Episode #38 (10/6/15): Frank Tanana

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The story of Frank Tanana’s major league career can be divided into two acts.

He quickly rose to stardom with the California Angels as a strikeout pitcher – fanning as many as 269 in 1975. But a shoulder injury in 1979 necessitated a wholesale alteration to his throwing style.

Tanana eventually regained a winning form, compiling 240 victories – the most notable of which occurred on the final day of the 1987 season, in which he shut out the Toronto Blue Jays to propel his hometown Detroit Tigers to the American League East title.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images
Audio clips courtesy of MLB.com and ABC Sports