Exhibition game vs the Mudhens

[Zakk_Wylde]

Okay, this really digging deep into my foggy childhood memories.  But for some reason, when I was a kid in the late 80s, on my Detroit Tigers pocket schedule, I remember seeing an exhibition game against the Mudhens, somewhere in the middle of the season.  Was this a regular yearly thing?  Or just a one time thing?  If it was a yearly thing when/why did it stop happening?    Only reference to it online I can find is in the Wikipedia article about the Tigers disastrous 1989 season, they played an exhibition game against the Mudhens and the Mudhens won 3-1.  Were there any more of these games?  Does anybody have any memory?

[papalawrence]

1 hour ago, Zakk_Wylde said:

Okay, this really digging deep into my foggy childhood memories.  But for some reason, when I was a kid in the late 80s, on my Detroit Tigers pocket schedule, I remember seeing an exhibition game against the Mudhens, somewhere in the middle of the season.  Was this a regular yearly thing?  Or just a one time thing?  If it was a yearly thing when/why did it stop happening?    Only reference to it online I can find is in the Wikipedia article about the Tigers disastrous 1989 season, they played an exhibition game against the Mudhens and the Mudhens won 3-1.  Were there any more of these games?  Does anybody have any memory?

I do remember that but I also have incredible brain fog and an emerging case of prickly heat. For some reason Paul Gibson comes to mind, thinking maybe he pitched? I don't think that's a common occurrence, but I seem to recall it happening more than once. And this reminded me that the Pistons used to play an exhibition game at Calvin College. One year they played Cleveland and Foots Walker signed an autograph for me. What was the question?

[lordstanley]

I seem to recall the Tigers playing Evansville a couple of times in the 1970s. I'll keep looking and let you know. For now, here's a SABR article about the history of exhibition games between MLB teams and their minor league affiliates.

 https://sabr.org/journal/article/back-to-the-farm-in-season-minor-major-exhibition-games/

The institution that made it happen was the in-season exhibition game. In the twenty-first century, these games are as extinct as the emery ball. But in decades past, major-league teams used offdays during the regular season to play minor-league teams, college teams, and even semipro and company-sponsored outfits. This article will focus exclusively on matchups between major-and minor-league teams  ...

Between 1946 and 1963, major-and minor-league teams faced off during the major-league season roughly 228 times, for an average of about 13 times per season.2 The majority of these games involved a single minor-league team—the Albany (New York) Senators, the Denver Bears, the Toronto Maple Leafs—though it also became common later in the period for big-league teams to face minor-league all-star squads. ...

Unless rain kept the attendance down, exhibitions in minor-league towns served as major money-makers for the home team, often drawing the largest crowds of the season. Sometimes they were the largest in local history, as on July 9, 1951, when a city-record crowd of 10,077 in Ottawa, Ontario, watched the eventual NL champion New York Giants lose 4-1 to their Ottawa farmhands ...

In-season exhibitions involving major-and minor-league teams remained a part of professional baseball’s fabric after 1963. In fact, they became slightly more frequent for a time. LeConte’s research indicates that 169 exhibition games of this type were played from 1964 through 1974, or more than 15 per season. Several factors-some already at work in 1963—combined to bring an end to major-minor exhibitions, as well as other types of in-season exhibitions. The longer 162-game season adopted in 1962 left fewer open dates on the schedule. Collective bargaining agreements between players and owners also limited the number of in-season exhibitions to three in 1970, then reduced it to two for most teams in 1977. As relationships between major-league players and owners—once lopsided in favor of the latter—became more balanced, the players began to stick up for their preference of days off and rest during the season. And, as teams invested more money in players, they became more wary of injuries, and less willing to trot out their starters in Ottawa or Tacoma for games that didn’t count.

 

 

[1984Echoes]

I don't remember much about anything mid-season... but for the longest time the Tigers played the last game of their spring training against Toledo as an exhibition game... IE:

April 4, 2000

April 5, 1999

April 4, 1998

April 4, 1997

April 4, 1996

April 4, 1995

Although I think these dates are all AI so they could be full of it... but I seem to (foggily) remember a spring training game against Toledo for quite the longest time... I don't think in the 2000's though. Except one in April 2012 but that one was a loner I believe...

[davidsb623]

For several years in the 70s, the Tigers played an exhibition game against Reds early in the season for a benefit.  The teams took turns hosting.

[lordstanley]

Here's an index.

https://www.retrosheet.org/InSeasonExhibitionGames1921-2012.htm

Some involving the Tigers include:

August 27, 1970 Detroit vs. Toledo Mudhens in Toledo

May 6, 1971   Detroit vs Toledo Mudhens in Toledo

May 13, 1971 Detroit vs Navy Midshipmen in Annapolis

June 14, 1973 Detroit vs Toledo Mudhens in Toledo

June 7, 1982 Detroit vs Evansville Triplets in Evansville

May 28, 1987 Detroit vs Toledo Mudhens in Toledo

May 11, 1989 Detroit vs Toledo Mudhens in Toledo

June 4, 1990 Detroit vs Toledo Mudhens in Toledo

Then several similar games against the Mudhens throughout the 1990s, until the last I see being June 1, 2000 in Toledo. 

The only in-season exhibition for the Tigers I see since 2000 is the Hall of Fame at Cooperstown in 2005 between the Red Sox and the Tigers. 

The Tigers and the Cincinnati Reds also played several in-season exhibition games against each other throughout the 1970s and 1980s, with the site alternating between Cincinnati and Detroit.

 

[papalawrence]

15 minutes ago, davidsb623 said:

For several years in the 70s, the Tigers played an exhibition game against Reds early in the season for a benefit.  The teams took turns hosting.

I remember that!

[Zakk_Wylde]

48 minutes ago, lordstanley said:

Here's an index.

https://www.retrosheet.org/InSeasonExhibitionGames1921-2012.htm

Some involving the Tigers include:

August 27, 1970 Detroit vs. Toledo Mudhens in Toledo

May 6, 1971   Detroit vs Toledo Mudhens in Toledo

May 13, 1971 Detroit vs Navy Midshipmen in Annapolis

June 14, 1973 Detroit vs Toledo Mudhens in Toledo

June 7, 1982 Detroit vs Evansville Triplets in Evansville

May 28, 1987 Detroit vs Toledo Mudhens in Toledo

May 11, 1989 Detroit vs Toledo Mudhens in Toledo

June 4, 1990 Detroit vs Toledo Mudhens in Toledo

Then several similar games against the Mudhens throughout the 1990s, until the last I see being June 1, 2000 in Toledo. 

The only in-season exhibition for the Tigers I see since 2000 is the Hall of Fame at Cooperstown in 2005 between the Red Sox and the Tigers. 

The Tigers and the Cincinnati Reds also played several in-season exhibition games against each other throughout the 1970s and 1980s, with the site alternating between Cincinnati and Detroit.

 

Thanks, this is precisely the info I was looking for!!  So there were less of them than I thought, but those late 80s games against Toledo are definitely what I remember seeing on my pocket schedule.  Any idea why these games stopped happening?

[lordstanley]

20 minutes ago, Zakk_Wylde said:

Thanks, this is precisely the info I was looking for!!  So there were less of them than I thought, but those late 80s games against Toledo are definitely what I remember seeing on my pocket schedule.  Any idea why these games stopped happening?

I don't know exactly why the Detroit vs Toledo fixture stopped, but the SABR article suggests that in general, the decline of in-season exhibition games is because of collective bargaining agreements and fewer off-days. I wonder what type of lineups the Tigers fielded for those games. Found a boxscore from the 1989 game.

May 11: The Tigers travel to Toledo, Ohio for an exhibition game against their AAA minor-league affiliate the Toledo Mud Hens. The Mud Hens defeated the Tigers 3–1 before 10,322 at Ned Skeldon Stadium. Former Tiger and Mud Hen manager John Wockenfuss pitches five scoreless innings in relief allowing just three hits. The 40-year old Wockenfuss was primarily a catcher in his 12-year major league career and took to the mound because the Mud Hens were coming off a doubleheader the day before and had another one scheduled the following day. This game further highlighted the Tigers worst start in 35 years.[39]

https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CkRPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_gIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3665%2C871844

Edited August 14 by lordstanley

[lordstanley]

1 hour ago, davidsb623 said:

For several years in the 70s, the Tigers played an exhibition game against Reds early in the season for a benefit.  The teams took turns hosting.

https://www.nytimes.com/1977/05/20/archives/fidrych-impressive-in-exhibition-test.html

Fidrych Impressive In Exhibition Test

CINCINNATI, May 19 (UPI)—Mark Fidrych, tuning up for his first regular‐season start next week, pitched impressively for seven innings tonight in the Detroit Tigers’ 4‐1 exhibition victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

Fidrych, who said he was completely recovered from a knee injury that occurred during spring training, pitched the third through the ninth innings and gave up four hits and one run. Working quickly and smoothly as he did last year, Fidrych made only 80 pitches. He struck out three and walked only one.

Fidrych said he would start May 27, when the Tigers play the expansion Seattle Mariners in Detroit.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/357941089118

Here is a full unused ticket to the May 19, 1977 charity exhibition game between the Detroit Tigers and Cincinnati Reds at Riverfront Stadium, a 4-1 Tiger victory. This game was Mark Fidrych’s return to pitching against big leaguers right before returning to regular MLB action after knee surgery.  He did not disappoint, dominating Pete Rose and the Reds for 7 innings and giving up just 1 run.  The Tigers declared him ready after the game and he returned to The Show on May 27.

He soon hurled 6 shutouts and notched a 6-4 WL with a 2.89 ERA in eleven starts but suffered an undiagnosed rotator cuff injury. His season ended on July 12. He later appeared in only 16 games over the following 3 years and retired.

This ticket is a rare and historic item for the Fidrych collector.

 

Edited August 14 by lordstanley