35 Years Ago Today, The Tigers Won The A.L. East Title [Video]
There was a time in our fair state when the Detroit Tigers were really good. And 35 years ago, they proved it.
To day marks the anniversary of the first of three titles for the 1984 Tigers, the AL East.
The 'Bless You Boys' team would also go on to American League and World Series championships, but first things first, a wire to wire run to the Division title, clinched with a 3-0 win on September 18, 1984, over the Milwaukee Brewers at the old Tiger Stadium.
Local TV station WDIV broke into regular programming to cover the celebration at Tiger Stadium. Who remembers Roger O'Neal? He was a late season minor league call up who shut out the Brewers, with help from Willie Hernandez to clinch the pennant.
They are the 4th team in the 20th Century to remain in first place from wire-to-wire, joining the 1927 Yankees‚ and the 1955 Dodgers. The 1990 Cincinnati Reds would later join that list.
Here's the final three outs as called by Hall of Fame announcer Ernie Harwell.
And check out the VCR burn at the beginning of this footage of local news covering the title.