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DETROIT FREE PRESS | Wednesday, June 1, 1977 — If John Hiller isn’t careful, manager Ralph Houk isn’t going to let him back in the bullpen.
The Tigers’ lefthanded relief ace certainly didn’t make it any easier for Houk to remove him from the starting rotation Tuesday night at Tiger Stadium as he put a stop to their six-game losing streak with an impressive 5-2 triumph over the Oakland A’s.
Mickey Stanley and Milt May helped him out with home runs, of course, as the Tigers’ dormant offense finally made it’s presence felt again, and Steve Foulcault stepped in when Hiller faltered in the ninth.
But there was no minimizing Hiller’s contributions to the cause as the 34-year old pitcher struck out nine while holding the A’s to nine hits in his second outstanding effort in a row as a starter — this time outpitching Oakland ace lefty Vida Blue.
Hiller now returns to the bullpen, where he and Foucault continue to compliment one another until Houk needs a fifth starting pitcher again.
However, after the way Hiller has pitched in the last two starts, Houk definitely won’t hesitate to call on him again. (See article below for more; click on, tap or stretch article for larger detailed read).
Detroit Free Press, 06/01/1977 | Copyright 2023. Newspapers.com
BASEBALL REFERENCE: For the complete Oakland Athletics vs Detroit Tigers May 31, 1977 game-day box score and stats — click HERE
