1968 Tigers Tribute Site

October 10, 1968 at Busch Stadium
Tigers 4, Cardinals 1
Tigers Win Best of Seven Game Series 4-3

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.

October 7, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 5, Cardinals 3 
Cardinals Lead Best of Seven Game Series 3-2

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.

October 3, 1968 at Busch Stadium
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.

September 20, 1968 at D.C. Stadium
Tigers 6, Senators 3  (100-54)

The Tigers won their tenth straight and in the process, they reached the 100 win mark for just the fourth time in franchise history.  They were hoping they wouldn’t repeat history though because the other three times they won 100, they couldn’t get that World Series ring.  Still, Mickey Lolich threw a very nice game and he improved to 16-9.  He gave up three runs on three hits and seven walks with nine strikeouts in seven innings.  Pat Dobson threw two shutout innings to close the game out and he picked up his seventh save of the season.

All six Tigers run came via the long ball.  Jim Northrup belted a pair of two run homers while Al Kaline and Jim Price also went yard with solo homers in the win.

September 16, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 9, Yankees 1  (97-54)

The Tigers ensured themselves of at least a tie in the American League with their seven straight win.  John Hiller got it done on the mound in this one.  He gave up one run on eight hits and one walk with seven strikeouts in yet another complete game for a Tigers starter.

Norm Cash had a big day at the plate.  He went three for five with a homerun, a double and five RBIs.  Jim Northrup went two for three with a walk, two runs and an RBI.

September 15, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 13, Athletics 0  (96-54)

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.

September 14, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 5, Athletics 4  (95-54)

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.

September 13, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 3, Athletics 0  (94-54)

You don’t see too many ten hit shutouts but that’s just what Earl Wilson hurled in the Tigers fourth straight win.  He gave up the ten hits along with one walk and he struck out nine en route to his 13th win of the season.

Wilson once again helped out his own cause with a solo homer, his seventh of the season.  Dick McAuliffe hit his sixteenth and Jim Northrup went two for three with a run.

September 10, 1968 at Anaheim Stadium
Tigers 7, Angels 2  (92-54)

Denny McLain improved to 29-5 and he was now one away from the magical 30 win mark.  He gave up two runs on nine hits and a walk with twelve strikeouts in another complete game.

Jim Northrup doubled twice, scored a run and drove in one.  McLain helped out his own cause with a team high three hits and he tripled, drove in two and scored a run.

September 4, 1968 at the Oakland Coliseum
Tigers 4, Athletics 2  (89-52)

The Tigers march towards the American League pennant continued behind a solid start by John Hiller.  He gave up two runs on six hits and two walks with five strikeouts in seven innings.  Pat Dobson picked up his sixth save of the season with two innings of shutout relief.

Jim Northrup had a big game and he went three for four with a run and an RBI.  Mickey Stanley went one for three with two runs.

September 3, 1968 at the Oakland Coliseum
Tigers 6, Athletics 3  (88-52)

It looked like the Tigers were going to let this game get away.  Up 2-0 in the eighth inning, Earl Wilson was finally touched up for three runs and the Tigers entered the ninth down by a run.  Fortunately, they stormed back and scored four in the ninth to escape with a win.  The big hit of the inning was a two run single by Jim Northrup that gave the lead back to Detroit.  Earl Wilson helped out his own cause earlier in the game with a solo shot, his sixth homer of the season. 

Wilson threw a solid game he just had the one bad inning.  He gave up three runs (two earned) on six hits and two walks with seven strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings.  Pat Dobson threw a shutout ninth and he improved to 5-5 on the season.

September 2, 1968 at the Oakland Coliseum
Athletics 4, Tigers 0  (86-52)

The Tigers were held to four hits in a shutout loss as the Tigers kicked off their series with the A’s with a pair of games.  Bill Freehan had two of the Tigers hits while Willie Horton was the tough luck hitter at the plate.  He struck out in all four of his at bats.

Mickey Lolich fell to 13-9 with a rough start.  He gave up three runs on six hits and two walks with six strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings.

September 2, 1968 at the Oakland Coliseum
Tigers 4, Athletics 3  (87-52)

Bill Freehan belted a tenth inning homerun that proved to be the game winner as the Tigers salvaged a split in their doubleheader with the A’s.  For Freehan, it was his 21st of the season and Jim Northrup pitched in with two singles, a double and an RBI.

Pat Dobson picked up the win after he threw two innings of shutout relief to close out the game.  He improved to 4-5 on the season.  Longtime reliever Roy Face made his Tiger debut in this game.  He gave up a walk, a hit and he struck out one in 2/3 of an inning.

September 1, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 7, Orioles 3  (86-51)

The Tigers entered the final month of their historic and took care of business behind another solid start by Denny McLain.  He improved to 27-5 and he gave up three runs on seven hits and two walks with nine strikeouts.  McLain not only had to contend with a 43 minute rain delay that put off the start of the game, but he also had to deal with a 51 minute delay after the Tigers hit in the bottom of the first inning.

Jim Northrup had a big game and he went three for five with a homerun, three RBIs and two runs.  Mickey Stanley also had three hits to go along with run and RBI while Dick McAuliffe went one for three with two walks and three runs.

August 30, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 9, Orioles 1  (85-50)

The Tigers blew out the Orioles for their third straight win as the two teams kicked off a weekend series.  The Tigers scored three in the second and five in the third to put this game away pretty early.  Earl Wilson not only pitched a good game, but he belted his fifth homerun of the season and he finished with four RBIs.  Jim Northrup went three for five with a double, a run and an RBI.

Wilson improved to 12-11 with a four hitter.  He gave up one run and he walked one and struck out nine in the complete game.

August 28, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 6, Angels 1  (83-50)

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.

August 25, 1968 at Yankee Stadium
Yankees 6, Tigers 5  (81-48)

The Tigers blew a four run lead as they dropped their third straight to the Yankees in another doubleheader.  Pat Dobson gave up the first five runs in 5 2/3 innings but it was Daryl Patterson who gave up the final run, and for that he took the loss.  He fell to 2-3 and the inning in question was the sixth in which the Yankees scored five runs.

Al Kaline had a big day at the plate and he went three for five with a double, a run and an RBI.  Dick Tracewski singled twice and he also scored two runs.

August 25, 1968 at Yankee Stadium
Yankees 5, Tigers 4  (81-49)

The Yankees finished up a sweep over the Tigers in a series that saw all four games decided by one run.  Mickey Lolich gave up the bulk of the damage and he fell to 12-8. He gave up five runs on three hits and seven walks with three strikeouts in just three innings.

Jim Northrup tripled and drove in a pair of runs.  Tom Matchick went two for four and he scored twice while Mickey Stanley went two for four with a run and an RBI.

August 1, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
Senators 9, Tigers 3  (65-40)

Pat Dobson was hit hard by the Senators as the Tigers kicked off the month of August with a loss.  He fell to 3-3 and he gave up six runs on five hits and four walks in just 3 1/3 innings.

Jim Northrup went three for four with a double, a triple, a run and an RBI.  Norm Cash drove in a run with his fifteenth homer of the season, a solo shot in the sixth inning.

July 30, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 5, Yankees 0  (64-39)

The Tigers bounced back and ended their two game mini skid behind a very solid outing by Earl Wilson.  The Duke improved to 9-8 and he gave up just three hits and three walks with five strikeouts in eight shutout innings.  Daryl Patterson struck out one in a perfect ninth inning to pick up his fourth save of the season.

Earl Wilson helped out his own cause with a solo homer, his third long ball of the season.  Dick McAuliffe went one for three with two walks, a solo homerun and two runs while Jim Northrup went three for five with a double.

July 29, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
Yankees 7, Tigers 2  (63-39)

The Tigers suffered their second straight defeat as Joe Sparma was roughed up by the Yankees offense.  Sparma gave up five runs on nine hits and a walk with seven strikeouts in just five innings of work.

Norm Cash hit his fourteenth homer of the season, a solo homer in the seventh inning.  Jim Northrup tripled and he drove in the other Tigers run.

July 25, 1968 at D.C. Stadium
Tigers 4, Senators 1  (61-37)

Joe Sparma had a career day on the mound as he held the Senators to just a single hit.  He did give up an unearned and he walked six with five strikeouts and the win pushed his record to 8-9.

Jim Northrup provided the bulk of the Tigers offense with a pair of homers.  The two blasts brought his season total up to 15 and he drove in three of the Tigers four runs.

July 23, 1968 at D.C. Stadium
Tigers 6, Senators 4  (60-36)

The Tigers took game one of their series with the Senators with another dramatic comeback.  Down 4-3 in the eighth inning, Jim Price singled home Al Kaline to tie the game up and then Gates Brown singled home Bill Freehan for the game winner.  Jim Northrup doubled home Al Kaline in the ninth for some insurance that the Tigers didn’t need.  Speaking of Kaline, he was a perfect two for two with three walks, two runs and two RBIs.

Denny McLain improved to 19-3 despite a mediocre start.  He gave up four runs on eight hits and four walks with seven strikeouts in seven innings.  Jon Warden threw the final 1 2/3 innings and he picked up his third save of the season.

July 19, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 5, Orioles 4  (59-33)

The Tigers put on a show for their home town fans with a dramatic comeback win in the ninth inning.  Down by two runs, Jim Northrup kicked off the ninth with a single and he moved to second on a walk by Al Kaline.  Kaline was then forced out at second base on a fielders choice by Norm Cash to put runners at the corners before Bill Freehan forced Cash out at second to score Northrup.  Then with two outs, Tom Matchick belted a huge two run walk off homer to complete the comeback.

Mickey Lolich was roughed up and he gave up four runs in five innings in his start.  Pat Dobson threw a shutout ninth inning and he improved to 3-1 on the season.

July 18, 1968 at the Oakland Coliseum
Tigers 3, Athletics 1  (58-33)

Earl Wilson bounced back from a rough start and he helped the Tigers salvage a split with the A’s in their two game series.  Wilson improved to 7-7 and he gave up just one run on six hits with five strikeouts in the complete game.

Dick McAuliffe went two for four with a double and a run.  Jim Northrup singled, drove in a run and scored.

July 6, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
Athletics 4, Tigers 1  (53-28)

The Tigers five game winning streak came to an end in a game that saw Tigers hitters pick up just six hits.  Jim Northrup went two for three with a double and he scored the lone Tiger run.

Earl Wilson was roughed up and he fell to 6-6 on the season.  He gave up four runs (three earned) on seven hits and three walks with two strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings.  Wilson had rough game too because he was hit by comebackers not once but twice.  Both came in the fifth and the first time he got nailed on his shoulder and the second time, he was hit on the hand.

July 4, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 13, Angels 10  (52-27)

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.

June 29, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 5, White Sox 2 (48-26)

The Tigers won their fifth straight game and once again, it was Denny McLain who pitched the Tigers to victory.  He improved to 14-2 and he gave up two runs on eight hits and two walks with five strikeouts in another complete game.

Jim Northrup hit another grand slam and those four RBIs turned out to be the difference in the game.  Norm Cash drove in the other run with a solo shot in the second inning and Denny McLain helped out his own cause with two hits and a run.

June 25, 1968 at Yankees Stadium
Tigers 8, Yankees 5 (46-26)

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.

June 24, 1968 at Cleveland Stadium
Tigers 14, Indians 3 (45-26)

Jim Northrup put a huge exclamation point as the Tigers finished up their series with the Indians with a blowout win.  Northrup hit not one, but two grand slams and he finished with eight RBIs.  Jim Price hit his first homer of the season and Bill Freehan went two for five with a double, two runs and two RBIs.

Lost in all of the offense was another nice start by Denny McLain.  He gave up three runs on nine hits with eight strikeouts and the win pushed his record to 13-2 on the season.