Tigers All-Star Moments: Lance Parrish threw out three runners in 1982

The 1982 All-Star Game may not have been full of highlight reel plays by the American League. But what highlights there were could be attributed to one a player who didn't even crack the starting lineup.

That season's Midsummer Classic was an interesting one because it was hosted by the Montreal Expos. That marked the first time the ASG crossed the friendly border to gather in Canada.

The Tigers managed to get just one player onto the AL's roster: catcher Lance Parrish, who replaced Carlton Fisk in the lineup in the bottom of the fifth inning and made an impact soon after.

After the first batter reached base -- replaced by pinch runner Steve Sax -- Parrish went to work. Sax tried to steal off Floyd Bannister, and he was gunned down.  In the seventh inning, Ozzie Smith pinch ran and tried to steal second. He was sent back to the dugout after failing. In the eighth inning, Al Oliver met the same fate.  Just one runner stole successfully, while three were thrown out. The three CS by Parrish set an AL record. Previously,  Walker Cooper (1944), Yogi Berra (1951) and Roy Campanella (1953) all had two.

But that wasn't all he did. He led off the seventh inning with a double and advanced to third before he was stranded.

The AL lost 4-1, however, so Parrish's feats risked being lost to the history books and the grainy box score.

Our own Big Al had to say:

He very easily could have been the ASG MVP.

Al provided a bit of bonus information. The '80s were good years for the Tigers in the game.  During that famous 1984 season, they had three starters  in the ASG -- Lou Whitaker, Parrish and Chet Lemon -- and six players total. Alan Trammell, Jack Morris and Willie Hernandez all made the roster, and Sparky Anderson was a coach.

The Tigers again had six representatives in 1985 (Morris, Whitaker, Trammell, Parrish, Hernandez, and Dan Petry). Morris started the game and pitched two scoreless innings. Whitaker, you might recall, forgot to bring his jersey and had to write his name on the back of one he bought at the souvenir stand. Whitaker had his own moment in 1986 when he hit a home run off Doc Gooden.

Oh, and here's a minor spoiler alert for you: There are no All-Star Moments from the 1990s, because the Tigers barely made it above the minimum of one invitee each team is guaranteed. The ones who did go barely did a thing in the game. In fact, just one pitcher took the mound, and just two position players even had hits.

Any guesses what my No. 1 Tigers All-Star Moment might be?

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