The Tigers and Mickey Lolich saved the best for last as the Tigers completed a historic comeback to secure their first World Series win since 1945.  In a first time battle between both team’s best postseason pitchers, it was Mickey Lolich who came out on top with a fantastic outing that saw him surrender just one run on five hits to go a perfect 3-0 in three complete game wins for the Tigers.

Through six innings, this was a total nail biter.  The Tigers managed just a single hit off of Bob Gibson while the Cardinals picked up just four.  The biggest threat came in the bottom of the sixth inning but Lolich picked both Lou Brock and Curt Flood off of first base to negate any damage.  Both times Lolich was able to get the ball over to first base on stolen base attempts.

The Tigers finally shined in the seventh inning.  Mickey Stanley struck out and Al Kaline grounded out to lead things off but with two outs, the Tigers got it going.  Norm Cash and Willie Horton belted back to back singles and then Jim Northrup belted a triple to drive them both in.  Bill Freehan followed that up with a double to make it 3-0 and just like that, the Tigers were three innings away from taking the series. 

The Cardinals got nothing in the seventh and eighth and then in the top of the ninth, the Tigers got an insurance run.  Willie Horton singled with one out before Dick Tracewski came in to run for him.  Tracewski moved to third on Jim Northrup’s single and then Don Wert singled him home to make it 4-0.

The Cardinals finally got on the board in their last frame.  With two outs, Mike Shannon belted a solo homer but the optimism was short lived because Tim McCarver followed that up with a pop out to Norm Cash to end the game.

Lolich was nothing short of fantastic and in the process, he secured World Series MVP honors.  In his third consecutive complete game, he gave up just one run on five hits and three walks with four strikeouts and he finished the series a perfect 3-0.

October 9, 1968 at Busch Stadium
Tigers 13, Cardinals 1
Best of Seven Game Series Tied 3-3

The 1968 World Series moved back to St. Louis and the Tigers showed up like they did in game two, the last time a game was played at Busch Stadium.  The Tigers scored enough runs to put this one away with two in the second but the ten they scored in the third frame turned this game into a big time blowout.  In the process, the Tigers forced a pivotal winner take all game seven.

It was Denny McLain going up against Ray Washburn and the 31 win variety of McLain showed up.  The Tigers first got to Washburn in the second inning.  Norm Cash led off with a walk and he scored on Willie Horton’s double.  An out later, Horton scored on Bill Freehan’s single to left.  The inning could have been worse because with two men on, Denny McLain grounded into a double play to end the inning.

The third inning was one for the record books.  The Tigers picked up ten runs on seven hits against four different pitchers.  Dick McAuliffe led off with a walk and he moved to second on Mickey Stanley’s single.  McAuliffe scored on Al Kaline’s single before Larry Jaster came in to relieve Washburn.  Norm Cash singled home Stanley and Willie Horton walked to load up the bases before Jim Northrup came through with one of his trademark grand slams to open the game up.  Ron Willis came in to pitch for Jaster but still the Tigers weren’t done.  Bill Freehan walked and Don Wert was hit by a pitch before Denny McLain moved them both over with a bunt, the first out of the inning.  Dick McAuliffe was given a free pass before Mickey Stanley forced out Bill Freehan at the plate to make it two outs.  Still, Al Kaline picked up his second hit of the inning with a two run single before Dick Hughes came in to replace Willis.  Norm Cash singled home Stanley and Willie Horton singled home Kaline to put the tally at ten runs in the inning.  Finally, Jim Northrup flied out to left to end the inning.

Al Kaline belted a solo homer in the fifth to further pad the lead.  The Cardinals finally got to McLain in the ninth when Julian Javier singled home Roger Maris with two outs.

McLain finished with his first and only win of the series.  He gave up one run on nine hits without a walk and he struck out seven in the complete game.  Al Kaline and Norm Cash both had three hits and Kaline and Northrup both drove in four runs.  The only Tiger starter to not reach base at least once was Denny McLain, who struck out in four at bats.

The Tigers avoided elimination for at least one day as they closed out Tiger Stadium for the season.  They needed a huge fielding play by Willie Horton as well as some timely hitting to lock up the win but still, it was enough to allow them to fight another day.

Things got off to a grim start in the first inning with Mickey Lolich on the mound.  Lou Brock led off with a double before Julian Javier grounded out to short.  Curt Flood singled home Brock and he stole second before Orlando Cepeda belted a huge two run homer to give the Cardinals a 3-0 lead.

From there, the game turned into a bit of a pitchers duel until the Tigers finally got to Nelson Briles in the fourth inning.  Mickey Stanley led off with a triple and he after an Al Kaline ground out to the pitcher, Norm Cash drove home Stanley with a sac. fly.  Willie Horton followed that up with a two out triple and then he scored on Jim Northrup’s single to shave the Tiger’s deficit down to 3-2.

The Cardinals looked like they might get something going in the fifth inning but Willie Horton came up big with what many think was the biggest play of the series.  Nelson Briles led off the inning with a strikeout but Brock followed that up with a double.  Julian Javier singled and Brock looked like he was going to score easily from second but Willie Horton came up throwing.  After getting the scouting report that Brock tended to let up without sliding into home plate, Horton threw a strike to the plate to get Brock by a step.  Instead of having one out and a run in, the Tigers had two outs with a runner on first with no damage so far.  Curt Flood followed that up with a fly out and the Tigers one run deficit was maintained.

The Tigers loaded the bases in the sixth but couldn’t push a run across.  In the meantime, Mickey Lolich had settled in and he held the Cardinals hitless in the sixth and seventh inning.

The Tigers finally hit pay dirt in the seventh inning.  Don Wert led off with a strikeout before Mickey Lolich helped out his own cause with a single.  Joe Hoerner came in to relieve Briles and he was pummelled by the Tigers hitters.  Dick McAuliffe singled, and then a Mickey Stanley walk loaded the bases.  Al Kaline then came in and singled home Lolich and McAuliffe to give the Tigers their first lead of the game.  Norm Cash singled home Stanley some insurance but Ron Willis finally came on in relief to get to get the Cardinals out of the jam.

Lolich gave up just a single in the eighth but he finally ran into trouble in the ninth.  Tim McCarver led off with a single and after a Phil Gagliano fly out, Ed Spiezio single to put two runners on.  Lolich buckled down though and he got Roger Maris to strike out and Lou Brock to ground out to end the game.

Lolich finished his second complete game of the series with some solid numbers.  He gave up three runs on nine hits and a walk with eight strikeouts.  Al Kaline and Norm Cash both had two hits and two RBIs while Stanley was the lone Tiger with two runs.

October 6, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
Cardinals 10, Tigers 1
Cardinals Lead Best of Seven Game Series 3-1

This game went south in a hurry and with it, the Tigers chances in the 1968 World Series looked grim.  Denny McLain, the Tigers ace all season, couldn’t even last through the end of the third inning and while Bob Gibson wasn’t nearly as good as in game one, he did give up just one run on five hits with ten strikeouts.

The Cardinals didn’t wait long to put runs on the board because Lou Brock led off the game with a solo homer.  Roger Maris reached base with one out in the inning on an error by Norm Cash before Orlando Cepeda struck out.  Tim McCarver kept the inning going with a single and then Mike Shannon drove home Maris with a single to make it 2-0 Cardinals before the Tigers even took their first turn at bat.

McLain put the Cardinals down in order in the second but it was more trouble in the third.  Curt Flood led off with a single and while it looked like he’d get out of the inning unscathed after he got Maris to line out to center and Cepeda to pop out to first, Tim McCarver struck again with a triple to make it 3-0.  Mike Shannon followed that up with a double which made it 4-0 and then Julian Javier drew a walk before the rain hit.  After a 1:14 rain delay, Joe Sparma took the mound in place of McLain and he got Dal Maxvill to ground out to end the inning.

Joe Sparma didn’t last long though.  In the sixth, Bob Gibson led off with a homer and Lou Brock followed that up with a triple.  Daryl Patterson came in to try to stop the bleeding and while he got Curt Flood to fly out for out number one, Brock scampered home on Roger Maris’ ground out to make it 6-0.

The Tigers finally got on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning although it was hardly a rally.  Jim Northrup took Bob Gibson deep with a solo homer.  That was sandwiched between strikeouts by Willie Horton and Bill Freehan.

John Hiller was bombed in the eighth inning to the turn of four runs on two hits and an error.  The big hit was a bases loaded clearing double by Lou Brock and that made it 10-1.

Al Kaline was the only hitter who figured out Gibson and he singled and doubled.  The only other Tiger to reach base more then once was Eddie Mathews, who singled and drew a walk.  Bill Freehan had a particularly tough game and he struck out in each of three plate appearances.

With the loss, the Tigers backs were against the wall.  They now needed three consecutive wins to lock up their first World Series win since 1945.

Tigers 8, Cardinals 1
Best of Seven Game Series Tied 1-1

The Tigers bounced back in a big way as they evened their series with the Cardinals behind an eight run, thirteen hit attack.  Nelson Briles took the brunt of it and before the Cardinals scored their lone run, the Tigers already had five on the board.

Willie Horton drove in the first run with a solo shot in the second inning.  Mickey Lolich helped out his own cause with a solo homer in the third while the big inning came in the top of the sixth.  Norm Cash led off the inning with a solo homer and then Horton followed that up with a single.  Briles left the game and Steve Carlton took his turn but it didn’t stem the damage.  Jim Northrup singled to put runners at first and scored before Bill Freehan made the first out with a pop out to first base.  Don Wert drew a walk to load the bases and it looked like the runners might be wasted because Mickey Lolich struck out.  Dick McAuliffe kept things going though and he singled home Horton and Northrup to give the Tigers a 5-0 lead

The Cardinals did finally put a run on the board against Mickey Lolich in the bottom of the sixth.  Lou Brock led off with a walk, stole second, moved to third on Curt Flood’s single and then scored on an Orlando Cepeda single.  The inning was cut short though because Mike Shannon grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Al Kaline scored on a Jim Northrup double play to make it 6-1 and then Don Wert and Mickey Lolich drew bases loaded walks in the top of the ninth to make it 8-1.  Cash finished with a team high three hits while Don Wert drew three walks and drove in a run.

Lost in all of the offense was an outstanding game by Mickey Lolich.  He gave up just one run on six hits and he walked just two with nine strikeouts in the complete game win.

The Tigers continued to roll in a number of ways.  They not only ran up the score on the A’s, but Mickey Lolich threw a shutout and the Tigers cut their magic number down to just two.  Lolich continued to build on his strong second half and he gave up just three hits and two walks with twelve strikeouts in the shutout.

Three different Tigers belted a combined five homers in this one.   Jim Northrup and Bill Freehan both belted a pair.  Freehan finished with four RBIs while Northrup drove in three.  Willie Horton also went yard with his 36th of the season.  He went two for four and his homerun was a solo shot.

Denny McLain needed some ninth inning heroics but the end result was his historic 30th win of the season.  With the A’s up 4-3, the Tigers picked up two runs in the ninth to win it.  Al Kaline came home on a fielder’s choice by Jim Northrup and then Willie Horton singled home Mickey Stanley for the game winner.  McLain improved to 30-5 and he gave up four runs on six hits and one walk with ten strikeouts.

Norm Cash was the hitting star.  He went two for four with a homerun and three RBIs.  The homer was his 21st of the season.

The Tigers finished up a three game sweep over the Angels and the big stick was Willie Horton.  He belted a pair of solo homers which brought his season total up to 35.  Bill Freehan went two for four with a homerun and three runs.

John Hiller had a nice start and he improved to 8-5.  He gave up two runs on ten hits and three walks with six strikeouts in a complete game.

Mickey Lolich had one of his best starts of the season as the Tigers snapped a two game losing streak.  He gave up just two hits and a walk with seven strikeouts in the shutout win which pushed his record to 14-9 on the season.

Willie Horton, Al Kaline and Mickey Stanley all homered in the win.  Stanley had a particularly good game with three hits and two runs.

Denny McLain marched closer to his 30th win of the season and while it wasn’t his best start, it was good enough because the Tigers gave him plenty of offense.  He gave up three runs on nine hits and one walk with twelve strikeouts in the complete game win.  His record was 28-5 after the impressive outing.

Willie Horton had a monster day at the plate.  He went two for four with his 32nd homerun and five RBIs.  Mickey Stanley had a pair of singles and he scored two runs.

The Tigers made it two straight over the Angels behind a three hit shutout by Mickey Lolich.  He gave up just one walk and he struck out twelve and the win pushed his record to 13-8 on the season.

Willie Horton pretty much was the Tigers offense in this one.  He had two of the Tigers five hits and he drove in both runs.  His solo homer in the fourth inning was his 31st of the season.

Denny McLain followed up his two consecutive losses with his 26th win as the Tigers took care of the Angels in their series opener.  McLain gave up one run on six hits and two walks with eleven strikeouts in yet another complete game.

Jim Northrup had a big day at the plate. He went three for four with a homerun, three RBIs and two runs.  Bill Freehan hit his 20th homer of the season and Willie Horton went three for four with two runs.

For the first time all season, Denny McLain dropped consecutive decisions although this one was hardly his fault.  He fell to 25-5 and he gave up two runs on five hits with six strikeouts in seven solid innings.

The Tigers were held to a mere four hits in the contest.  One of those hits was a solo homer by Willie Horton, his 30th of the season.

Some fireworks flew as the Tigers finished up their series with the White Sox in winning fashion.  The Tigers jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning when things went south in the third inning.  Tommy John threw two balls at Dick McAuliffe’s head in lieu of a walk and as McAuliffe started to walk towards first, Tommy John baited him into a fight.  McAuliffe ended up dislocating John’s shoulder and for his efforts, he was suspended for five games.

Al Kaline and Willie Horton both went yard in the win.  For Horton, it was his 29th and it was number eight for Kaline.  Don Wert finished the win three for four.

Mickey Lolich was given the start after some time in the bullpen.  He improved to 12-7 and he gave up two runs on four hits with eight strikeouts in seven innings.  Don McMahon threw two shutout innings of relief and he picked up his first save of the season.

John Hiller gave up a leadoff single in the top of the fifth inning and that was the lone hit against him in an incredible one hit shutout.  He walked two, struck out seven and improved to 6-3 as the Tigers took the opener in both their series with the White Sox and their doubleheaderr.

Gates Brown got a rare start in left field and he made the most of it.  He went two for three with a homerun and two RBIs.  Mickey Stanley went two for four with two RBIs and a run.

August 20, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
White Sox 10, Tigers 2  (79-45)

Denny McLain fell to 25-4 with a rough outing as the Tigers failed to sweep the White Sox in their twin bill.  McLain gave up nine runs but just two them were earned as a result of four Tiger errors.  He gave up nine hits and two walks with three strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.

Willie Horton was the hitting star in the loss.  He went two for four with a double and an RBI.

The Tigers fell short of a sweep as they were held to single run on four hits in their road finale with the Red Sox.  Willie Horton provided the lone Tiger run with his 28th homer of the season and Bill Freehan reached base twice with a walk and a single.

Earl Wilson fell to 10-10 in the loss.  He gave up four runs on seven hits and three walks with seven strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings.

The Tigers held on to win a wild one as they finished up a four game sweep over the Angels for their fourth straight win.  Jim Northrup and Norm Cash both hit a pair of homeruns and Northrup had a team high five RBIs.  Bill Freehan and Willie Horton both also went yard in the win.

Pitching was not the name of the game in this one.  Dennis Ribant picked up the win and he improved to 2-1 but he was more in the right place at the right time because he pitched just 2/3 of an inning.  John Hiller pitched a perfect ninth inning and he picked up his second save of the season.

The Tigers remained perfect in the month of the June and they won their third game behind a trio of homeruns.  Norm Cash belted two run shot while both Dick Tracewski and Willie Horton went yard with nobody on base.  For Horton, it was his ninteenth of the season and Bill Freehan pitched in with a double, two singles and an RBI.

Denny McLain improved to 15-2 on the season with another nice start.  He gave up two runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks with ten strikeouts in the complete game win.

The Tigers won their second straight game and this time it was Earl Wilson who got it done on the mound.  He improved to 6-5 and he gave up just one run on seven hits and one walk with nine strikeouts in the complete game.

Willie Horton singled and drove in a pair of runs.  The other Tiger run came on a solo homer by Tom Matchick.

The Tigers piled on twelve hits and eight walks to win their third straight game.  Willie Horton led the way and he went two for five with a triple, two runs and two RBIs while Jim Northrup tripled, drove in two and drew two walks.

Mickey Lolich was roughed up and he gave up four runs before he even finished the third inning.  Dennis Ribant picked up the win and he improved to 1-1.  He gave up one unearned run on three hits and a walk in 3 2/3 innings.  Pat Dobson got the final batter out and he picked up his fourth save of the season.

The Tigers dropped their second straight game to the Indians in a contest that saw the road team pick up just five hits.  Willie Horton was the only hitter to reach base twice with a single and a walk while Mickey Stanley and Norm Cash both doubled.

Earl Wilson fell to 5-5 despite a solid start.  He gave up two runs on six hits and two walks with three strikeouts in seven innings of work.

Joe Sparma took it on the chin again and he fell to 5-7 with a subpar outing.  He gave up five runs on eight hits and four walks with eight strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings.  Daryl Patterson gave up three runs in his 2/3 of an inning, but all three were unearned because Patterson himself made an error in the inning.

Wille Horton and Norm Cash both hit solo homers in the loss.  For Horton, it was his 18th of the season and Dick McAuliffe went one for two with three walks and two runs.

Joe Sparma had a rough outing and he fell to 5-6 as the Tigers five game winning streak came to an end.  He gave up five runs on five hits and three walks with a strikeout in four innings of work.

Bill Freehan went four for five with a solo homer.  Dick McAuliffe and Willie Horton both went yard with solo shots.  For Horton, it was his 17th of the season.

The Tigers made it three straight over the Twins behind a solid outing by Mickey Lolich.  He improved to 5-3 and he gave up one run on five hits and two walks with nine strikeouts in the complete game.

Dick McAuliffe was the hiting star.  He went two for four with a solo homer and a pair of runs.  Willie Horton drove in the other run with a sac. fly.

The Tigers needed five runs in the final three innings but they did it to win their fourth straight game.  Norm Cash had a big game with a pair of solo homers while Willie Horton joined him with a solo shot of his own.  For Horton, it was his sixteenth of the season.

John Hiller walked five and gave up three runs in 4 2/3 innings.  Fred Lasher gave up a run in the ninth to tie it but he picked up the win because of Mickey Stanley’s walk off RBI triple in the bottom of the ninth.

The Tigers overcame a four run first inning deficit to top the Yankees by a single run.  Les Cain was bounced in the first inning after getting just one batter out and he was tagged for four runs on five hits.  Back to back homers by Willie Horton and Norm Cash in the sixth inning tied the game and then Jim Northrup scored on Bill Freehan’s single in the seventh inning for the game winner.

Bill Freehan finished the game with three RBIs while Willie Horton had a team high three hits.  His homerun was his fifteenth of the season and for Cash, it was just his third.

Pat Dobson did a fantastic job after that first inning and he went on to pick up the win.  He did allow one inherited runner to score in the first but after that, he didn’t allow a run in 5 2/3 innings.  Fred Lasher gave up just one hit in three shutout frames and he improved to 3-1.

The Tigers closed out the month of May with their fourth straight win despite picking up just a run on four hits in the contest.  Willie Horton’s solo homerun in the seventh inning, his fourteenth long ball of the year, was the only run for either side as Mickey Lolich and Stottlemyre were both immersed in an intense pitcher’s dual.

Lolich improved to 3-2 with his best start of the season.  He gave up four hits and four walks with eight strikeouts in the shutout win.

Denny McLain did it again with another exceptional start as he improved to 8-1.  He gave up just four hits and a walk with thirteen strikeouts in the shutout win.

Willie Horton’s two run homer in the seventh inning was his thirteenth of the season.  Dick McAuliffe went three for four and he drove in the other Tiger run.

Bill Freehan doubled home two runs and then Willie Horton followed that up with a two run homer to give the Tigers an early 4-0 lead before the Angels even got to hit.  That was all the Tigers got but it more then enough because of some exceptional relief pitching from John Hiller.

Les Cain got the start and after giving up a run in the first, he ran into trouble in the third inning when he put two men on with one out.  John Hiller came in to get the final two outs and he then pitched six more innings of shutout ball to improved to 2-1 on the season.

The Tigers and Athletics played to a 2-2 rain shortened tie today and the game was called in the seventh inning.  Both Tiger runs came via the longball with solo shots by Bill Freehan and Willie Horton.  For Horton, it was his eleventh of the season and Freehan belted his seventh.

Earl Wilson gave up two runs on five hits with two strikeouts in five innings.  Daryl Patterson gave up a hit and a walk with a strikeout in two shutout innings of relief.