1968 World Series
Encyclopedia
The 1968 World Series featured the defending champion St. Louis Cardinals
against the Detroit Tigers
, with the Tigers winning in seven games for their first championship since 1945
, and the third in their history. The Tigers came back from a 3–1 deficit to win three in a row, largely on the arm of MVP Mickey Lolich
, who won three complete games in a single World Series, a feat that has not been duplicated since. In his third appearance in the Series, Lolich had to pitch after only two days' rest in the deciding Game 7, because regular-season 31-game winner Denny McLain
was moved up to game 6—also on two days rest. In Game 5, the Tigers' hopes for the title would have been very much in jeopardy had Bill Freehan
not tagged out Lou Brock
in a home plate collision when Brock elected not to slide and went in standing up.
The narrow win for the Tigers was due, in small part, to a bold gamble by Manager Mayo Smith
. The Tigers rotated four good hitting outfielders during the season (Willie Horton, Mickey Stanley
, Al Kaline
, and Jim Northrup); in an effort to get all four into the lineup in the World Series, Smith moved center fielder
Mickey Stanley to shortstop (replacing Ray Oyler
, who batted .135 during the season) even though he had never played there in his minor or major league career. The gamble paid off as Kaline batted .379 with two home runs and eight RBIs (including driving in the tying and go-ahead runs in a crucial Game 5), Northrup knocked in eight runs to go along with his two home runs, Horton hit .304 with a home run and six runs scored, and Stanley made only two insignificant errors.
The 1968 season
was tagged "The Year of the Pitcher", and the Series featured dominant performances from Cardinals pitcher Bob Gibson
, MVP of the 1964 World Series
and 1967 World Series
. Gibson came into the Series with a stunning regular-season Earned Run Average of just 1.12, and he would pitch complete games in Games 1, 4, and 7. He was the winning pitcher in Games 1 and 4. In Game 1, he threw a shutout, striking out seventeen batters, besting Sandy Koufax
's 1963
record by two, and it still stands as the World Series record today. In Game 4, a solo home run by Jim Northrup was the only offense the Tigers were able to muster, as Gibson struck out ten batters. In Game 7, Gibson was defeated by series MVP Mickey Lolich, allowing three runs on four straight hits in the decisive seventh inning, although the key play was a Jim Northrup triple that was seemingly misplayed by center fielder Curt Flood
and could have been the third out with no runs scoring.
The Series saw the Cardinals lose a Game 7 for the first time in their history. The Tigers were the third team to come back from a three games to one deficit to win a best-of-seven World Series, the first two being the 1925 Pirates and the 1958 Yankees. Later, the 1979 Pirates, and 1985 Royals would accomplish this feat.
The two teams met again in the 2006 World Series
. The Cardinals once again raced to a three games to one lead, but didn't relinquish it as they captured the championship in five games. That would give the Cardinals the "rubber match" of their other two encounters in 1934 and 1968.
This was the last World Series to be played before the introduction of divisional
play in Major League Baseball, and subsequent expansion of the postseason to include the League Championship Series
. In his book about the history of the World Series, historian Lee Allen made the point that it was the last "pure" World Series, in the sense that divisional play would raise the possibility that the team with the best record from one or both leagues might not get into the Series, which has proven to be an accurate prediction (both teams in 2006, for example).
in St. Louis, Missouri
The Tigers roared into Game 1 by setting a team record with 103 victories on the season and were appearing in their first World Series in 23 years. The Tigers clubbed 185 home runs, but batted just .235 and stole only 26 bases on the year. The Cardinals could fly on the bases with 110 stolen bases, led the NL with 48 triples, had a better team average at .249, but hit only 73 home runs. Pitching was about even as both teams set their rotations for Game 1 with solid starters and adequate relievers.
Fans overflowed Busch Stadium for Game 1 to watch the highly anticipated matchup of the Major League’s top two pitchers, the Cardinals' Bob Gibson
(22–9, 1.12 ERA) and the Tigers' Denny McLain
(31–6, 1.96 ERA). Gibson would be looking to become the first National League pitcher to win six World Series games while McLain would be pitching in his first World Series game. Indeed the Cardinals had far more World Series experience than the Tigers with most of the Cardinal lineup (including all nine Game 1 starters) having played in a prior World Series. Both pitchers were highly competitive, fast workers, sporting overpowering fastballs coupled with excellent control.
No adjectives could describe Gibson's performance in Game 1. The menacing right-handed pitcher
shut out the Tigers on just five hits, and he struck out a World Series-record 17 Detroit Tigers' batters.
The Cardinals broke through with three in the fourth off McLain. After McLain walk
ed Roger Maris
and Tim McCarver
, Cardinals third baseman
Mike Shannon
singled in Maris and went to second base when Tiger center fielder Jim Northrup misplayed the ball. McCarver pulled in at third. Cardinals second baseman
Julian Javier
followed this by singling in both baserunners to make the score 3–0. Cardinals outfielder
Lou Brock
added a solo home run
in the seventh inning to complete the scoring.
In the top of the first inning, the Tigers lack of team speed was evident as Mickey Stanley
singled but was easily gunned down by Tim McCarver attempting to steal. Gibson struck out two in the first inning, and continued mowing down Tiger hitters including seven strikeouts in the first three innings. In the Cardinal second inning, Tim McCarver brought the crowd to its feet with a triple, but was left stranded by two McLain strikeouts. In the bottom of the third, the Cardinals received a bit of a scare when Brock turned his left ankle on a steal of second base. Brock would recover and go on to steal seven bases in the Series. After the Cardinals scored their runs in the fourth inning, the rest of the game was an exercise in Tiger hitting futility as the closest they came to scoring occurred in the sixth inning. Detroit’s Dick McAuliffe
singled and Al Kaline
followed with a double, but again lack of team speed left McAuliffe at third instead of attempting to score. Gibson struck out Norm Cash
to end the threat. Gibson turned the Tigers into mere kittens with his sizzling fastball, striking out the last three hitters to end the game.
in St. Louis, Missouri
The Tigers' starting pitcher
Mickey Lolich
wasn't as dominating as Bob Gibson had been in Game 1, striking out "only" nine batters, but the result was the same: Lolich earned a complete-game victory and the Tigers evened up the Series.
Tiger outfielder Willie Horton smacked a home run in the second inning, and Lolich also helped his own cause with a solo homer in the third inning off the Cardinals starter, Nelson Briles
. This was the only home run that Lolich hit during his entire professional career. The Tigers broke the game open in the sixth inning when first baseman Norm Cash
led off with another solo homer, and second baseman Dick McAuliffe
later provided a two-run single.
Cardinals first baseman Orlando Cepeda
gave St. Louis a run with an RBI single in the sixth, but that was all they scored. Al Kaline
scored in the seventh inning when Jim Northrup hit into a double play, and the Tigers scored their final two runs with bases-loaded walks to Don Wert
and Lolich.
In the first of three games at Detroit's Tiger Stadium, Al Kaline
started the scoring with a two-run homer in the third inning, but the Cardinals came back in the fifth inning on an RBI double by center fielder Curt Flood
off starter Earl Wilson, and on a three-run homer by catcher
Tim McCarver
off relief pitcher Pat Dobson
. The Tigers cut the deficit to just one run on a solo home run by Dick McAuliffe
. But Orlando Cepeda
put the game out of reach in the seventh inning by smacking a three-run home run.
Manager Mayo Smith, needing another left-handed bat in the lineup, made a major change by inserting veteran Eddie Mathews
at third base. Mathews, recovering from a spinal operation that nearly ended his career, had one hit, but this would be the last game of his major league career. After a 35-minute rain delay, hard-hitting Hall-of-Famer Hank Greenberg
threw out the first pitch.
McLain had trouble warming up amidst the rainfall, and was throwing with less velocity from the outset. A 31-game winner during the regular season, he struggled for the second time in this World Series, as this one-sided pitching matchup with Bob Gibson showed. Lou Brock led the game off with a home run, and Mike Shannon added an RBI single later in the first inning. Two more Cardinals runs were knocked in during the third inning on Tim McCarver's RBI triple
and Mike Shannon's RBI double
. McLain's troubles continued, and after a walk to Julian Javier, the umpires stopped the game due to rain with two out in the third inning. McLain did not return after play resumed. A heavy rainfall in Detroit caused a one-hour and 15-minute rain delay. After play was resumed, Bob Gibson helped his own cause and added to the damage by hitting a home run off Joe Sparma in the fourth inning. Next, Lou Brock knocked a triple and scored on a ground-out by Roger Maris.
The Cardinals final runs came in the eighth inning when Gibson walk
ed with the bases loaded, forcing in one run, and then Lou Brock drove in three more runs with a double. Brock was just a single
short of hitting for the cycle in this game.
The Tigers only run came in the fourth inning when Jim Northrup hit a home run off Gibson. Other than that, Gibson was a nearly perfect pitcher, tossing his second complete game in this World Series while striking out ten batters. The Cards now had a commanding three-games-to-one lead in this Series.
With the World Series on the line, the Tigers used their winner of Game 2, Mickey Lolich, as their starting pitcher. Lolich's first inning in this game was not too promising, as he allowed an RBI single by Curt Flood and a two-run home run to Orlando Cepeda. However, Lolich soon settled down, striking out eight Cardinals batters and allowing no more runs.
Tigers first baseman
Norm Cash
began their comeback with a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning, plating Mickey Stanley
who had tripled. This was followed by a Willie Horton triple and Jim Northrup's RBI single. In the fifth inning, the Cardinals had a chance to go up by two runs after Lou Brock hit a one-out double. Cardinals second baseman
Julian Javier
followed with a base hit to left. Outfielder Willie Horton fielded the ball off the ground and then fired the ball towards home plate
. Instead of sliding into home plate, Brock tried to bowl over Tiger catcher Bill Freehan
. However, Freehan caught and held onto the ball while blocking the plate with his foot, and Brock was called out. This was the last time that the Cardinals threatened to score in the game.
Cardinals starting pitcher
Nelson Briles was taken out of the game in the seventh inning with one runner on base, and was replaced by reliever
Joe Hoerner
. The Tigers began a game-winning rally off Hoerner, with Al Kaline
hitting a two-run single to give the Tigers a 4–3 lead. Norm Cash then knocked in an insurance run with a single.
Jose Feliciano
's unconventional pre-game singing of "The Star-Spangled Banner
" aroused considerable controversy, with the Tigers and NBC receiving thousands of angry letters and telephone calls about the performance. Lolich also blamed Feliciano's unusually long rendition for causing him to get cold after his warm-ups and thus give up three early runs.
in St. Louis, Missouri
Now needing two wins in St. Louis to win the World Series, Tiger manager Mayo Smith
chose Denny McLain again as his starting pitcher, even though he was on only two days' rest and had not been very successful in his two prior Series starts. Cardinals manager Red Schoendienst
stayed with his normal three-starter rotation, selecting Ray Washburn
who had won Game 3. The choice of McLain paid off for the Tigers, as he pitched a complete game in a 13–1 rout of the Cardinals.
The rout began innocently enough in the top of the second inning on RBI hits by Willie Horton and Bill Freehan. During the third inning, the floodgates opened up for the Tigers as they scored again and again off three Cardinal pitchers. The Tigers batted around and tallied ten runs in this inning, a record for a World Series game. Jim Northrup hit a grand slam home run and both Al Kaline
and Norm Cash
hit run-producing singles, with Kaline's knocking in two runs. Horton also hit another RBI single in this outburst of runs. Kaline added a solo home run in the fifth inning.
in St. Louis, Missouri
In a fitting end to this Series, the two teams' hottest pitchers, Mickey Lolich
and Bob Gibson
, squared off in what was almost a classic duel, until an infamous hit over the head of Curt Flood
. Like McLain in Game 6, Lolich was starting on only two days' rest.
Lolich and Gibson matched zeros for six innings, but, in the top of the seventh, Gibson surrendered two-out hits to Norm Cash
and Willie Horton. Jim Northrup then hit a hard smash to deep center; Curt Flood
, who won numerous gold gloves in his career, misjudged it and briefly started in on the ball before turning around to go back. The ball one-hopped the warning track, two runs scored, Northrup wound up with a triple, and Lolich had all the runs he needed. Flood has been criticized by some who believe he would have caught the ball had his first step been back instead of in. Jim Northrup himself, however, said the hit was "40 feet over [Flood's] head. He never had a chance to catch it." TV and film footage appears to back up Northrup's claim; Flood was playing shallow, and the ball got to the warning track in a hurry. Even had he started back, it is questionable whether Flood would have caught the ball. Bill Freehan
then doubled in Northrup, and in the top of the ninth, Don Wert
would add an RBI single.
The Cardinals would get a run in the ninth on a Mike Shannon
solo homer, but that was all as Lolich would pitch his third complete game. The final out of the series was recorded when Bill Freehan caught a pop foul off the bat of Tim McCarver
. Gibson struck out eight in the losing cause, giving him a record 35 strikeouts by one pitcher in a World Series.
Cardinals shortstop Dal Maxvill
went hitless in 22 World Series at-bats, a record.
(A.L.) over St. Louis Cardinals
(N.L.)
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
against the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
, with the Tigers winning in seven games for their first championship since 1945
1945 World Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 3, 1945 at Briggs Stadium in Detroit, Michigan-Game 2:Thursday, October 4, 1945 at Briggs Stadium in Detroit, Michigan-Game 3:Friday, October 5, 1945 at Briggs Stadium in Detroit, Michigan...
, and the third in their history. The Tigers came back from a 3–1 deficit to win three in a row, largely on the arm of MVP Mickey Lolich
Mickey Lolich
Michael Stephen Lolich is a former Major League Baseball pitcher from 1962 until 1979 who played the majority of his career with the Detroit Tigers.-Baseball career:...
, who won three complete games in a single World Series, a feat that has not been duplicated since. In his third appearance in the Series, Lolich had to pitch after only two days' rest in the deciding Game 7, because regular-season 31-game winner Denny McLain
Denny McLain
Dennis Dale "Denny" McLain is a former American professional baseball player, and the last major league pitcher to win 30 or more games during a season —a feat accomplished by only thirteen players in the 20th century....
was moved up to game 6—also on two days rest. In Game 5, the Tigers' hopes for the title would have been very much in jeopardy had Bill Freehan
Bill Freehan
William Ashley Freehan is a former professional baseball player. He played his entire Major League Baseball career as a catcher for the Detroit Tigers...
not tagged out Lou Brock
Lou Brock
Louis Clark "Lou" Brock is an American former professional baseball player. He began his Major League Baseball career with the Chicago Cubs but, spent the majority of his career as the left fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals. Brock was best known for breaking Ty Cobb's all-time major league...
in a home plate collision when Brock elected not to slide and went in standing up.
The narrow win for the Tigers was due, in small part, to a bold gamble by Manager Mayo Smith
Mayo Smith
Edward Mayo Smith was an American player, manager, and scout in Major League Baseball.Smith was born in New London, Missouri, but grew up in Florida. A left-handed batter who threw right-handed, Smith was a career minor league outfielder who spent many seasons in the International League with the...
. The Tigers rotated four good hitting outfielders during the season (Willie Horton, Mickey Stanley
Mickey Stanley
Mitchell Jack "Mickey" Stanley was a baseball player for the Detroit Tigers from 1964-1978. Stanley was known as a superb defensive outfielder over his 15-year career, though he is best remembered for the last few weeks of the 1968 season.-Early life:Stanley prepped at Ottawa Hills High School in...
, Al Kaline
Al Kaline
Albert William "Al" Kaline is a former Major League Baseball right fielder. He is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Kaline played his entire 22-year baseball career with the Detroit Tigers. Kaline still works for the Tigers as a front office official. Because of his lengthy career and...
, and Jim Northrup); in an effort to get all four into the lineup in the World Series, Smith moved center fielder
Center fielder
A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball fielding position between left field and right field...
Mickey Stanley to shortstop (replacing Ray Oyler
Ray Oyler
Raymond Francis Oyler was an American Major League Baseball shortstop. He played for the Detroit Tigers , Seattle Pilots , and California Angels...
, who batted .135 during the season) even though he had never played there in his minor or major league career. The gamble paid off as Kaline batted .379 with two home runs and eight RBIs (including driving in the tying and go-ahead runs in a crucial Game 5), Northrup knocked in eight runs to go along with his two home runs, Horton hit .304 with a home run and six runs scored, and Stanley made only two insignificant errors.
The 1968 season
1968 Major League Baseball season
The Athletics played their first season in Oakland this year, following the team's relocation from Kansas City. It was also the last season of play before each of the two leagues were split into divisions for the following season.-The Year of the Pitcher:...
was tagged "The Year of the Pitcher", and the Series featured dominant performances from Cardinals pitcher Bob Gibson
Bob Gibson
Robert "Bob" Gibson is a retired American professional baseball player. Nicknamed "Hoot" and "Gibby", he was a right-handed pitcher who played his entire 17-year Major League Baseball career with St. Louis Cardinals...
, MVP of the 1964 World Series
1964 World Series
The 1964 World Series pitted the National League champion St. Louis Cardinals against the American League champion New York Yankees, with the Cardinals prevailing in seven games. St...
and 1967 World Series
1967 World Series
The 1967 World Series matched the St. Louis Cardinals against the Boston Red Sox in a rematch of the 1946 World Series, with the Cardinals winning in seven games for their second championship in four years and their eighth overall...
. Gibson came into the Series with a stunning regular-season Earned Run Average of just 1.12, and he would pitch complete games in Games 1, 4, and 7. He was the winning pitcher in Games 1 and 4. In Game 1, he threw a shutout, striking out seventeen batters, besting Sandy Koufax
Sandy Koufax
Sanford "Sandy" Koufax is a former left-handed baseball pitcher who played his entire 12-year Major League Baseball career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers...
's 1963
1963 World Series
The 1963 World Series matched the two-time defending champion New York Yankees against the Los Angeles Dodgers, with the Dodgers sweeping the Series in four games to capture their second title in five years, and their third in franchise history....
record by two, and it still stands as the World Series record today. In Game 4, a solo home run by Jim Northrup was the only offense the Tigers were able to muster, as Gibson struck out ten batters. In Game 7, Gibson was defeated by series MVP Mickey Lolich, allowing three runs on four straight hits in the decisive seventh inning, although the key play was a Jim Northrup triple that was seemingly misplayed by center fielder Curt Flood
Curt Flood
Curtis Charles Flood was a Major League Baseball player who spent most of his career as a center fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals. A defensive standout, he led the National League in putouts four times and in fielding percentage twice, winning Gold Glove Awards in his last seven full seasons...
and could have been the third out with no runs scoring.
The Series saw the Cardinals lose a Game 7 for the first time in their history. The Tigers were the third team to come back from a three games to one deficit to win a best-of-seven World Series, the first two being the 1925 Pirates and the 1958 Yankees. Later, the 1979 Pirates, and 1985 Royals would accomplish this feat.
The two teams met again in the 2006 World Series
2006 World Series
The 2006 World Series, the 102nd edition of Major League Baseball's championship series, began on October 21 and ended on October 27, and matched the American League champion Detroit Tigers against the National League champion St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals won the Series in five games, taking...
. The Cardinals once again raced to a three games to one lead, but didn't relinquish it as they captured the championship in five games. That would give the Cardinals the "rubber match" of their other two encounters in 1934 and 1968.
This was the last World Series to be played before the introduction of divisional
Division (sport)
In sports, a division is a group of teams who compete against each other for a championship.-League system:In sports using a league system , a division consists a group of teams who play a sport at a similar competitive level...
play in Major League Baseball, and subsequent expansion of the postseason to include the League Championship Series
League Championship Series
The League Championship Series is the official name for a round of postseason play in Major League Baseball which has been conducted since 1969...
. In his book about the history of the World Series, historian Lee Allen made the point that it was the last "pure" World Series, in the sense that divisional play would raise the possibility that the team with the best record from one or both leagues might not get into the Series, which has proven to be an accurate prediction (both teams in 2006, for example).
Summary
Game 1
Wednesday, October 2, 1968 at Busch Stadium (II)Busch Memorial Stadium
Busch Memorial Stadium, also known as Busch Stadium, was a multi-purpose sports facility in St. Louis, Missouri that operated from 1966 to 2005....
in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
The Tigers roared into Game 1 by setting a team record with 103 victories on the season and were appearing in their first World Series in 23 years. The Tigers clubbed 185 home runs, but batted just .235 and stole only 26 bases on the year. The Cardinals could fly on the bases with 110 stolen bases, led the NL with 48 triples, had a better team average at .249, but hit only 73 home runs. Pitching was about even as both teams set their rotations for Game 1 with solid starters and adequate relievers.
Fans overflowed Busch Stadium for Game 1 to watch the highly anticipated matchup of the Major League’s top two pitchers, the Cardinals' Bob Gibson
Bob Gibson
Robert "Bob" Gibson is a retired American professional baseball player. Nicknamed "Hoot" and "Gibby", he was a right-handed pitcher who played his entire 17-year Major League Baseball career with St. Louis Cardinals...
(22–9, 1.12 ERA) and the Tigers' Denny McLain
Denny McLain
Dennis Dale "Denny" McLain is a former American professional baseball player, and the last major league pitcher to win 30 or more games during a season —a feat accomplished by only thirteen players in the 20th century....
(31–6, 1.96 ERA). Gibson would be looking to become the first National League pitcher to win six World Series games while McLain would be pitching in his first World Series game. Indeed the Cardinals had far more World Series experience than the Tigers with most of the Cardinal lineup (including all nine Game 1 starters) having played in a prior World Series. Both pitchers were highly competitive, fast workers, sporting overpowering fastballs coupled with excellent control.
No adjectives could describe Gibson's performance in Game 1. The menacing right-handed pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
shut out the Tigers on just five hits, and he struck out a World Series-record 17 Detroit Tigers' batters.
The Cardinals broke through with three in the fourth off McLain. After McLain walk
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
ed Roger Maris
Roger Maris
Roger Eugene Maris was an American Major League Baseball right fielder. During the 1961 season, he hit a record 61 home runs for the New York Yankees, breaking Babe Ruth's single-season record of 60 home runs...
and Tim McCarver
Tim McCarver
James Timothy "Tim" McCarver is an American former Major League Baseball catcher, and a current sportscaster in residence for Fox Sports.-Playing career:...
, Cardinals third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
Mike Shannon
Mike Shannon
Thomas Michael Shannon is an American-born former Major League Baseball player and current radio sportscaster.Shannon is a radio broadcaster for the St. Louis Cardinals. He was raised in St. Louis, Missouri and played with the Cardinals during some of the team's most successful years...
singled in Maris and went to second base when Tiger center fielder Jim Northrup misplayed the ball. McCarver pulled in at third. Cardinals second baseman
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
Julian Javier
Julián Javier
Manuel Julián Javier Liranzo , best known as Julián Javier [hoo-lee-AN hah-vee-ER], is a former Major League Baseball second baseman and right-handed batter. He played with the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds...
followed this by singling in both baserunners to make the score 3–0. Cardinals outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
Lou Brock
Lou Brock
Louis Clark "Lou" Brock is an American former professional baseball player. He began his Major League Baseball career with the Chicago Cubs but, spent the majority of his career as the left fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals. Brock was best known for breaking Ty Cobb's all-time major league...
added a solo home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
in the seventh inning to complete the scoring.
In the top of the first inning, the Tigers lack of team speed was evident as Mickey Stanley
Mickey Stanley
Mitchell Jack "Mickey" Stanley was a baseball player for the Detroit Tigers from 1964-1978. Stanley was known as a superb defensive outfielder over his 15-year career, though he is best remembered for the last few weeks of the 1968 season.-Early life:Stanley prepped at Ottawa Hills High School in...
singled but was easily gunned down by Tim McCarver attempting to steal. Gibson struck out two in the first inning, and continued mowing down Tiger hitters including seven strikeouts in the first three innings. In the Cardinal second inning, Tim McCarver brought the crowd to its feet with a triple, but was left stranded by two McLain strikeouts. In the bottom of the third, the Cardinals received a bit of a scare when Brock turned his left ankle on a steal of second base. Brock would recover and go on to steal seven bases in the Series. After the Cardinals scored their runs in the fourth inning, the rest of the game was an exercise in Tiger hitting futility as the closest they came to scoring occurred in the sixth inning. Detroit’s Dick McAuliffe
Dick McAuliffe
Richard John McAuliffe is a former American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a shortstop and second baseman for the Detroit Tigers from to and for the Boston Red Sox from to . He was a part of the Tigers' 1968 World Series championship, and was known for his...
singled and Al Kaline
Al Kaline
Albert William "Al" Kaline is a former Major League Baseball right fielder. He is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Kaline played his entire 22-year baseball career with the Detroit Tigers. Kaline still works for the Tigers as a front office official. Because of his lengthy career and...
followed with a double, but again lack of team speed left McAuliffe at third instead of attempting to score. Gibson struck out Norm Cash
Norm Cash
Norman Dalton Cash was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball who spent almost his entire career with the Detroit Tigers...
to end the threat. Gibson turned the Tigers into mere kittens with his sizzling fastball, striking out the last three hitters to end the game.
Game 2
Thursday, October 3, 1968 at Busch Stadium (II)Busch Memorial Stadium
Busch Memorial Stadium, also known as Busch Stadium, was a multi-purpose sports facility in St. Louis, Missouri that operated from 1966 to 2005....
in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
The Tigers' starting pitcher
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
Mickey Lolich
Mickey Lolich
Michael Stephen Lolich is a former Major League Baseball pitcher from 1962 until 1979 who played the majority of his career with the Detroit Tigers.-Baseball career:...
wasn't as dominating as Bob Gibson had been in Game 1, striking out "only" nine batters, but the result was the same: Lolich earned a complete-game victory and the Tigers evened up the Series.
Tiger outfielder Willie Horton smacked a home run in the second inning, and Lolich also helped his own cause with a solo homer in the third inning off the Cardinals starter, Nelson Briles
Nelson Briles
Nelson Kelley "Nellie" Briles was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the St. Louis Cardinals , Pittsburgh Pirates , Kansas City Royals , Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles...
. This was the only home run that Lolich hit during his entire professional career. The Tigers broke the game open in the sixth inning when first baseman Norm Cash
Norm Cash
Norman Dalton Cash was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball who spent almost his entire career with the Detroit Tigers...
led off with another solo homer, and second baseman Dick McAuliffe
Dick McAuliffe
Richard John McAuliffe is a former American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a shortstop and second baseman for the Detroit Tigers from to and for the Boston Red Sox from to . He was a part of the Tigers' 1968 World Series championship, and was known for his...
later provided a two-run single.
Cardinals first baseman Orlando Cepeda
Orlando Cepeda
Orlando Manuel Cepeda Pennes is a former Puerto Rican Major League Baseball first baseman.Cepeda was born to a poor family. His father, Pedro Cepeda, was a baseball player in Puerto Rico, which influenced his interest in the sport from a young age. His first contact with professional baseball was...
gave St. Louis a run with an RBI single in the sixth, but that was all they scored. Al Kaline
Al Kaline
Albert William "Al" Kaline is a former Major League Baseball right fielder. He is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Kaline played his entire 22-year baseball career with the Detroit Tigers. Kaline still works for the Tigers as a front office official. Because of his lengthy career and...
scored in the seventh inning when Jim Northrup hit into a double play, and the Tigers scored their final two runs with bases-loaded walks to Don Wert
Don Wert
Donald Ralph Wert , nicknamed "Coyote", is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Detroit Tigers from 1963 to 1970 and also briefly played for the Washington Senators in 1971...
and Lolich.
Game 3
Saturday, October 5, 1968 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit, MichiganDetroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
In the first of three games at Detroit's Tiger Stadium, Al Kaline
Al Kaline
Albert William "Al" Kaline is a former Major League Baseball right fielder. He is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Kaline played his entire 22-year baseball career with the Detroit Tigers. Kaline still works for the Tigers as a front office official. Because of his lengthy career and...
started the scoring with a two-run homer in the third inning, but the Cardinals came back in the fifth inning on an RBI double by center fielder Curt Flood
Curt Flood
Curtis Charles Flood was a Major League Baseball player who spent most of his career as a center fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals. A defensive standout, he led the National League in putouts four times and in fielding percentage twice, winning Gold Glove Awards in his last seven full seasons...
off starter Earl Wilson, and on a three-run homer by catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
Tim McCarver
Tim McCarver
James Timothy "Tim" McCarver is an American former Major League Baseball catcher, and a current sportscaster in residence for Fox Sports.-Playing career:...
off relief pitcher Pat Dobson
Pat Dobson
Patrick Edward Dobson, Jr. was an American right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Detroit Tigers , San Diego Padres , Baltimore Orioles , Atlanta Braves , New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians...
. The Tigers cut the deficit to just one run on a solo home run by Dick McAuliffe
Dick McAuliffe
Richard John McAuliffe is a former American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a shortstop and second baseman for the Detroit Tigers from to and for the Boston Red Sox from to . He was a part of the Tigers' 1968 World Series championship, and was known for his...
. But Orlando Cepeda
Orlando Cepeda
Orlando Manuel Cepeda Pennes is a former Puerto Rican Major League Baseball first baseman.Cepeda was born to a poor family. His father, Pedro Cepeda, was a baseball player in Puerto Rico, which influenced his interest in the sport from a young age. His first contact with professional baseball was...
put the game out of reach in the seventh inning by smacking a three-run home run.
Game 4
Sunday, October 6, 1968 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit, MichiganDetroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
Manager Mayo Smith, needing another left-handed bat in the lineup, made a major change by inserting veteran Eddie Mathews
Eddie Mathews
Edwin Lee "Eddie" Mathews was an American Major League Baseball third baseman. He is regarded as one of the greatest third basemen ever to play the game.-Early life:...
at third base. Mathews, recovering from a spinal operation that nearly ended his career, had one hit, but this would be the last game of his major league career. After a 35-minute rain delay, hard-hitting Hall-of-Famer Hank Greenberg
Hank Greenberg
Henry Benjamin "Hank" Greenberg , nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank" or "The Hebrew Hammer," was an American professional baseball player in the 1930s and 1940s. A first baseman primarily for the Detroit Tigers, Greenberg was one of the premier power hitters of his generation...
threw out the first pitch.
McLain had trouble warming up amidst the rainfall, and was throwing with less velocity from the outset. A 31-game winner during the regular season, he struggled for the second time in this World Series, as this one-sided pitching matchup with Bob Gibson showed. Lou Brock led the game off with a home run, and Mike Shannon added an RBI single later in the first inning. Two more Cardinals runs were knocked in during the third inning on Tim McCarver's RBI triple
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
and Mike Shannon's RBI double
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
. McLain's troubles continued, and after a walk to Julian Javier, the umpires stopped the game due to rain with two out in the third inning. McLain did not return after play resumed. A heavy rainfall in Detroit caused a one-hour and 15-minute rain delay. After play was resumed, Bob Gibson helped his own cause and added to the damage by hitting a home run off Joe Sparma in the fourth inning. Next, Lou Brock knocked a triple and scored on a ground-out by Roger Maris.
The Cardinals final runs came in the eighth inning when Gibson walk
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
ed with the bases loaded, forcing in one run, and then Lou Brock drove in three more runs with a double. Brock was just a single
Single (baseball)
In baseball, a single is the most common type of base hit, accomplished through the act of a batter safely reaching first base by hitting a fair ball and getting to first base before a fielder puts him out...
short of hitting for the cycle in this game.
The Tigers only run came in the fourth inning when Jim Northrup hit a home run off Gibson. Other than that, Gibson was a nearly perfect pitcher, tossing his second complete game in this World Series while striking out ten batters. The Cards now had a commanding three-games-to-one lead in this Series.
Game 5
Monday, October 7, 1968 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit, MichiganDetroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
With the World Series on the line, the Tigers used their winner of Game 2, Mickey Lolich, as their starting pitcher. Lolich's first inning in this game was not too promising, as he allowed an RBI single by Curt Flood and a two-run home run to Orlando Cepeda. However, Lolich soon settled down, striking out eight Cardinals batters and allowing no more runs.
Tigers first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
Norm Cash
Norm Cash
Norman Dalton Cash was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball who spent almost his entire career with the Detroit Tigers...
began their comeback with a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning, plating Mickey Stanley
Mickey Stanley
Mitchell Jack "Mickey" Stanley was a baseball player for the Detroit Tigers from 1964-1978. Stanley was known as a superb defensive outfielder over his 15-year career, though he is best remembered for the last few weeks of the 1968 season.-Early life:Stanley prepped at Ottawa Hills High School in...
who had tripled. This was followed by a Willie Horton triple and Jim Northrup's RBI single. In the fifth inning, the Cardinals had a chance to go up by two runs after Lou Brock hit a one-out double. Cardinals second baseman
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
Julian Javier
Julián Javier
Manuel Julián Javier Liranzo , best known as Julián Javier [hoo-lee-AN hah-vee-ER], is a former Major League Baseball second baseman and right-handed batter. He played with the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds...
followed with a base hit to left. Outfielder Willie Horton fielded the ball off the ground and then fired the ball towards home plate
Home Plate
Home Plate is the fifth album by Bonnie Raitt, released in 1975 .-Track listing:#"What Do You Want the Boy to Do?" – 3:19#"Good Enough" – 2:56#"Run Like a Thief" – 3:02...
. Instead of sliding into home plate, Brock tried to bowl over Tiger catcher Bill Freehan
Bill Freehan
William Ashley Freehan is a former professional baseball player. He played his entire Major League Baseball career as a catcher for the Detroit Tigers...
. However, Freehan caught and held onto the ball while blocking the plate with his foot, and Brock was called out. This was the last time that the Cardinals threatened to score in the game.
Cardinals starting pitcher
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
Nelson Briles was taken out of the game in the seventh inning with one runner on base, and was replaced by reliever
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
Joe Hoerner
Joe Hoerner
Joseph Walter Hoerner was a Major League Baseball relief pitcher. A native of Dubuque, Iowa, the left-hander was signed by the Chicago White Sox as an amateur free agent before the 1957 season. He played for the Houston Colt .45s , St...
. The Tigers began a game-winning rally off Hoerner, with Al Kaline
Al Kaline
Albert William "Al" Kaline is a former Major League Baseball right fielder. He is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Kaline played his entire 22-year baseball career with the Detroit Tigers. Kaline still works for the Tigers as a front office official. Because of his lengthy career and...
hitting a two-run single to give the Tigers a 4–3 lead. Norm Cash then knocked in an insurance run with a single.
Jose Feliciano
José Feliciano
José Feliciano is a Puerto Rican singer, virtuoso guitarist and composer known for many international hits including the 1970 holiday single "Feliz Navidad".-Childhood:...
's unconventional pre-game singing of "The Star-Spangled Banner
The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships...
" aroused considerable controversy, with the Tigers and NBC receiving thousands of angry letters and telephone calls about the performance. Lolich also blamed Feliciano's unusually long rendition for causing him to get cold after his warm-ups and thus give up three early runs.
Game 6
Wednesday, October 9, 1968 at Busch Stadium (II)Busch Memorial Stadium
Busch Memorial Stadium, also known as Busch Stadium, was a multi-purpose sports facility in St. Louis, Missouri that operated from 1966 to 2005....
in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
Now needing two wins in St. Louis to win the World Series, Tiger manager Mayo Smith
Mayo Smith
Edward Mayo Smith was an American player, manager, and scout in Major League Baseball.Smith was born in New London, Missouri, but grew up in Florida. A left-handed batter who threw right-handed, Smith was a career minor league outfielder who spent many seasons in the International League with the...
chose Denny McLain again as his starting pitcher, even though he was on only two days' rest and had not been very successful in his two prior Series starts. Cardinals manager Red Schoendienst
Red Schoendienst
Albert Fred "Red" Schoendienst is an American Major League Baseball coach, former player and manager, and 10-time All-star. After a 19-year playing career with the St...
stayed with his normal three-starter rotation, selecting Ray Washburn
Ray Washburn
Ray Clark Washburn is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Washburn, a right-hander, pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals from to and the Cincinnati Reds in ....
who had won Game 3. The choice of McLain paid off for the Tigers, as he pitched a complete game in a 13–1 rout of the Cardinals.
The rout began innocently enough in the top of the second inning on RBI hits by Willie Horton and Bill Freehan. During the third inning, the floodgates opened up for the Tigers as they scored again and again off three Cardinal pitchers. The Tigers batted around and tallied ten runs in this inning, a record for a World Series game. Jim Northrup hit a grand slam home run and both Al Kaline
Al Kaline
Albert William "Al" Kaline is a former Major League Baseball right fielder. He is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Kaline played his entire 22-year baseball career with the Detroit Tigers. Kaline still works for the Tigers as a front office official. Because of his lengthy career and...
and Norm Cash
Norm Cash
Norman Dalton Cash was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball who spent almost his entire career with the Detroit Tigers...
hit run-producing singles, with Kaline's knocking in two runs. Horton also hit another RBI single in this outburst of runs. Kaline added a solo home run in the fifth inning.
Game 7
Thursday, October 10, 1968 at Busch Stadium (II)Busch Memorial Stadium
Busch Memorial Stadium, also known as Busch Stadium, was a multi-purpose sports facility in St. Louis, Missouri that operated from 1966 to 2005....
in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
In a fitting end to this Series, the two teams' hottest pitchers, Mickey Lolich
Mickey Lolich
Michael Stephen Lolich is a former Major League Baseball pitcher from 1962 until 1979 who played the majority of his career with the Detroit Tigers.-Baseball career:...
and Bob Gibson
Bob Gibson
Robert "Bob" Gibson is a retired American professional baseball player. Nicknamed "Hoot" and "Gibby", he was a right-handed pitcher who played his entire 17-year Major League Baseball career with St. Louis Cardinals...
, squared off in what was almost a classic duel, until an infamous hit over the head of Curt Flood
Curt Flood
Curtis Charles Flood was a Major League Baseball player who spent most of his career as a center fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals. A defensive standout, he led the National League in putouts four times and in fielding percentage twice, winning Gold Glove Awards in his last seven full seasons...
. Like McLain in Game 6, Lolich was starting on only two days' rest.
Lolich and Gibson matched zeros for six innings, but, in the top of the seventh, Gibson surrendered two-out hits to Norm Cash
Norm Cash
Norman Dalton Cash was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball who spent almost his entire career with the Detroit Tigers...
and Willie Horton. Jim Northrup then hit a hard smash to deep center; Curt Flood
Curt Flood
Curtis Charles Flood was a Major League Baseball player who spent most of his career as a center fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals. A defensive standout, he led the National League in putouts four times and in fielding percentage twice, winning Gold Glove Awards in his last seven full seasons...
, who won numerous gold gloves in his career, misjudged it and briefly started in on the ball before turning around to go back. The ball one-hopped the warning track, two runs scored, Northrup wound up with a triple, and Lolich had all the runs he needed. Flood has been criticized by some who believe he would have caught the ball had his first step been back instead of in. Jim Northrup himself, however, said the hit was "40 feet over [Flood's] head. He never had a chance to catch it." TV and film footage appears to back up Northrup's claim; Flood was playing shallow, and the ball got to the warning track in a hurry. Even had he started back, it is questionable whether Flood would have caught the ball. Bill Freehan
Bill Freehan
William Ashley Freehan is a former professional baseball player. He played his entire Major League Baseball career as a catcher for the Detroit Tigers...
then doubled in Northrup, and in the top of the ninth, Don Wert
Don Wert
Donald Ralph Wert , nicknamed "Coyote", is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Detroit Tigers from 1963 to 1970 and also briefly played for the Washington Senators in 1971...
would add an RBI single.
The Cardinals would get a run in the ninth on a Mike Shannon
Mike Shannon
Thomas Michael Shannon is an American-born former Major League Baseball player and current radio sportscaster.Shannon is a radio broadcaster for the St. Louis Cardinals. He was raised in St. Louis, Missouri and played with the Cardinals during some of the team's most successful years...
solo homer, but that was all as Lolich would pitch his third complete game. The final out of the series was recorded when Bill Freehan caught a pop foul off the bat of Tim McCarver
Tim McCarver
James Timothy "Tim" McCarver is an American former Major League Baseball catcher, and a current sportscaster in residence for Fox Sports.-Playing career:...
. Gibson struck out eight in the losing cause, giving him a record 35 strikeouts by one pitcher in a World Series.
Cardinals shortstop Dal Maxvill
Dal Maxvill
Charles Dallan Maxvill is a former shortstop, coach and general manager in Major League Baseball. A graduate of St. Louis' Washington University, where he earned a degree in electrical engineering, Maxvill signed a professional baseball contract in 1960 with the hometown St...
went hitless in 22 World Series at-bats, a record.
Composite box
1968 World Series (4–3): Detroit TigersDetroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
(A.L.) over St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
(N.L.)