1967 American League Pennant Race

August 30, 1967 at Anaheim Stadium
Angels 3 (66-65), Tigers 2 (74-59)

The Angels avoided a four game sweep at the hands of the Tigers and it wasn’t until a dramatic ninth inning until they did so.  The Tigers tagged Angels starter McGlothlin for two runs in the sixth inning to take a 2-1 lead and that score stood when the Angels entered the bottom of the ninth.  Through eight innings, Earl Wilson had given up only one run on three hits.

Jim Fregosi led off the ninth with a ground out but Wilson lost Hall to a walk.  Then Morton came up huge with an RBI double to tie up the game.  Bubba Morton ended up moving over to third on an error by Al Kaline.  Fred Lasher replaced Wilson, who got Moose Skowron to ground out but the play at the plate was late and the Angels walked away with the win.

Wilson dropped to 18-10 on the season.  Angels reliever Bill Kelso walked away with his fifth win.

August 29, 1967 at Anaheim Stadium
Tigers 4 (73-58), Angels 2 (65-64)

The Tigers doubled up the Angels in the first game of a weekday double header.  Denny McLain continued to pitch well and he gave up only three hits the entire game.  He did give up two runs but one was unearned and he struck out five.

George Brunet took the loss for the Angels.  He gave up three runs but he his control was way off.  He walked six in only 3 2/3 innings.

Dick McAuliffe hit homerun number 22 and he drove in two runs.  Al Kaline walked three times and scored tiwce while Bill Freehan singled twice and drove in a run.

Rick Reichardt, Buck Rodgers and Roger Repoz were the only Angels to get hits.  Reichardt doubled home a run and Rodgers drove in a run on a sac. fly.

August 29, 1967 at Anaheim Stadium
Tigers 2 (74-58), Angels 1 (65-65)

The Tigers won their third straight and finished a sweep of their doubleheader over the Angels.  John Hiller continued to pitch well and he gave up only one run on eight hits in eight innings to improve to 4-0.  Fred Lasher pitched a perfect ninth and he picked up third save of the season.

Rickey Clark threw a solid game for the Angels but he dropped to 9-10.  He gave up only one run on two hits with two walks and four strikeouts in eight innings.

Bill Freehan homered for the Tigers to start the scoring for each team.  Woodie Held and Bubba Morton had two hits each for the Angels.

August 28, 1967 at Anaheim Stadium
Tigers 10 (72-58), Angels 0 (65-63)

The Tigers turned on the offense as they blew out the Angels in a west coast series opener.  Lenny Green had a big day with the bat.  He went three for five with four RBIs and two runs.  Bill Freehan had three hits and three RBIs while Jim Northrup touched home plate three times.

Lost in the offensive onslaught was a five hit shutout by Mickey Lolich.  He improved to 8-12 and he gave up two walks with six strikeouts.

Jack Hamilton took the loss for the Angels.  He gave up four runs and was pulled in the second inning.  The next three relievers all gave up runs as well.  Jim Fregosi and Bubba Morton each had two hits against Lolich.

August 27, 1967 at Municipal Stadium
Athletics 2, Tigers 1  (71-58)

The Athletics avoided a sweep at the hands of the Tigers in a 2-1 pitchers dual in the series finale.  Joe Sparma was very good for the Tigers but not as good as the combination of Roberto Rodriguez and Paul Lindblad.  Sparma dropped to 13-7 despite giving up only two runs on five hits with seven strikeouts.

The only run for the Tigers came on Jim Northrup’s solo homerun. It was his sixth homerun of the season.  The Tigers were held to only five hits the entire game and Northrup’s homerun was the only hit for extra bases.

August 26, 1967 at Municipal Stadium
Tigers 5 (71-57), Athletics 2

A three run third inning set the stage for the Tigers as they cruised to an easy win over the A’s.  Earl Wilson picked up win number 18 as he went the distance.  He gave up two runs on six hits and two walks with ten strikeouts.

Al Kaline doubled in two runs and Norm Cash went two for four with a homerun, an RBI and two runs.  Attendance was less then 9,000 as few fans came out to see the last place place A’s.

August 25, 1967 at Municipal Stadium
Tigers 3 (70-57), Athletics 0 

John Hiller pitched a six hit shutout as the Tigers snapped their two game losing streak.  He improved to 3-0 on the season and struck out four with no walks.

The Tigers scored all three of their runs on solo homeruns.  Dick McAuliffe, Bill Freehan and Eddie Mathews all went deep for the Tigers.

August 24, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Twins 4 (69-55), Tigers 2  (69-57)

The Twins took the final game of a five game series between the Tigers and Twins behind a strong outings by Dave Boswell and Al Worthington.  Worthington set the stage and held the Tigers to two runs on five hits and three walks with seven strikeouts in six innings but he left with the game tied 2-2.  Worthington picked up from there and pitched three innings of one hit ball to improve to 8-8 on the season.

Denny McLain held on as long as he could but he yieled three runs on eleven hits in 7 1/3 innings.  he walked one and struck out three.

The game winner came off of Harmon Killebrew’s bat.  His solo homerun in the eighth inning broke a 2-2 tie.  It was his 34th dinger of the season.  Ted Uhlaender had a solid game as well.  He went three for five with an RBI.

Norm Cash homered for the seventeenth time and Willie Horton had two doubles and an RBI in the loss for the Tigers.

August 23, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 10 (69-55), Twins 0 (67-55)

The Tigers won their fifth straight game in their third double header in four days.  This one was a blow out and it was over early.  The Tigers scored in each of the first four innings and capped things off with a four run fourth.

Joe Sparma coasted to an easy win and he improved to 13-6.  He threw a four hit shutout and struckout three.  Jim Merritt took the loss for the Twins and he was gone by the end of third inning.

Dick Tracewski had the big game for the Tigers.  He went four for five with three RBIs and a run.  Al Kaline and Jim Price eached scored twice.  The only Twins who figured out Sparma was Rod Carew, who had two singles in the game.

August 23, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Twins 4 (68-55), Tigers 3 (69-56)

The Tigers finally ran out of gas as the Twins ended their five game winning streak in the second game of their doubleheader.  The big inning was a three run fifth for the Twins.

Jim Perry evened his record to 6-6 with 6 1/3 innings of solid work.  He gave up three runs on eight hits.  Dave Wickersham took the loss for the Tigers.  He gave up four runs in 4 2/3 innings.

Harmon Killebrew hit homerun number 33 and Perry helped out his own cause with two hits, a run and two RBIs.  Eddie Mathews drove in two runs for the Tigers and Jerry Lumpe singled, scored and drove in a run.

August 22, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 7 (67-55), Twins 3 (67-53)

The Tigers won their third straight game in their second doubleheader in five days.  Earl Wilson went the distance and he gave up three runs on five hits and a walk with four strikeouts.  Dean Chance took the loss for the Twins.  He dropped to 16-9 and he gave up three early runs.  The bullpen didn’t fare much better for the Twins.  Each of the three relievers who entered the game gave at least a run.

Eddie Mathews had a big day and he hit his first homerun as a Tiger.  He went three for four with an RBI and two runs.  Dick McAuliffe hit homerun number two and he drove in two runs.

Cesar Tovar, Tony Oliva and Ted Uhlaender all hit homeruns for the Twins.  Luckily for Wilson, all three homeruns came with nobody on base.

August 22, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 2 (68-55), Twins 1 (67-54)

The Tigers won their fourth straight and swept their first doubleheader with the Twins in an eleven inning pitchers dual.  Mickey Lolich struck out thirteen in eight innings and he gave up only one run but he didn’t get a decision.  Fred Lasher pitched the final three frames and he gave up only one hit to earn his first win of the season.

Jim Kaat was just as good for the Twins.  He gave up one run on five hits and a walk with nine strikeouts in eight innings of work.  Al Worthington took the loss after he gave up a leadoff triple to Dick McAuliffe in eleventh and then threw a wild pitch that scored him.

McAuliffe had the big eleventh inning triple but he also scored the other run for the Tigers.  Al Kaline had two hits, including a double, and drove in a run.  The only Twins run came in the second.  Lolich loaded up the bases with nobody and while he got Jim Kaat to ground into a double play, a run scored.

The pair of wins moved the Tigers into just one game back of the first place Red Sox and White Sox.  In the process of the doubleheader, they also forced the Twins down into a tie with the Tigers just a game back in a tight pennant race.

August 20, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 4 (65-55), Indians 2 

The Tigers won game one of their Sunday double header against the Indians.  Denny McLain bounced back from a poor outing earlier in the week and he picked up his 16th win.  He gave up two runs on six hits and a walk with five strikeouts.  Fred Lasher got the final two batters out to pick up his second save.

Al Kaline hit homerun number 21 and he scored twice in the game.  Norm Cash had three hits, a run and an RBI.

August 20, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 4 (66-55), Indians 0

John Hiller threw his first career shutout as the Tigers completed a sweep in their doubleheader against the Indians.  He gave up four hits and a walk with four strikeouts, and the win pushed his record to 2-0 on the season.

Willie Horton and Al Kaline each hit solo homeruns for the Tigers.  Jim Price singled, scored and drove in a run.

August 19, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Indians 5, Tigers 0  (64-55)

The Tigers were held to a single hit in an outstanding pitching performance by John O’Donoghue.  The Tigers struck out eleven times and drew only one walk. 

To make matters worse, Joe Sparma was shelled.  He gave up five runs in 2 2/3 innings and while Pat Dobson and Mike Marshall were great out of the pen, the Tigers couldn’t get the bats going to mount a comeback.

August 18, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 4 (64-54), Indians 0 

The Tigers won a rain shortened game in their series opener agains the Indians.  The game lasted only five innings and in those five, Mickey Lolich was virtually unhittable.  He gave up only a single hit with four strikeouts and he improved to 7-12 on the season.

The Tigers scored all four of their runs in the second inning.  Eddie Mathews got things going with an RBI single to put the Tigers on the board and that helped spark a four run inning.

August 17, 1967 at Fenway Park
Tigers 7 (63-54), Red Sox 4 (62-54)

The Tigers avoided a sweep at the hands of the Red Sox but they needed ten innings to do it.  Earl Wilson left the game with a 4-1 lead but Fred Lasher gave up three runs in the eighth to send the game into extra frames.  Fortunately, the Tigers rallied for three runs in the top of the tenth and walked away with their only win of the series.

Fred Gladding picked up the win after he held the Red Sox scoreless in the ninth and tenth innings.  Sparky Lyle took the loss for the Red Sox.

Willie Horton hit two homeruns and drove in three to lead the way for the Tigers.  Al Kaline hit homerun number 20 and he scored twice and Norm Cash tripled, scored and drove in a run.

Jerry Adair had the big game at the plate for the Red sox.  He had three hits, including two doubles, and he drove in two.  George Scott had two singles and he scored twice.

August 16, 1967 at Fenway Park
Red Sox 8 (62-53), Tigers 3  (62-54)

Denny McLain was hit hard in a blow out loss to the Red Sox.  He gave up five runs in 2 2/3 innings and three of the five hits he gave up were homeruns.  Lee Stange was also knocked around for the Red Sox but Bucky Brandon picked him up and threw seven innings of shutout relief to pick up his fifth win of the season.

George Scott was the primary adversary against McLain.  He homered twice and drove in four runs.  Reggie Smith had two hits and drove in two while Jose Tartabull and Jerry Adair had two hits and a run a piece.

Norm Cash’s two run homerun in the second inning was pretty much the extent of the Tigers’ offense.  Willie Horton and Don Wert each had two hits.

August 15, 1967 at Fenway Park
Red Sox 4 (61-53), Tigers 0  (62-53)

The Red Sox took game one in a big three game series with the Tigers.  Dave Morehead was lights out and he held the Tigers scoreless on only six hits.  He walked one and struck out eight.  Joe Sparma took the loss for the Tigers.  He gave up three runs on three hits, but two of those hits were homeruns. He lasted only four innings.

Carl Yastrzemski hit homerun number 28 for Boston.  He also drove in a run on a sac. fly.  Reggie Smith and George Scott also hit solo homeruns for the Red Sox.  Jim Price was the only Tiger who could figure out Morehead.  He had three hits in four at bats.

August 13, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 3, Orioles 2  (62-52)

Earl Wilson won his 16th game as the Tigers won their four game series against the Orioles.  He gave up two runs on only four hits and two walks with six strikeouts in seven innings of work.  Lasher pitched the final two frames and he picked up his first save of the season.

Roy Oyler had the big hit for the Tigers. His three run homerun in the second inning gave the Tigers a 3-1 lead which held.  Al Kaline doubled and scored a run while Jim Price singled and scored.

August 12, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 5 (61-52), Orioles 4

The Tigers guaranteed themselves at least a split in their four game series with the Orioles behind another strong outing by Denny McLain.  He gave up four runs on eight hits and two walks with one strikeout in eight innings of work.  He did give up three homeruns but they were all with nobody on base.  John Hiller pitched a perfect ninth and he notched his third save of the season.

Jim Northrup had a monster day with the bat for the Tigers.  He went two for four with a triple, a homerun, three RBIs and two runs.  Norm Cash singled, walked twice and scored two runs and Don Wert drove in a run with a single.

August 11, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Orioles 5, Tigers 1  (59-52)

The Tigers lost for the third time in four games in the series opener against the Orioles.  Tom Phoebus completely shut down the Tigers and held them to a single run on four hits while Dave Wickersham and the Tigers’ bullpen were knocked around for five runs.

Don Wert had two singles and he drove in the only run in the seventh.  Jim Northrup tripled to lead off the inning and Wert singled him home.

August 11, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 5, Orioles 2  (60-52)

Mickey Lolich came back for the Tigers and he threw good enough to pick up his sixth win of the season.  He gave up two runs on five hits and three walks with eight strikeouts in the complete game.

The Tigers scored their runs in bunches.  They scored three in the fourth and two in the seventh.  Jim Northrup drove in two runs and Willie Horton doubled, drove in a run and scored.

August 10, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
White Sox 2 (61-47), Tigers 1  (59-51)

The White Sox pen outdid the Tigers pen in a close win.  Wilbur Wood was bounced after four innings but four relievers combined for five innings of shutout ball.  Hoyt Wilhelm picked up the win and he improved to 7-2.  Joe Locker pitched a perfect ninth and he picked up save number thirteen.

Joe Sparma was good but the run he gave up in the seventh tied the game up.  Then Mike Marshall gave up a solo homerun to Ken Boyer to make it 2-1 and that would end up being the final score.

Don Buford was three for four for the White Sox.  Bill Freehan singled twice for the Tigers.

August 9, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 4 (59-50), White Sox 2 (60-47)

Earl Wilson pitched the Tigers to a 4-2 over the White Sox.  Wilson improved to 15-9 and he gave up two runs on five hits and three walks with five strikeouts in nine innings.

Fred Klages took the loss for the White Sox and he dropped to 0-2.  Al Kaline took him deep in the third inning.  It was Kaline’s nineteenth homerun of the season and he drove in two runs.

Walt Williams was the hitting star for the White Sox in the loss.  He had three hits, including a triple, and he scored on run.

August 8, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 2 (58-49), White Sox 1 (59-46)

The Tigers got back to their winning ways at home in a ten inning pitchers dual with the White Sox.  Denny McLain had another nice start and he improved to 14-12.  He gave up one run on four hits and a walk with five strikeouts in ten innings of work.  Gary Peters struck out ten in 7 1/3 for the White Sox but a passed ball with knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm on the mound in the tenth inning allowed Dick McAuliffe to scamper home for the win.

Al Kaline hit homerun number eighteen and the solo shot tied the game in the sixth inning.  Don Wert and Mickey Stanley both had two hits.  Pete Ward homered for the White Sox for the only White Sox run.

August 8, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
White Sox 6 (60-46), Tigers 4 (58-50)

The White Sox salvaged a split with the Tigers behind two homeruns by Tommy McCraw.  The first baseman had the two homeruns and he drove in three and scored three.

Johnny Podres threw six solid innings for the Tigers but Mike Marshall and Dave Wickersham gave up two runs a piece and Wickersham dropped to 4-3.  Don McMahon picked up the win for the White Sox in relief and Wilbur Wood picked up his fourth save by getting the final batter of the game out.

August 6, 1967 at Cleveland Stadium
Tigers 7, Indians 3  (57-48)

The Tigers jumped out to a quick three run lead in the top of the first and never looked back in the first game of a Sunday double header with the Indians.  Bill Freehan hit homerun number 15 and he drove in three runs while Al Kaline tripled and scored two runs to lead the attack for the Tigers.

Joe Sparma was very solid and he improved to 12-4.  He gave up three runs (only one earned) on seven hits and three walks with seven strikeouts.

August 6, 1967 at Cleveland Stadium
Indians 6, Tigers 3  (57-49)

The Tigers dropped the second game of their doubleheader with the Indians and in the process, lost the four game series.  Pat Dobson was knocked around to the tune of four runs on five hits in only two innings of work and he dropped to 0-2 on the season.

The Tigers managed only four hits in the entire game and they came from four different Tigers.  Mickey Stanley hit his sixth homerun and Don Wert walked twice and drove in a run.

August 5, 1967 at Cleveland Stadium
Indians 5, Tigers 3  (56-48)

Earl Wilson struck out ten but he gave up five runs (four earned) on seven hits and two walks in a loss to the Indians.  Wilson dropped to 14-9 on the season.

Al Kaline was the Tigers offense in this game.  He hit a two run homerun in the eighth inning and then he drove in the other run with a sac. fly in the third.  The homerun was his seventeenth of the season.

August 4, 1967 at Cleveland Stadium
Indians 11, Tigers 5  (56-47)

Johnny Podres and the rest of the Tigers pitching staff were bounced around to the tune of eleven runs on fifteen hits.  Podres was credited with only one inning of work and he gave up five runs.  Fred Gladding and John Hiller were also knocked around in relief.

Jim Landis hit his second homerun of the season for the Tigers and he drove in two runs.  Ray Oyler doubled and drove in two runs and he also drew a walk.

August 3, 1967 at Memorial Stadium
Tigers 5, Orioles 0  (56-46)

The Tigers finished up their series against the Orioles with a win behind a three hit shutout by Denny McLain.  Virtually unhittable, McLain improved to 13-12 and he gave up only one walk with six strikeouts in the seven inning game that was called because of rain.

Bill Freehan had two singles and two RBIs for the Tigers.  Al Kaline doubled twice and scored twice while Norm Cash went one for four with one RBI and two runs.

August 2, 1967 at Memorial Stadium
Tigers 4, Orioles 2  (55-45)

For the second game in a row, the Tigers beat the Orioles 4-2.  This time it was Joe Sparma who pitched Detroit to the win in the first game of a double header.  Sparma gave up two run on five hits and four walks in 6 1/3 innings.  Joh Hiller picked up his second save in as many days with 2 2/3 innings of no hit ball.

Al Kaline went yard with homerun number 16.  Norm Cash also hit a homerun in the game while Don Wert had three hits and two runs.

August 2, 1967 at Memorial Stadium
Orioles 2, Tigers 1  (55-46)

The Tigers three game winning streak came to an end in a pitchers dual between Fred Gladding and Jim Hardin.  Gladding got his first start of the season after being the teams closer earlier in the year and he threw five shutout innings.  Unfortunately Pat Dobson gave up two runs in relief and that was enough for the Tigers to lose.

Jim Price drove in the only run of the game for the Tigers, who managed only four hits the entire game.  Jim Northrup singled twice and scored a run.

August 1, 1967 at Memorial Stadium
Tigers 4, Orioles 2  (54-45)

The Tigers doubled up the Orioles and coasted to an easy win behind some strong pitching by Earl Wilson.  The Duke gave up one run on six hits and a walk with four strikeouts in seven innings of work.  John Hiller pitched the final 1 1/3 and he picked up his first save of the season.

Don Wert and Bill Freehan homered for the Tigers.  It was Freehan’s fourteenth of the season and Wert’s fifth.  Dick McAuliffe, Willie Horton, Jim Northrup and Freehan all had two hits for the Tigers in the win.