The 1980
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
finished in fifth place in the
American League East
The American League East is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. MLB consists of an East, Central, and West division for each of its two 15-team leagues, the American League (AL) and National League (NL). This division was created before ...
with a record of 84–78, 19 games behind the
Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...
. They outscored their opponents 830 to 757. The Tigers drew 1,785,293 fans to
Tiger Stadium in 1980, ranking 7th of the 14 teams in the
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...
.
Offseason
* December 7, 1979:
Ron LeFlore
Ronald LeFlore (born June 16, 1948) is an American former Major League Baseball center fielder. He played six seasons with the Detroit Tigers before being traded to the Montreal Expos. He retired with the Chicago White Sox in 1982. He stole 455 ...
was traded by the Tigers to the
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...
for
Dan Schatzeder
Daniel Ernest Schatzeder (born December 1, 1954) is a former professional baseball player who pitched in the major leagues from – for nine different teams. Schatzeder attended Willowbrook High School in Villa Park, Illinois then played college ...
.
Regular season
Season standings
Boston's record of 83–77 has a fractionally better
winning percentage
In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...
that Detroit's record of 84–78; .51875 and .51851, respectively.
Record vs. opponents
Notable transactions
* June 2, 1980:
Al Greene and
John Martin were traded by the Tigers to the
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...
for
Jim Lentine
James Matthew Lentine is a former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder. He played all or part of three seasons in the major leagues, from to , for the St. Louis Cardinals and Detroit Tigers. He is based in San Clemente, California, and working ...
.
* June 3, 1980:
Chuck Hensley
Charles Floyd Hensley (born March 11, 1959) is an American former professional relief pitcher who played for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the olde ...
was drafted by the Tigers in the 10th round of the
1980 Major League Baseball draft
First round selections
The following are the first round picks in the 1980 Major League Baseball draft.
Compensation Picks
Other notable players
*Tim Teufel, 2nd round, 38th overall Minnesota Twins
*Dan Plesac, 2nd round, 41st overall S ...
.
* June 6, 1980:
Bárbaro Garbey
Bárbaro Garbey ( ; born December 4, 1956) is a former Major League Baseball utility player and minor league coach. Garbey played in the outfield, at first and third bases, and also served as designated hitter.
Playing Career
Garbey defected fro ...
was signed as an amateur free agent by the Tigers.
* September 21, 1980:
Roger Mason was signed as an amateur free agent by the Tigers.
Roger Mason
at ''Baseball Reference''
Roster
Player stats
Batting
Starters by position
''Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in''
Other batters
''Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in''
''Note: pitchers' batting statistics not included''
Pitching
Starting pitchers
''Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''
Other pitchers
''Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''
Relief pitchers
''Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; GF = Games finished; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''
Awards and honors
* Lance Parrish
Lance Michael Parrish (born June 15, 1956), nicknamed "Big Wheel", is an American former baseball catcher who played Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1977 through 1995. Born in Pennsylvania, Parrish grew up in Southern California and excelled in ...
, AL Silver Slugger Award
The Silver Slugger Award has been awarded annually since 1980 to the best offensive player at each position in both the American League and the National League, as determined by the coaches and managers of Major League Baseball.
These voters cons ...
, catcher
* Alan Trammell
Alan Stuart Trammell ( ; born February 21, 1958) is an American former professional baseball shortstop, manager and coach and member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame as a player. His entire 20-year playing career in Major League Baseball ( ...
, AL Gold Glove Award
The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in bo ...
, shortstop
* Alan Trammell, Tiger of the Year Award, from Detroit sportswriters
All Star selections
* Lance Parrish
Lance Michael Parrish (born June 15, 1956), nicknamed "Big Wheel", is an American former baseball catcher who played Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1977 through 1995. Born in Pennsylvania, Parrish grew up in Southern California and excelled in ...
, AL All Star Team, catcher
* Alan Trammell
Alan Stuart Trammell ( ; born February 21, 1958) is an American former professional baseball shortstop, manager and coach and member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame as a player. His entire 20-year playing career in Major League Baseball ( ...
, AL All Star Team, shortstop
League top ten finishers
Steve Kemp
Steven F. Kemp (born August 7, 1954) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Texas Rangers.
Profession ...
* #2 in MLB in time grounded into double plays (24)
* #5 in AL in sacrifice flies
Aurelio López
* #3 in AL in games (67)
* #3 in AL in games finished (59)
Jack Morris
John Scott Morris (born May 16, 1955) is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1977 and 1994, mainly for the Detroit Tigers. Morris won 254 games throughout his career.
Armed ...
* #3 in AL in earned runs allowed (116)
* #4 in AL in games started (36)
* #10 in MLB in bases on balls allowed (87)
* #10 in MLB in losses (15)
Lance Parrish
Lance Michael Parrish (born June 15, 1956), nicknamed "Big Wheel", is an American former baseball catcher who played Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1977 through 1995. Born in Pennsylvania, Parrish grew up in Southern California and excelled in ...
* #2 in MLB in time grounded into double plays (24)
* #4 in AL in strikeouts (109)
* #10 in MLB in extra base hits (64)
Alan Trammell
Alan Stuart Trammell ( ; born February 21, 1958) is an American former professional baseball shortstop, manager and coach and member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame as a player. His entire 20-year playing career in Major League Baseball ( ...
* #5 in AL in runs scored (107)
* #6 in AL in sacrifice hits (13)
Milt Wilcox
Milton Edward Wilcox (born April 20, 1950) is an American former baseball pitcher. He pitched for 16 years in Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Reds (1970–1971), Cleveland Indians (1972–1974), Chicago Cubs (1975), Detroit Tigers (1977â ...
* #10 in MLB in complete games (13)
Players ranking among top 100 all time at position
The following members of the 1979 Detroit Tigers are among the Top 100 of all time at their position, as ranked by The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract
''The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract'' is a reference book written by Bill James featuring an overview of professional baseball decade by decade, along with rankings of the top 100 players at each position. The original edition was publi ...
in 2001:
* Lance Parrish
Lance Michael Parrish (born June 15, 1956), nicknamed "Big Wheel", is an American former baseball catcher who played Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1977 through 1995. Born in Pennsylvania, Parrish grew up in Southern California and excelled in ...
: 19th best catcher of all time
* Lou Whitaker
Louis Rodman Whitaker Jr. (born May 12, 1957), nicknamed "Sweet Lou", is an American former professional baseball second baseman.
Whitaker spent his entire career with the Detroit Tigers. From 1977 to 1995, he appeared in 2,390 games for the ...
: 13th best second baseman of all time
* Alan Trammell
Alan Stuart Trammell ( ; born February 21, 1958) is an American former professional baseball shortstop, manager and coach and member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame as a player. His entire 20-year playing career in Major League Baseball ( ...
: 9th best shortstop of all time
Farm system
See also
* 1980 in Michigan
Notes
References
*
1980 Detroit Tigers Regular Season Statistics at Baseball Reference
{{Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers seasons
Detroit Tigers season
Detroit Tiger
1980 in Detroit