1952 season. He struggled in spring training, but he was not considered in danger of losing his role to a rookie, as López felt that he knew what Gromek could and could not do on the mound. He won his first three starts in April and May before getting his first loss of the year, and stayed around .500 the rest of the season. He finished the season with a 7–7 record and a 3.67 ERA in 29 games, 13 of them starts; three of his victories came against the Yankees, of only three pitchers who had three against them that season. His wish to play for the Tigers was granted early in 1953. On June 15, after pitching in five games for the Indians, he, Al Aber, Ray Boone and Dick Weik were traded to the Tigers for Owen Friend, Joe Ginsberg, Art Houtteman and Bill Wight. In the case of both Gromek and Houtteman, it was thought that a change of scenery would benefit both players as both had been inconsistent in recent years, so the two were added into the trade package. Detroit Tigers In his first appearance upon joining his new club, Gromek allowed nine earned runs in one inning in a 23–3 blowout loss to the Boston Red Sox. Despite the poor first outing, Tigers manager Fred Hutchinson decided that the veteran Gromek's best fit would be as a starter with his staff of young pitchers. His confidence paid off, as Gromek shut out Philadelphia in his next appearance, allowing four hits and cementing his role in the starting rotation for the rest of the season. In his third start for the Tigers on July 2, he faced the Indians, and defeated the team who had traded him three weeks prior, 4–2. He ended up facing the Indians two more times, winning in August and losing in September, his final start of the year. In his first season in Detroit, Gromek went 6–8 with a 4.51 ERA in 19 games, 17 of them starts. Hutchinson chose Gromek as his opening day starter for the 1954 season against the former St. Louis Browns in their first game as the Baltimore Orioles, using the starter with the most experience in order to get the Tigers to start the season strong; he shut them out on seven hits in a 3–0 win. After his first four games, he