The 1984 World Series featured one of the most dramatic moments...

... in Tiger history. The 1984 World Series pitted one of the best teams of the '80s against an overmatched San Diego Padres outfit mostly remembered for the ugly uniforms they were forced to wear.

World Series Preview:

This Tiger team was loaded and everyone knew it. Going into the series, they were the prohibitive favorites over a San Diego team that had stormed back from a 2-0 deficit to cop the NL flag in their playoff series against the Chicago Cubs... many thought- and still think- that the Chicago squad would give the Tigers a better battle, but that point was moot- and still is- THEY DIDN'T EARN IT!
... and that was the only thing that made Tiger fans nervous going into this World Series- the Padres were a very hot team which had just won 3 in a row, but they were facing the 35-5 boys- a team which got off to the best start in baseball history, and had mopped

Kirk Gibson

the floor with the overmatched KC Royals in the ALCS- swept them!

Yep- Detroit was loaded in '84... Best DP combo in the game with Alan Trammell and Lou Whittaker... great catching with Lance Parrish... and a solid mound corp with AL MVP and Cy Young Award winner Willie Hernandez slamming the door on any late rallies.

Quite possibly the ugliest uniforms in baseball history against the absolute best uniforms in baseball history. Guess who won!

Game 1 at San Diego- Detroit 3 San Diego 2- Larry Herndon's 2 run homer and Jack Morris' 9 full innings were more than enough in the opener. Detroit leads 1984 World Series 1-0.

Game 2 at San Diego- San Diego 5 Detroit 3- Dan Petry can't hold a 3-0 lead as the Tigers lose game 2. 1984 World Series tied 1-1.

Game 3 at Detroit- Detroit 5 San Diego 2- Tigers score 4 in the 2nd inning as Milt Wilcox gets the win and Willie Hernandez the save. Detroit leads 1984 World Series 2-1.

Game 4 at Detroit- Detroit 4 San Diego 2- Series MVP to be Alan Trammell belts 2 homers as Jack Morris wins his 2nd in the series. Detroit leads 1984 World Series 3-1.

Game 5 at Detroit- Detroit 8 San Diego 4- Lance Parrish and Kirk Gibson each homer to give the Tigers their first World Championship since 1968. DETROIT TIGERS WIN 1984 WORLD SERIES 4-1.

World Series Wrapup:
As things usually don't, this one pretty much ran according to form... the Tigers usually jumped ahead and stayed ahead... pitching was far superior and they just played at a much higher level than San Diego.

Trammell bats in the 8th inning of Game 5 just before Gibson's big Home Run

The defining moment- and one of the most exciting moments in Detroit Tiger History came in game 5 when San Diego manager Dick Williams and pitcher Goose Gossage elected to pitch to Kirk Gibson with 2 on and 1 out while the Tigers clung to a 5-4 8th inning lead... Gibson's 3 run shot into the porch in right field knocked the Padres out for good and gave the Tigers their 4th WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP!

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