August 21 Happy Birthday to Former Tigers or Detroit Wolverines

J. D. Martinez

Dean Crow pitched his entire MLB career as a Tiger.  The Texas native went to college at Baylor and San Jacinto College before being drafted by the Seattle Mariners in 1993.  Dean was a fastball pitcher and led his A team with 22 saves in 1995.  In 1996 he had 26 saves in AA.  He was working his way up the Mariners farm system as a reliever having never started a game and was up to AAA when in the middle of 1997 he was traded by the M’s to the Tigers.  He came to eh Tiges with minor leaguer Carlos Villalobos and Scott Sanders while the Tiges sent Felipe Lira and Omar Olivares to the Mariners.  Dean was 3-0 with 2 saves and a 7.85 ERA for the Mud Hens the rest of the 1997 season.  He was with the Tigers the whole of 1998.  At the end of May he made his major league debut in a game against the White Sox ahead 7-2in the top of the 7^th.  Dean put the side down allowing only a single to the second batter that was wiped out when the base runner tried to make it a double.  The Tiges scored 2 in their half of the inning off of a Damion Easley homer and Dean came back in the 8^th.  He had an almost identical inning when the second batter hit a single but was out trying to turn it into a double.  The Tigers scored 4 runs in their half of the 8^th of off homers by Kimera Bartee and another by Damion Easley.  Dean was done as were the Sox and Dean got a win in his major league debut.  On September 21 Dean was also brought into the game in the 7^th.  He faced the Royals with the game tied 5-5 and one out.  Dean got the next two batters out.  The Tiges scored in the top of the 8^th to make it 6-5 and give Dean the lead.  He faced one more batter in the Royals half of the 8^th and walked the batter.  But the Tiges held on and did not allow another run thus giving Dean his second win of his major league career.  It would also prove to be his final career win and his final career appearance.  Those two wins bookended 30 other games Dean appeared in.  His final record was 2-2 with a 3.94 ERA. He walked 16 while K’ing 18.  He was never given a chance at a save.  Before the start of the 1999 season he must have made Randy Smith giddy.  Dean was sent to the Astros in a multi player deal that included not one, but two catchers!  Dean was sent to ‘Stros with the same minor leaguer, Carlos Villalobos that he came to Detroit with plus minor leaguer Mark Persails, Brian Powell and catcher Paul Bako.  The Tiges got Brian Powell and catcher Brad Ausmus.  Dean played 1999 in the Astros AAA affiliate before his pro ball career was over at the age of 26.

Andujar Cedeno

Gerry Staley