Former Tigers pitcher Tom Timmermann, who once set the franchise record for most relief appearances in a season, has died. He was 85.

Timmermann died at home in Farmington Hills on Friday, surrounded by family, according to his online obituary. Timmermann, a 6-foot-4 right-hander, pitched for the Tigers from 1969-73 , and in 1970 he made 61 relief appearances, setting a team record that has since been passed by several players as the use of relievers has become much more popular ― 1990s pitchers Mike Myers and Sean Runyan share the franchise record, with 88 appearances. In 1970, Timmermann was voted “Tiger of the Year” by the Detroit chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America, beating out Mr. Tiger Al Kaline.

In his first three seasons in the majors, Timmermann mostly was u

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