1984, Tanana had his best season since 1978 for a Rangers team that finished in last place in its division. He threw eight shutout innings April 21 in a 1–0 victory over the Yankees, then threw his first shutout since 1981 on June 13 in a 3–0 victory over the Twins. He finished the season with a 15–15 record, a 3.25 ERA, and 141 strikeouts in innings pitched. 1985 did not start well for Tanana, as he posted a 2–7 record with a 5.91 ERA through his first 13 starts. Teammates were sympathetic—"He hasn't pitched the way he's capable of pitching, and we haven't played as well as we're capable of playing behind him," assessed fellow starter Charlie Hough. Tanana himself was more critical of his performance: "Awful. Absolutely awful." He was traded by the Rangers to the Detroit Tigers for minor-league pitcher Duane James on June 20, 1985. While with the Rangers, Tanana served as the team's player representative. Detroit Tigers "It was a wonderful gift from the Lord," Tanana said of getting to come play with the Tigers. "I was raised here and to have the opportunity to play for the Tigers was a dream come true." Tanana threw seven shutout innings in his debut with the Tigers June 23, 1985, helping Detroit beat the Yankees 3–1. His ERA went down with Detroit, and he won each of his last five starts. In 20 starts for Detroit, Tanana had a 10–7 record, a 3.34 ERA, and 107 strikeouts in innings pitched. In a combined 33 starts between Texas and Detroit, he had a 12–14 record, a 4.27 ERA, and 159 strikeouts in 215 innings. On May 29, 1986, Tanana allowed one run against the Twins, coming within one out of a complete game before getting pulled in favor of Willie Hernández after allowing a double and a walk with two outs in the ninth. Twice that year, he had ten-strikeout games—the first in a 14–0 shutout of the Seattle Mariners on August 23, and the second in only seven innings on September 25, though Tanana allowed four runs and took the loss to the Toronto Blue Jays that day. In 32 games (31 starts), he had a 12–9 record, a 4.16 ERA, and 119 strikeouts in innings. In the last year of his contract in 1987, Tanana made $662,500. He picked up his 2,000th strikeout July 12 against