1967 American League Pennant Race

May 25, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 9 (22-13), Red Sox 3 (18-18)

The Tigers avoided a sweep at the hand of the Red Sox and snapped a three game losing streak with a nine run attack.  The big inning for the Tigers was the fifth, in which they scored six runs.

Jim Northrup definitely got it done for the Tigers.  He went two for three with a homerun and five RBIs.  Dick McAuliffe also homered and he scored three times in the game.

Reggie Smith drove in two of the three Red Sox’ runs and finished with two hits.  Mike Ryan hit a solo shot in the third inning and that was the extent of the Red Sox offense.

Earl Wilson went the distance and improved to 6-3.  He gave up three runs on eight hits and three walks with five strikeouts.  Jose Santiago took the loss for the Red Sox.  He gave up six runs (five earned) on four hits and three walks in 4 1/3 innings.

May 24, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Red Sox 1 (18-17), Tigers 0  (21-13)

A solo shot by Dalton Jones in the second was the only run of the game in this pitcher’s dual.  Jim Lornberg threw a gem.  He gave up four hits and four walks with eleven strikeouts in the complete game shutout.

Denny McLain was good but he would have had to be perfect in this one.  He gave up only the single run on three hits and a walk with six strikeouts in seven innings.  Jose Tartabull and Jones were the only two players for either team to rack up two hits.

May 23, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Red Sox 5 (17-17), Tigers 2 (21-12)

Dennis Bennett got the better of Mickey Lolich in this pitching battle.  The game was tied 1-1 until the Red Sox got to Lolich with two runs in the fifth.  That lead would hold even after Tiger reliever George Korince gave up two more to the Red Sox in the top of the eighth.

Rico Petrocelli and Carl Yastrzemski both homered for the Red Sox.  Yaz’s homerun was a two run shot.  Al Kaline drove in each of the Tiger’s two runs.

Bennett picked up the win and improved to 2-1.  He gave up two runs on seven hits and two walks with five strikeouts in 7 1/3.  Lolich dropped to 5-3 and he struck out seven in seven innings.

May 14, 1967 at Fenway Park
Red Sox 8 (12-14), Tigers 5 (17-8)

The Red Sox snapped the Tigers seven game winning in the first game of a Sunday double header.  Denny McLain was pummelled and the primary suspects were George Scott and Rico Petrocelli.  Scott went two for four with three RBIs and Petrocelli went  two for three with two homeruns, three runs and three RBIs.  Jim Lonberg improved to 3-1 with six solid innings and Hank Fischer picked up his first save with three solid innings of relief.

Dick McAuliffe and West homered for the Tigers.  Roy Oyler finished the game three for three with a run and an RBI and McAuliffe scored twice and drove in two runs.

May 14, 1967 at Fenway Park
Red Sox 13 (13-14), Tigers 9 (17-9)

The Red Sox dismantled the Tigers as they swept their doubleheader.  This one was closer then it looked because of a five run eighth inning by the Tigers.  Prior to that, the Red Sox were up 12-4.

Every Red Sox pretty much contributed in this one.  Four Red Sox had at least two RBIs and four scored at least four runs.  Jose Santiago, Carl Yastrzemski and Joe Foy all homered and all nine starters either scored at least one run or drove in one run.

Santiago picked up the win despite getting tagged for seven runs.  He improved to 2-1.

Willie Horton led the offense for the Tigers. He homered twice.  Norm Cash homered and drove in three runs and Bill Freehan hit a solo shot.  Mickey Lolich was pulled in the second inning after getting tagged for five runs but the pen didn’t fare much better.  Each of the four Tiger relievers gave up at least one run with Korince leading the way with five.

May 13, 1967 at Fenway Park
Tigers 10 (17-7), Red Sox 8 (11-14)

The Tigers demolished the Red Sox in a ninth inning that saw both teams combine for nine runs.  The Tigers scored six of those though and that turned out to be the difference in the Tigers seventh straight win (10 of their last 11).

Bill Freehan hit his sixth homerun and Earl Wilson hit his first (as a pinch hitter) in this one.  Freehan drove in three and scored twice while Jim Northrup went four for five with two runs and an RBI.  Sparma got the start but lasted only five innings.  Reliever Korince picked up the win for the Tigers and Wickersham picked up his second save despite getting tagged for three runs.

Foy homered for the Red Sox and he finished with three hits and two runs.  Petrocelli went three for four with two doubles, a run and an RBI wihle Conigliaro had two hits, two runs and two RBIs.  Wyatt took ehte loss and was credited with all six of those ninth inning runs.  He dropped to 2-1 in relief of Bennett.

May 12, 1967 at Fenway Park
Tigers 5 (16-7), Red Sox 4 (11-13)

The Tigers held back a late inning surge by the Red Sox in the Tigers sixth straight win.  Earl Wilson locked horns with Braydon in this one and Wilson got the better of his Red Sox counterpart.

The Tiger drew first blood in the third inning.  Earl Wilson scored on a wild pitch and Dick McAuliffe scored when Al Kaline reached base on Petrocelli’s error.  The Tigers added a run in the fourth on Norm Cash’s third homerun of the season.

The Red Sox scored singled runs in the fourth and fifth.  Carl Yastrzemski scored on Conigliaro’s fielder’s choice in the fourth and Tartabull scored on Foy’s single in the fifth.

The Tigers matched that with runs in the seventh and eighth.  Cash scored on Freehan’s double to make it 4-2 and then Al Kaline scored on Willie Horton’s sac. fly in the eighth to make it 5-2.

Things looked promising for the Red Sox in the bottom of the ninth.  Conigliaro singled and Petrocelli followed that up with a walk.  Wilson was replaced by Gladding, who didn’t help matters by walking Jones.  Congligiaro scored on Horton’s fielders choice and then Petrocelli scored on Demeter’s single to make it a one run game.  Fortunately for the Tigers, Tartabull lined out and Foy grounded out to end the game.

Wilson improved to 4-2 and Gladding picked up his fifth save of the season.  Brandon dropped to 0-4.

April 30, 1967 at Fenway Park

Athletics 1, Red Sox 0 (8-6)

The Red Sox were held to just five hits in a tough loss to the A’s.  Bucky Brandon took the loss despite givie up only one run on five hits in eight innings of work.

Reggie Smith singled twice and that was the extent of the hitting highlights for the Red Sox.

April 29, 1967 at Fenway Park

Red Sox 11 (8-5), Athletics 10

The Red Sox won their fourth straight in a crazy game at Fenway Park.  The game had some pretty big swings that saw the Athletics take a three run lead in the top of the third but then they were down by three in the bottom of the third.  The Red Sox eventually blew a four run lead and the game finally calmed down in the later innings.  Finally in the fifteenth, the A’s scored a run to take the lead but a two run single with the bases loaded by Jose Tartabull gave the Red Sox the win.

George Scott and Tony Conigliaro had big games for the Red Sox.  Scott went three for six with two RBIs and three runs while Conigliaro went three for seven with an RBI and three runs.

Billy Rohr was hit hard and he was credited with only three innings of work.  Lee Stange was also knocked around in relief of Rohr.  Don McMahon picked up the win despite giving up the go ahead run in the top of the fifteenth but that was the only run he gave up in three innings of work.  You also have to give some credit to John Wyatt.  He threw 5 2/3 shutout innings after Stange gave up the big lead.

April 28, 1967 at Fenway Park

Red Sox 3 (7-5), Athletics 0

Jim Lonborg put on a show for the home fans in the Red Sox third straight win.  He struck out thirteen and held the A’s to six hits in a complete game shutout.  He didn’t walk a single batter and all six hits were singles.

The Red Sox didn’t need much on offense, but Mike Andrews provided most of it.  His double drove in a run and then he later scored on a Reggie Smith single.

April 25, 1967 at D.C. Stadium

Red Sox 9 (6-5), Senators 3

The Red Sox ran up the score on the Washington Senators today.  They scored runs in each of the first five innings and Reggie Smith, Mike Andrews and Tony Conigliaro all homered for the Red Sox.  Conigliaro and Carl Yastrzemski each drove in two runs and Andrews homerun was a three run shot.

Hank Fischer coasted to an easy win with all of the run support.  He improved to 1-1 and he gave up three runs on five hits and three walks with five strikeouts in the complete game.

April 24, 1967 at D.C. Stadium

Red Sox 7 (5-5), Senators 4

Rico Petrocelli led the way for the Red Sox with the bat in their win over the Washington Senators.  He went two for three with a homerun, two RBIS and three runs in the win.  Dalton Jones also had a good game.  He had three hits and a run.

Dennis Bennett was knocked around on the mound but he escaped without a decision.  He gave up four runs on five hits and two walks with two strikeouts in six innings of work.  John Wyatt picked up the win with three shutout innings to close out the game.

April 23, 1967 at Fenway Park
Yankees 7, Red Sox 5 (4-5)

The Red sox failed to lock up a sweep against the Yankees and once again dipped below the .500 mark.  Bucky Brandon was hit hard and didn’t even last five innings before he gave up five runs.

Carl Yastrzemski hit his second homerun of the season and he drove in two runs.  Russ Gibson doubled and drove in two while George Thomas had two hits, a run and an RBI.

April 22, 1967 at Fenway Park
Red Sox 5 (4-4), Yankees 4

The Red Sox took it to the Yankees again and in the process, evened their record at 4-4.  Carl Yastrzemski had a monster game and led the way for the Red Sox with the bats.  He went three for three with a homerun and three RBIs.

Jim Lonborg pitched 5 1/3 mediocre innings before yielding to the pen, who helped him out.  Don McMahon was particularly impressive.  He pitched the final three frames and held the Yankees to a single hit to pick up his second save of the season.

April 21, 1967 at Fenway Park
Red Sox 6 (3-4), Yankees 1

The Red Sox snapped their three game losing streak with a nice outing by Billy Rohr.  He improved to 2-0 and he gave up one run on eight hits and a walk with seven strikeouts in the complete game.

Dalton Jones had a big game for the Red Sox.  He went two for five with a homerun, two RBIs and two runs.  Tony Horton had two hits a run and an RBI and the Red Sox racked up five doubles in the game.

April 18, 1967 at Comiskey Park
White Sox 5 (4-2), Red Sox 2  (2-4)

The White Sox handed the Red their third straight loss with a solid pitching performance by Bruce Howard.  He gave up only two runs and those didn’t come until the ninth inning.  He walked three and struck out three.

Bucky Brandon took the loss for the Red Sox.  He gave up five runs (three earned) on eight hits and four walks in seven innings of work.

Tony Horton and Rico Petrocelli drove in runs for the Red Sox.  Ken Berry had two hits and two runs while Tommy McCraw singled twice and scored for the White Sox.

April 16, 1967 at Yankee Stadium
Yankees 7, Red Sox 6  (2-3)

The Red Sox lost the series finale and the series to the arch rival Yankees in an eighteen inning nail biter.  The Red Sox tied the game up in the top of the ninth to send the game into extra frames and then neither team scored for the next seven innings.  Finally in the bottom of the eighteenth, Joe Pepitone singled home Jake Gibbs off of Lee Stange to end the game.

Carl Yastrzemski and Tony Conigliaro both had big games for the Red Sox.  Yaz wen five for eight with two triples, two runs and an RBI while Conigiliaro had five hits and three RBIs.

Jim Lonborg lasted five innings before yielding to the pen.  Dan Osinski was the most impressive.  He pitched six shutout innings from the ninth inning on to keep the Red Sox in the game.

April 15, 1967 at Yankee Stadium
Yankees 1, Red Sox 0 (2-2)

The Yankees turned the tables on the Red Sox and beat them in a one run pitchers dual.  The Red Sox were held to four hits by Mel Stottlemyre and while Dennis Bennett held the Yankees to five, one of those was an RBI single by Horace Clarke that ended up being the difference.

Tony Conigliaro walked twice in the game and Carl Yastrzemski and Reggie Smith both reached base twice (a single and a walk each) but that was the extent of the offense.

April 14, 1967 at Yankee Stadium
Red Sox 3 (2-1), Yankees 0

Billy Rohr was virtually unhittable in his major league debut and he pitched the Red Sox to a win in their series opener over the Yankees.  He had a no hitter going all the way through until the final out when Howard singled to break it up.  He did walk five and he struck out two.

Reggie Smith hit a solo homerun to put the Red Sox on the board and Joe Foy hit a two run shot in the eighth to give the Red Sox their three runs.

Billy Rohr is one of those anamolies.  He won his first two career starts with complete games, then had only one win the rest of his career and his major league career was over after a short stint with the Indians in 1968.  For this one week though, Rohr had his moment in the sun.

April 13, 1967 at Fenway Park
White Sox 8 (1-1), Red Sox 5 (1-1)

The White Sox returned the favor and ran up the score on the Red Sox to split the two game series.  Down 5-3, the White Sox scored five unearned runs in the top of the ninth to put the game away.

Pete Ward homered in the fifth inning for the White Sox and Jerry Adair, Don Buford and Ron Hansen all had two RBIS.  Rico Petrocelli had another nice game for Boston.  He went two for three with a double, a walk, an RBI and a run.

Jack Lamabe picked up the win in relief and Bob Locker pitched a perfect ninth for the save.  Hank Fischer took the loss for the Red Sox in relief of Bucky Brandon.

April 12, 1967 at Fenway Park
Red Sox 5 (1-0), White Sox 4 (0-1)

The Red Sox held back a late inning surge by the While Sox to win their home opener.  After jumping out to a 5-1 lead in the sixth, the White Sox answered with three runs in the seventh to make it 5-4.  That’s all they’d get though as the Red Sox hung on to win it.

Jim Lonborg picked up the win for the Red Sox.  He gave up four runs (three earned) on seven hits and two walks with four strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings.  Don McMahon picked up the save with a perfect ninth.

On the White Sox side, John Buzhardt took the loss.  He gave up four runs and walked five in only four innings.

Rico Petrocelli provided most of the Red Sox offense.  He homered and drove in four of the five Red Sox runs.  Reggie Smith doubled, walked and scored twice.  For the White Sox, Jerry Adair went two for four with an RBI.

Jim Lonborg definitely had a career year in 1967.  In only his third year, he won more games, pitched in more innings and struck out more batters then he ever would in a career that spanned 15 seasons.  In only one season did he pick up a single vote for the Cy Young and that was in 1967, when he picked up 18 of the 20 first place votes to run away with the award.  It was also the only season he’d ever pick up a vote for the MVP and it was only All Star Game appearance as well.

For that one season though, Lonborg shined.  He led the league with 22 wins and 246 strikeouts and he was second in innings pitched with 246 1/3.  He was second in the league with 15 complete games and first with 39 starts.  No other starter in the Red Sox rotation threw more then 182 innings and Lornborg won ten more games then the next closest hurler on the team (Gary Bell and Jose Santiago).  

One key to Lonborg’s success in 1967 was he was equally good against right handed pitchers as he was against lefties.   As a right hander, he was very good against right handed pitching (.226/.278/.353) but he was probably even better againt lefties (.225/.314/.333).  Oddly, Lonborg didn’t fare as well at Fenway Park as he did on the road.  He was 9-5 at Fenway with a .725 OPS against but outside of Fenway he was 13-4 with a .565 OPS against.  And in Lonborg’s first eleven starts, he went 7-1 with two shutouts   During that stretch, he had the first of two five game winning streaks.

So while Lonborg may have just had the one really good year, it did come at a great time.  The team finished in the second half of the league in things like ERA, hits allowed and homeruns allowed but Lonborg came out to the mound time and again and kept the Red Sox in the pennant race.

Here are Lonborg’s numbers in 1967.

Wins 22
Losses 9
Games 39
Games Started 39
Complete Games 15
Innings Pitched 273
Hits 228
Runs 102
Earned Runs 96
Walks 83
Strikeouts 246
ERA 3.16
Runs Saved Above Average 18
Shutouts 2
H/9 7.52
BR/9 10.88
SO/9 8.11
BB/9 2.74
SO/BB 2.96
Neutral Wins 18
Neutral Losses 13

Up until 1967, Carl Yastrzemski was a good player. He finished in the top 10 in the AL MVP voting twice but his season high in homeruns was 20 (1965). He did have one batting title (.321 in 1963) and he had two gold gloves. Then Yaz broke out in a big way.

His .326 batting average in 1967 wasn’t a career high (he’d hit .329 in 1970) but it was good enough to lead the American League. Only three players hit over .300 in the American League and Yaz outhit Frank Robinson, who came in second in hitting with .311, by a full fifteen percentage points. On top of that, Yaz led the league in just about everything else. He led with 44 homeruns and 121 RBIs to win the triple crown, the last player to do that. He also led the league in runs (112), OBP (.418), SLG (.622), and OPS (1.040). He was only third in doubles (31) and fourth in walks (91) and he even stole ten bases. And for all that, he won the MVP by a land slide. He garnered 19 out of 20 first place votes and the one he missed out on seemed a little bogus. Cesar Tovar finished tied for seventh and someone (probably local in MN) picked him as their top guy, possibly for his versatility (he played all three outfield spots, short, second and third).

Most importantly, Yaz got it done in September (and one game in October) when the team needed him. He hit .417 during that stretch and he homered nine times and drove in 26 runs in 27 games.

Yaz also got it done in the post season. He was 10 for 25 in the seven game series with the Cardinals and he homered three times. There was little doubt that Yaz was the MVP in 1967. Let’s take a look at his numbers

Games 161
AB 579
Runs 112
Hits 189
Doubles 31
Triples 4
Homeruns 44
RBIs 121
Walks 91
Strikeouts 69
Stolen Bases 10
Caught Stealing 8
BA .326
OBA .418
SLG% .622
OPS 1.040
RC 154
RCAA 85
RCAP 68
RC/G 10.17
ISO .295