Tigers honor Sparky with 8th inning rout of Arizona, 8-3

On a day where the Tigers family honored & retired Sparky Anderson's #11, Miguel Cabrera hit a go-ahead single, helping the Detroit Tigers to score seven runs with two outs in the eighth inning to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 8-3.

David Hernandez then came on and didn’t retire any of the four batters he faced. He walked Magglio Ordonez to load the bases, allowed Cabrera’s two-run single and gave up RBI singles to Victor Martinez and Jhonny Peralta.

Brandon Inge hit a two-run single off Bryan Shaw to make it 7-2, and Kelly reached on an error, with another run scoring.

Al Alburquerque (5-1) pitched 1 1-3 innings of scoreless relief for Detroit.


POSTGAME COMMENTS FROM THE TIGERS

1st baseman Miguel Cabrera

Catcher Victor Martinez

Pitcher Jose Valverde




Before the Tigers took down the Diamondbacks, the memory of Sparky Anderson filled Comerica Park and the city of Detroit.

The legendary Hall of Fame manager, who was with the Tigers from 1979 to 1995, had his No. 11 retired before the game started.

A sellout crowd of 41,036 hailed the late clubhouse chief as members of Sparky’s family, Tigers owner Mike Ilitch, Tigers president Dave Dombrowski and club greats such as Al Kaline, Willie Horton and Lou Whitaker watched from temporary seats set up in front of home plate for the tribute.



As the white and blue Sparky flag flapped in the outfield below the U.S. flag, members of the 1984 World Series champion Tigers shook hands with their old teammates, Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson & bench coach Alan Trammell.

Sparky’s daughter Shirlee Engelbrecht was proud to say that her father, Sparky, loved the people of Detroit & never wanted to leave the Motor City.


COMMENTS FROM SPARKY ANDERSON'S FAMILY

Oldest son Lee Anderson

Younger son Albert Anderson

Daughter Shirlee Englebrecht