Tigers Vault: Evans slugs No. 30 at 40

March 10th, 2022

MLB.com is digging back into its massive video vault to uncover classic plays that you have loved, forgotten about or, perhaps, are discovering for the very first time. Watch these moments and many, many more on the MLB Vault YouTube page.

Sept. 18, 1987: Evans becomes first 40-30 player
Darrell Evans became the first 40-year-old in Major League history to hit 30 home runs in a season when he took Milwaukee's Bill Wegman deep to right at Tiger Stadium.

May 27, 2004: Pena's six-hit extravaganza
The Tigers have had a long list of star hitters since their rise from 119 losses in 2003 to the World Series in '06. But the last Tiger to post six hits in a game was Carlos Pena, who went 6-for-6 with two homers and five RBIs in a 17-7 rout in Kansas City. He fell a triple shy of the cycle.

June 8, 1997: Phil Nevin breaks up Big Unit no-no
Seven years and six days after Randy Johnson no-hit the Tigers at the Kingdome, he tried to repeat the feat on a Sunday afternoon at Tiger Stadium, holding the Tigers hitless through seven innings. Phil Nevin broke up the bid with a leadoff single in the eighth inning, but Johnson struck out the side to finish with 15 K's.

June 8, 1992: Alomar charges mound on Doherty
While Detroit and Cleveland have a history of hostilities over more than a century as rivals, this year marks the 30th anniversary of one of the uglier incidents between the pair. A back-and-forth of inside pitches culminated in Sandy Alomar Jr. charging the mound and kicking John Doherty following a pitch up and inside. Both Doherty and Alomar were ejected and later suspended.

Sept. 22, 1987: Noles steps off plane in Boston, earns save
The Tigers have been known for Trade Deadline deals over the years, but with less than two weeks left in the 1987 season, they acquired a well-traveled reliever named Dickie Noles from the Cubs for a player to be named later. Hours after general manager Bill Lajoie swung the deal, Noles joined the team in Boston. He ended up getting the save that night, retiring his only batter to strand the bases loaded in an 8-5 win over the Red Sox. Noles pitched in three more games for Detroit, but he wasn't eligible for the postseason since he'd been traded after the playoff roster deadline. After the season, the Tigers sent Noles back to the Cubs. Yes, he was the player to be named later.

April 25, 1987: Bean has four hits in MLB debut
Only one player in Tigers history has posted four hits in his MLB debut. That feat belongs to Billy Bean, whose eighth-inning double off Tiger Stadium's right-field fence capped a historic performance in a 13-2 win over the Royals.

July 28, 1993: Fryman hits for cycle
No Tiger had batted for the cycle in a game since Hoot Evers in 1950, until Travis Fryman did it against the Yankees on a hot summer afternoon at Tiger Stadium in 1993.

May 22, 1991: Trammell makes leaping grab
Alan Trammell went up high to rob Baltimore's David Segui of a line-drive base hit at Tiger Stadium.

July 15, 1986: Sweet Lou homers off Dr. K
Lou Whitaker hit a two-run homer off Dwight Gooden to open the scoring in the 1986 All-Star Game at the Astrodome.

April 30, 2006: Polanco dives, flips and gets the force
After Rondell White's ground ball went between Kenny Rogers' legs, Placido Polanco ranged behind second base for a diving stop, then flipped the ball over his shoulder to second base for a forceout.

July 2, 2002: Tigers, White Sox combine for 12 HRs
Nine players, including current Tigers coach George Lombard, combined for a dozen homers as the Tigers and White Sox put on a slugfest at Comiskey Park that ended in a 17-9 Chicago win.