Mickey Lolich's home run in game 2 of the 1968 World Series was the only home run he ever hit.
Lolich, being on the 1968 Tigers, had good numbers (17-9, 3.19), but that paled in comparison to Denny McLain's 31 wins. But McLain lost game 1 to St. Louis' Bob Gibson, who fanned 17. Denny also lost game 4 of the Fall Classic. It was really all up to just Lolich in this post season tussle!
Lolich knotted things at 1 with a superb performance in game 2. Mickey gave up just 6 hits and 2 walks while fanning 9. The Detroit Tigers won easily, 8-1. And then there was Lolich's bat!
With Detroit ahead 1-0 in the top of the third, Lolich faced Nelson Briles. He hit his first (and only) home run to put the Tigers up 2-0. That was all Mickey needed. But Mickey wasn't done pitching or hitting. He fanned against reliever Steve Carlton in the top of the 6th. But in the 8th against Ron Willis, Mickey got his second hit of the game with a single to center. The Tigers stranded him.
Lolich would be the last American League pitcher to get two hits in a game until game 2 of the 1992 World Series. David Cone had two hits in that game for the Toronto Blue Jays, none of them for extra bases.
Lolich wasn't done pitching or hitting in this series.
The Cardinals won the next two games to put the Tigers down 3 games to 1. In game 5, they scored 3 early runs against Mickey. Mickey settled down, but the Tigers needed offence from everyone. And everyone included Mickey himself!
Again he faced Briles. In the bottom of the third, Mickey fanned. The Tigers scored twice in the 4th to pull to within a run of the Cards. But Mickey would also strike out in the bottom of the 6th.
But in the next inning, with one out, he singled and eventually scored the tying run on a 2-run single by Al Kaline. Dick McAuliffe would come in right behind Mickey. The Tigers then added an insurance run. Lolich had to snuff out a St. Louis uprising in the top of the 9th to keep the Tigers alive.
The Tigers won game 6 (behind a rejuvinated McLain) as well to send the series to a deciding 7th game. It was Lolich (2-0) vs. Gibson (2-0). And it was in St. Louis.
Mickey defused what could have been a huge inning for St. Louis by picking off both Lou Brock and Curt Flood in the top of the 6th. At bat, Lolich fanned against Gibby in the 3rd. In the 6th, he grounded out.
The Tigers broke a scoreless deadlock open with three runs in the top of the 7th. In the 9th, Detroit scored another run off Gibson before Lolich batted again. Lolich was the third out of the inning as he popped out.
Lolich retired the first two men to face him in the bottom of the 9th. But Mike Shannon rocked on of Mickey's pitches to deep left for a home run. The shutout was gone. But when Tim McCarver popped out, the Tigers were World Series Champions.
Mickey Lolich walked away with the MVP for his pitching. And his hitting was pretty good too, eh?
Retrosheet. Web. 20 Jan. 2014. <www.retrosheet.org>
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 20 Jan. 2014.
Ward, Geoffrey C., and Ken Burns. “A Whole New Ballgame.” Baseball, season 1, episode 8, PBS, 27 Sept. 1994.
World Series Of 1968. Dir. Dick Winik. Perf. Curty Gowdy, Bob Gibson and Mickey Lolich. Major League Baseball Promotion Corp., 1968. DVD. Narrated by Curt Gowdy.
Lolich, being on the 1968 Tigers, had good numbers (17-9, 3.19), but that paled in comparison to Denny McLain's 31 wins. But McLain lost game 1 to St. Louis' Bob Gibson, who fanned 17. Denny also lost game 4 of the Fall Classic. It was really all up to just Lolich in this post season tussle!
Lolich knotted things at 1 with a superb performance in game 2. Mickey gave up just 6 hits and 2 walks while fanning 9. The Detroit Tigers won easily, 8-1. And then there was Lolich's bat!
With Detroit ahead 1-0 in the top of the third, Lolich faced Nelson Briles. He hit his first (and only) home run to put the Tigers up 2-0. That was all Mickey needed. But Mickey wasn't done pitching or hitting. He fanned against reliever Steve Carlton in the top of the 6th. But in the 8th against Ron Willis, Mickey got his second hit of the game with a single to center. The Tigers stranded him.
Lolich would be the last American League pitcher to get two hits in a game until game 2 of the 1992 World Series. David Cone had two hits in that game for the Toronto Blue Jays, none of them for extra bases.
Lolich wasn't done pitching or hitting in this series.
The Cardinals won the next two games to put the Tigers down 3 games to 1. In game 5, they scored 3 early runs against Mickey. Mickey settled down, but the Tigers needed offence from everyone. And everyone included Mickey himself!
Again he faced Briles. In the bottom of the third, Mickey fanned. The Tigers scored twice in the 4th to pull to within a run of the Cards. But Mickey would also strike out in the bottom of the 6th.
But in the next inning, with one out, he singled and eventually scored the tying run on a 2-run single by Al Kaline. Dick McAuliffe would come in right behind Mickey. The Tigers then added an insurance run. Lolich had to snuff out a St. Louis uprising in the top of the 9th to keep the Tigers alive.
The Tigers won game 6 (behind a rejuvinated McLain) as well to send the series to a deciding 7th game. It was Lolich (2-0) vs. Gibson (2-0). And it was in St. Louis.
Mickey defused what could have been a huge inning for St. Louis by picking off both Lou Brock and Curt Flood in the top of the 6th. At bat, Lolich fanned against Gibby in the 3rd. In the 6th, he grounded out.
The Tigers broke a scoreless deadlock open with three runs in the top of the 7th. In the 9th, Detroit scored another run off Gibson before Lolich batted again. Lolich was the third out of the inning as he popped out.
Lolich retired the first two men to face him in the bottom of the 9th. But Mike Shannon rocked on of Mickey's pitches to deep left for a home run. The shutout was gone. But when Tim McCarver popped out, the Tigers were World Series Champions.
Mickey Lolich walked away with the MVP for his pitching. And his hitting was pretty good too, eh?
References
Retrosheet. Web. 20 Jan. 2014. <www.retrosheet.org>
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 20 Jan. 2014.
World Series Of 1968. Dir. Dick Winik. Perf. Curty Gowdy, Bob Gibson and Mickey Lolich. Major League Baseball Promotion Corp., 1968. DVD. Narrated by Curt Gowdy.
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