 2011
3 minutes 2006
2 minutes Aug 21, 1987
3 minutes Oct 14, 1984
3½ hours Apr 10, 1984
Detroit Tigers hosted the New York Yankees at Tiger Stadium. Stan Bahnsen took the mound for the Yankees, while Joe Sparma was the starting pitcher for the Tigers. At this point in the season, the Tigers were on the brink of clinching the pennant, leading the American League, while the Yankees were struggling, sitting in the middle of the pack. Mickey Mantle, a perennial star for the Yankees, was nearing the end of his illustrious career, and the 1968 season was notable for the "Year of the Pitcher," with pitchers dominating hitters to an extent not seen in decades. The game began as a pitchers' duel, with both Bahnsen and Sparma throwing scoreless innings through the first four frames. The Yankees had a chance to break the deadlock in the first inning when Horace Clarke and Mantle hit consecutive singles, but Roy White grounded into a double play to end the threat. The Tigers also had a scoring opportunity in the second inning when Norm Cash singled, but they were unable to capitalize. The game remained scoreless until the fifth inning when the Tigers were finally able to break through. In the bottom of the fifth, the Tigers' Bill Freehan led off with a single, and Tom Matchick followed with a strikeout. Don Wert then singled, advancing Freehan to second. Sparma helped his own cause by singling to drive in Freehan, giving the Tigers a 1-0 lead. The Yankees managed to tie the game in the top of the ninth when Gene Michael was replaced by pinch-hitter Charley Smith, who singled. Pinch-runner Jerry Kenney scored on a single by Jake Gibbs. However, the Tigers responded in the bottom of the ninth. Al Kaline, pinch-hitting for Norm Cash, drew a walk. Freehan sacrificed him to second, and after an intentional walk to Gates Brown, Wert singled to drive in Kaline, giving the Tigers a 2-1 walk-off victory. The victory helped the Tigers clinch the pennant in the American League, and they would go on to win the World Series in 1968. The Yankees, meanwhile, finished in fifth place in the American League. The 1968 season is remembered as the "Year of the Pitcher," and this game was a perfect example of that, with the two teams combining for just three runs. Despite the loss, Stan Bahnsen had a strong performance, further contributing to the year's pitching dominance. He would go on to win the American League Rookie of the Year award.
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