On this date 42 years ago – July 3, 1982 – the Orioles’ pitching staff was in need of a boost.
The Orioles had just begun a three-game series in Detroit after having been swept in a three-game set vs. Cleveland at Memorial Stadium.
On Friday night, July 2 the O’s defeated the Tigers 5-4 behind the pitching of Jim Palmer and Tim Stoddard and found themselves in third place in the American League East, three games behind the Brewers and Red Sox, who were tied for the top spot with identical 44-32 records.
But starter Jim Palmer left that Friday night victory after just five innings with a sore elbow, and it was unknown just how severe injury would be.
With the staff in need of a boost, manager Earl Weaver selected 20-year-old rookie Storm Davis to make his first major league start on Saturday, July 3 at Tiger Stadium.
Davis had been with the Orioles at the big league level – as the youngest player in the majors – since late April and had pitched well out of the bullpen.
Now – with the status of the team’s veteran ace uncertain – Davis was being asked to make the move to the starting rotation.
Of course, there was more than just Davis’ transition to the starting rotation happening in early July of 1982.
Manager Weaver had also just recently moved rookie third baseman Cal Ripken, Jr. over to shortstop…and the July 3 game would be Ripken’s third straight game of what would end up being more than 2,300 played at the position.
Ken Singleton staked his rookie pitcher to a 1-0 lead in the first inning with a solo home run off Tigers’ starter Jerry Ujdur.
Davis allowed a leadoff single in the bottom of the first but escaped the inning without allowing a run and the game remained 1-0 heading into the fourth inning.
Ripken led off the fourth with a solo home run and catcher Joe Nolan followed with a solo shot of his own. In fact, the Orioles would continue their offensive assault on Ujdur and Tigers’ reliever Aurelio Lopez, jumping out to an 8-0 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth.
Davis finally allowed a run in the sixth on a solo homer by Detroit’s Rick Leach, but by that time the Orioles’ were in command of the game.
In all, five different Orioles homered in the game: Singleton, Ripken, Nolan, Dan Ford and Floyd Rayford.
According to the Washington Post game story, the Orioles “jumped to an early lead before 24,782 in Tiger Stadium tonight and took the pressure off young Davis, who had a green and jittery look as he waited in the clubhouse for the game to begin.”[i]
Davis pitched 6 2/3 innings on the night and picked up his first major league victory. The young right-hander scattered seven hits and allowed three runs, walking three batters and striking out one.
Davis’ next start, on July 7 in Seattle, did not go as well as he lasted just 1 1/3 innings in the team’s eventual 8-7 loss to the Mariners.
But Davis bounced back to win his next two starts and would provide the team the boost it needed in the second half, ultimately finishing the year with a record of 8-4 with a 3.49 ERA while splitting time between the bullpen and the starting rotation.
Perhaps Davis’ most memorable start of 1982 came in the second game of the O’s Friday night doubleheader sweep of the Brewers on Friday, October 1. In that game, Davis held the division-leading Brewers to just one run on six hits while pitching his first major league complete game.
That doubleheader sweep – and the subsequent Saturday afternoon victory – set up the fateful Sunday afternoon showdown with the two teams tied for first place. As all of old enough painfully remember, Don Sutton and the Brewers beat the O’s that day 10-2 to take the division crown.
Davis would go on to pitch four more seasons for the Orioles, posting a record of 13-7 in 1983 and winning Game Four of the 1983 World Series to put the team on the verge of its third championship.
In 1984, Davis had his best season as an Oriole, posting a 14-9 record with a 3.12 ERA while making 31 starts. Davis went 10-8 for the Birds in 1985 and slipped to 9-12 with a 4.53 ERA in the team’s disastrous 1986 season.
In early September 1986, Davis suffered a knee injury that ended his season and ultimately was traded to San Diego that winter in a deal for reliever Mark Williamson and catcher Terry Kennedy.
Davis didn’t stay long in San Diego, as he was traded to Oakland in late August 1987. In Oakland, Davis had perhaps his two best seasons – going 16-7 in 1988 and 19-7 in 1989. He would eventually come back to Baltimore for the 1992 season, when he mainly pitched for the club in relief.
Overall, Davis finished his MLB career with a record of 113-96 and a 4.02 ERA. His time in Baltimore – where he compiled a 61-43 regular season record – is perhaps best remembered for his strong performances in the 1983 ALCS and World Series as well as that Friday night victory on the final weekend of the 1982 season.
But it was 42 years ago today – July 3, 1982 – when the 20-year-old Davis first took the mound as a starter in an Oriole uniform.
[i] https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1982/07/04/five-orioles-homer-as-davis-wins-first/05fd8fc3-1146-4d2e-bf3b-c8462d0897a8/
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