Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, September 14, 1995 TAG: 9509140075
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: DETROIT LENGTH: Medium
They were thrown together from two different worlds. Yet the pairing of Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker has proven to be right for the team, right for the town and right for them.
``I didn't think we'd be married so long,'' Whitaker said. ``We've been together longer than lots of husbands and wives.''
The duo long ago became the longest-running double-play combination in baseball history.
On Wednesday, they set an American League record when they played their 1,915th game together. Their start against the Milwaukee Brewers erased the old mark by George Brett and Frank White of the Kansas City Royals.
The major-league mark of 2,015 by two players on the same team was set by Ron Santo and Billy Williams of the Chicago Cubs.
``We were kind of force-fed,'' Trammell said. ``We were both just kids when they brought us up. We needed to mature - physically and mentally. But, we endured and flourished. The bottom line is we both did the job. So, we stayed.''
Trammell and Whitaker were paired in the minor leagues. Jim Campbell, who then was the Tigers' general manager, wanted them together so much that he converted Whitaker into a second baseman, despite the fact that Whitaker was voted Most Valuable Player of the Florida State League as a third baseman in 1976.
``Ten days after the season ended, they sent us to the Instructional League and switched him to second,'' Trammell said. ``They paired us up there, in the fall of 1976.''
They have been together ever since.
Their 19-season tenure with Detroit began Sept.9, 1977, when manager Ralph Houk started them both in the second game of a doubleheader at Fenway Park. Both hit safely in their first major-league at-bats. Whitaker went 3-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a stolen base. Trammell went 2-for-3 in an 8-6 loss.
``Neither of us sought the limelight,'' Trammell said. ``And that's fine. We've had the respect of our peers. We had a good time.''
Both have made significant marks. Whitaker and Hall of Famer Joe Morgan are the only second basemen to accumulate 2,000 games, 2,000 hits and 200 home runs. Trammell has persevered through many injuries. He was the Most Valuable Player in the 1984 World Series. The two have 10 All-Star berths between them.
But numbers on a page don't begin to describe their relationship.
Whitaker grew up in Martinsville, Va. He was shy and quiet. He was hesitant to sign a professional contract because he didn't have much of a wardrobe. Bill Lajoie bought him two suits and Whitaker signed.
Trammell was a California kid. He grew up almost in the shadow of Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego where he was a standout prep basketball player.
Yet they took to one another immediately, rooming together on the road in the early years.
``We talked a lot about baseball,'' Whitaker said. ``We have never had a strong disagreement in all these years. It was just a strong working relationship.''
The sparse crowd of 8,967 at Tiger Stadium gave them a nice ovation in response to a public address announcement before the start of the second inning. Trammell doffed his cap, Whitaker waved his glove. There was little fanfare, and that's the way the players wanted it.
Trammell drove in the Tigers' first run with a sacrifice fly. Whitaker won the game 5-3 with a three-run homer in the ninth, and in between they turned a classic 4-6-3 double play.
Keywords:
BASEBALL
by CNB