1967 American League Pennant Race

September 30, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 5 (90-69), Angels 0 (82-76)

Mickey Lolich came through once again as he continued his impressive second half as he kept the Tigers pennant hopes alive with a three hit shutout over the Angels.  He walked four and struck out eleven and the Angels never really threatened to score through the entire game.

The Tigers did most of their damage in the first two innings.  In the first inning, Willie Horton belted a two run homer to put the Tigers on the board and Gary Mathews and Dick Tracewski drove in a run a piece in the second inning to give the Tigers a 4-0 lead.  George Brunet lasted just those two innings and he lost his 19th game of the season.

Dick McAuliffe singled home Tracewski in the fourth inning to give the Tigers another run but it turned out to not be neccesary. 

Lolich improved to 14-13 with the win.  No Angel hitter reached base more then once and only Buck Rodgers had an extra base hit off of him with a double.

September 30, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Angels 8 (83-76), Tigers 6 (90-70)

The Tigers blew a four run lead as they lost a critical game in the final of their first doubleheader of the weekend with the Angels.  The loss puts them in a position that they need to sweep the Angels tomorrow just to force a tie and a one game playoff with whoever wins tomorrow’s game between the Twins and the Red Sox.

Earl Wilson got the start for the Tigers and the Angels had Jack Hamilton on the mound.  The Tigers struck first with a big first inning.  Dick McAuliffe led off with a single and Lumpe drew a walk to put two runners on.  Al Kaline popped out to the catcher and then Willie Horton drew a walk to load up the bases.  Eddie Mathews then drew the third walk of the inning to put the Tigers on the board and the Angels had enough of Hamilton.  Simmons came in to pitch and he immediately hit Jim Northrup to drive in another run.  Bill Freehan hit a sac. fly to make it two outs and a 3-0 lead before Don Wert finished the inning when he flew to left field.

The Angels answered in the third when Jim Fregosi belted a solo homer.  Roger Repoz singled home Don Mincher in the fourth inning and the Angels had pulled to within a single run but the Tigers doubled their lead in the bottom of the fifth when Lumpe scored on Eddie Mathews ground out.

In the seventh, the game appeared in hand after Jim Northrup belted a two run homer to make it 6-2 to give the Tigers their biggest lead of the game.  With just two innings to go, the win would have put the Tigers in a virtual tie with the Red Sox and Twins atop the American League standings.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be because in the eighth inning, the wheels fell of the wagon.  With Fred Lasher on the mound, Jim Fregosi singled, Jimmie Hall drew a walk and Don Mincher singled home Fregosi to make it 6-3.  Rick Reichardt then singled home Hall to make it 6-4 and Mayo Smith must have been nervous because he went to the pen and brough in Hank Aguirre.

Aguirre did get his first batter, Morton, to ground out but Mincher scampered home and it was now just a one run game.  Buck Rodgers drew a walk and once again, Smith went to his pen to bring in Fred Lasher.

Lasher couldn’t stop the damage though.  Satriano singled off of him and Reichardt scored the tying run.  He did strike out Taylor to make it two outs but Jim Fregosi singled for the second time in the inning and that scored two to give the Angels an 8-6 lead.

The Tigers didn’t get a single baserunner on in either the eighth or ninth as Weaver shut them down.  Minnie Rojas picked up the win and he improved to 12-9 while Weaver earned his first career save.  Aguirre took the loss for the Tigers even though it was Lasher who ended up doing the most damage.

September 27, 1967 at Metropolitan Stadium
Angels 5, Twins 1 (91-69)

The Twins had a chance to clinch at least a tie for the American League pennant but they couldn’t take care of the Twins and now everything will come down a two game series with the Red Sox.  The Twins had their share of hits but they stranded ten baserunners.  Cesar Tovar went two for five and he drove in the lone run while Bob Allison went two for four.  Future All Star third baseman Graig Nettles picked up a pinch hit double and that was the first hit of his career.

For the Angels, Don Mincher belted his 22nd homer of the season.  Jimmie Hall went two for four with a triple and two runs.

Dean Chance fell to 20-13 on the season with a tough start.  He gave up four runs on six hits and two walks with a strikeout in three innings of work.  Rickey Clark improved to 12-11 and he gave up one run on six hits and three walks with six strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings.  Minnie Rojas shut out the Twins through final 2 1/3 innings and he picked up his 27th save of the season.

September 26, 1967 at Metropolitan Stadium
Twins 7 (91-68), Angels 3 (81-75)

The Twins took back sole possession of first place in the American League after they took care of the Angels with two homers from Harmon Killerbrew.  The slugger brought his season homer total up to 43 and he finished with three RBIs.  Bob Allison also went yard and he scored three runs while for the Angels, Aurelio Rodriguez singled and drove in two runs.

Jim Kaat improved to 16-13 with a nice start.  He gave up three runs on five hits and two walks with thirteen strikeouts in the complete game win.  Jim McGlothlin dropped to 11-8 and he gave up five runs in 5 1/3 innings.

September 25, 1957 at Metropolitan Stadium
Angels 9 (81-74), Twins 2 (90-68)

With the Angels playing the Twins and the Tigers in the final week of the season, California would have just as much of an impact on the 1967 American League Pennant Race as the four teams still in it. They made their mark by blasting the Twins and in the process, giving the Red Sox a share of first place without even playing a game.

Jim Fregosi was the hitting star.  He went three for five with a triple, two RBIs and three runs.  Rick Reichardt went three for five with a run.  For the Twins, Rod Carew went two for four with a run.

George Brunet was hit hard and he gave up two runs in 3 1/3 innings.  Jack Hamilton threw 2 2/3 innings of shutout relief and he improved to 9-6 while Curt Simmons threw three shutout innings and he picked up his first save of the season.  Jim Merritt took the loss for the Twins.  He gave up four runs (three earned) on six hits and a walk with a strikeout in just 1 1/3 innings.

September 24, 1967 at Municipal Stadium
Angels 2 (80-74), Athletics 1

The Angels scored two runs in the first inning and while that’s all they’d score, it was enough to top the last place Athletics.  Buck Rodgers had the big hit with a two run single while Rick Reichardt singled twice and scored one of the two runs.

Clyde Wright gave up one run in five innings and he improved to 5-4.  Bobby Locke threw four innings of shutout relief and he picked up his second save of the season.

September 23, 1967 at Municipal Stadium
Angels 3 (79-74), Athletics 2

Rookie Jim Weaver got it done on the mound for the Angels as they took care of the Athletics in a nice win.  He gave up just one run on six hits and one walk with five strikeouts in six innings.  Minnie Rojas gave up one run in three innings of relief and he picked up his 26th save of the season.

Bubba Morton singled, drove in a run and scored.  Bobby Knoop was two for four with a double and an RBI.

September 22, 1967 at Municipal Stadium
Athletics 3, Angels 1  (78-74)

The Angels could manage just five hits and a single run as the lost to the Athletics and were eliminated from the American League pennant race.  Roger Repoz doubled and drove in the lone Angels runs while Jimmie Hall went two for four with a run.

Jack Hamilton gave up three runs on four hits and two walks with two strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings.  The loss dropped his record to 8-6 on the season.

September 20, 1967 at Anaheim Stadium
White Sox 6 (87-67), Angels 4 (78-73)

The White Sox kept up with the other three teams atop the American League behind the big stick of Tommie Agee.  He went three for four with his fourteenth homer, three RBIs and two runs.  Don Buford singled, drew two walks and scored two runs.

For the Angels, Rick Reichardt went two for four with a solo homerun,  The long ball was his sixteenth of the season. Hawk Taylor was the only other hitter with two hits.

Tommy John improved to 10-11 with the win.  He gave up three runs on seven hits and a walk with three strikeouts in five innings.  Bob Locker gave up one run in four innings and he picked up his 19th save of the season.  George Brunet took the loss for the Angels and he fell to 11-18.  He gave up four runs without getting a single batter out in an ugly start.

September 19, 1967 at Anaheim Stadium
White Sox 3 (86-67), Angels 0 (78-72)

Joe Horlen remained one of the hottest pitchers in the month of September as he kept the White Sox in the pennant race.  He improved to 18-6 with the six hit shutout.  He walked one and struck out six while Jim McGlothlin took the loss for the Angels.  He fell to 11-7 and he gave up three runs on six hits with four strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.

Tommy McCraw singled, tripled, drove in a run and scored to lead the White Sox at the plate.  For the Angels, Jim Fregosi had the only extra base hit for the Angels with a triple.

September 18, 1967 at Anaheim Stadium
Angels 3 (78-71), White Sox 2 (85-67)

Because the Tigers lost, the White Sox could have moved into sole possession of first place with a win against the Angels.  Instead, they lost in ninth inning and found themselves back in fourth place, just a half game of a three way tie between the Tigers, Twins and Red Sox.  The game winning hit was a walk off RBI single by Rick Reichardt.

Minnie Rojas improved to 11-9 with 1 1/3 innings of shutout relief.  Bob Locker took the loss for the White Sox and he gave up that ninth inning run.

Reichardt was the only Angels hitter who finished with two hits.  He went two for four with the game winning RBI and a run.  For the White Sox, Rocky Colavito singled and he drove in one of their two runs.

September 17, 1967 at Anaheim Stadium
Angels 3 (77-71), Athletics 2

The Angles got a nice outing from from rookie Jim Weaver as the Angels won their third straight game.  Weaver improved to 2-0 and he gave up two runs on five hits with six strikeouts in seven innings of work.

Bobby Knoop had the big hit of the game with a three run blast in the second inning to account for all three Angels runs.  He was also the only hitter with two hits in the game.

September 16, 1967 at Anaheim Stadium
Angels 2, Athletics 1  (76-71)

The Angels didn’t have much of a chance to win the pennant at this point but that didn’t stop them from trying to pick up a few more wins and Jack Hamilton put together a solid start for the Angels in their second straight win.  He gave up just one run on two hits with five strikeouts in six innings.  Minnie Rojas threw 1 1/3 innings of shutout relief and he picked up his 25th save of the season.

Rick Reichardt was the Angels offense in this one.  He was a perfect four for four with a homerun and two RBIs.  The homerun was his 15th of the season.

September 15, 1967 at Anaheim Stadium
Angels 2 (75-71), Athletics 1

George Brunet gave it all he had in the Angels win over the Athletics but it wasn’t good enough to pick up the win as he could last “just” ten innings.  In an outstanding performance, he gave up one run on five hits and one walk with ten strikeouts in those ten innings.  Bobby Locke improved to 3-0 with a shutout eleventh inning to close out the game.

Don Mincher had a solid game at the plate.  He went three for five with a run and an RBI.  Jim Fregosi was also solid at the plate.  He went two for five with a run.

September 13, 1967 at Yankee Stadium
Yankees 6, Angels 4 (74-71)

Rickey Clark fell to 11-11 on the season with a tough start in the Angels loss to the Yankees.  He gave up four runs on seven hits and four walks with three strikeouts in five innings of work.

Jim Fregosi drew a walk and scored twice in the loss.  Aurelio Rodriguez went two for five with a double, a run and an RBI.

September 12, 1967 at Yankee Stadium
Angels 2 (74-69), Yankees 1

The Angels kept their head above water with some solid pitching in a twelve inning pitcher’s duel in the first game of a doubleheader with the Yankees.  Jack Hamilton gave up one unearned in ten innings and for his troubles, he just kept the Angels in the game.  Veteran Curt Simmons picked up the win with two innings of shutout relief.

The game winner came on a sac. fly by Roger Repoz in the top of the twelth inning.  Jay Johnstone and Jim Fregosi each had three hits a piece.

September 12, 1967 at Yankee Stadium
Yankees 2, Angels 1  (74-70)

All the Angels could do was manage a split with the Yankees as they swapped 2-1 games.  Clyde Wright had a pretty good start go to waste and he fell to 4-4.  He gave up two runs (one earned) on three hits and two walks with five strikeouts in seven innings.

The Angels managed just four hits in the contest.  The lone run came across on a solo homer by Jay Johnstone.

September 10, 1967 at D.C. Stadium
Senators 3, Angels 2  (73-69)

A 2-0 lead turned into a 3-2 loss in a hurry as the Angels blew a tough game in the ninth inning.  George Brunet Minnie Rojas combined to giveup the three ninth inning runs and it was Rojas who took the loss.

Jay Johnstone belted a solo homerun in the loss.  Aurelio Rodriguez and Jimmie Hall each had two singles.

September 9, 1967 at D.C. Stadium
Senators 4, Angels 0 (73-68)

The Angels hitters were held in check as they couldn’t push a single run across the plate in a shutout loss to the Senators.  The five hits were by five different Senators and the only extra base hit a triple by Jimmie Hall. 

Jim McGlothlin fell to 11-6 on the season in a tough start.  He gave up four runs on eight hits with four strikeouts in six innings of work.

September 8, 1967 at D.C. Stadium
Angels 4 (73-67), Senators 0

Rickey Clark improved to 11-10 on the season with one of his best starts of the season.  He gave up just two hits and two walks with four strikeouts in the complete game shutout.

Jim Fregosi went three for four with an RBI in the win.  Aurelio Rodriguez tripled and he scored a run.

September 6, 1967 at Comiskey Park
White Sox 3 (78-61), Angels 2 (72-67)

The White Sox took care of the Angels in extra frames that saw neither team scored in the first ten innings.  Joe Horlen threw eight shutout innings for the White Sox and George Brunet pitched seven.  The game remained scoreless until each team scored two run in the eleventh and then in the bottom of the fourteenth, Ken Berry doubled home Duane Josephson to win it.

Pete Cimino took the loss for the Angels and he fell to 3-3.  Fred Klages won it for the White Sox with two shutout frames and he improved to 4-3.

September 5, 1967 at Anaheim Stadium
Angels 7 (71-66), Orioles 2

The Angels won their second straight game as they opened up their second doubleheader against the Orioles in as many days.  Bubba Morton doubled twice and drove in four runs to lead the Angels at the plate while rookie Aurelio Rodriguez went three for five with three runs and his first major league homer. 

Clyde Wright improved to 4-3 on the season with the win.  He gave up two runs on four hits and four walks with four strikeouts in the complete game win.

September 5, 1967 at Anaheim Stadium
Angels 11 (72-66), Indians 4

The Angels turned on the offense and won their third straight game as they completed a doubleheader sweep over the Orioles.  Morton followed up his solid first game with another four RBIs in the second while Roger Repoz went three for four with a homerun, three RBIs and three runs.

Bobby Locke improved to 2-0 on the season with a mediocre start.  He gave up four runs on five hits and two walks with one strikeout in five innings.  Bill Kelso held the Angels scoreless in the final four frames and he picked up his eleventh save of the season.

September 4, 1967 at Anaheim Stadium
Orioles 4, Angels 2 (69-66)

The Angels managed just six hits in another lackluster offensive performance as they lost the front end of a doubleheader with the Orioles.  Hawk Taylor led the way at the plate with a single, a double and an RBI while Don Mincher was the only other Angel hitter to reach base twice with a single and a walk.

Jack Hamilton fell to 7-5 on the season.  He gave up three runs on six hits and four walks with two strikeouts in eight innings.

September 4, 1967 at Anaheim Stadium
Angels 5 (70-66), Orioles 4

It took twelve innings, but the Angels finally salvaged a split with the Orioles as they finished up their Labor Day doubleheader.  Buck Rodgers drove in the tying run with a sac. fly that was misplayed by Orioles centerfielder Paul Blair which allowed Rick Reichard to score the winner in the twelth.  Rodgers had a huge game because earlier, he had belted a three run homer to account for most of the Angels offense to that point.  Rick Reichard also had a nice game and he finished with three hits.

Rookie Jim Weaver picked up his first career win despite the fact that he gave up two hits and a run in the top of the twelth inning.  Jim McGlothling gave up two runs in five innings in a solid start.

September 3, 1967 at Anaheim Stadium
Angels 6 (69-65), Indians 2

Rickey Clark improved to 10-10 on the season with a nice start as the Angels won their fourth straight game.  He gave up two runs on three hits and three walks with five strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings.  Minnie Rojas got the final two batters out and he picked up his 24th save of the season.

Don Mincher belted his 21st homerun of the season, a two run shot in the seventh inning.  Jimmie Hall went two for four with three RBIs and a run.

September 2, 1967 at Anaheim Stadium
Angels 1 (68-65), Indians 0

After touching .500, the Angels were pretty much out of the race with four teams in front of them.  Despite that and the still 7 1/2 game deficit, the Angels won their third straight game behind some phenomonal pitching by George Brunet.  While he didn’t pick up the win, he gave up just four hits and two walks with seven strikeouts in eleven shutout innings.  Minnie Rojas pitched a shutout twelth and he improved to 10-8.

The game winner and only run of the game scored off of an RBI triple by Bubba Morton.  Don Mincher drew a walk and he scored the lone Angels run.

September 1, 1967 at Anaheim Stadium
Angels 4 (67-65), Indians 3

For the first time in over two weeks, the Angels won back to back games as they finally halted their slide.  The win came with it’s share of drama as the Angels went into the bottom of the ninth down by a run yet still won it.  Knoop singled home a run to tie and then Wright scored on an error to win it. 

Bobby Locke picked up the win with 1 2/3 innings of shutout relief to close out the game.  He didn’t allow a single base runner although oddly, he didn’t strike anyone out either.