1967 American League Pennant Race

May 31, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Indians 9, Tigers 0  (26-15)

Luis Tiant complete shutdown the Tigers bats and Mickey Lolich had his second straight rough outing in a blow out loss to the Indians.  Tiant pitched a complete game shutout and struckout thirteen Tigers.

Mickey Lolich dropped to 5-5 and he gave up two runs on four hits and two walks in only three innings of work.  Larry Sherry was bombed for four runs and Pat Dobson was tagged for two.

The only Tiger who could figure out Tiant was Jim Northrup.  He had three of the Tigers’ six hits.

May 30, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 4 (25-14), White Sox 2 (24-14)

The Tigers doubled up the White Sox in opener of a weekday double header.  The White Sox actually got on the board first with a run in the second but the Tigers came back and scored two in the fifth and one in the sixth to take the lead for good.

Earl Wilson picked up the win and improved to 7-3.  He gave up two runs on six hits and two walks with three strikeouts.  Fred Gladding pitched the final 2 1/3 innings and he picked up save number eight.  Gary Peters took the loss for the White Sox.  He dropped to 6-2 and he gave up three runs on six hits in six innings of work.

Jim Northrup homered for the Tigers and Al Kaline had two hits and a run to lead the way for the Tigers.  Ken Berry was the only White Sox with two hits and he scored a run.

May 30, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 4 (26-14), White Sox 3 (24-15)

The Tigers swept their double header with the White Sox and won their third straight game.  This was a fun game because each time the White Sox scored, the Tigers matched them.  Each scored a run in the third and a run in the fifth.  The White Sox scored one run in the eighth and the Tigers finally broke the routine and scored two runs in the bottom half of the frame to put the game away.

Joe Sparma was knocked out of this one early.  He only gave up one run but he gave up two hits and five walks in 2 2/3 innings.  Wickersham picked up the win and Fred Gladding saved his tenth game.  Tommy John last five innings for the White Sox but it was Howard who took the loss and who dropped to 1-3.

Don Wert went yard twice in this one and Willie Horton hit a solo shot in that two run eighth inning.  Don Buford was the big producer for the White Sox.  He went two for four with two runs.

May 28, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 3, Senators 1  (24-14)

The Tigers won their rubber game and took the three game series they had at home against the Washington Senators.  Denny McLain was very solid and he evened his record to 5-5.  He gave up one run on seven hits and three walks with ten strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings.  Fred Gladding got the final out of the game and he picked up save number 8.

Jim Northrup had a solid game at the plate.  He had three hits and drove in a run.  Don Wert singled twice and scored a run.

May 27, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Senators 8, Tigers 1  (23-14)

The Senators turned the tables on the Tigers and blew them out in an 8-1 beatdown.  Mickey Lolich gave up five hits without getting a single batter out and all five of those baserunners came around to score.  It took three pitchers to get the Tigers through a six run first inning by the Senators.

Don Wert drove in the only run of the game for the Tigers.  Dick McAuliffe, Bill Freehan and Wert all had two hits in the game.

May 26, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 10, Senators 5  (23-13)

The Tigers had their second big hitting day in a row.  Against the Senators, they racked up ten runs on fourteen hits.  Seven different Tigers drove in runs and seven scored runs.

Dick McAuliffe had three hits and four runs in the game.  Al Kaline, Willie Horton and Bill Freehan all drove in a pair.

Joe Sparma didn’t take the win because he gave up five early runs and was gone after three innings.  Wickerson threw five innings of shutout relief and he improved to 2-0.  Fred Gladding picked up his seventh save of the season.

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 21, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 9, Yankees 4  (21-10)

The Tigers made it four straight wins with some high powered offense against the Yankees.  Dick McAullife led the way on offense.  He went three for five with two homeruns, two RBIs and three runs.  Bill Freehan and Willie Horton also went deep for the Tigers.

Earl Wilson bounced back from a tough outing earlier in the week and last 6 1/3 innings.  He improved to 5-3 and he gave up four runs on nine hits and three walks with three strikeouts.  Fred Gladding picked up save number six when he pitched 2 2/3 innings of shutout ball.

May 21, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Yankees 6, Tigers 5  (21-11)

The Tigers four game winning streak came to an end and they failed to sweep the Yankees in their four game series.  The Yankees jumped out to a 5-3 lead with five runs in the third but the Tigers tied it in the fifth only to lose it in the eighth.

Willie Horton had a big game for the Tigers.  He went two for three with a homerun, three RBIs and a run. Al Kaline also went deep and Wert had two hits and two runs.

Joe Sparma was bounced in that five run second inning but because the Tigers tied it, he didn’t take a loss.  That went to Tiger reliever Larry Sherry who yielded the game winner in the eighth inning.

May 20, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 3, Yankees 1  (20-10)

The Tigers won their third straight game behind a very solid outing by Denny McLain.  His only blemish was a solo shot by Mickey Mantle.  McLain improved to 4-4 and he gave up the one run on seven hits and a walk with eight strikeouts.

Dick McAuliffe hit his fifth homerun of the season.  No Tiger had more then a single hit.

May 19, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 4, Yankees 2 (19-10)

The Tigers returned home and doubled up in the Yankees in a game that looked closer then it was.  Bill Freehan hit homerun number eight and he drove in two runs while Willie Horton hit number six with a solo shot in the sixth inning.

Mickey Lolich coasted to a complete game win and improved to 5-2.  He gave up two runs on five hits and six walks with four strikeouts.

May 17, 1967 at D.C. Stadium
Tigers 8, Senators 1  (18-10)

The Tigers snapped a three game losing streak when they pasted the Senators.  Willie Horton and Jim Northrup led the way for the Tigers.  Horton drove in three with two homeruns and Jim Northrup hit a grand slam in the third inning that effectively put the game away. 

Joe Sparma improved to 4-0 on the season.  He gave up one run on three hits and three walks with ten strikeouts in a complete game.

May 16, 1967 at D.C. Stadium
Senators 5, Tigers 4  (17-10)

The Washington Senators handed the Tigers their third straight loss in a close game.  The Tigers jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning but the Senators matched that in the bottom half of the inning to tie the game up.  A two run third inning for the Senators knocked Earl Wilson out of the game and it was a deficit that the Tigers couldn’t come back from.

Al Kaline was responsible for those three first inning runs.  He hit a three run shot, his eighth homerun of the season.  Gates Brown drove in the other Tiger run with a sac. fly in the seventh inning.

Earl Wilson was hammered.  He gave up five runs and only got six outs.  Give some credit to Dave Wickersham and George Korince.  They threw six shutout innings to at least give the Tigers a chance in this one.  Unfortunately the bats went away after that first frame.

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.

May 10, 1967 at Cleveland Stadium
Tigers 4, Indians 2  (15-7)

The Tigers continued to roll behind a strong outing by Mickey Lolich.  It was the Tigers fifth straight win and Lolich gave up two runs on nine hits and a walk with nine strikeouts.  Gladding got the final two batters out and he picked up save number four.

Jim Northrup and Norm Cash both singled home runs in the fourth inning and then Willie Horton hit a two run shot to give the Tigers some insurance runs.

May 9, 1967 at Cleveland Stadium
Tigers 4, Indians 3  (14-7)

The Tigers won their fourth straight game in a close affair with the Indians.  The Tigers broke a 1-1 tie in the fifth inning when Al Kaline hit a two run shot.  Bill Freehan followed that up later in the inning with a solo shot of his own.

Denny McLain picked up the win and he improved to 3-3.  He gave up three runs on seven hits and four walks with seven strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings.  Gladding pitched some phenomonal relief.  He threw 2 1/3 perfect innings and he struck out three.

May 7, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 4, Orioles 0  (13-7)

The Tigers made it three straight wins with another outstanding pitching performance.  It was the Tigers third straight win and they dominated the Orioles in this series.  In three games, the Orioles managed only a single run and all three Tiger starters threw complete games.  Joe Sparma had the gem today.  He threw a three hit shutout and walked four with one strikeout.

The Tigers managed only six hits and Don Wert had two of them and scored a run.  Ray Oyler singled, walked and scored twice.

May 6, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 4, Orioles 1  (12-7)

Earl Wilson followed up Mickey Lolich’s shutout from yesterday with a gem of his own.  He also gave the pen a break and he gave up only one run on seven hits and three walks with four strikeouts in the complete game.

Al Kaline did it all.  He singled, homered, stole a base, scored two runs and had an RBI.  Jerry Lumpe came up big when his pinch hit single in the eighth with the bases loaded drove home Kaline and Jim Northrup.

May 5, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 4, Orioles 0  (11-7)

Mickey Lolich put on a show for the home crowd as he pitched the Tigers to a win with a four hit shutout. He walked two and stuck out eight.

Dick McAullife hit a solo shot in the third inning.  It was his third homerun of the season.  Mickey Lolich also helped out his own cause.  He singled, drew a walk, scored a run and had an RBI.

May 3, 1967 at Comiskey Park
White Sox 2 (10-7), Tigers 1  (10-7)

Gary Peters and Denny McLain locked horns in a pitchers dual with Peters came out on top.  The White Sox scored two runs in the first inning on RBI singles by Pete Ward and Tommy McCraw and despite not scoring the rest of the game, they still scored just enough to win.

The Tigers scored their one run in the eighth inning.  Norm Cash hit into a fielder’s choice but Al Kaline scored on the play.  That put runners at the corners with one out in that eighth inning but the Tigers failed to bring Jim Northrup, who was on third base, home.

Denny McLain dropped to 2-3.  he gave up the two runs (one earned) on four hits and a walk in six innings.  Peters picked up the win for the White Sox.  He gave up one run on seven hits and three walks with six strikeouts in seven innings of work.  Bob Locker held the Tigers scoreless in the final two frames and he picked up his third save of the season.

April 30, 1967 at Memorial Stadium
Tigers 2 (9-6), Orioles 1 

This game was about as strange as they come.  Earl Wilson threw a gem.  in the eighth inning, Wilson walked the bases loaded before Luis Aparicio hit a sac. fly to give the Orioles a 1-0 lead without getting a single hit in the inning.

Entering the top of the ninth, Orioles starter Steve Barber was even more effective.  He had a no hitter going and he kept it going, but in an odd twist, he took the loss.  Norm Cash and Roy Oyler drew back to back walks to start the ninth and they both moved over on Wilson’s bunt.  Willie Horton then popped out and the Tigers were down to their final out.  Barber then gave up the tying run when he threw one in the dirt and Dick Tracewski, who was pinch running for Cash, scored.  Mickey Stanley then drew a walk before Orioles manager went to the pen and brought in Stu Miller.  Don Wert then reached on Mark Belanger’s error and Jake Wood (who had pinch ran for Oyler) scampered home to put the Tigers ahead.

Fred Gladding put the Orioles down in order in the ninth and the end result was, the Tigers won the game 2-1 despite not getting a single hit.  Barber did give up ten walks though and that came back to haunt him.

April 30, 1967 at Memorial Stadium
Tigers 6 (10-6), Orioles 2 

The second game of this doubleheader was a lot less strange.  The Tigers scored six runs in the top of the fifth and never looked back.  The Orioles did try to eat at away at the big lead but the closest they came was 6-4.

Joe Sparma improved to 2-0 on the season.  He gave up four runs on seven hits and three walks in six innings of work.  Norm Cash was three for three with a homerun and two RBIs and Al Kaline doubled and drove in two runs in the win.

April 29, 1967 at Memorial Stadium
Tigers 4 (8-6), Orioles 2 

Mickey Lolich improved to 2-1 with another complete game.  He gave up two runs on six hits and five walks with eight strikeouts.

Gates Brown had the big hit of the game.  His two run single gave the Tigers a 3-0 lead and while the Orioles would pick at the lead, they’d never overtake the Tigers.  Don Wert had a solid game as well.  He had two hits and two runs. 

April 28, 1967 at Memorial Stadium
Orioles 5, Tigers 3 (7-6)

Most of the scoring in this game happened in the first inning and all of it went down in the first three frames.  The Tigers scored two quick runs in the first then Denny McLain gave up four in the bottom half of the inning.  The Orioles then added a run in the second and the Tigers added one in the third and the 5-3 lead would end up being the final.

McLain was gone in the second inning and he dropped to 2-2.  Four relievers then combined to hold the Orioles to two hits in 6 1/3 innings, but the Tigers couldn’t get the bats going to mount a comeback.

Dick McAuliffe and Al Kaline both hit solo shots.  Al Kaline went three for four with two RBIs and a run.

April 25, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 5 (7-5), Athletics 0 

A four run first inning and some great pitching by Joe Sparma helped the Tigers win their series opener with the A’s.  Sparma threw a five hit shuout in which he walked four and struck out six.  He improved to 1-0 on the season.

Five different Tigers drove in the five runs.  Dick McAuliffe led the way and he went one for two with a homerun, two walks, two runs and an RBI.

April 23, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Twins 4 (4-5), Tigers 2 (6-5)

The Twins took the rubber game and beat the Tigers in their three game series.  The game started out as a pitchers dual until the Twins rattled off two runs in each of the final two frames to put the game away.

The Tigers actually got on the board first.  In the sixth inning, Earl Wilson helped out his own cause when he singled home Norm Cash.  Then after the Twins had taken a 2-1 lead in the eighth, Norm Cash hit his first homerun of the season to tie the game up.  The Twins then scored a pair of runs in each of the final two frames.  Bond hit a two run shot in the top of the eighth and then Zoilo Versalles tripled home Tony Oliva and Harmon Killebrew in the top of the ninth to provide the game winning run.

Earl Wilson was cruising in this one until the wheels fell of the wagon.  He had a three hit shutout going through seven innings but it looks like he pitched an inning or two too long.  The game winner came in the ninth when Wilson gave up the two run triple to Versalles to break the 2-2 tie. 

Dean Chance threw a nice game for the Twins but he didn’t get a decision.  He gave up one run on seven hits and two walks with eight strikeouts in seven innings.  Al Worthington gave up the tying run in the eighth but put the Tigers down in the ninth and picked up the win.

April 22, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Twins 4 (3-5), Tigers 3 (6-4)

Bill Freehan was the Tigers offense today in a close game with the Twins.  Down 4-0, Bill Freehan hit a three run shot in the bottom of the ninth to make things close but a game ending double play got the Twins out of a jam to wrap the game up.

Harmon Killebrew and Bob Allison led the way on offense for the Twins.  Allison hit a two run shot and Killebrew drove in two runs.  Cesar Tovar had three singles and he scored twice.  Jim Kaat picked up his first win of the season.  He gave up three runs on eight hits and three walks with one strikeout in 8 1/3 innings.

Freehan finished the game three for four.  Al Kaline had two singles and he scored on the Freehan homerun.  Mickey Lolich went eight innings and he gave up the four runs on seven hits and a walk with four strikeouts.

April 21, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 12 (6-3), Twins 4 (2-5)

The Tigers ran up the score on the Twins in their third straight win.  The big inning for the Tigers was the fourth, in which they scored seven runs to really break the game open.

Denny McLain benefited from a ton of support but he pitched a pretty good game.  He gave up three runs on eight hits and four walks with two strikeouts in seven innings of work.  He’s now 2-1 on the season.  Dave Boswell took the brunt of that seven run fourth and he was pulled in that inning.  He gave up six runs (five earned) only three hits but he walked seven.  He dropped to 0-1 on the season.

Jim Northrup had a big day at the plate.  He went three for five with a homerun, three RBIs and two runs.  Bill Freehan went two for three with a homerun, two RBIs and a run and Al Kaline singled twice and drove in two runs.  For the Twins, Rod Carew hit a two run shot in the seventh and Tony Oliva homered and drove in two runs.

April 20, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 4 (5-3), Angels 3 (3-5)

The Tigers made it two straight wins at home in a come from behind win over the Angels.  Down 3-2, the Tigers scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth to take the lead. Gates Brown scored on a wild pitch and Jim Northrup scored on Jay Johnstone’s error.

The Angels scored all three of their runs on homeruns.  Jimmie Hall hit his second homerun in as many days and he drove in two in the fourth inning.  Then Tom Satriano hit a solo shot in the seventh to break a 2-2 tie.

Bill Freehan hit homerun number two and Al Kaline continued his hot hitting with his fourth homerun of the season.  Joe Sparma pitched seven solid innings but it was Fred Gladding who picked up the win with two shutout relief innings.  George Brunet took the loss for the Angels.  He gave up four runs (three earned) on seven hits and four walks with seven strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings.