it happened in ’84

The Detroit Tigers and San Francisco Giants franchises have been around since the dawn of time – or so it seems. Interesting that they’ve never met in the World Series before. Both have multiple championships on their resumes, with the Giants having celebrated one just two years ago. The Tigers were in the Fall Classic in 2006 but lost to St. Louis. Their last title came in 1984, when a pair of Mississippi natives played notable roles. Sunflower’s Larry Herndon was the Tigers’ left fielder that year, and he went 5-for-15 in the five-game World Series victory over San Diego. Herndon hit a crucial two-run, two-out home run in the fifth inning of Game 1, propelling the Tigers to a 3-2 victory. Jackson native Chet Lemon was Detroit’s center fielder; he was 5-for-17 in the Series and also made 15 putouts, a nice number for a man long noted for his glove. P.S. There are no Mississippians in the 2012 Series, but New Albany and Delta State product Eli Whiteside has been with the Giants (though inactive) throughout the postseason. He’s the third catcher and likely won’t be activated unless Buster Posey or Hector Sanchez goes down. Whiteside was active for the Giants’ 2010 championship run and got a ring.