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 26, 1967 at Yankee Stadium
Tigers 1 (89-69), Yankees 0

Mickey Lolich kept the Tigers pennant hopes alive as he threw an outstanding four hit shutout to keep the Tigers on the fringe of the American League pennant race.  Lolich evened his record at 13-13 and he walked one and struck out five.

The lone Tiger run came in the sixth inning when Eddie Mathews drove home Lenny Green with a sac. fly.  Green had the only extra base hit for the Tigers with a double.

September 25, 1967 at Yankee Stadium
Yankees 2, Tigers 0 (88-69)

The Yankees couldn’t figure out Yankees starter Al Downing as they were shutdown on just four hits.  Al Kaline had two of the Tigers four hits and no other Tiger reached base twice.

Earl Wilson fell to 22-11 despite the nice start.  He gave up two runs on eight hits and three walks with three strikeouts in seven innings of work.

September 24, 1967 at D.C. Stadium
Senators 5, Tigers 4 (88-68)

In a game that came back to haunt them, the Tigers blew a two run lead heading into the ninth inning when Fred Lasher and John Hiller combined to give up three runs in the bottom of the ninth.  Lasher took the loss and a solid start by Joe Sparma went to waste.  He gave up two runs on three hits and three walks with four strikeouts in six innings.

Eddie Mathews had the big day at the plate for the Tigers.  He went three for four with a homerun and two RBIs.  Jerry Lumpe also belted a homerun and both Al Kaline and Willie Horton had two hits a a piece.

September 22, 1967 at D.C. Stadium
Tigers 8 (87-67), Senators 3

Earl Wilson picked up his 22nd win of the season as the Tigers took the first game of their doubleheader with the Senators.  He gave up three runs (two earned) on seven hits with seven strikeouts in the complete game win.

Don Wert singled twice, drove in two runs and scored.  Bill Freehan went two for four with a walk, a run and an RBI.

September 22, 1967 at D.C. Stadium
Tigers 4 (88-67), Senators 0

The Tigers finished up a sweep of their doubleheader with the Senators and in the process, they picked up a half game on the now first place Twins.  Mickey Lolich provided the Tigers with some top notch pitching as he continued his impressive second half.  He gave up four hits and two walks with eight strikeouts in the complete game shutout.  The win improved his record to 12-13 on the season.

Bill Freehan singled twice and drove in two runs.  Norm Cash belted a solo homer, his 22nd of the season.

September 20, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 10 (86-67), Yankees 1

The Tigers turned on the offense as they took care of the Yankees but with the three teams in front of them also winning, all the Tigers could do is keep pace with the rest of the top teams.  Al Kaline was the hitting star with a big day at the plate.  He went three for four with a homerun, two RBIs and two runs while Don Wert homered, drove in two and scored twice.

Joe Sparma improved to 15-9 with the win.  He gave up one run on seven hits and two walks with eight strikeouts in the complete game win.

September 19, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Red Sox 4 (86-66), Tigers 2 (85-67)

Just one day ago, the Tigers stood in first place with the Twins and Red Sox.  Now, after their third straight loss, the Tigers found themselves all the way down in fourth place.  Granted they were still just a game back but with less then two weeks to go, it looked like the American League Pennant race was still going strong.

Lee Stange threw six solid frames and he gave up just two runs but he left the game with the Red Sox down 2-1.  The red hot Mickey Lolich, on the other hand, held the Red Sox in check through eight innings but then ran into trouble in the ninth inning when he gave up three innings and took the loss.  He did strike out thirteen but the loss dropped his record to 11-13 on the season.

The game winning actually came with Earl Wilson on the mound and it was a wild pitch that scored Carl Yastrzemski.  Russ Gibson had a big game with two hits and two RBIs and for the Tigers, Jim Northrup drove in both runs with a two run homer.

Sepember 18, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Red Sox 6 (85-66), Tigers 5 (85-66)

The Red Sox moved into a three way tie for first place in the American League with a tough ten inning win over the Tigers.  Carl Yastrzemski belted a solo homerun in the top of the ninth to send the game into extra frames and then Dalton Jones went yard with a solo homer in the top of the tenth to win the game.  For Yastrzemski, the homerun was his 40th of the season and Jones finished the game four for five with two RBIs.

Norm Cash was the hitting star for the Tigers.  He belted two solo homers while Jerry Lumpe went three for four with two RBIs.

Jose Santiago picked up the win for the Red Sox.  He got the final four Tiger hitters to go down in order.  For the Tigers, Denny McLain was roughed up for four runs in two innings while Mike Marshall dropped to 1-3 after he gave up the tenth inning homer.

September 17, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Senators 5, Tigers 0  (85-65)

The Tigers out hit the Senators but they couldn’t push a single baserunner across the plate as the Senators snapped the Tigers four game winning streak.  Despite the loss, the Tigers kept sole possession of first place because of losses by both the Red Sox and the Twins although second place was now occupied by the White Sox, who sat just a half game back of the Tigers.

John Hiller dropped to 4-2 with the loss.  He gave up four runs in just 4 1/3 innings while reliever Pat Dobson was also tagged for a run.

Bill Freehan was the only Tiger with more then one hit.  He went three for four with a double.

September 16, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 5 (85-64), Senators 4

The Tigers moved into sole possession of first place in the American League behind a solid outing by Earl Wilson.  The Duke won his league leading 21st game and he gave up two runs on five hits and two walks with six strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings.  Fred Lasher was roughed up for two runs in his 1 2/3 innings of work but it was good enough for his ninth save of the season.

Norm Cash was the hitting star with a single, a homerun, two RBIs and two runs.  Willie Horton singled, doubled and scored a run.

September 15, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 5 (84-64), Senators 4

First place in the American League got a bit more crowded as the Tigers won to move into a three way tie for first place with the Red Sox and the Twins.  Things got off to a rough start when Joe Sparma gave up three runs in the second inning but the Tigers staged a late inning come back to win it.  Bill Freehan belted a huge three run homer in the eighth inning to tie the game at 4-4 and then Willie Horton singled home Dick McAuliffe in the bottom of the ninth to win it.

Fred Lasher picked up the win and he improved to 2-0 on the season.  He didn’t allow a hit and he walked one in a shutout ninth inning.

September 13, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 6 (83-64), Orioles 1

Mickey Lolich won his sixth straight game and he was now one win away from evening his record with another fantastic performance against the Orioles.  He gave up just one run on five hits and one walk with eight strikeouts in the complete game win.  Lolich’s record stood 11-12 after the win.

Al Kaline had a huge day at the plate.  He went three for four with his 24th homerun and three runs scored.  Dick Tracewski also went yard with his first homerun of the season and he finished the game with two runs.

September 12, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 6 (82-64), Orioles 4

Al Kaline broke a 4-4 tie in the sixth inning with a big two run homer that pushed the Tigers back to within a win of a tie for first place.  Kaline also doubled earlier in the game and Bill Freehan singled twice and drove in two runs.

Earl Wilson gave up three runs and he didn’t even make it through the second inning in a tough start.  Fred Gladding gave up just one run in three innings of relief to pick up the win while Fred Lasher pitched two shutout innings to close out the game and he picked up save number eighth.

September 10, 1967 at Comiskey Park
White Sox 6 (79-63), Tigers 0 (81-63)

The Tigers five game winning streak came to an abrupt end as White Sox starter Joe Horlen threw a no-hitter to keep the White Sox in the pennant hunt.  Horlen faced the minimum 27 with the only baserunner reaching on an error and even he was shot down in a double play.

Joe Sparma took the loss for the Tigers.  He fell to 14-9 and he gave up five runs while he got just one batter out before being pulled.

Wayn Causey had a nice day at the plate in the win.  He went two for four with a triple, two runs and two RBIs.

September 10, 1967 at Comiskey Park
White Sox 4 (80-63), Tigers 0 (81-64)

The good news for the Tigers in this game was that they got some hits.  The bad news is, they were shut out for the second straight game as they were held scoreless through both games in the doubleheader.  Cisco Carlos picked up the win with six of those shutout innings and Hoyt Wilhelm threw 1 2/3 shutout innings to close out the game to earn his 18th save of the season.  Denny McLain took the loss for the Tigers in a tough start.  He gave up two runs and he only lasted one inning.

Don Buford singled, drew a walk and scored twice for the White Sox.  Pete Ward singled and drove in two runs.  For the Tigers, three of the five Tigers hits came with Jim Northrup at the plate.

September 9, 1967 at Comiskey Park
Tigers 7 (81-62), White Sox 3 (78-63)

The Tigers won their fifth straight game and in the process, kept up with the first place Twins as they both sat atop the American League standings and they did it in dramatic fashion.  Down for most of the game, the Tigers scored seven runs in the ninth inning to turn a 3-0 deficit into a 7-3 victory.  Willie Hortan and Jim Northrup both drove in two runs in the inning while Don Wert went two for three with a run and an RBI for the Tigers.  Pete Ward went two for four with an RBI for the White Sox.

Pat Dobson picked up the win for the Tigers with two shutout innings of relief and Fred Lasher threw a shutout ninth for his seventh save of the season.  Bob Locker was tagged with the loss and he gave up two runs without getting a single hitter out.

September 8, 1967 at Comiskey Park
Tigers 4 (80-62), White Sox 1 (78-62)

The Tigers supplanted the Boston Red Sox tie as they moved into a tie for first place in the American League with the Minnesota Twins.  They did behind the red hot arm of Mickey Lolich, who improved to 10-12 and was riding a five game winning streak.  Lolich gave up one run on six hits and a walk with two strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings while Fred Lasher got the final four batters out to earn his sixth save.  Tommy John took the loss for the White Sox and he fell to 9-10.  He gave up two runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks with three strikeouts in six innings.

Eddie Mathews and Jim Northrup both hit solo homers in the win for the Tigers.  Ken Boyer was the only White Sox hitter with two hits and he drove in their lone run.

September 6, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 8 (79-62), Athletics 5

The Tigers took game one of their doubleheader with the Athletics behind a two homer game by Eddie Mathews. He finished with three RBIs as did Al Kaline, who went two for three with two walks, three RBIs and a run.

Denny McLain was hit hard and he gave up four runs in five innings but the bullpen picked him up. Fred Gladding improved to 5-4 and he gave up two hits and a walk with one strikeout in two innings. Fred Lasher gave up one run in two innings and he picked up his fifth save of the season.

September 6, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 6 (79-62), Athletics 3

Earl Wilson won his 20th game of the season, the Tigers won their third straight and in the process, the Tigers moved into a four way tie for first place in the American League. Wilson gave up three runs on eight hits and a walk with four strikeouts in the complete game win.

Four different Tigers went yard in the game. Jerry Lumpe, Lenny Green, and Mickey Stanley all belted solo homeruns while Earl Wilson helped out his own cause with a two run homer in the seventh inning.

September 5, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 4 (77-62), Athletics 0

The Tigers kept pace with the other contenders in the American League behind an outstanding outing by Joe Sparma.  The right hander gave up just a pair of hits and two walks with eight strikeouts in the complete game shutout and the win improved his record to 14-8 on the season.

Jim Northrup had a nice game for the Tigers. He went two for three with an RBI, a walk, two runs and a stolen base.  Al Kaline singled, doubled and he scored a run.

September 4, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 8 (76-61), Athletics 4

Mickey Lolich continued his impressive second half with another win as the Tigers doubled up the Athletics in the first game of their doubleheader.  Lolich improved to 9-12 and he gave up four run on five hits with three strikeouts in five innings. Fred Gladding was even better though and he threw four shutout innings to close out the game and he picked up his eleventh save of the season.

Jerry Lumpe went two for three with a homerun, three RBIs and two runs to lead the Tigers at the plate.  Lenny Green went two for three with with two walks, an RBI and two runs.

September 4, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Athletics 4, Tigers 2  (76-62)

The Tigers failed to pick up ground in the American League as they joined all of their rivals in the pennant race with a Labor Day doubleheader split.  The Tigers pushed just two runs across the plate on six hits and it was Don Wert who led the hitters when he went two for four with an RBI.

John Hiller took the loss and he fell to 4-1 despite throwing a better game then Lolich did in the first game.  He gave up three runs on five hits and one walk with seven strikeouts in six innings of work.

September 3, 1967 at Metropolitan Stadium
Tigers 5 (75-61), Twins 0 (76-59)

Earl Wilson won his nineteenth game of the season as the Tigers picked up a game by shutting out the first place Twins.  Wilson gave up just two hits and four walks with two strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings while Fred Lasher picked up his fourth save by throwing 3 2/3 innings of shutout relief.  Dean Chance took the loss for the Twins and he fell to 17-11.  He gave up four runs on eight hits and one walk with seven strikeouts in seven innings of work.

Jim Northrup went two for four with a triple, two RBIs and a run.  Jerry Lumpe went two for three with a double and an RBI.  For the Twins, only Bob Allison and Harmon Killebrew reached base twice.  Allison singled and drew a walk while Killebrew walked twice. 

September 2, 1967 at Metropolitan Stadium
Twins 5 (76-58), Tigers 0 (74-61)

The Twins took a half game lead in the American League while the Tigers fell to fourth place as Dave Boswell shutout visiting Detroit.  Boswell improved to 12-9.  He gave up six hits with three strikeouts in the win.  Denny McLain took the loss for the Tigers and he fell to 17-15.  He gave up three runs (two earned) on seven hits with three strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.

Ted Uhlaender was the hitting star for the Twins.  He went three for four and he drove in three of the Twins five runs.  Tony Oliva pitched in with two singles, a walk, a run and an RBI.  For the Tigers, Al Kaline and Bill Freehan were the only Tigers with two hits.

September 1, 1967 at Metropolitan Stadium
Twins 5 (75-58), Tigers 4 (74-60)

The Tigers come back fell short against their rival contendor the Twins in their series opener.  Joe Sparma gave up five runs in the first three innings and while the Tigers eventually made it a one run game, that’s as close as they’d get.  Jim Kaat went the distance for the Twins and he improved to 10-13.  He gave up four runs (three earned) on seven hits and two walks with seven strikeouts.

Cesar Tovar tripled, singled and drove in a run in the win to lead the Twins at the plate.  Bill Freehan belted his nineteenth homerun and he scored twice for the Tigers.