"I've been in big league baseball for 30 years," Houk said, "and I've never seen a team have 24 men retired in a row and still win the game."
Yet that's exactly what happened tonight at Memorial Stadium, where the Tigers beat the Baltimore Orioles, 4-0, in 12 innings.
Orioles starter Mike Cuellar set down 24 straight Tigers from the first thru eight innings, but Mickey Lolich matched Cuellar in terms of scoreless frames, and after nine innings the game was tied 0-0.
Both starters pitched into the 10th; Cuellar made it one out into the frame, and Lolich finished it.
Willie Horton led off the 12th inning with a home run, his 12th, off Dyar Miller. The Tigers went on to score three more runs off Grant Jackson.
Bob Reynolds pitched two innings to get the win over his former team.
The Tigers (28-39) have won five of their past nine games, which includes two shutouts.
But it looked like the story was going to be Cuellar, the Orioles' star lefty. For eight innings, it was.
Ron LeFlore led off the game with a single. After that, Cuellar set down the next 24 Tigers hitters.
(ed. note: Cuellar's last name is misspelled on his 1975 Topps trading card)
Meanwhile, Lolich was allowing the occasional base runner but no runs.
Cuellar took the result---a no decision---in stride.
"I did what I could," he said. "Sometimes it's not good enough."
Houk, for his part, praised Horton.
"Willie's been terrific for us," the manager said. "He's healthy, playing everyday, enjoying being our DH. And his production speaks for itself."
Horton has 12 homers and 46 RBI, both in the league's top five.
Horton's homer tonight was the second time in 48 hours that he struck for a tie-breaking home run in the game's final inning, essentially winning the game. He did it on Tuesday in the ninth inning in Milwaukee.
Notes: Lolich pitched beyond the ninth inning in a start for the 10th time in his career, which began in 1963...Tonight was just the Tigers' third extra innings game of the season. They're 1-2...Gene Michael started at shortstop for the fourth straight game, as Tom Veryzer's troublesome left ankle has flared up again...Houk said that John Wockenfuss would be spelling 33-year-old Bill Freehan at catcher more often as the summer wears on, especially since Freehan is fresh off the disabled list with a sore back.
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Tigers record: 28-39 (actual 27-40)
Home: 13-23
Road: 15-16
Last 10: 5-5
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