1981 Detroit Tigers season
Encyclopedia
The Detroit Tigers
finished in fourth place in the American League East
with a record of 31-26 (.544) in the first half of the season, and in third place with a record of 29-23 (.558) in the second half, for an overall record of 60-49. They outscored their opponents 427 to 404. The Tigers drew 1,149,144 fans to Tiger Stadium in 1981, ranking 5th of the 14 teams in the American League
.
Note: pitchers' batting statistics not included
1981 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
Steve Kemp
Jack Morris
Lance Parrish
Kevin Saucier
Alan Trammell
Lou Whitaker
Milt Wilcox
:
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
finished in fourth place in the American League East
American League East
The American League Eastern Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions . This division was created before the start of the 1969 season along with the Western Division...
with a record of 31-26 (.544) in the first half of the season, and in third place with a record of 29-23 (.558) in the second half, for an overall record of 60-49. They outscored their opponents 427 to 404. The Tigers drew 1,149,144 fans to Tiger Stadium in 1981, ranking 5th of the 14 teams in the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
.
Offseason
- December 12, 1980: Dave Stegman was traded by the Tigers to the San Diego PadresSan Diego PadresThe San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
for Dennis KinneyDennis KinneyDennis Paul Kinney is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He played all or part of five seasons in the majors, from until ....
. - January 13, 1981: Mike SharpersonMike SharpersonMichael Tyrone Sharperson was an infielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Toronto Blue Jays , Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves . Sharperson batted and threw right-handed...
was drafted by the Tigers in the 4th round of the 1981 Major League Baseball Draft1981 Major League Baseball Draft-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1981 Major League Baseball draft.- Other notable players :*John Elway was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 2nd round of the 1981 amateur draft...
, but did not sign. - March 29, 1981: Jim LentineJim LentineJames Matthew Lentine is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He played all or part of three seasons in the majors, from until , for the St. Louis Cardinals and Detroit Tigers.-External links:...
was released by the Tigers.
Notable transactions
- April 3, 1981: Chris CodiroliChris CodiroliChristopher Allen Codiroli , is a former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1982–1988 and 1990.-Teams:* Oakland Athletics 1982-1987* Cleveland Indians 1988...
was released by the Tigers. - April 3, 1981: Chuck Hensley was released by the Tigers.
- August 23, 1981: The Tigers traded a player to be named later to the Minnesota TwinsMinnesota TwinsThe Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
for Ron JacksonRon JacksonRonnie Damien Jackson is a coach and a former player in Major League Baseball. He was a hitting coach for the Boston Red Sox from 2003-2006...
. The Tigers completed the deal by sending Tim CorcoranTim Corcoran (first baseman)Timothy Michael Corcoran was a Major League Baseball player who played 9 seasons in the major leagues. Born in Glendale, California, Corcoran attended California State University, Los Angeles , and was signed as an amateur free agent by the Detroit Tigers in 1974. Corcoran played four seasons...
to the Twins on September 4.
Roster
| 1981 Detroit Tigers roster | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers | Catchers Infielders |
Outfielders Other batters |
Manager Coaches |
||||||
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 96 | 348 | 85 | .244 | 10 | 46 | |
| 1B | 78 | 226 | 51 | .226 | 5 | 28 | |
| 2B | 109 | 335 | 88 | .263 | 5 | 36 | |
| 3B | 71 | 239 | 58 | .243 | 4 | 25 | |
| SS | 105 | 392 | 101 | .258 | 2 | 31 | |
| LF | 105 | 372 | 103 | .277 | 9 | 49 | |
| CF | 85 | 253 | 66 | .261 | 1 | 18 | |
| RF | 83 | 290 | 95 | .328 | 9 | 40 | |
| DH | 70 | 172 | 37 | .215 | 9 | 25 |
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 63 | 207 | 53 | .256 | 0 | 15 | |
| 71 | 174 | 45 | .259 | 2 | 19 | |
| 64 | 165 | 42 | .255 | 3 | 21 | |
| 31 | 95 | 27 | .284 | 1 | 12 | |
| 40 | 93 | 19 | .204 | 3 | 12 | |
| 54 | 83 | 16 | .193 | 1 | 11 | |
| 61 | 77 | 17 | .221 | 0 | 6 | |
| 16 | 4 | 1 | .250 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | ---- | 0 | 0 |
Note: pitchers' batting statistics not included
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 198 | 14 | 7 | 3.05 | 97 | |
| 24 | 166.1 | 12 | 9 | 3.03 | 79 | |
| 23 | 141 | 10 | 9 | 3.00 | 79 | |
| 17 | 71.1 | 6 | 8 | 6.06 | 20 | |
| 4 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 6.43 | 5 |
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 | 104 | 5 | 5 | 3.63 | 46 | |
| 9 | 36.2 | 1 | 4 | 7.36 | 17 | |
| 18 | 33.2 | 1 | 1 | 3.48 | 19 |
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W= Wins; L= Losses; SV = Saves; GF = Games finished; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | W | L | SV | GF | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38 | 4 | 2 | 13 | 23 | 1.65 | 23 | |
| 27 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 2.69 | 32 | |
| 29 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 19 | 3.64 | 53 | |
| 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9.82 | 3 |
Awards and honors
- Kirk GibsonKirk GibsonKirk Harold Gibson is a former Major League Baseball player and currently the manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks. As a player, Gibson was an outfielder who batted and threw left-handed...
, Tiger of the Year Award, from Detroit baseball writers - Alan TrammellAlan TrammellAlan Stuart Trammell is a retired American baseball shortstop of the Detroit Tigers from to . Trammell, nicknamed "Tram", played his entire career with the Tigers, highlighted by a World Series championship in and an American League East division championship in . Although his arm was not...
, AL Gold Glove Award, shortstop
1981 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
1981 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1981 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 52nd playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League and National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on August 9, 1981, at Cleveland Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio, the home of...
- Jack MorrisJack MorrisJohn Scott "Jack" Morris is a former Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher. He played in 18 big league seasons between 1977 and 1994, mainly for the Detroit Tigers, and won 254 games throughout his career...
, starter, pitcher
League top ten finishers
Kirk GibsonKirk Gibson
Kirk Harold Gibson is a former Major League Baseball player and currently the manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks. As a player, Gibson was an outfielder who batted and threw left-handed...
- #3 in AL in batting average (.328)
- #4 in AL in Power/Speed Number (11.8)
Steve Kemp
Steve Kemp
Steven F. Kemp is a former Major League Baseball outfielder from 1977 to 1986 and 1988. He is of Armenian heritage.-Professional career:...
- #4 in AL in on base percentage (.389)
- #3 in AL in bases on balls (70)
- #3 in AL in times on base (174)
Jack Morris
Jack Morris
John Scott "Jack" Morris is a former Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher. He played in 18 big league seasons between 1977 and 1994, mainly for the Detroit Tigers, and won 254 games throughout his career...
- MLB leader in wins (14) (tied with four others)
- MLB leader in bases on balls allowed (78)
- #2 in MLB in innings pitched (198)
- #2 in MLB in games started (25)
- #3 in AL in hits allowed per 9 innings pitched (6.95)
- #3 in MLB in complete games (15)
- #3 in MLB in batters faced (798)
- #6 in AL in home runs allowed (14)
- #9 in AL in earned runs allowed (67)
Lance Parrish
Lance Parrish
Lance Michael Parrish, aka "Big Wheel", is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Detroit Tigers , Philadelphia Phillies , California Angels , Seattle Mariners , Cleveland Indians , Pittsburgh Pirates , and the Toronto Blue Jays...
- #3 in AL in times grounded into double plays (16)
Kevin Saucier
Kevin Saucier
Kevin Andrew Saucier was a Major League Baseball pitcher from 1978 to 1982 for the Philadelphia Phillies and Detroit Tigers. Nicknamed "Hot Sauce", Saucier , was an energetic pitcher who would often display his emotions while on the mound...
- #5 in AL in saves (13)
Alan Trammell
Alan Trammell
Alan Stuart Trammell is a retired American baseball shortstop of the Detroit Tigers from to . Trammell, nicknamed "Tram", played his entire career with the Tigers, highlighted by a World Series championship in and an American League East division championship in . Although his arm was not...
- AL leader in sacrifice hits (16)
Lou Whitaker
- AL leader in games played (109)
- AL leader in games at second base (108)
- AL leader in innings at second base (918-1/3)
- AL leader in assists by a second baseman (354)
Milt Wilcox
Milt Wilcox
Milton Edward Wilcox was a pitcher who had a sixteen-year career from 1970 to 1975, 1977–1986. He played for the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs of the National League and the Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners of the American League...
- #5 in AL in games started (24)
- #5 in AL in hit batsmen (6)
Players ranking among top 100 all time at position
The following members of the 1981 Detroit Tigers are among the Top 100 of all time at their position, as ranked by The Bill James Historical Baseball AbstractThe Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract
The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract is a reference-type book written by Bill James featuring an overview of baseball decade by decade, along with rankings of the top 100 players at each position. The original edition was published in 1985 by Villard Books, followed by The New Bill James...
:
- Lance ParrishLance ParrishLance Michael Parrish, aka "Big Wheel", is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Detroit Tigers , Philadelphia Phillies , California Angels , Seattle Mariners , Cleveland Indians , Pittsburgh Pirates , and the Toronto Blue Jays...
: 19th best catcher of all time - Lou Whitaker: 13th best second baseman of all time
- Alan TrammellAlan TrammellAlan Stuart Trammell is a retired American baseball shortstop of the Detroit Tigers from to . Trammell, nicknamed "Tram", played his entire career with the Tigers, highlighted by a World Series championship in and an American League East division championship in . Although his arm was not...
: 9th best shortstop of all time - Kirk GibsonKirk GibsonKirk Harold Gibson is a former Major League Baseball player and currently the manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks. As a player, Gibson was an outfielder who batted and threw left-handed...
: 36th best left fielder of all time