Lou Whitaker

Theirs is a union of circumstance and fate, a marriage celebrated on a diamond instead of with one. To put in perspective the partnership of second baseman Lou Whitaker and shortstop Alan Trammell, consider this: The Detroit Tigers have had one double-play combination since the two were summoned from Montgomery, Ala., of the Southern League and made their major league debut in the second game of a doubleheader against the Boston Red Sox on Sept. 9, 1977.

Lou Whitaker won't fade into retirement like Kirk Gibson. Whitaker hit a three-run home run and had four runs batted in, helping Jose Lima earn his first major league victory as the Detroit Tigers defeated the Brewers, 8-2, Saturday at Milwaukee. "He's done that a lot of times," Detroit Manager Sparky Anderson said. "I've seen it before, sure. It's extra nice when a guy will probably end his career this year and he's still playing good. It's unusual."

Rookie Chris Pittaro had three singles, driving in a run to start Detroit's two-run eighth inning, and Jack Morris and Willie Hernandez combined on a six-hitter as the Tigers beat the Cleveland Indians 5-4 on opening day today. The defending World Series champion Tigers trailed 4-3 in the eighth when Larry Herndon singled off Tom Waddell. Earnie Camacho came on for the Indians and walked Chet Lemon. Pittaro hit his third single of the game, scoring Herndon and sending Lemon to third.

Detroit second baseman Lou Whitaker strained a ligament in his right knee and probably will miss the rest of the season, the Tigers announced. Whitaker was injured while sliding into home in the first inning of Sunday's 6-0 victory at Oakland. He left the game and was fitted with an ankle-to-thigh brace before returning to Detroit, where he was examined Monday by Dr. David Collom at Henry Ford Hospital, a team spokesman said. The 14-year major league veteran was batting .

Detroit second baseman Lou Whitaker strained a ligament in his right knee and probably will miss the rest of the season, the Tigers announced. Whitaker was injured while sliding into home in the first inning of Sunday's 6-0 victory at Oakland. He left the game and was fitted with an ankle-to-thigh brace before returning to Detroit, where he was examined Monday by Dr. David Collom at Henry Ford Hospital, a team spokesman said. The 14-year major league veteran was batting .

The Detroit Tigers' 7-0 victory over the Texas Rangers Sunday at Detroit ranks as one of the most unusual games in baseball history. Doyle Alexander pitched a complete game three-hitter to keep the Tigers on top by a game in the American League East, but that wasn't so remarkable. What made the Tigers' victory unique is that although the Rangers did not make an error, all of Detroit's runs were unearned.

Lou Whitaker struck a blow for every little guy who ever aspired to play ball when he hit eight home runs in May. Whitaker now has 13 for the season, one more than he hit in his first four years in the major leagues. He was tied with Baltimore's Terry Tettleton for the American League lead going into today's game between the Tigers and Orioles. "He's a strong little guy and he's got a great body," Detroit interim manager Dick Tracewski said. "And he's getting bigger. When he first got here, Lou weighed 150 pounds soaking wet. Now he's up to about 175."

The Detroit Tigers, overshadowed by New York and Toronto earlier this season, have turned the American League East race into a three-team affair. Monday night at Detroit, Bill Madlock's eighth-inning single scored Tom Brookens with the tie-breaking run as the Tigers beat the Chicago White Sox, 4-1, and moved within a half-game of the Yankees. Toronto trails New York by one game. Since the All Star break, the Tigers are 9-2 and have made up 4 1/2 games on the Yankees.

Jack Morris, the Detroit Tigers' answer to Roger Clemens, threw his hat into the Cy Young derby Monday night. Morris pitched a three-hitter for his fourth shutout to give the Tigers a 5-0 victory and their only win in the teams' four-game series. Morris rode a two-run homer by Lou Whitaker and a solo shot by John Grubb to improve his record to 14-7 and snap the Red Sox's four-game winning streak.

The New York Yankees turned down a chance to get Darrell Evans early in the season when the Detroit Tiger slugger was in a slump. Evans has gone on to have a tremendous season. He finally gave the Yankees some help Tuesday night at Detroit, but it may be too late to do much good. Evans hit two home runs, driving in three runs, to lead the Tigers to a 6-1 victory over Toronto and cut the Blue Jays' lead to four games over the Yankees. The two home runs gave Evans 39 and the league lead.

Somewhere cool, with an ocean breeze and big, white fluffy clouds offering shade, they named the 1990 All-Star starters. So Cleveland, where it is perhaps 2,000 degrees--is the perfect place to name the 1990 Anti-All-Star team. In the yin and yang of baseball, for every positive there is a negative. Thus, as ballplayers across the country count their incentive-clause bonuses for being voted into the Midsummer Classic, there is the third annual Anti-All-Star team. No bonuses, please.

Theirs is a union of circumstance and fate, a marriage celebrated on a diamond instead of with one. To put in perspective the partnership of second baseman Lou Whitaker and shortstop Alan Trammell, consider this: The Detroit Tigers have had one double-play combination since the two were summoned from Montgomery, Ala., of the Southern League and made their major league debut in the second game of a doubleheader against the Boston Red Sox on Sept. 9, 1977.

Lou Whitaker struck a blow for every little guy who ever aspired to play ball when he hit eight home runs in May. Whitaker now has 13 for the season, one more than he hit in his first four years in the major leagues. He was tied with Baltimore's Terry Tettleton for the American League lead going into today's game between the Tigers and Orioles. "He's a strong little guy and he's got a great body," Detroit interim manager Dick Tracewski said. "And he's getting bigger. When he first got here, Lou weighed 150 pounds soaking wet. Now he's up to about 175."

On a day when they learned that half of the best one-two punch in baseball, Jose Canseco, reinjured his left wrist, the Oakland Athletics could thank their lucky stars for the other half. Mark McGwire, continuing his hitting rampage at Tiger Stadium, hit his eighth home run of the season Sunday to break a seventh-inning tie and lead the Athletics to a 5-4 victory over the Tigers. Canseco, injured in spring training, was in the second game of his rehabilitation at Huntsville, Ala. He singled in the third inning, reinjured the wrist and departed.

A million times in his 19-year major league career, Darrell Evans has danced off third base. As a third baseman much of his career, he saw a million other guys dance off the bag. He knows the corner. But Sunday night, dancing off third in the sixth inning, with the hopes of a city in his back pocket, Evans goofed. He danced too far. He danced himself and the Tigers out of the game, and possibly out of the playoffs.

There was a nice moment at home plate just before Saturday's game between the Tigers and the Twins. Very touching. As the teams trotted back to their dugouts after introductions, Tiger Manager Sparky Anderson huddled with Twin reliever Juan Berenguer. Standing at the plate, nose to nose, they talked briefly, and Sparky grabbed Juan's head in a fatherly gesture of affection. There was another moment at home plate in the seventh inning.

There was a nice moment at home plate just before Saturday's game between the Tigers and the Twins. Very touching. As the teams trotted back to their dugouts after introductions, Tiger Manager Sparky Anderson huddled with Twin reliever Juan Berenguer. Standing at the plate, nose to nose, they talked briefly, and Sparky grabbed Juan's head in a fatherly gesture of affection. There was another moment at home plate in the seventh inning.

Sparky Anderson professes to be ignorant of a home-field advantage in baseball. "I don't play any different in any ballparks anywhere," the Detroit Tigers manager said. "I'm just not smart enough to do that." By Anderson's criteria, the Minnesota Twins must be the most clever team in baseball. The Twins returned home from an 0-6 trip Monday night to beat the Tigers, 5-4, on Kent Hrbek's bases-loaded single in the ninth inning.

The Detroit Tigers' 7-0 victory over the Texas Rangers Sunday at Detroit ranks as one of the most unusual games in baseball history. Doyle Alexander pitched a complete game three-hitter to keep the Tigers on top by a game in the American League East, but that wasn't so remarkable. What made the Tigers' victory unique is that although the Rangers did not make an error, all of Detroit's runs were unearned.

Sparky Anderson professes to be ignorant of a home-field advantage in baseball. "I don't play any different in any ballparks anywhere," the Detroit Tigers manager said. "I'm just not smart enough to do that." By Anderson's criteria, the Minnesota Twins must be the most clever team in baseball. The Twins returned home from an 0-6 trip Monday night to beat the Tigers, 5-4, on Kent Hrbek's bases-loaded single in the ninth inning.