March 27 Happy Birthday to Former Tigers or Detroit Wolverines

Mike Dalton spent his entire time in the majors with the Tigers.  He started his professional career as a member of the Boston Red Sox farm system.  He was working his way up the system mainly as a left handed reliever and an occasional closer.   He never got a shot at the majors with the Sox.  After the 1990 season in Pawtucket, the Sox AAA team, Mike was 7 and 4 with 2.55 ERA and 5 saves.  The Red Sox released him.  He signed with the Tigers and was down in Toledo as the Mud Hens second most used lefty reliever behind Buddy Groom.  He got called up to the Tiges and on May 31, made his debut in the second inning of a game against the Indians at old Municipal Stadium.  The game was already out of hand.  The Tribe had beat up starter Kevin Ritz who left after only getting two outs but allowing three runs and leaving runners on the corners.  Mark Leiter had also given up some runs so that by the Time Mike came in the game was 8-2 Cleveland with only two outs in the second and a runner on first.  The lefty Beau Allred was up so Mike got the call.  He got Beau to hit a fly to right to end the inning.  Mike came in again in the third and got the side out while only allowing a double to Felix Fermin.  In the fourth Jerry Don Gleaton came in and relieved Mike.  His debut was over.  Four days later he was called in again to replace Mark Leiter with the Mariners ahead 4-1 in the sixth after Leiter had just given up a three run homer into Tiger Stadium’s left field seats.  With lefty batting Pete O’Brien up, Mike came in and struck him out.  Then got Jay Buhner to ground out to short to end the inning.  He stayed in for the seventh and got the side out only allowing a single to Jeff Scheaefer.  Mike was replaced in the eighth by Dan Petry.  Five days later he got the call again in a game that was already 4-0 Angels in California in the 4^th.  He replaced Dan Gakeler and inherited runners on the corners with nobody out.  He got Louis  Polonia to hit into a double play 4-3-6-3-1-4 but the runner on third scored.  He then gave up two singles before striking out Dave Parker to end the inning.  In the 6^th he came back out and had tow out when things got rough for Mike.  He gave up back to back homers to Wally Joyner and Dave Winfield.  He then faced Dave Parker again and this time gave up a triple.  He then left the game with the score 7-1, Angels.  Five days later he was given another call against the Mariners in Seattle in the 6^th with the score 10-2 Mariners with two outs and the bases loaded.  Mike gave up two wild pitches to Omar Vizquel that scored two.  Then he walked Omar.  The next batter reached on an error by Travis Fryman.  Another wild pitch and Omar was now on third.  Finally Henry Cotto grounded out to short to end the inning.  Mike pitched the next two innings and allowed one more run on a single by Ken Griffey Jr.  The final score was 15-2 Seattle.  Mike was done in the majors after that.  His final record was 0-0 with a 3.28 ERA in 8 innings pitched.  He never did get an opportunity to be in a winning game as a major leaguer as he always came in in games that were largely out of hand already.