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Former Tigers great Dan Petry talks 1984 World Series, 1980 rookie card and collecting
Dan Petry finished his 13-year major league career with the Boston Red Sox, where he appeared in 13 games as a relief pitcher and recorded his only major league save.
Boston was on the road on Sept. 30, 1991 and Petry pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings to close out a 9-8 victory over the host Milwaukee Brewers.
Petry still has the ball from that game.
“I was joking with Richie Hebner on the plane ride back to Boston,” Petry said. “He was a coach for Boston at the time, but we had been teammates in Detroit. … We were laughing about getting my first save. We were fighting the Toronto Blue Jays down the stretch, so you’d do anything to help the team.
“To come through and get that save was a big deal.”
Petry’s major league career, from 1979-91, spanned 370 games with 300 starts. He finished with a career record of 125-104 and a 3.95 ERA with 52 complete games and 11 shutouts for the Detroit Tigers, California Angels and Atlanta Braves.
“Naming one career highlight … there were so many,” he said. “But the one that jumps out was my second-ever start, in Chicago in 1979, for Detroit. … That’s when I got my first win. That was a big deal.”
Petry had seven seasons with double-digit wins, including six in a row from 1980-85. He went 19-11 in 1983, then 18-8 during the Tigers’ World Series-winning 1984 campaign.
“Winning the World Series and, almost 40 years later, it’s still so important to the people in Detroit and Michigan. They will never forget 1984 and always talk about that season, which was so special for so many people,” Petry said. “To have been drafted by Detroit and to have played more than 10 years for the team and now still to be associated with the team, it is a big deal.
“The talk about 1984 never gets old. It’s great to keep up with the guys, see what everyone has done since that season, how everyone’s life has gone. … It never gets old talking about ’84.”
Detroit needed only five games to beat San Diego in the 1984 World Series, with Alan Trammell winning the MVP Award.
“What I think about a lot from my time with the Tigers is just how strong the memories are of those days. And there are so many fond memories,” said Petry, who also had a memorable 1983 campaign with a career-high 19 wins in 38 starts and nine complete games.
“That 1983 season was a tough one as we were trying to catch the Orioles. We were pitching a four-man rotation and I ended up throwing 266.1 innings,” he said. “We didn’t have the strength and [conditioning] coaches back then, nor the diet knowledge that players have today. So, it took a lot out of you. [Manager] Sparky [Anderson] gave me every opportunity to win my 20th but I just couldn’t do it. I ran out of gas. I had the chance, but just couldn’t get it done.”
Petry played for the Angels in 1988-89 before returning to the Tigers for the 1990 campaign. His last major league season, 1991, was split between the Tigers, Braves and Red Sox.
“To play for Bobby Cox in Atlanta, who is someone I had so much respect for, was a big, big thrill,” Petry said. “Playing alongside a number of noteworthy players on that team really stands out, such as Deion Sanders, Terry Pendleton, Ron Gant, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz and others.
“That team was really, really good.”
He also collected his first and only major league hit in five at-bats for the Braves.
“I have great memories from Atlanta,” he said.
Petry’s major league legacy now sits in the trading card market, dating back to his 1980 Topps rookie card #373, which sells for about $1. The card shows a clean-shaven Petry.
“I remember when my first card came out; that was a big thrill,” Petry said. “I even think further back, to when I was a youngster collecting cards … when you’re trying to get all of the cards of a year, team or player. Whoever you collected, you wanted all of that player, be it Sandy Koufax, Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Nolan Ryan or Don Drysdale, just to name a few.
“I never thought I’d have my own card. When I finally got my first card, it certainly was a big thrill.”
Petry isn’t sure how many cards he appears on. Suffice it to say, “there are a lot of them,” he said.
“It’s interesting to see how cards have changed and how I have changed over the years,” he said. “That 1980 card was just a posed photo, not taken during a game or anything like that.”
Petry couldn’t pick a favorite of his relics.
“I’d have to see all of them to pick out my favorite,” he said. “There was one … I think it was taken in Texas; where I’m holding up my glove and they snapped [the picture]. Another photo, taken in Milwaukee, a rather close-up picture.
“I’m not sure if there is or was one favorite.”
Petry added, “My rookie card was when I was clean-shaven. We thought Sparky had a rule against having a mustache. My children are now in their mid-30s, and they’ve never seen me without a mustache. They get a kick out of those [clean-shaven] cards.”
Petry is surprised how hot the collectibles market remains.
“Fans are still very into it, just as they were 30 or 35 years ago,” he said. “The nonstop [barrage of collectibles] surprises me. Just when you think you signed your last card, your last baseball, your last picture or your last book, there’s always something different. And that’s a nice thing.”
Petry has been a regular on the card show market for decades.
“[Card shows] give you the chance to stay engaged with the fans, talk about the current team and the past years. Card shows always bring back good memories,” he said.
Petry has limited collectibles from his career. Most relics have been donated. He owns a small, limited memorabilia collection. Most souvenirs have been sold to support the local high school baseball team of his son, who is the head coach.
All fan mail requests are answered, with a required donation made payable directly to the Orchard Lake St. Mary’s High School for its baseball team.
