A Second Time through the Order » World Series

Tigers sweep Series with Wilson shutout, 1-0.

diamondreplays — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:08:18 +0000

St. Louis, Oct. 8 – The Detroit Tigers swept the World Series with their fourth one-run victory against the St. Louis Cardinals. Twenty-game winner Earl Wilson, knocked out of the Series opener, demonstrated why many considered the Tiger right hander to be the best hurler in the American League. In previous series games, the Cardinals squandered several scoring opportunities, and today was no different as the Birds could only nibble and peck against the strong arm of Wilson, never able to muster a knockout blow. Norm Cash drove in the game’s only run by slicing a double off the glove of third baseman Mike Shannon to score Bill Freehan in the second inning. Detroit once again cashed in on Cardinal miscues as Freehan had reached base after being hit by a Steve Carlton pitch. Don Wert moved Freehan into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt to set the stage for Cash. Carlton held the Tigers to a run despite opening singles by Detroit in the third and fourth innings. The southpaw used his strikeout pitch to dodge further trouble as Carlton finished with six whiffs before being lifted for a pinch-hitter in the fifth inning.

St. Louis manager Red Schoendienst was on the receiving end of some pre-game rumblings regarding his decision to sit ace Bob Gibson with his club teetering on the brink. Carlton worked himself out of early jitters, and along with Ray Washburn and Ron Willis, no better than could have been expected from Gibson. For nearly a century this game as been played and one axiom holds true: a team cannot win if it does not score. So on this day, Earl Wilson was the story by scattering eight hits over nine innings for the first Series shutout since Don Drysdale’s 1-0 gem in Game Three of the 1963 Series. With one out in the fifth inning, pinch-hitter Bobby Tolan singled up the middle. After Lou Brock flied to left, Tolan stole second base and advanced to third after Freehan mishandled a Wilson curve ball. The sellout crowd of 54,575 rose in anticipation, but Curt Flood grounded out to short leaving Tolan to die at third base. Roger Maris belted Wilson’s first pitch of the sixth inning off the center field wall for an inning opening double. Orlando Cepeda failed to advance Maris with a ground out to third. Left-handed hitting Tim McCarver was intentionally passed to set up the double play. But, Shannon flied out to center fielder Mickey Stanley and Julian Javier grounded out to second to kill the threat. The Cardinals hit back-to-back singles with two outs in the seventh, but Maris, who batted .118 for the Series, grounded out to second to end the inning. Wilson retired the final six Cardinals in order. Pinch hitter Ed Spezio was the Cardinals’ final hope in the ninth, and after three consecutive foul balls, Spezio could not catch up Wilson’s final fast ball. Freehan jumped for joy and joined Wilson and the rest of the Tigers team at the mound for a victory celebration on foreign soil.

Norman Dalton Cash was named the Series’ Most Valuable Player with game-winning and a game-tying home runs in the Series. Cash was the only Tiger to hit in all four victories, but he was not the Tigers’ leading hitter. Cash led both clubs with four RBI, but Jim Northrup was the Tigers’ leading batter. Lou Brock led all batters with a Series batting average of .421, but Bill Freehan cut Brock down in three of four stolen base attempts. The neutralization of Brock on the base paths was a key factor for Detroit as well as the outstanding starting pitching Manager Mayo Smith received from Wilson, McLain and Lolich. Brock and McCarver were the only two Cardinals to collect base hits in all four games, but the failures of Maris, Cepeda (.188), and Javier (.125) at the plate cost St. Louis the ability to sustain any significant threats against the Tiger hurlers.

0/8/1967, DET67-STL67, Busch Stadium

                       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9     R  H  E   LOB DP
1967 Detroit           0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0     1  6  0    10  0
1967 St. Louis         0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0     0  8  1     9  1

Detroit              AB  R  H BI  D  T HR BB  K SB CS IW HP SH SF   AVG   PO  A  E PB
Tracewski         ss  5  0  2  0  1  0  0  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  .286    0  3  0  0
McAuliffe         2b  4  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  1  0  0  1  0  0  0  .056    2  6  0  0
Kaline            rf  2  0  0  0  0  0  0  2  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  .267    1  0  0  0
Horton            lf  4  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  2  0  0  0  0  0  0  .188    2  0  0  0
Freehan           c   2  1  1  0  0  0  0  1  0  0  0  0  1  0  0  .083    6  0  0  1
Wert              3b  2  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  2  0  .308    2  2  0  0
Cash              1b  4  0  1  1  1  0  0  0  2  0  0  0  0  0  0  .250   12  1  0  0
Stanley           cf  3  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .000    1  0  0  0
Wilson            p   4  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  .167    1  1  0  0
                     30  1  6  1  2  0  0  5  8  0  0  1  1  2  0         27 13  0  1

St. Louis            AB  R  H BI  D  T HR BB  K SB CS IW HP SH SF   AVG   PO  A  E PB
Brock             lf  4  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .421    3  1  0  0
Flood             cf  4  0  3  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .412    1  0  0  0
Maris             rf  4  0  1  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .118    0  0  0  0
Cepeda            1b  4  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  .188    8  0  0  0
McCarver          c   3  0  2  0  0  0  0  1  0  0  0  1  0  0  0  .333    9  1  0  0
Shannon           3b  4  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  2  0  0  0  0  0  0  .250    0  4  0  0
Javier            2b  4  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  .125    5  0  1  0
Maxvill           ss  3  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  .214    1  6  0  0
 Gagliano         ph  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .000    0  0  0  0
Carlton           p   1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .000    0  0  0  0
 Tolan            ph  1  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  .333    0  0  0  0
 Washburn         p   0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .000    0  1  0  0
 Ricketts         ph  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .000    0  0  0  0
 Willis           p   0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .000    0  0  0  0
 Spiezio          ph  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  .000    0  0  0  0
                     35  0  8  0  1  0  0  1  6  1  0  1  0  0  0         27 13  1  0

Detroit                          INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   BF HR IW HP WP DP   ERA
Wilson           W 1-0           9.0  8  0  0  1  6 118  81   36  0  1  0  0  0  2.51
                                 9.0  8  0  0  1  6 118  81   36  0  1  0  0  0 

St. Louis                        INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   BF HR IW HP WP DP   ERA
Carlton          L 0-1           5.0  3  1  1  1  6  68  40   20  0  0  1  0  0  1.80
Washburn                         2.0  1  0  0  4  1  39  19   10  0  1  0  0  0  0.00
Willis                           2.0  2  0  0  0  1  26  19    8  0  0  0  0  0  2.70
                                 9.0  6  1  1  5  8 133  78   38  0  1  1  0  0 

STL: Tolan batted for Carlton in the 5th
     Ricketts batted for Washburn in the 7th
     Gagliano batted for Maxvill in the 9th
     Spiezio batted for Willis in the 9th

GWRBI: Cash
Temperature: 77, Sky: clear, Wind: in from center at 3 MPH.

Lolich, Tigers shut down Cardinals, 2-1.

diamondreplays — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:43:09 +0000

St. Louis, Oct. 7 – The change of scenery in the World Series did not bring a different result. The Detroit Tigers continued to hold the advantage over the St. Louis Cardinals with their third consecutive one-run victory in the 1967 World Series. The clubs committed five errors in the game, but the Tigers were the team capable of taking advantage of key opportunities. Detroit starter Mickey Lolich closed out the game to leave the Cardinals in desperate straits.

Lou Brock opened the Cardinal first with a jam shot back to Lolich. The portly southpaw dropped the ball, yet despite stopping and restarting, Brock still beat Lolich’s throw to first. Brock is one of the few Cardinals enjoying his time at the plate, but on the base paths has been a different story. Bill Freehan erased Lolich’s gaffe by throwing Brock out stealing for the third consecutive time in the series. The play was like rain on the Cardinals’ homecoming parade. Brock was getting on base this series, but his speed has been neutralized by Freehan. A rejuvenated Lolich struck out Curt Flood and Roger Maris to end the inning. The Tigers then pounced on the reeling Cardinals. Willie Horton opened the second with a blast over the left field wall. After Northrup popped out to short, series hero Norm Cash launched the ball over Flood’s head in center field. The ball bounced off the wall, and Cash chugged around to third base. The Cardinals brought the infield in as Freehan stepped in to bat. With a full count, Briles got the ground ball he needed. However, second baseman Julian Javier uncharacteristically let the ball go between his legs, and the Tigers had a quick two-run lead. Freehan was thrown out attempting to steal second base. Don Wert struck out to end the inning, but a sense of concern, perhaps dread, draped itself over Busch Stadium.

An inning later, the Cardinals responded. Dal Maxvill hit a blooper to shallow right field. Al Kaline rushed in, and Jerry Lumpe ran out with his back to the infield. Lumpe stretched, but the ball glanced off his mitt for a single. Briles sacrificed Maxvill to second, and Brock came through with a ground ball single past Dick McAuliffe at short. The Cardinals had cut the Tiger lead in half, but Lolich induced Flood to bounce into an inning-ending double play. It would be the final threat of the game for St. Louis. Lolich’s Tiger teammates backed him with two more double plays to nip minor Cardinal threats in the fourth and seventh innings.

Last season, the Dodgers overcame a two-game deficit to defeat the Baltimore Orioles for the world championship. The Cardinals have dug themselves a deeper hole. The atmosphere around St. Louis is grim as Bob Gibson may not be available to dig them out tomorrow. It is uncertain whether Gibson will be ready on short notice after his extra-inning performance in the opener. Cardinal manager Red Schoendienst has left-handed Steve Carlton available if Gibson is not ready. The confident Tigers will turn to twenty-game winner Earl Wilson to bring the title to Motown.

10/7/1967, DET67-STL67, Busch Stadium

                       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9     R  H  E   LOB DP
1967 Detroit           0  2  0  0  0  0  0  0  0     2  3  3     6  3
1967 St. Louis         0  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0     1  5  2     3  1

Detroit              AB  R  H BI  D  T HR BB  K SB CS IW HP SH SF   AVG   PO  A  E PB
McAuliffe         ss  4  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  .071    2  3  0  0
Lumpe             2b  3  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  .167    5  4  1  0
 Stanley          ph  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .000    1  0  0  0
Kaline            rf  4  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .308    2  0  0  0
Horton            lf  3  1  1  1  0  0  1  0  1  0  0  0  1  0  0  .250    3  0  0  0
 Oyler            ss  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .000    1  1  0  0
Northrup          cf  3  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .333    2  0  0  0
Cash              1b  3  1  1  0  0  1  0  1  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  .250    7  0  0  0
Freehan           c   2  0  0  0  0  0  0  2  0  0  1  0  0  0  0  .000    4  1  0  0
Wert              3b  4  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  .273    0  3  0  0
Lolich            p   3  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .000    0  1  2  0
                     30  2  3  1  0  1  1  4  5  0  1  0  1  0  0         27 13  3  0

St. Louis            AB  R  H BI  D  T HR BB  K SB CS IW HP SH SF   AVG   PO  A  E PB
Brock             lf  4  0  1  1  0  0  0  0  1  0  1  0  0  0  0  .467    1  0  0  0
Flood             cf  3  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  .308    2  0  0  0
Maris             rf  4  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  2  0  0  0  0  0  0  .077    3  0  0  0
Cepeda            1b  4  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .250    8  1  1  0
McCarver          c   3  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .250    5  1  0  0
Shannon           3b  3  0  2  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .333    1  1  0  0
Javier            2b  3  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .167    4  3  1  0
Maxvill           ss  2  1  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .273    2  5  0  0
 Ricketts         ph  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .000    0  0  0  0
 Bressoud         ss  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .000    0  0  0  0
Briles            p   1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  0  .000    0  0  0  0
 Lamabe           p   0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .000    0  0  0  0
 Hoerner          p   0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .000    1  0  0  0
 Spiezio          ph  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .000    0  0  0  0
 Jaster           p   0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .000    0  0  0  0
                     29  1  5  1  0  0  0  1  4  0  1  0  0  1  0         27 11  2  0

Detroit                          INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   BF HR IW HP WP DP   ERA
Lolich           W 1-0           9.0  5  1  1  1  4 119  78   31  0  0  0  0  3  1.00
                                 9.0  5  1  1  1  4 119  78   31  0  0  0  0  3 

St. Louis                        INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   BF HR IW HP WP DP   ERA
Briles           L 0-1           6.0  3  2  1  3  4 110  65   25  1  0  1  0  1  1.50
Lamabe                           0.2  0  0  0  0  0   5   3    2  0  0  0  0  0  0.00
Hoerner                          1.1  0  0  0  0  1  18  11    4  0  0  0  0  0  0.00
Jaster                           1.0  0  0  0  1  0  21  10    4  0  0  0  0  0  0.00
                                 9.0  3  2  1  4  5 154  89   35  1  0  1  0  1 

DET: Stanley batted for Lumpe in the 8th
     McAuliffe moved to 2b in the 8th
     Stanley moved to cf in the 8th
     Oyler inserted at ss in the 8th
     Northrup moved to lf in the 8th
STL: Ricketts batted for Maxvill in the 8th
     Spiezio batted for Hoerner in the 8th
     Bressoud inserted at ss in the 9th

GWRBI: Horton
Temperature: 72, Sky: clear, Wind: right to left at 12 MPH.

Cash clouts Tigers past Cards, 2-1.

diamondreplays — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:07:06 +0000

Detroit, Oct. 5 – Norm Cash continues to add to his legendary status in Detroit. Cash walloped a majestic home run with one out in the bottom of the ninth to lift his Detroit Tigers to a 2-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in the second game of the 1967 World Series. The victory gives Detroit a two-game advantage over the Cardinals as the clubs travel to St. Louis to resume the series this weekend. Last month, Norm hit three home runs in the final series against the contending Boston Red Sox to provide Detroit with their final nudge past the Red Sox. In the Series opener, Cash hit a ninth inning home run off Bob Gibson to send the game into extra innings. Detroit won the game in the twelfth on Al Kaline’s RBI single scoring Dick Tracewski from second base.

Detroit starter Denny McLain and Cardinals rookie Dick Hughes each pitched scoreless ball over the first six innings, but it was the rookie who blinked first. Detroit third baseman Don Wert hit a solo home run down the left field line in the seventh inning to break the scoring drought. It appeared McLain would finish with a shutout until the Cardinals mounted a last-gasp rally. Lou Brock opened the Cardinal ninth with a single down the right field line. Kaline had Brock shaded toward the line which enabled the right fielder to hold the speedy Cardinal outfielder to a single. McLain kept a careful eye on baseball’s stolen base leader. When Curt Flood bounced a comebacker to the mound, McLain did not hesitate at the opportunity to erase Brock from the base paths. McLain spun and fired to second as Flood traded places with Brock on the base paths. Roger Maris flew out to Kaline so it was up to Orlando Cepeda to save the Cardinals. Cepeda worked the count full as the din and anticipation of the sell-out crowd swelled with every pitch. Cepeda turned on a fast ball, and lined it down the third base line. Don Wert was unable to react in time, and Flood, running on the pitch, scored easily, beating Horton’s desperation throw home as Cepeda advanced to second. Tim McCarver was intentionally pass to set up a force play, but Mike Shannon hit a harmless grounder to second to end the rally.

It appeared the teams were again headed toward extra innings when Cash launched his circuit clout against Cardinal reliever Ron Willis. The Cardinals’ fielding woes continuesd with a pair of miscues today, but the errors, one by Shannon and another by Maxvill, his third in two days, did not factor in the scoring as the two solo home runs accounted for the Tigers’ tallies. After a travel day, Detroit will send Mickey Lolich who was their best pitcher down the home stretch to face the Cardinals’ Nelson Briles. It will be the first ever World Series game in the Cardinal’s new and modern Busch Stadium.

10/5/1967, STL67-DET67, Tiger Stadium

                       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9     R  H  E   LOB DP
1967 St. Louis         0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  1     1  6  2     5  0
1967 Detroit           0  0  0  0  0  0  1  0  1     2  6  0     6  0

St. Louis            AB  R  H BI  D  T HR BB  K SB CS IW HP SH SF   AVG   PO  A  E PB
Brock             lf  4  0  3  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  2  0  0  0  0  .545    1  0  0  0
Flood             cf  4  1  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .400    6  1  0  0
Maris             rf  4  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .111    2  0  0  0
Cepeda            1b  4  0  1  1  1  0  0  0  2  0  0  0  0  0  0  .375    7  0  0  0
McCarver          c   3  0  1  0  0  0  0  1  0  0  0  1  0  0  0  .222    7  0  0  0
Shannon           3b  3  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  .222    0  3  1  0
Javier            2b  3  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  2  0  0  0  0  0  0  .222    1  2  0  0
Maxvill           ss  3  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  .222    1  3  1  0
Hughes            p   2  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .000    0  0  0  0
 Tolan            ph  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .000    0  0  0  0
 Willis           p   0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .000    0  0  0  0
                     31  1  6  1  1  0  0  2  6  0  2  1  0  0  0         25  9  2  0

Detroit              AB  R  H BI  D  T HR BB  K SB CS IW HP SH SF   AVG   PO  A  E PB
McAuliffe         ss  4  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  .100    1  0  0  0
Lumpe             2b  4  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .222    2  4  0  0
Kaline            rf  4  0  2  0  1  0  0  0  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  .333    5  0  0  0
Horton            lf  4  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  2  0  0  0  0  0  0  .222    1  0  0  0
Northrup          cf  4  0  1  0  1  0  0  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  .444    3  0  0  0
Cash              1b  4  1  1  1  0  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .222    8  0  0  0
Freehan           c   3  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  .000    7  2  0  0
Wert              3b  2  1  1  1  0  0  1  1  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  .429    0  0  0  0
McLain            p   3  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .000    0  3  0  0
                     32  2  6  2  2  0  2  1  6  1  0  0  0  0  0         27  9  0  0

St. Louis                        INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   BF HR IW HP WP DP   ERA
Hughes                           7.0  4  1  1  1  5 114  73   28  1  0  0  0  0  1.29
Willis           L 0-1           1.1  2  1  1  0  1  15  10    5  1  0  0  0  0  6.75
                                 8.1  6  2  2  1  6 129  83   33  2  0  0  0  0 

Detroit                          INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   BF HR IW HP WP DP   ERA
McLain           W 1-0           9.0  6  1  1  2  6 130  79   33  0  1  0  0  0  1.00
                                 9.0  6  1  1  2  6 130  79   33  0  1  0  0  0 

STL: Tolan batted for Hughes in the 8th

GWRBI: Cash
Temperature: 59, Sky: partly cloudy, Wind: in from right at 15 MPH.

Extra Inning Thriller in Opener!

diamondreplays — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:43:43 +0000

For those familiar with Diamond Mind Baseball, the 1967 World Series is being played in pitch-by-pitch mode with the bullpen warm up rule on. The computer manager makes base running and fielder throwing decisions. Game tactics for the visiting club are managed by the computer. Game tactics for the home club and substitutions for both clubs are manually done.

Detroit, Oct. 4 – If the remaining games of this Series match the drama of the opener, America should prepare for one of the greatest Fall Classics ever. The unfolding storyline twisted and turned every inning where potential goats turned heroes and heroes became goats. The St. Louis Cardinals drew first blood due the first gaffe of the Series by Tiger first baseman Norm Cash. Tim McCarver hit a two-out bouncer to Cash with Lou Brock stationed at third base. The ball went under Cash’s glove. Second baseman Jerry Lumpe recovered but was unable to get McCarver in time as Brock crossed home. The Tigers responded in the second with consecutive doubles by Willie Horton and Jim Northrup. But Northrup was stranded at third after Brock ended the inning with an unbelievable leaping catch of Don Wert’s fly to the left field wall.

To open the top of the fifth, Orlando Cepeda doubled off the fence in right center field. McCarver sliced the first pitch from Detroit starter Earl Wilson to left. Horton could not reach the ball as it landed, and Cepeda scored on the safety. However, the hero McCarver was caught off guard soon thereafter by Wilson. McCarver appeared to be ready to move on the 2-1 pitch to Mike Shannon. Wilson fired the ball to first. McCarver fell on his way back to the bag and was an easy out. Despite the reprieve, Wilson was not out of the woods. Shannon singled, and Tiger bull pen began to stir. The cavalry could not come fast enough for Wilson. Julian Javier lined Wilson’s 2-2 fastball over the left field wall for a two-run clout and a three-run Cardinal lead. Dal Maxvill, who singled in his first two Series at-bats, struck out. Wilson retired his counterpart Gibson on a ground out to end the inning.

With the lead, Gibson began to make some of the Tiger batters look foolish. But Detroit would not go quietly. A pair of singles were put together by Dick McAuliffe and Lumpe in the sixth, and Al Kaline plated McAuliffe with a sacrifice fly. In the eighth, Eddie Mathews pinch-hit for reliever John Hiller and knocked a routine grounder to the slick-fielding Maxvill. But Dal’s throw to first was low, in the dirt, and past Cepeda. Mathews chugged into second, and Mickey Stanley replaced Mathews on the base paths. McAuliffe’s slow roller to Gibson advanced Stanley to third, and another innocent roller to second by Lumpe cut the Redbirds lead to one run.

Though the spotlight was on Gibson, the work turned in by the Tiger relievers should not go unappreciated. After Javier’s home run, Fred Lasher, John Hiller, and Fred Gladding kept the Cardinals from adding to their lead as Detroit chipped away at Gibson’s armor. Despite trimming the Cardinal lead to a mere run, the Tigers had failed to hit the ball out of the infield since Kaline’s sacrifice fly in the sixth. Gibson remained in control on the mound despite the rising tide. In the bottom of the ninth, Willie Horton whiffed on a Gibson curve. Northrup singled through the hole to right field, but Gibson remained ever so imposing on the mound. Norm Cash stepped in, and Cash flinched at a 2-2 outside fastball. Home plate umpire Johnny Stevens of the American League also flinched, but the arm stayed down. Gibson threw his arms in the air as McCarver protested the call. After order was restored, Gibson again took his place on the mound, but a chink in the armor appeared. Perhaps ever slightly disturbed over his thoughts of the missed call, Gibson missed his mark with the following pitch. The veteran Norm Cash swung and deposited the ball into the standing throng in the right field upper deck. The game was tied, Bob Gibson was furious, and the city of Detroit was delirious. McCarver dared not to visit his pitcher, and Gibson struck out Freehand and retired Wert to end regulation play.

Gibson was determined to finish this game. The Cardinals failed in an attempt to manufacture a run in the tenth. After Gibson struck out, Brock singled and stole second base. But a ground out by Flood and a strikeout by Roger Maris failed to score the fleet left fielder. Gibson retired the Tigers in order in the tenth, but finally left the game when Horton singled with one out in the eleventh. Reliever Joe Hoerner surrendered a single to Northrup, but then struck out Cash and Freehan to end the threat.

Rookie Mike Marshall was now pitching for Detroit. The Cardinals failed to cash in Javier’s first-pitch single to open the twelfth. Marshall struck out Maxvill. Pinch-hitter Bobby Tolan and Brock both flied out to Horton in left. Jack Lamabe took the hill for Red Schoendienst in the twelfth. Wert led off with a base hit in front of a sliding Brock in left. Dick Tracewski failed to get down a sacrifice bunt, and bounced into a force play at second base. McAuliffe flew out to deep center field, and the Series opener appeared to be going to thirteen innings. Pinch-hitter Jim Price, who had seen little action during the season, stepped up to bat as the final position player off Manager Mayo Smith’s bench. Price grounded to Maxvill, and a second throwing error by the shortstop pulled Cepeda off the bag as Price crossed. With the crowd on the edge of their seats, Al Kaline launched a 1-1 pitch deep to left field. As the crowd stood, the ball curved in front of the foul pole. The crowd drew quiet with the next pitch, but they were not in their seats for long. Kaline lined the 1-2 pitch in the hole between Maxvill and Shannon at third. Brock charged in as Tracewski rounded third. The ball and the runner arrived at home plate, and Tracewski slid past before McCarver’s tag. Umpire Stevens signaled safe, and the Detroit Tigers won a hard-fought opening game, 6-5, in twelve innings.

For the Cardinals, a workman effort from Gibson and fourteen base runners were wasted. Maxvill who opened the Series with consecutive singles ended with consecutive errors that cost his team the game. Norm Cash maintained his hero status among the Detroit youth. But with any World Series, a hero or a goat is only a day-long tag.

10/4/1967, STL67-DET67, Tiger Stadium

                       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 11 12     R  H  E   LOB DP
1967 St. Louis         1  0  0  0  3  1  0  0  0  0  0  0     5 16  2    14  0
1967 Detroit           0  1  0  0  0  1  0  1  2  0  0  1     6 11  1     7  0

St. Louis            AB  R  H BI  D  T HR BB  K SB CS IW HP SH SF   AVG   PO  A  E PB
Brock             lf  7  1  3  0  1  0  0  0  1  1  0  0  0  0  0  .429    3  0  0  0
Flood             cf  6  1  3  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .500    2  0  0  0
Maris             rf  5  0  1  0  0  0  0  1  2  0  0  0  0  0  0  .200    1  0  0  0
Cepeda            1b  4  1  2  1  1  0  0  2  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .500   17  1  0  0
McCarver          c   6  0  1  1  0  0  0  0  2  0  0  0  0  0  0  .167   10  0  0  0
Shannon           3b  6  1  2  0  0  0  0  0  2  0  0  0  0  0  0  .333    0  5  0  0
Javier            2b  6  1  2  2  0  0  1  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  .333    1  3  0  0
Maxvill           ss  6  0  2  0  0  0  0  0  3  0  0  0  0  0  0  .333    0  8  2  0
Gibson            p   5  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  3  0  0  0  0  0  0  .000    1  2  0  0
 Hoerner          p   0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .000    0  0  0  0
 Tolan            ph  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .000    0  0  0  0
 Lamabe           p   0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .000    0  0  0  0
                     52  5 16  4  2  0  1  3 14  1  0  0  0  0  0         35 19  2  0

Detroit              AB  R  H BI  D  T HR BB  K SB CS IW HP SH SF   AVG   PO  A  E PB
McAuliffe         ss  6  1  1  0  0  0  0  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  .167    0  3  0  0
Lumpe             2b  5  0  1  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .200    2  1  0  0
 Marshall         p   0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .000    0  0  0  0
 Price            ph  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .000    0  0  0  0
Kaline            rf  5  0  1  2  0  0  0  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  1  .200    1  0  0  0
Horton            lf  5  1  2  0  1  0  0  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  .400    0  0  0  0
 Green            pr  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .000    2  0  0  0
Northrup          cf  5  1  3  1  1  0  0  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  .600    2  0  0  0
Cash              1b  5  1  1  2  0  0  1  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  .200   12  1  1  0
Freehan           c   5  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  3  0  0  0  0  0  0  .000   14  0  0  0
Wert              3b  5  0  2  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .400    0  6  0  0
Wilson            p   2  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  2  0  0  0  0  0  0  .000    2  1  0  0
 Lasher           p   0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .000    0  0  0  0
 Hiller           p   0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .000    0  0  0  0
 Mathews          ph  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .000    0  0  0  0
 Stanley          pr  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .000    0  0  0  0
 Gladding         p   0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .000    0  0  0  0
 Tracewski        ph  2  1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  .000    1  0  0  0
                     47  6 11  6  2  0  1  0 10  0  0  0  0  0  1         36 12  1  0

St. Louis                        INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   BF HR IW HP WP DP   ERA
Gibson                          10.1  8  5  4  0  8 147  98   40  1  0  0  0  0  3.48
Hoerner                          0.2  1  0  0  0  2  16   9    3  0  0  0  0  0  0.00
Lamabe           L 0-1           0.2  2  1  0  0  0  19  14    5  0  0  0  0  0  0.00
                                11.2 11  6  4  0 10 182 121   48  1  0  0  0  0 

Detroit                          INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   BF HR IW HP WP DP   ERA
Wilson                           5.1 11  5  4  2  4 102  66   29  1  0  0  0  0  6.75
Lasher                           1.2  1  0  0  1  3  30  19    7  0  0  0  0  0  0.00
Hiller                           1.0  1  0  0  0  2  14   9    4  0  0  0  0  0  0.00
Gladding                         2.0  2  0  0  0  3  30  20    8  0  0  0  0  0  0.00
Marshall         W 1-0           2.0  1  0  0  0  2  17  13    7  0  0  0  0  0  0.00
                                12.0 16  5  4  3 14 193 127   55  1  0  0  0  0 

STL: Tolan batted for Hoerner in the 12th
DET: Mathews batted for Hiller in the 8th
     Stanley ran for Mathews in the 8th
     Tracewski batted for Gladding in the 10th
     McAuliffe moved to 2b in the 11th
     Tracewski moved to ss in the 11th
     Green ran for Horton in the 11th
     Green moved to lf in the 12th
     Price batted for Marshall in the 12th

GWRBI: Kaline
Temperature: 69, Sky: clear, Wind: out to left at 10 MPH.

1967 World Series Preview

diamondreplays — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 07:35:12 +0000

After all the hand-wringing in New England, the fact remains that it is the Detroit Tigers, not the Boston Red Sox, facing the St. Louis Cardinals in the latest edition of the World Series. The Cardinals are the favorites, but most experts do not predict any easy ride for the Redbirds. These two clubs ranked second (St. Louis, 2.88 team ERA) and third (Detroit, 3.03) in pitching among all clubs. Only the Chicago White Sox could boast a finer pitching staff. The key is whether the Cardinals’ young arms will perform in this series as they had over the summer. The Cardinals also finished second in batting (.265) in the major leagues while the Tigers (.243) were tenth among the twenty clubs. On the field, the Tigers hold a slight advantage over the Cardinals in team fielding percentage. Here’s a position by position comparison:

First base: Norm Cash (Det.) vs. Orlando Cepeda (StL)

Despite Cash’s heroics against the Red Sox, Cepeda gets the nod here. Cha Cha is the inspirational leader of El Birdos and is receiving MVP consideration in the National League. Eddie Mathews may also see some time at first for the Tigers.

Second base: Jerry Lumpe (Det) vs. Julian Javier (StL)

Javier. Though Tiger manager Mayo Smith may shift Dick McAuliffe to second, Joolie has been a key ingredient in the Cardinals resurgence.

Third base: Don Wert (Det) vs. Mike Shannon (StL)

The edge goes to St. Louis again. Shannon moved from the outfield to third base this season to open space for another bat. But it was Shannon’s bat that provided key hits time after time.

Shortstop: Dick McAuliffe (Det) vs. Dal Maxvill (StL)

The slick-fielding Maxvill was second in the NL in RBIs among shortstops, but McAuliffe led his club in home runs and runs scored. Slight nod to McAuliffe.

Left Field: Willie Horton (Det) vs. Lou Brock (StL)

A complete contrast in style. Horton was the club leader down the stretch with his power and timely hits. Brock is a speed demon and a distraction on the base paths to opposing hurlers. It is possible Brock will provide the greater threat if he gets on base, but this race is too close to call.

Center Field: Jim Northrup (Det) vs. Curt Flood (StL)

Northrup led the league in triples, and Flood was fifth in the senior circuit in batting. Give the edge to Flood and his Gold Glove.

Right Field: Al Kaline (Det) vs. Roger Maris (StL)

The veteran Al Kaline gets the nod over the 1967 edition of Roger Maris who contributed but clearly is not the threat he once was. The 32-year-old Kaline led his club in batting, doubles, and was tied with the 25-year-old Mickey Stanley in stolen bases.

Catching: Bill Freehan (Det) vs. Tim McCarver (StL)

A pair of All-Stars wear the tools of ignorance for these clubs, and neither can claim a true advantage over the other at or behind the plate.

Starting Pitching: Wilson, McLain, Lolich (Det) vs. Gibson, Hughes, Briles (StL)

Gibson (8-11) will be the first pitcher with a losing record to start a World Series Game One since 1944. His mound opponent will be 20-game winner Earl Wilson for a historic match-up of black aces. Lolich was the best Tiger pitcher down the stretch and could be a key ingredient for a championship. Should each manager decide to go with four starters, Carlton of the Cardinals has a decided edge over Detroit’s Joe Sparma. Even.

Bull Pen: Both managers were still using a piecemeal approach to their bull pens in September. Joe Hoerner and Ron Willis were the Schoendienst’s short men. Mayo Smith turned to a trio of rookies, Fred Lasher, Mike Marshall and John Hiller, after Fred Gladding was derailed with a sore wing. Slight edge to Detroit.

Bench: The Cardinals typically played a set nine all season while Mayo Smith rotated and platooned his players all season. Therefore, Smith’s players are experienced and game-tested. Detroit can boast of a 500 HR slugger in Eddie Mathews on their bench, and Mickey Stanley, Lenny Green and Jim Price are contributors. The Cardinals have rookie Bobby Tolan as a threat off their bench. Advantage Detroit.

This side-by-side comparison certainly predicts a tight series. Though the Redbirds are the listed favorites, the Tigers are entering the Series with the hotter hand. The key for St. Louis is Bob Gibson who has pitched much better than his losing record indicates. Gibson was a big-time performer on this World Series stage three years ago, and nobody is doubting the big right hander’s ability for a repeat performance. Detroit will rely on its deep pitching staff and bench to overcome the Cardinals’ starting nine.

Prediction: Cardinals in seven.