Rookie southpaw Bob Sykes gained his first major league victory when the Tigers rallied for two runs in the ninth inning to win the nightcap of a doubleheader, 3-2, after two homers had carried the Indians to a 5-2 triumph in the opener. Walks actually beat the Tigers in the lidlifter. John Hiller passed two batters before serving up a gopher ball to Buddy Bell in the third inning. Then in the seventh, reliever Milt Wilcox issued a pass ahead of a circuit clout by Paul Dade. Jason Thompson batted in both Tiger tallies with a homer and sacrifice fly.

Sykes was handed a 1-0 lead in the first inning of the second game and stayed ahead in his duel with Wayne Garland until the top of the ninth when Ron Pruitt batted in the Indians' two runs with a single. With two out in the Tigers' half, Thompson singled and counted the tying run on a double by Ben Oglivie. Jim Kern replaced Garland and gave up a single by Milt May that drove in Oglivie with the winning run. [The Sporting News]



Cleveland Indians 5, Detroit Tigers 2 (Game 1)
Game Played on Sunday, June      26, 1977 (Day game) at Tiger Stadium
Indians      0  0  3    0  0  0    2  0  0  -   5 11  1
Tigers       0  1  0    1  0  0    0  0  0  -   2  8  0


Indians              AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Tigers               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Norris cf             3   1   1   0     2   2   .284      LeFlore cf            5   0   2   0     0   2   .270
Kuiper 2b             4   0   1   0     0   0   .263      Veryzer ss            3   0   0   0     1   1   .186
Dade rf               4   1   3   2     1   1   .337        May ph              1   0   0   0     0   0   .258
Carty dh              3   1   0   0     2   1   .284      Staub dh              3   1   0   0     1   1   .225
Thornton 1b           3   1   0   0     1   1   .197      Kemp lf               4   0   1   0     0   0   .259
Bell 3b               4   1   3   3     0   1   .300      Thompson 1b           3   1   2   2     0   1   .262
Fosse c               4   0   1   0     0   1   .268      Stanley rf            4   0   1   0     0   1   .279
Pruitt lf             4   0   2   0     0   1   .281      Wockenfuss c          3   0   1   0     0   1   .276
Duffy ss              4   0   0   0     0   3   .200        Oglivie ph          1   0   0   0     0   0   .255
Waits p               0   0   0   0     0   0   .000        Kimm c              0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Kern p              0   0   0   0     0   0   .000      Rodriguez 3b          3   0   0   0     0   1   .207
                                                            Mankowski ph        1   0   1   0     0   0   .294
                                                          Scrivener 2b          3   0   0   0     0   0   .130
                                                            Corcoran ph         1   0   0   0     0   0   .222
                                                          Hiller p              0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Wilcox p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .000

Totals               33   5  11   5     6  11             Totals               35   2   8   2     2   8

Time of Game: 2:48
Left on Base: Indians 8, Tigers 9
DP: Indians 0, Tigers 1
Errors: Waits
Doubles: Dade (7)
Home Runs: Bell (7), Dade (2), Thompson (13)
Stolen Bases: LeFlore (16)
Caught Stealing: Fosse (3), Bell (5), Norris (12)
Sacrifice Hits: Kuiper (10)
Sacrifice Flies: Thompson (3)
GIDP: Thornton (3)


Indians                IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Waits W(5-0)            7     6   2   1   2   6   1  30   3.26
Kern SV(10)             2     2   0   0   0   2   0   8   2.42
Totals                  9     8   2   1   2   8   1  38

Tigers                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Hiller L(4-8)           2.1   5   3   3   4   2   1  15   4.08
Wilcox                  6.2   6   2   2   2   9   1  25   2.70
Totals                  9    11   5   5   6  11   2  40

Balks: Wilcox (1)

Umpires: HP - Mike Reilly, 1B - Ken Kaiser, 2B - Bill Haller, 3B - Ron Luciano


INDIANS 1ST: Norris struck out; Kuiper singled to shortstop;
Dade doubled to left [Kuiper to third]; Carty walked; Thornton
grounded into a double play (third to second to first) [Carty
out at second]; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Indians 0, Tigers 0.

TIGERS 1ST: LeFlore singled to center; Veryzer popped to third
in foul territory; Staub struck out; Kemp flied out to center; 0
R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Indians 0, Tigers 0.

INDIANS 2ND: Bell singled to right; Fosse popped to first in
foul territory; Pruitt singled to center [Bell to third, Pruitt
to second (on throw to 3b)]; Duffy popped to first in foul
territory; Norris walked; Kuiper grounded out (second to first);
0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 3 LOB.  Indians 0, Tigers 0.

TIGERS 2ND: Thompson homered; Stanley grounded out (shortstop to
first); Wockenfuss struck out; Rodriguez grounded out (second to
first); 1 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Indians 0, Tigers 1.

INDIANS 3RD: Dade was called out on strikes; Carty walked;
Thornton walked [Carty to second]; Bell homered [Carty scored,
Thornton scored]; WILCOX REPLACED HILLER (PITCHING); Fosse was
called out on strikes; Pruitt lined to pitcher; 3 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0
LOB.  Indians 3, Tigers 1.

TIGERS 3RD: Scrivener grounded out (third to first); LeFlore
struck out; Veryzer lined to center; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Indians 3, Tigers 1.

INDIANS 4TH: Duffy struck out; Norris struck out; Kuiper
grounded out (second to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Indians
3, Tigers 1.

TIGERS 4TH: Staub reached on an error by Waits; Kemp singled to
right [Staub to third]; Thompson hit a sacrifice fly to left
[Staub scored (unearned), Kemp to second]; Stanley grounded out
(shortstop to first); Wockenfuss flied out to center; 1 R (0
ER), 1 H, 1 E, 1 LOB.  Indians 3, Tigers 2.

INDIANS 5TH: Dade singled to center; Wilcox balked [Dade to
second]; Carty flied out to right; Thornton struck out; Bell was
called out on strikes; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Indians 3, Tigers
2.

TIGERS 5TH: Rodriguez struck out; Scrivener grounded out
(shortstop to first); LeFlore singled; LeFlore stole second;
Veryzer walked; Staub flied out to center; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.
 Indians 3, Tigers 2.

INDIANS 6TH: Fosse singled; Pruitt was called out on strikes;
Fosse was caught stealing second (catcher to second); Duffy
struck out; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Indians 3, Tigers 2.

TIGERS 6TH: Kemp lined to second; Thompson struck out; Stanley
singled to left; Wockenfuss singled to left [Stanley to second];
Rodriguez grounded out (third to first); 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.
Indians 3, Tigers 2.

INDIANS 7TH: Norris walked; Kuiper out on a sacrifice bunt
(pitcher to second) [Norris to second]; Dade homered [Norris
scored]; Carty struck out; Thornton made an out to shortstop; 2
R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Indians 5, Tigers 2.

TIGERS 7TH: Scrivener flied out to right; LeFlore grounded out
(second to first); Veryzer struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Indians 5, Tigers 2.

INDIANS 8TH: Bell singled to right; Fosse made an out to second;
Pruitt singled to left [Bell to second]; Bell was caught
stealing third (catcher unassisted) [Pruitt to second]; Duffy
struck out; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Indians 5, Tigers 2.

TIGERS 8TH: Staub walked; KERN REPLACED WAITS (PITCHING); Kemp
made an out to third; Thompson singled to right [Staub to
second]; Stanley struck out; OGLIVIE BATTED FOR WOCKENFUSS;
Oglivie lined to shortstop; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Indians 5,
Tigers 2.

INDIANS 9TH: KIMM REPLACED OGLIVIE (PLAYING C ); Norris singled
to center; Norris was caught stealing second (catcher to
shortstop); Kuiper flied out to center; Dade walked; Carty flied
out to right; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Indians 5, Tigers 2.

TIGERS 9TH: MANKOWSKI BATTED FOR RODRIGUEZ; Mankowski singled to
center; CORCORAN BATTED FOR SCRIVENER; Corcoran flied out to
left; LeFlore struck out; MAY BATTED FOR VERYZER; May popped to
third in foul territory; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Indians 5,
Tigers 2.