'85 Blue Jays sweep '87 Tigers

GAME 1 Tiger Stadium - '85-TOR 12, '87-DET 8: This series meant an awful lot for Toronto. Even though it's been 21 years, the Blue Jays core and their fans can not forget their monumental weekend collapse to the '87 Tigers to lose the AL East flag. The '85 Blue Jays were a young up and coming team that needed to learn how to win. The '87 Tigers were a battle hardened veteran crew that still featured many of it's core players from their 1984 World Championship team that dominated the AL from start to finish. Toronto was all over "Big Game" Jack Morris from the onset. With a 12-3 lead Dave Steib entered the 8th inning looking to just throw strikes and close it out. Instead he wound up giving up 4 runs and headed for the shower. Reliever Luis Leal didn't fool anyone either as the score was now 12-8 and the game was back on. Acker and Lavelle were called in to shut the door in the 9th for Toronto in a game that should have remained a laugher. Kirk Gibson had a 3 hit 4 RBI day for the loser. Willie Upshaw knocked in 4 for the victors.

GAME 2 Tiger Stadium - '85-TOR 92, '87-DET 2: Jimmy Key didn't fall into the same lull that almost cost Dave Steib in game 1. After the Tigers scored to open the game in the first Toronto rattled off 9 unanswered runs. Key left after pitching to 2 batters in the 9th and Jim Acker finished it out. George Bell was the hitting star in this one with 3 consecutive long balls. Looking for his 4th in a row in the 8th Bell was brushed back 2 times by Tiger reliever Eric King. Finally Bell reached out and smoked one up the middle right by King's ear. Benches looked to clear, but cooler heads prevailed.

GAME 3 Exhibition Stadium - '85-TOR 5, '87-DET 2: The series shifted to the more pitcher friendly Exhibition Stadium located on the shore front of lake Ontario. In a curious match up Doyle Alexander faced himself, which to the best of our knowledge is a 1st in KOD history. On paper, Detroit's Alexander seemed the surer bet as he had an undefeated record (8-0) and sub 2.00 ERA. Toronto's version of Alexander "the great" had middle of the road #'s with a 3.50 era. The game started out according to play with the Tigers jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first off a Darrell Evans 2 run shot. Detroit nursed that lead until the Blue Jays scored 2 of their own in the bottom of the 6th as George Bell had an RBI double and Jesse Barfield singled him home. Toronto took the lead in the 7th as they played small ball and scored one to make it 3-2. Detroit's Alexander walked Barfield to lead off the 8th and just like the late Bob Murphy would have said, "oh, those bases on balls"...Ernie Whitt delivered a two run homer to make it 5-2. Toronto's Alexander got the first out in the 9th but yielded a single to Matt Nokes and walked DH Bill Madlock. "Wild" Bill Caudill came on for the final two outs to nail down the save. Doyle Alexander was the winner...and the loser.

GAME 4 Exhibition Stadium - '85-TOR 5, '87-DET 2: The series finale had the identical score as game 3. Toronto carried a 3-0 lead into the 7th when starter Tom Filer, who had a no hitter for 5 1/3 innings lost his shutout. With the score 3-2 the Blue Jays got clutch again and scored a run in the 7th playing small ball and a run in the 8th off a pinch hit homer by light hitting Buck Martinez. Tom Henke pitched a scoreless 9th for his first save of the year as Toronto swept Motown.