A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives.
On April 7, 1984, BYU alumnus Jack Morris, the ace of the Detroit Tigers’ pitching staff, no-hit the Chicago White Sox 4-0.
It was the first of many exciting moments for the Tigers, who steamrolled through Major League Baseball to win the World Series in October.
Morris had already picked up a win on Opening Day, and four days later, dominated Chicago on NBC’s first nationally broadcast Saturday game. It wasn’t his best game, as he walked six and had to pitch out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth inning.
But this was the Tigers’ dream season. They won nine straight games to start the year, finishing with 104 total wins, then overwhelmed the San Diego Padres in the championship series.
The went 35-5 under manager Sparky Anderson to start the season. They never faltered. A 17th consecutive road win tied the 1916 Giants for baseball’s longest such streak and earned the Tigers a standing ovation from the opposing fans.
The team included Kirk Gibson, Lou Whitaker, Lance Parrish and Willie Hernandez, who won the Cy Young and American League MVP award. Darrell Evans, Chet Lemon and Dave Bergman also had an impressive season.
Morris won two games in the series, and Gibson’s three-run homer in the eight inning of Game 5 sealed the title.
Morris won four World Series rings, one each with Minnesota, and two with Toronto. He won four World Series rings — one with the Tigers (1984) and three more with other clubs — Minnesota Twins (1991, in which he was MVP) and the Toronto Blue Jays (1992, 1993).
Morris was a five-time MLB All-Star (1981, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1991).
Since retirement, Morris has had various television and radio analyst jobs, and in 2017, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Here are some stories from Deseret News archives about Morris and the 1984 Tigers:
“BYU baseball: Jack Morris to keynote third annual BYU First Pitch Dinner”
“Jack Morris’ entry into Cooperstown has his old BYU college coach excited to the core”
“Former BYU pitcher, Hall of Famer Jack Morris star-struck after Hall of Fame tour”
“`Hit the road, Jack,’ Indians tell Morris”
“Hall of Fame formula difficult to quantify”
“Could Utah field a historic major league team? We put one together”