Recap
After 23 years of frustration, there would be no denying the Tigers, as they won 103 games and claimed the AL Pennant by 12 games over the Baltimore Orioles. The story of the Tigers season would be Denny McLain who would have a career year winning 31 games and claiming both the AL Cy Young, and MVP.
The 31 wins by McLain will likely go down as the last player ever to win 30 games in a single season. In the World Series the Tigers would face the St. Louis Cardinals who were trying to claim their 2nd Consecutive World Championship. Game 1 would see Denny McLain face the Cards Bob Gibson who himself won both the Cy Young and MVP with a record low ERA of 1.12. However Gibson would grab all the headlines shutting out the Tigers, while striking out a World Series single game record 17. The Tigers would bounce back in Game 2 as Mickey Lolich pitched a complete game and helped himself at the plate with a HR. However the Tigers would find themselves in a 3-1 series hole after the Cards won Game 3 on Tim McCarver's 3-run Homer, and Game as Bob Gibson shut down the Tigers for the 2nd time in the Fall Classic.
In Game 5 things would look even bleaker for the Tigers as the Cards took an early 3-0 lead. However, Mickey Lolich would not allow another run, and the Tigers would rally and would take the lead on Al Kaline's 7th Inning Bases Loaded Single. Despite the win the Tigers were still backed against the wall trailing 3-2 and heading to St. Louis.
The Tigers would go on to win Game 6 thanks to 10 runs in the 3rd, as Denny McLain's won his first Series game after losing 2.
Despite forcing a 7th and deciding game the Tigers still faced an uphill battle as the Cards sent Bob Gibson to the hill for his 8th straight Series win. To counter Gibson the Tigers sent Mickey Lolich to the mound who himself was seeking his 3rd win of the series. The game would be scoreless until the 7th, when Jim Northrup lined a ball over the head of the Cardinals Curt Flood to give the Tigers a 3-0 lead. The 3 runs would be enough, as Lolich would allow just 1 run as the Tigers went on to claim their 3rd World Championship.
