Detroit Tigers (1987, ALCS)

1987 ALCS: Tigers vs. Minnesota Twins

     Just three years after the "Roar of '84", not much was expected of the 1987 Tigers. Detroit had finished 1985 and 1986 in third place in the AL East. In 1987, the Tigers were expected to finish in the second division, and an 11-19 start to the year didn't bring too much optimism.
     Midway through the season, the Tigers started to get hot, and slowly began closing the gap on the first-place Toronto Blue Jays. A late-season trade for veteran pitcher Doyle Alexander solidified the rotation. The Tigers, 3-1/2 games behind Toronto with a week to go, clinched the AL East crown in the season finale. Their 98-64 record was tops in baseball.
     Sparky Anderson's Tigers were led on offense by shortstop Alan Trammell. Trammell had a career season in 1987, batting .343 with 28 home runs and 105 RBI, finishing second in MVP voting. Darrell Evans and Matt Nokes each hit over 30 home runs on the year, while Kirk Gibson and Chet Lemon each hit at least 20.
     On the mound, Jack Morris led the team with an 18-11 record and 3.38 ERA. Walt Terrell (17), Frank Tanana (15) and reliever Mike Henneman (11) also had over 10 wins. Alexander, acquired from the Braves, went a sparkling 9-0 with a 1.53 ERA down the stretch.
     The Tigers were favorites going into the ALCS against the Minnesota Twins, who had the worst record of the four playoff teams (85-77). However, they might have burnt themselves out chasing the Blue Jays the last couple months of the season. Minnesota upset the Tigers in five games (best of seven) to advance to their first World Series since 1965. The Twins then knocked off the St. Louis Cardinals to win their first World Championship. The 1987 ALCS was the final playoff series for Tiger Stadium, as the Tigers would not return to the postseason until 2006.
     This program is 88 pages long, mostly in black and white. There are articles recapping the Tigers season. Plenty of statistics too, as well as a history of the ALCS. Local advertisements include General Motors, River Rock Cafe, Elias Brothers Big Boy Restaurants and Heileman's Old Style (of Frankenmuth).

References

Baseball-Reference.com