May 8, 1968 at Memorial Stadium
Tigers 3, Orioles 1 (16-9)
Earl Wilson had one of his best starts of the season as he gave up just one unearned run in eight innings of work. That lone run didn’t come until the ninth inning and it was Jon Warden who came in to put out the fire. He struck out one and got all three batters he faced out in the ninth to earn his second save of the season.
Jim Northrup put the Tigers on the board with a solo homer in the first inning. Willie Horton went two for three with a walk, a run and an RBI.
May 7, 1968 at Memorial Stadium
Tigers 2, Orioles 1 (15-9)
In fantastic pitcher’s duel between Mickey Lolich and Tom Phoebus, the Tigers came out on top on a game where neither team scored until the ninth inning. Tommy Matchick’s pinch hit, two run double in the ninth gave the Tigers two runs to break the scoreless tie and while Boog Powell hit a solo homer in the bottom of the ninth, it was enough as the Tigers held on to win.
Mickey Lolich improved to 2-1 with eight shutout innings in which he gave up just three hits. Fred Lasher gave up the eighth inning run and then Joe Warden came in to get the final out of the game to pick up his first save of the season.
May 6, 1968 at Memorial Stadium
Orioles 4, Tigers 0 (14-9)
Orioles starter Leohnard completely shutout down the Tigers as they managed just a single hit the entire game. Jim Northrup singled with two outs in the seventh inning and that was it for the Tigers.
Joe Sparma fell to 1-3 with a subpar outing. He gave up three runs on seven hits and a walk with three strikeouts in five innings of work.
May 5, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 5, Angels 2 (14-8)
Denny McLain improved to a perfect 4-0 on the season with another nice start as the Tigers snapped a three game losing streak. He gave up just a pair of runs on seven hits and a walk with seven strikeouts.
Mickey Stanley and Bill Freehan were the hitting stars. They both belted homers and each drove in two runs in the contest.
May 4, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
Angels 7, Tigers 2 (13-8)
The Tigers dropped their third straight game in a contest that saw Earl Wilson and Joe Warden hammered on the mound. Wilson fell to 2-4 and he gave up three runs on five hits and three walks with two strikeouts in 2 1/3 innings. Warden struck out six but he gave up three runs in the three frames he pitched.
The Tigers scored both of their runs on solo homeruns. Willie Horton belted his fifth homer while Bill Freehan slugged his third.
May 3, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
Angels 6, Tigers 5 (13-7)
The Tigers lost their second one run game in as many days as Mickey Lolich was roughed up by the Angels’ hitters. Lolich fell to 1-1 and he gave up five runs (four earned) on six hits and two walks with six strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings.
Willie Horton had a monster day at the plate. He homered twice and drove in three runs while Al Kaline went three for five with a run.
May 3, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
Angels 6, Tigers 5 (13-7)
The Tigers lost their second one run game in as many days as Mickey Lolich was roughed up by the Angels’ hitters. Lolich fell to 1-1 and he gave up five runs (four earned) on six hits and two walks with six strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings.
Willie Horton had a monster day at the plate. He homered twice and drove in three runs while Al Kaline went three for five with a run.
May 2, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
Twins 3, Tigers 2 (13-6)
The Twins turned the tables on the Tigers in a ten inning, 3-2 game that replicated the previous days scores with the sides being switched. Still, it was a solid game as Jim Northrup drilled a solo homer in the bottom of the ninth to send the game into extra frames. Still, Dennis Ribant gave up a pair of hits which resulted in a tenth inning run as the Tigers took the loss. Prior to that, John Hiller and Daryl Patterson threw two scoreless innings a piece to keep the Tigers in the game.
Northrup had the big day at the plate. He went two for three with the solo homer, a walk and he scored both Tigers’ runs.
May 1, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 3, Twins 2 (13-5)
Willie Horton drove in Dick McAuliffe with a sac. fly in the bottom of the eighth inning to break a 2-2 tie to win their first game in the May. With just five hits, the Tigers needed a two run homer by Jim Northrup in the fifth inning to give them the additional runs they needed to pull this one out.
Denny McLain improved to 3-0 with a nice start. He gave up two runs (both on solo homers) on six hits with nine strikeouts in a complete game win.
April 30, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
Athletics 3, Tigers 1 (12-5)
The Tigers ended April on a losing note but they had to be happy with 12-5 record during the month. The Tigers made three errors in this one but none of them came into play with regard to the score. Earl Wilson fell to 2-3 and he gave up three runs, all in the first inning. After that rough first, he threw eight innings of shutout ball and gave up just four hits but the Tigers couldn’t get the sticks going to give Wilson the win.
Jim Northrup singled, drew a walk and scored the lone Tiger run. Bill Freehan was the only player with two hits in the game.
April 29, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 2, Athletics 1 (12-4)
The Tigers returned home to Tiger Stadium and won their sixth straight home game behind Mickey Lolich’s first win of the season. Lolich gave up just a single run on four hits and three walks with three strikeouts in the complete game win.
Don Wert had a big day at the plate. He went three for four and he belted his first homerun of the season. And while Wert didn’t get the RBI, his ninth inning single pushed home the winning run after Rene Lachemann couldn’t hold onto a throw to the plate that could have gotten Norm Cash, the winning run, out.
April 28, 1968 at Yankee Stadium
Yankees 2, Tigers 1 (10-4)
The Tigers lost a tough one in a low scoring pitchers duel. Joe Sparma took a shutout into the eighth inning but both he and Jon Warden combined to give up two runs in the eighth to blow a 1-0 lead. Sparma dropped to 1-2 on the season and while one of the runs scored off of Warden, both were credited to Sparma.
The Tigers lone run came in the fourth inning when Roy Oyler drove in Jim Northrup with a sac. fly. No Tiger reached base more the once in the loss.
April 28, 1968 at Yankee Stadium
Tigers 3, Yankees 2 (11-4)
The Tigers salvaged both a split in their doubleheader with the Yankees as well as their four game series at Yankee Stadium. The Tigers were down 2-1 heading into the ninth when Bill Freehan belted a solo shot to tie the game and then just two batters later, Jim Northrup drove in the winning run with a solo shot of his own. Don Wert singled twice and drove in a run to account for the other Tigers run.
Les Cain made his major league debut and while he didn’t get the win, he definitely kept the Tigers in this one. He gave up just a single run on six hits and four walks with two strikeouts in seven innings. John Hiller threw 1 2/3 shutout innings and he picked up the win while Fred Lasher got the final batter out to earn his second save of the season.
April 27, 1968 at Yankee Stadium
Tigers 7, Yankees 0 (10-3)
Denny McLain won his second straight start with his strongest outing of the season. The win ended the Tigers two game mini-skid. McLain gave up just five hits and two walks with six strikeouts in the complete game shutout.
Dick McAuliffe and Jim Northrup were the hitting stars in the win. McAuliffe went two for five with a homer, three RBIs and two runs while Northrup went three for five with a homer, two RBIs and two runs.
April 26, 1968 at Yankee Stadium
Yankees 5, Tigers 0 (9-3)
The Tigers suffered their worst loss of the short season and for the second straight time, they were shut out by the opposition. Roy Oyler doubled and Don Wert and Earl Wilson both singled to account for the only Tiger hits of the game.
Wilson was knocked around for five runs in seven innings and he dropped to 2-2. He gave up the five runs on seven hits and five walks with eight strikeouts and the big hit against him was a two run blast by Mickey Mantle.
April 24, 1968 at Cleveland Stadium
Indians 2, Tigers 0 (9-2)
The Tigers were held to just a single hit in series opening loss against the Indians. The loss also snapped their impressive nine game winning streak. The lone hit came in the third inning when Jim Northrup led things off with a single.
A solid start by Joe Sparma went to waste. He gave up two runs (one earned) on seven hits and three walks with three strikeouts in the complete game loss.
April 21, 1968 at Comiskey Park
Tigers 4, White Sox 1 (8-1)
The Tigers won their eighth straight game behind Earl Wilson’s second solid start in a row. Wilson improved to 2-1 and he gave up one run on five hits and a walk with four strikeouts in the complete game win.
Dick McAuliffe tripled and drove in two runs in the win. Wilson helped out his own cause with a pair of singles, two RBIs and a run.
April 21, 1968 at Comiskey Park
Tigers 4, White Sox 2 (9-1)
The Tigers won their ninth straight game and finished both a series and doubleheader sweep over the White Sox in Denny McLain’s first win of the season. McLain gave up two runs on seven hits with a walk and he struck out eight.
Norm Cash was one for four with a walk, two RBIs and a run. Bill Freehan and McLain both had a pair of hits and an RBI each.
April 20, 1968 at Comiskey Park
Tigers 4, White Sox 1 (7-1)
The Tigers continued their April tear with their seventh straight win and this time it was Mickey Lolich and the pen who got it done. Lolich gave up just five hits in seven shutout innings while Jon Warden improved to 3-0 as he pitched the Tigers out of a jam in the ninth. Dennis Ribant picked up the save with shutout tenth.
Dick McAuliffe had the big hit of the game with a two run single in the top of the tenth inning. Bill Freehan doubled twice and he drove in a run.
April 18, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 5, Indians 0 (6-1)
The Tigers made it six straight wins behind an exceptional start by Joe Sparma. He gave up seven hits and a walk with four strikeouts in the complete game shutout and it was his first win of the season.
Three of the Tigers’ runs came via the long ball. Willie Horton, Dick McAuliffe and Al Kaline all went yard with solo shots in the win. Horton finished the game with two RBIs while McAuliffe drew two walks in addition to the homerun and he scored twice.
April 17, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 4, Indians 3 (5-1)
The Tigers picked up their fifth straight win and their second extra inning win in three games in their opener against the Indians. Willie Horton provided the heroics with a two run, walk off homer in the bottom of the tenth inning to win it for Detroit. Mickey Stanley had a nice game as well at the plate and he went two for five with an RBI.
Denny McLain got his second no decision of the season with seven solid frames. He gave up two runs on six hits and two walks with nine strikeouts. Jon Warden picked up his second win of the season as he got the final two batters out in the tenth inning.
April 16, 1968 at Fenway Park
Tigers 9, Red Sox 2 (4-1)
The Tigers ran up the score in their most impressive offensive performance of the short season and won their fourth straight game. While there were plenty of hitting stars, it was Willie Horton who led the way. He went three for six with two doubles, two RBIs and a run. Bill Freehan went three for four with two runs and Dick McAuliffe walked four times and scored a run.
Earl Wilson not only picked up two hits, a run and an RBI but he threw a gem of a game. He gave up just two runs on four hits and five walks with eight strikeouts in the complete game win.
April 14, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 5, White Sox 4 (3-1)
The Tigers won their third straight in a ten inning contest in which Bill Freehan provided the heroics. His RBI single in the bottom of the tenth inning won it for the Tigers and it capped off a great individual game for the catcher. He finished three for five with two RBIs and a run. Don Wert doubled, drove in two and scored.
Mickey Lolich was roughed up for four runs on nine hits in just five innings. Fred Lasher threw a shutout tenth inning and he improved to 1-0 on the season.
April 13, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 5, White Sox 2 (2-1)
Daryl Patterson threw some exceptional relief pitching after Joe Sparma ran into problems in the fifth inning. Like Jon Warden two days before, Patterson picked up his first career win and he gave up four hits and three walks with three strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings. Fred Lasher got the final out of the game and he picked up his first save of the season.
Mickey Stanley was the hitting star. He went two for five with a double, two RBIs and a run. Willie Horton doubled, drove in a run and scored in the win.
April 11, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 4, Red Sox 3 (1-1)
The Tigers blew a three run lead but still managed to win when Gates Brown broke a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the ninth with a pinch hit, walk off solo homer. Dick McAuliffe and Bill Freehan also belted solo shots while Freehan reached base a team high four times with three walks and the homer.
Denny McLain threw five shutout innings before he gave up three runs in the sixth inning. Rookie Jon Warden came in and threw two shutout innings and he picked up his first career win.
April 10, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
Red Sox 7, Tigers 3 (0-1)
The Tigers lost their home opener against the defending American League champs. The Red Sox got to Earl Wilson early to the tune of five runs in five innings and both Pat Dobson and Daryl Patterson were touched up for a piece as well.
Wilson did help out his own cause with the stick though and he belted the Tigers only homer, a solo shot in the third inning. Mickey Stanley had a team high three hits while Willie Horton went two for three with a double and an RBI.
It’s really hard to put Denny McLain’s 1968 season into words. Yeah, he probably wasn’t even the best pitcher in 1968 (Bob Gibson) but his numbers are still nothing short of staggering. And it’s also worth keeping in mind that McLain was 24 years old throughout most of the season (his birthday is September 21, 1963). Still, this is a guy who had a 20 win season as a 22 year old and he might have come closer to touching that mark in 1067 if not for the mysterious ankle injury that cost him most of September (and possibly cost the Tigers the pennant) so 1968 shouldn’t have come as a complete surprise.
In 1968, McLain won his first five decisions and his longest winning streak was nine games. He (and the Tigers for that matter) lost back to back starts just one time all season. He held the opposition to a nice, even .200 batting average and he was just as good against lefties (.206) as he was against righties (.193). It’s hard to pick his best month because his worst ERA in a given month was just 2.29 in September. Oddly, the only month he lost two games (August) was the month he posted his best ERA with a 1.40. McLain was 16-2 at the break and he finished off the season half with a more then respectable 15-4 record.
McLain was among the American League leaders in just about everything. He led in wins (31), innings (336), starts (41) and complete games (28). His 1.96 ERA was fourth in the league while his WHIP of 0.905 was third. He was second in strikeouts (280) and also second in shutouts (6). Oddly, he also led the league in homeruns given up with 31, his third straight year that he had led the league in that category.
McLain is the last player to win 30 games in a season. Dizzy Dean and Lefty Grove are the only other two pitchers to win 30 games in a season since 1921 so he’s in pretty select company. And just to put it in perspective, only eight other players have won at least 25 games in a season since McLain in 1968. And the closest anyone’s gotten was 27 wins (Bob Welch in 1990 and Steve Carlton in 1972).
One of McLain’s more memorable moments in 1968 was a homerun he gave up. With the pennant in the bag, McLain served up a fat pitch to Mickey Mantle who belted his final homerun at Tiger Stadium that day. It would turn out to be the second to last homerun of Mantle’s career.
His postseason didn’t go quite as well. He lost game one to the Cardinals but he was outpitched by Bob Gibson in a 4-0 loss. He was then bombed in game four but he bounced back when the Tigers needed him in game six with his only career postseason victory.
For a spectacular season, he nabbed both the Cy Young and Most Valuable Player award. He’d repeat as Cy Young in 1969 but after that, his career fizzled out. By 1970, he was traded and his final season was 1972 at the young age of 28.
Here are McLain’s numbers in 1968.
Wins 31
Losses 6
Games 41
Games Started 41
Complete Games 28
Innings Pitched 336
Hits 241
Runs 86
Earned Runs 73
ERA+ 154
Walks 63
Strikeouts 280
ERA 1.96
Shutouts 6
H/9 6.46
SO/9 7.50
BB/9 1.69
SO/BB 4.44
Neutral Wins 18
Neutral Losses 13
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