Bob Gibson would not have been needed in all three game sevens had the Cards won the previous contest. Indeed, the St. Louis Cardinals led 3-2 after five games in the 1964, 1967 and 1968 Fall Classic. Actually, they led '67 and '68 3-1 after four contests, only to let that slip away and force Gibby to take the hill one last time in the winner-take-it-all last game.
In 1964, the St. Louis Cardinals faced the New York Yankees. New York actually led the World Series that year, 2-1. And they had games four and five at home at Yankee Stadium. There existed the strong possibility that it was the Cards that would need a huge lift to see a sixth game.
The Cardinals trailed the Yankees 3-0 after just one inning in the fourth contest. It just didn't seem to be their afternoon. Their starting pitcher, Ray Sadecki, was looking for his second win. However, Ray had not been very good in the first contest, which St. Louis won 9-5. The game was closer than that, as it had been New York who led after five and a half innings.
Here in game four, it started off real bad for the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. They were retired 1-2-3 in the top of the first by New York starting pitcher Al Downing. St. Louis didn't even get the ball out of the infield. New York sure did.
In fact, Sadecki didn't retire one batter. Phil Linz doubled. Sadecki picked him off, but all that happened was Linz ended up advancing 90 feet. Third basemen Ken Boyer (Who's brother Clete was stationed at third for the New York Yankees at the same position) made a bad throw. Linz, now on third, scored on Bobby Richardson's double. Roger Maris singled, and now Richardson was on second. Mickey Mantle followed Maris' singled with one of his own. Trying to advance to second when the ball was handled badly by right fielder Mike Shannon, Mantle was out at second. However, Sadecki was now down 2-0, had a runner on third, and was out of the game. Four straight hits.
Roger Craig came in, but Elston Howard greeted him rudely. His single to centre scored Maris, 3-0.
The Yankees looked primed for more offence in the third (Via two walks) and the fourth inning (Another walk and a Clete Boyer single), but Craig got out of those jams. The Cardinals erased the 3-0 deficit in the top of the sixth inning as Ken Boyer hit a grand slam. Though St. Louis was held to just six hits, so were New York. The 4-3 win tied the series, 2-2.
Bob Gibson needed ten innings to win game five, and that sent this Fall Classic back to St. Louis. It seemed like the odds of the home team winning the sixth contest were good. It was Curt Simmons, who had been on the 1950 Philadelphia Phillies, that took the hill. Sadly, he'd not gotten an opportunity to pitch against the Yankees in that '50 Fall Classic. But fourteen years later, Curt was an amazing pitcher. He'd stopped New York on just one hit in game three.
In game six, the Cardinals gave him a quick 1-0 lead in the last of the first. Two singles by St. Louis off New York starter Jim Bouton to start the game. A double play scored Curt Flood. However, the Cardinals offence sputtered from there. Simmons had gotten a hit of Bouton in game three. He got another in the third in game six. What more did he have to do to beat New York?
In the top of the fifth, Tom Tresh hit a ground-rule double. Though Curt Simmons got the next two batters out, Jim Bouton singled. Bouton was ruining the day for St. Louis. They would not score another run against him until it was way too late.
And then the next inning, the wheels came off Simmons' (And the Cardinals') chariot. Roger Maris broke the 1-1 tie with a home run. Mickey Mantle then followed suite. 3-1, Yankees. Curt Simmons got Joe Pepitone to pop out to start the seventh, but Clete Boyer singled. Jim Bouton was back up. And Simmons would not face him. Ron Taylor, who took over from Roger Craig in game four and got the save, was once again superb for St. Louis. He got Bouton to hit into an inning-ending double play.
But even Taylor couldn't save St. Louis in this contest. Bouton got 'em 1-2-3 in the bottom of the frame. New York erupted the next inning. Barney Schultz was back, but New York jumped all over him. Phil Linz singled. Bobby Richardson bunted him to second. Roger Maris grounded out. But the inning didn't end. Mickey Mantle, who'd taken Schultz out of the park to win the third contest, was walked intentionally. Elston Howard drove home Linz with a single. Tom Tresh walked to load the bases. Then Joe Pepitone hit a grand slam off new pitcher Gordon Richardson. It was 8-1, Yankees.
Not that it mattered, but Curt Flood walked to start the bottom of the eighth. Lou Brock doubled. Bill White grounded out. 8-2. The next two batters were retired and St. Louis did not score. The Cardinals had seven hits off Bouton, but only two runs. They were not done.
Bob Humphreys got the visitors in order in the top of the ninth. The bottom of the inning started out promising enough. Jim Bouton got Tim McCarver on a pop up. It was the last batter Jim would retire.
Mike Shannon singled. Jerry Buchek followed him with a single of his own. Nine hits off Bouton. The Cards had finally sent him to the showers. Bob Skinner hit for the pitcher. The Yankees brought in lefty Steve Hamilton at this point. This seemed like a good matchup, as Skinner batted from the left side.
Skinner, though, singled. Mike Shannon scored. It was 8-3, but the inning promised more. That ended quickly as Curt Flood hit into a 6-4-3 game-ending double play.
So Bob Gibson was forced to go out and win game seven for St. Louis. He did, pitching heroically.
But it sure wasn't easy. You'd think, with the team quickly ahead 6-0 (After five frames) that this was going to be a cakewalk. But then Gibby couldn't get a batter out.
Bobby Richardson started the top of the sixth with a ball that he didn't hit very hard. Which was actually a bad break for St. Louis, as the New York second basemen easy beat it out. Roger Maris connected for a single, moving Richardson to second. That brought the majestic Mickey Mantle to the dish. Home run number eighteen all-time in the World Series followed. Suddenly, this runaway game was just 6-3.
Rollie Sheldon, who'd relieved a battered Al Downing (Three earned runs), who himself had relieved a routed Mel Stottlemyre (Again, three runs), got St. Louis 1-2-3 in the bottom of the frame, to keep New York in this. Gibby retired the first two batters in the seventh, but then Bobby Richardson got a single. It was his thirteenth hit of the 1964 Fall Classic. Of those, eight were off Bob Gibson.
Fortunately, Bob got Roger Maris to fly out to Mike Shannon in right. But the ball was well hit. Gibby, it's a safe bet, was probably tiring. But in the bottom of the frame, Ken Boyer gave his pitcher some breathing room. Facing Steve Hamilton, Boyer took him out of the park. A solo shot, it upped the lead to 7-3. Gibson did much better in the top of the eight. This time, he got Mickey Mantle to fly out. Elston Howard fanned. Joe Pepitone popped out.
In the bottom of the inning, the St. Louis Cardinals looked for more offence. Tim McCarver singled off Steve Hamilton. Then Mike Shannon reached on an error by Yankee third basemen Clete Boyer. Dal Maxvill got 'em both over with a sac bunt. Hamilton departed for sinkerball pitcher Pete Mikkelsen. Mikkelsen had been inconsistent in this October Finale. A rookie with the New York Yankees, Pete had been 7-4 on the big-league team, but wasn't exactly sure that he'd be pitching in the bigs that year. What kind of a pitcher would the Cards be facing?
Well, Mikkelsen had saved a dozen games in '64. The St. Louis Cardinals had two hits and one run off him in the 9-5 win at home to get this extravaganza underway. Mikkelsen had come into game four to keep the New York Yankees in the contest. In the top of the seventh, St. Louis had a man on and Tim McCarver was ahead in the count on Al Downing 2-0. Yogi Berra, the Yankees' manager, brought in Pete Mikkelsen to put out the fire. No outs. It worked. The next three were retired either via a grounder or a K.
Pete had looked to continue his heroics in the next contest. His efforts were wasted in game four, it should be noted. But they would not be in the fifth contest. It was in the top of the eighth when St. Louis put two on with nobody out against Hal Reniff. The New York Yankees were trailing 2-0 at this point. Pete fanned Mike Shannon and then Dal Maxvill grounded out.
In the top of the ninth inning, Pete had gotten 'em 1-2-3 to keep it 2-0. New York tied it up in the bottom of the frame, as Tom Tresh took Bob Gibson out for a two-run home run.
Pete could have been the real hero of the game. However, in the top of the tenth, the visiting St. Louis Cardinals chipped away. Bill White walked. Ken Boyer beat out a bunt, when there was a serious miscommunication between the Yankees' defence. White then tried to steal third as Pete Mikkelsen faced Dick Groat. New York had White dead in his tracks on the basepaths. However, White faked going back to second, and when catcher Elston Howard tried to nail him their, Bill turned on the jets and made it to third! This was bad. Groat then forced Boyer at second. However, the go-ahead run was just ninety feet away. A double play could get the home team out of this. Steve Hamilton was up and ready in the New York bullpen as Tim McCarver batted next.
Yogi Berra stayed with his sinkerballer. With the count 3-1, McCarver got the pitch he was looking for, a heater. All Tim did was hit it just foul. But then Mikkelsen threw a bad pitch, a sinker that did not dance. McCarver hit it over Mickey Mantle's head in right, into the stands. That sewed up a 5-2 win by St. Louis.
So, Yogi Berra went back to Phil Mikkelsen in this game for all the marbles. Could he stop the bleeding in the last of the eight inning of game seven? Bob Gibson was up. Probably if it was today, you'd see a pinch hitter. But Bob was going all the way here in the very last MLB game from 1964.
A comebacker was handled by Mikkelsen. McCarver went for home. Caught in a rundown, it was shortstop Phil Linz, who would be heard from the next inning, who made the putout. Curt Flood was up. He lined out to Boyer at third. And Clete was also about to do something in the ninth.
Gibson came back out. The ninth started well. Tom Tresh fanned. But now, Clete Boyer was up. And Clete did what his older brother had done earlier in the contest against Steve Hamilton: He took Gibby outta the park to left! 7-4.
Pete Mikkelsen was due up, but there was no way he was gonna grab a bat. Instead it was the left-handed hitting backup catcher Johnny Blanchard who came to the dish. Blanchard was no stranger to the longball. He'd hit 21 in just 93 games in 1961. Two seasons later, Johhny hit 16 round-trippers in just 76 games.
But it was here in the top of the ninth inning of game seven, that Blanchard faced Bob Gibson. And Johnny became Gibson's second K of the inning.
But there was still Phil Linz to deal with. Linz launched a Gibson offering over Lou Brock's head in left. Lou jumped, but the ball ended up in the bleachers for a home run. 7-5, St. Louis. This meant Bob Gibson had to face Bobby Richardson again. Bobby had hit the pitcher very well all series long.
This time though, Gibby got Richardson to pop up to Dal Maxvill at second for the final out. Bob Gibson had a game seven, complete-game victory.
Three seasons later, St. Louis was back in the Fall Classic. Opposed by the Boston Red Sox, it was the Cardinals that were the favourites. The Red Sox had won a dramatic pennant in 1967, their first in 21 seasons. Their big gun was Carl Yastrzemki, who won the Triple Crown that season. Yaz had been a rookie in 1961, taking over in left field for the great Ted Williams. Ted's only World Series appearance had been in 1946. It was against the St. Louis Cardinals, ironically. Now, his successor had the task of trying to beat the Cards, who had Bob Gibson, Curt Flood, Lou Brock, Orlando Cepeda and a young lefty named Steve Carlton.
Well, Gibson was up to the task. He edged Red Sox pitcher Jose Santiago 2-1 in the opening contest. Not all went well for Gibby. Santiago hit a home run off him. The next time out, Gibby won it easily, 6-0.
That win put St. Louis up three games to one. One more win and Gibby wouldn't be needed until 1968.
But it was Boston's Jim Lonborg who won a close 3-1 game five over Steve Carlton to keep the series going. It was going back to Fenway Park. The Red Sox had not had much luck in Cardinal land. At the newer Busch Stadium, Boston had scored two runs in game three, gotten shutout in the next contest, and touched home just once through eight innings in game five.
Back home at Fenway, St. Louis trailed 1-0 to pitcher Gary Waslewski. Rico Petrocelli had taken Cardinal pitcher Dick Hughes outta Fenway in the last of the second. The Cardinals rebounded with two tallies in the top of the third. Lou Brock and Curt Flood drove home the runs.
But the wheels seem to come off St. Louis chariot in the bottom of the fourth. The 2-1 lead was erased.
First, Yastrzemski hit a home run. His third of the 1967 Fall Classic. A solo shot, the contest was level at two. But not for long. Two outs later, Reggie Smith went yard. Another solo shot. 3-2, Boston. Rico Petrocelli was back at the dish after Smith had given the home team a lift. Rico gave the Boston faithful more reason to cheer as he hit the third home run of the inning for the Fenway fans. 4-2, Red Sox.
Well, the good news was it was still early. And St. Louis still had Lou Brock. In the top of the seventh, it was still 4-2 for the Red Sox. But there, it was Brock that tied the game with a two-run home run! The effects of it would not last though the bottom of the frame, alas.
It started out all innocently enough, the bottom of the seventh. Elston Howard, who was now on Boston after being traded to the Red Sox by the New York Yankees earlier in 1967, grounded out. But Dalton Jones batted for pitcher John Wyatt. Wyatt have served up the two-run shot by Brock. Jones singled. Joe Foy sent reliever Jack Lamabe to the showers with a double. Boston was ahead to stay, 5-4.
And they weren't finished just yet.
Joe Hoerner came in to stop the bleeding, but it Mike Andrews who greeted him with a single to score Foy, and keep the rally going. Yaz singled. Larry Jaster came in. Jerry Adair flied out, but it was Andrews who scored from third. 7-4. George Scott singled. Reggie Smith followed suite. 8-4 for the home team at Fenway!
Ray Washburn, the fourth pitcher for St. Louis in the seventh inning, came in. Rico Petrocelli was up. Two home runs in this game. With first base open, St. Louis did the smart thing and put Rico on. The bases were now loaded. Elston Howard, who'd started the bottom of the seventh by grounding out to Mike Shannon at third, was back up again. And again he grounded out, Shannon to Orlando Cepeda at first. The exact same result. But the damage had been done.
Not that the Cardinals went away quietly. In the top of the eighth, St. Louis looked to get right back in it. Cepeda had two putouts to his name the previous frame. And here, Orlando added a single. Catcher Tim McCarver, who'd seen a lot of offence from Boston this afternoon, was up. He sent one to the gap in left. Yaz was there, though. One away. Mike Shannon hit it where Yaz and no one else could get to it. His double to left sent Cepeda to third with just one out. Julian Javier lined to third. But Dal Maxvill walked to load 'em up.
So two away, bases loaded. But St. Louis didn't end up scoring in that inning. Dave Ricketts batted for pitcher Ray Washburn. Alas, all Ricketts could do was fly out to Carl Yastrzemski.
Hal Woodeshick took the hill for St. Louis in the bottom of the eighth. The Cardinals had used eight pitchers in eight frames. But Woodeshick would prove to be among the best of the men that tried to stop the Red Sox in game six. On the hill, Briles had two scoreless innings to his name in this game. The fifth and six. Here, two innings later, Hal Woodeshick went to work. George Thomas and Joe Foy grounded out. Mike Andrews broke up the bad spell. His single was Mike's second hit of the game. Andrews had started the game 0-3, but was now red hot, 2-2 since. Woodeshick was not about to concede anything more. Carl Yastrzemski forced Andrews at second.
So that left it up to Gary Bell to sent this to a seventh and deciding game. He'd barely made it through the eighth inning. Come the ninth, Lou Brock smacked it to right. George Thomas made the putout. Curt Flood grounded out to second. Roger Maris, an ex-Yankee like Elston Howard, prolonged the afternoon with a single. St. Louis was up to three hits in just one and two-thirds innings off Gary Bell. They were also up to eight hits overall. But Orlando Cepeda ended the game by grounding it back to Bell.
So Gibby was needed again.
And he was matched against a tired Jim Lonborg, who'd gone all the way in the fifth contest. For two innings he kept paced with Gibby. But in the third, three hits and a wild pitch pushed across to runs for the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. Bob Gibson didn't get scored on until the bottom of the fifth. Lonny had a 1-2-3 fourth, but his arm had to be shot at this point. Indeed, St. Louis touched him up for two more runs in the top of the fifth on Bob Gibson's home run and Roger Maris sac fly.
So St. Louis had finally gotten to Lonny. It had not been easy in for the Cardinals in Jim's two previous starts. Gibson had pitched a fine six-hitter to win game one. The second contest, which Jim Lonborg pitched against Dick Hughes, was not. Hughes didn't pitch badly. He went 5 1/3, gave up four hits and just one earned run. But Lonny? He was a man possessed in the contest before it was off to the second Busch Stadium. All Lonborg did was go nine, allow just one hit (A two-out double by Julian Javier in the top of the eighth), and no runs. The 5-0 win by Boston showed St. Louis that they were a formable opposition, at least with their ace on the hill.
And their ace was not through. Working on a 3-0 lead in the fourth contest in St. Louis, Lonny was ready for a two-hitter. There were two outs in the ninth, and the Boston hurler looked for his second shutout in the '67 Fall Classic. All that remained was Roger Maris. Roger hit his sixth career home run in World Series play, spoiling the shutout. Orlando Cepeda grounded out, and Lonborg had a 3-1 win. The home team had wasted a fine performance by Steve Carlton. Young Steve allowed just three hits himself over as many innings. The one run that scored against him was unearned. So Carlton would not win a game in the 1967 World Series.
But through the first three innings of game seven, it was St. Louis' big ace, Bob Gibson, that kept Boston at bay. The Fenway Faithful would have little to cheer about in the last major league game of 1967.
A George Scott triple in the last of the fourth started things out well for Boston. Julian Javier, the second basemen, tried to nail 'em at third. But all Javier ended up doing was make an error on the toss. Scott scored. 4-1. But Bob Gibson merely went back to work.
The score stayed that way for a short time. Come the top of the sixth, it unfolded badly for Boston. Tim McCarver started it with a double. Mike Shannon reached on an error by third basemen Joy Foy. Julian Javier, anxious to make up for his error the previous frame, blasted a three-run home run. The score was now 7-1, Cardinals. Lonborg got out of that inning without any further damage, but was done for the day.
And so were the Red Sox.
Gibby got 'em in order in the bottom of the frame. Jose Santiago did the job for Boston, getting St. Louis 1-2-3 in the sixth and seventh inning. He'd been needed earlier. His mound adversary wasn't in a giving mood. Carl Yaztrzemski led off the bottom of the seventh with a walk, but Gibby got the next three batters out. In the eighth, Rico Petrocelli started it all for Boston with a double. With Elston Howard back up, Bob Gibson threw a wild pitch. Boston manager Dick Williams then had Howard replaced during his plate appearance by Dalton Jones. Jones coaxed a walk from Gibson. Did Boston have something going?
Norm Siebern batted for pitcher Jose Santiago and forced Jones at second. That made it 7-2, and it proved to be the last run of the game. St. Louis tried to get Gibby more offence in the ninth.
Jose Santiago, the heroic Boston hurler, was out of the game. In came Dave Moorhead. Dave had once been a promising pitcher for the Red Sox, and had a no-hitter to his name in 1965. But an arm injury suffered the next season was the beginning of the end. Here, with the Red Sox in 1967, Dave had pitched just ten times in the regular season. Actually, Dave's 1967 season began at Toronto at the "AAA" level. He was 11-5 with a good earned run average when Boston called him up. So he only got into ten games? Well, Moorhead found a way to contribute. He still won five contests (When the season ended, Dave Moorehead had just nine starts for the Boston Red Sox). Plus, in the Fall Classic, he'd actually been trouble for St. Louis.
In the fourth contest, Dave Moorhead had pitched the full fourth, fifth and sixth innings. The Cardinals got one walk, no hits and no runs off him. In the top of the ninth inning of game seven, Dave fanned Bob Gibson. One out.
The Cardinals woke up against the Red Sox pitcher, though. Lou Brock walked. Then, he stole second. For Brock, it was his third stolen base of the afternoon. But Brock would have made it to second anyways as Curt Flood followed with a free pass of his own. Roger Maris was back up, and he was having one amazing Fall Classic in '67. 10-26 (.385), 1 HR and 7 RBI. Moorehead walked Maris, too.
Dan Osinski came in to face Orlando Cepeda. All Cepeda could do was pop up foul. Rico Petrocelli, the Red Sox shortstop, made the catch. Two away. Osinski then gave way to Ken Brett. Tim McCarver faced him. McCarver grounded out to first basemen George Scott.
A Yaz single in the bottom of the ninth didn't do much for Boston. Bob Gibson got Ken "Hawk" Harrelson to hit into a double play. Gibby then fanned George Scott to end it.
So Bob Gibson was now 2-0 in game sevens. But he shouldn't have been needed. In 1968, the same.
St. Louis beat Detroit three of the first four games. Gibby won game one, 4-0 with 17 strikeouts. Then he won game four in Detroit, 10-1. Alas, back came the Tigers. Mickey Lolich kept the Tigers' chances alive with a 5-3 win in game five. The wheels really came off the chariot for the Cardinals in game six.
They were back home, but really not into this sixth contest. Hadn't they owned Denny McLain in games one and four? He was back for more here. Denny hadn't pitched that badly in the first contest vs. Bob Gibson. He lasted only five innings, but allowed just three runs on three hits. And only two runs were earned. However, St. Louis had routed him in game three. Sure, McLain had 31 wins in the regular season, but the World Series was a new ballgame.
But Denny was up to the challenge. St. Louis went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the first. Ray Washburn had done the same to Detroit in the top of the frame. Alas, the second. Two runs scored against Washburn. Willie Horton drove in Norm Cash with a double for the first run. The Tigers were ahead for good.
It got worse for the Cardinals from there. McLain again had a fine inning. St. Louis was retired in order in the second. Detroit went berserk in the top of the third. Dick McAuliffe led off with a walk. The next six Detroit batters reached. Jim Northrup hit a grand slam. It was 8-0, Tigers when the first out was recorded. Al Kaline, Norm Cash and Willie Horton added RBI singles. Detroit put a "10" on the board in the top of the third.
In the fifth, Al Kaline hit a solo home run to make it 13-0. The game was over. McLain was cruising. A 1-2-3 fifth. Two Ks in the sixth. The Cardinals were getting hits here and there, but it was still a shutout going into the last of the ninth. Denny McLain picked up two more strikeouts in a 1-2-3 eighth.
Singled by Roger Maris and Orlando Cepeda started the last of the ninth. But Tim McCarver and Mike Shannon popped out. Julian Javier singled, and St. Louis had at last pried loose a run. Dal Maxvill, still looking for his first hit of the 1968 Fall Classic, became Denny McLain's seventh strikeout, and this one went into the books as a real laugher for the visiting Detroit Tigers. Their 13-1 win sent it to a winner-take-all game seven.
Bob Gibson was back, facing a tired Mickey Lolich. Lolich was up to the task, though. St. Louis couldn't touch him.
It had been tough on St. Louis in the 1968 Fall Classic versus Mickey Lolich. Gibby had won game one, but Lolich won game two 8-1. Better still, Mickey hit a home run to help out his own cause. Even down 3-0 in game five at Tiger Stadium couldn't stop Lolich and the home team. Mickey had given up three runs and three hits in the top of the first. The visiting St. Louis Cardinals got just six hits and no runs the rest of the way.
And then Lolich's bat again did the trick.
With Detroit trailing 3-2 in the last of the seventh, the pitcher came up with one away and the bases empty. Lolich singled. He'd score the tying run later as Al Kaline singled home both him and Dick McAuliffe. Once McAuliffe scored, Detroit was in the lead for good.
Then there was how good Lolich was at stopping speedsters Lou Brock and Curt Flood. In game seven Flood had singled stolen second in the bottom of the first. Trying to get something going, he swiped second. Orlando Cepeda walked. But neither man scored.
Come the bottom of the sixth frame, the game was still scoreless. But Lou Brock singled. Mickey Lolich picked him off first. Curt Flood later singled in the inning. And Lolich promptly picked Flood off first. Mickey could do no wrong here.
The scoreless deadlock was broken in the top of the seventh. Detroit carried the momentum into the frame after their pitcher had thwarted St. Louis. But Bob Gibson fanned Mickey Stanley (Who'd somehow gotten two hits off him in game one), and then got Al Kaline to ground out. The inning seemed all but over as far as the Detroit bats were concerned.
But then, the Detroit offence woke up.
Norm Cash, who'd been K victim number sixteen in the first contest, singled. Willie Horton, who'd himself fanned to end the opening act, also singled. Jim Northrup launched one to centre. That's where Curt Flood didn't get a bead on it. The ball ended up behind him. The Tigers were up, 2-0 as Northrup had a triple. Jim didn't stay on third too long, as Bill Freehan came through. Bill had hit 25 home runs in the regular season and driven home 84 runs. Pretty good for a catcher (138 games there in 1968). But here, in the Fall Classic, Freehan had been needed. And Bill hadn't delivered up until this point. 1-22 at the dish. However, his second hit of this series made it 3-0 for the visiting Detroit Tigers.
Mike Shannon reached on an error in the bottom of the seventh. But that was it. Gibson came back out for the top of the eighth and got Detroit 1-2-3. In the last of the eight, there was Lou Brock getting on base via a walk. But that was it.
Bob Gibson came back for one last inning. He was working on a five-hitter despite trailing by three runs. Norm Cash flied out, but then the troubling Tigers came alive again with their bats. Willie Horton singled. Jim Northrup followed suit. Bill Freehan popped out, leaving him batting .083 (2-24) in this Fall Classic.
But then Don Wert got Detroit's eighth and final hit off Bob Gibson, which scored Willie Horton. It was 4-0 for Detroit. Mickey Lolich ended the inning by popping out to second. That meant he'd be back to try and put the final nail in St. Louis coffin.
Curt Flood lined out to new shortstop Ray Oyler, brought in to help on defence. Orlando Cepeda popped out to catcher Bill Freehan. Mike Shannon spoiled the shutout bid of Mickey Lolich. He blasted a pitch out of the park to make it 4-1. However, Tim McCarver popped out to Freehan in foul territory. The Tigers had won the game 4-1, and the 1968 World Series in seven contests.
References
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----------------------- Red Sox Nation: An Unexpurgated History of the Boston Red Sox. III ed., Triumph Books, 2005.
Halberstam, David. October 1964. Villard Books, 1999.
Neft, David S., and Richard M. Cohen. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball. XII ed., St. Martin's Press, 1992.
------------------------------------------------The World Series: Complete Play-by-Play Of Every Game, 1903-1989. IV ed., St. Martin's Press, 1990.
Nemec, David, and et al. 20th Century Baseball Chronicle. Collector's Edition ed., Publications International, Ltd, 1993. Print.
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. https://www.baseball-reference.com/. 18 Jun. 2021.
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