the Angels, though the milestone came in a 5–4 loss. Through August 6, he had a 3.40 ERA, but he struggled after that, posting a 9.00 ERA in his next eight starts and prompting manager Sparky Anderson to take him out of the rotation in September. However, Tanana only missed one start before rejoining the rotation with the Tigers in the middle of a pennant race. On the final day of the 1987 season, Tanana pitched a 1–0 complete-game shutout over second-place Toronto to clinch the American League East title for the Tigers. As the final out was recorded, a jubilant Anderson rushed to the mound, embracing and kissing his pitcher. "That game was probably the highlight of my career,” Tanana said. He went 15–7 in 34 starts as he helped the Tigers win the division, posting a 3.91 ERA and striking out 146 in innings pitched. The Tigers faced the Twins in the ALCS; in Game 4, Tanana was matched up against Frank Viola. He allowed six hits over innings, walking four batters and giving up four runs (three earned) in a 4–3 defeat. The Twins won the series in five games. After the 1987 season, Tanana went to arbitration with the Tigers. Seeking a two-year contract initially, Tanana ultimately received a one-year, $1.1 million deal, $300,000 more than the Tigers had wanted to pay him. Tanana won eight of his first ten decisions in 1988, matching the best start of his career (he also won eight of his first ten decisions in 1977 and 1978). His only two complete games of the year came in back-to-back starts, a win against Texas on July 29 and a loss to Kansas City August 3 when he only went eight innings due to it being a road game. In 32 starts, Tanana had a 14–11 record, a 4.21 ERA, and 127 strikeouts in 203 innings. On June 9, 1989, Tanana struck out 10 in his first complete game of the year, but the two runs he allowed were the only runs of the game in a loss to Toronto. After Tanana beat the White Sox on August 6, 1989, Anderson praised his pitcher: "Tanana should have at least 15 wins this year. He is pitching the best for me this year since he came over here. He's a real pitcher. He knows what he's doing even when he makes a mistake."