Looking Back: The Padres 1984 World Series Game Four

Well, tonight will be the last game of the 2014 season. There is nothing better in sports than a Game Seven of a World Series. Not the Super Bowl, not the NCAA Men’s Final Four, not the NBA or Stanley Cub Finals. There is only one true World Series, and if the series goes to a seventh and deciding game, rest assured, the two teams are pretty damn equal in talent and heart. Whomever takes home the crown of champion tonight, it is well-deserved, and should be celebrated by baseball fans around the globe. The culmination of another season means several things: a champion is crowned, all-time great players call it a career, free agents-to be are playing, or have played their final games in their current team’s uniform. It gives hope to the off-season for those teams that missed out, and the rebuilding or reloading for a team begins as early as tomorrow. Enjoy the final game of 2014, and also enjoy our continued coverage, which will be completed tomorrow, of the 1984 postseason run of the San Diego Padres!

After three games of the series, the American League Champion Detroit Tigers are in firm control of the 1984 World Series. Timely hitting, solid starting pitching and a lockdown bullpen, has put the Motor City Bengals up 2-games-to-1 in this best-of-seven. The National League pennant winners, the San Diego Padres, simply don’t have an answer with their lackluster starting pitching. Through the first three games, only Andy Hawkins coming out of the bullpen has looked like he was up to the task of shutting down the potent Tigers lineup. The others? Haven’t made it out of the third inning or later.

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Dick Williams ran out Game One starter Eric Show, he was more like a batting practice pitcher than he was a World Series starter. The Tigers wasted no time, welcoming back Show to the hit parade. In the bottom of the 1st for the Tigers, Sweet Lou Whitaker reached base on an error by his counterpart, Alan Wiggins. That was followed up by an Alan Trammell blast to put the Tigers up 2-0 after two hitters, with the Whitaker run being unearned. Fortunately for San Diego, they bounced back in the top of the second with a run of their own.

After a Graig Nettles ground out to lead off the frame, catcher Terry Kennedy hit a ball out of his own, cutting the lead in half. Was it enough to get the Friars going? Kurt Bevaqua followed the Kennedy homer with a double and now the tying run stood at second with only one out. Carmelo Martinez struck out looking and the rally ended with a Gary Templeton ground out. After 1 1/2, it was Tigers 2, Padres 1.

The Pads couldn’t muster anything in the third, but the Tigers opened it up. Lou Whitaker hit a one-out single to right, and advanced to second on an error by Tony Gwynn. For the second time in as many at-bats, Tigers’ shortstop Alan Trammell hit a long home run, this one another two-run shot, putting the Tigers up 4-1. Dick Williams stuck by his starter, and it didn’t help. Kirk Gibson then singled, and after Lance Parrish popped out, Darrell Evans drew a walk. That was it for Show. The final line: 2 2/3 innings, 4 hits, 3 earned runs, a walk, a pair of strikeouts, and the pair of home runs to Trammell. Another putrid outing for Padres’ starting pitching. Dave Dravecky came on in relief of Show, and ended the rally.

The score remained the same, as Jack Morris once again was flat out dealing. The Padres got three hits the rest of the way. With the score still at 4-1 in the 9th, Steve Garvey attempted to bring the Friars back with a late-game rally. He hit a one-out double. Nettles followed with a ground out, moving Garvey to third, and in a non-dominating moment for Morris, he threw a wild pitch, which allowed Garvey to score, making it 4-2, Tigers. Morris quickly regained his composure, and retired Kennedy on a sharp line-out to right field, ending the game, and giving Morris his second complete game victory of the series.

With the Tigers now up 3-games-to-1, it’s looking bleak for the Padres. They’ll need a miracle to come all of the way back and force the series to it’s maximum seven games. Come back tomorrow, as there will be a brand new champion in baseball, either the Kansas City Royals or San Francisco Giants, and we continue the final days of the 1984 World Series between the Padres and the Detroit Tigers!

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