1967 American League Pennant Race

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 14, 1967 at Comiskey Park
White Sox 4 (17-7), Angels 2 (13-16)

The White Sox made it nine in a row in the first game of their doubleheader with the Angels.  Tommy John picked up the win with a nice start.  He gave up two runs on four hits and two walks with five strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings.  Bob Locker picked up the save with 1 1/3 innings of shutout relief.

For the Angels, George Brunet continued his tough start and he dropped to 1-6.  He gave up four runs on nine hits and two walks with four strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings.

Ken Berry brought the hot stick and he played a part in three of the White Sox four runs.  He went three for four with a double, two RBIS and a run.  Don Buford went two for three with a run and an RBI.  For the Angels, Buck Rodgers went two for three with an RBI while Don Mincher went one for one with two walks and two runs.

May 14, 1967 at Comiskey Park
White Sox 3 (18-7), Angels 1 (13-17)

The White Sox won their tenth straight and the finished up a sweep of both their doubleheader and their series against the Angels.  Gary Peters picked up the win with a really nice start.  He gave up one run on just one hit and two walks with ten strikeouts in a complete game.  For the Angels, Jim Coates dropped to 0-1 on the season and he gave up two runs on three hits and two walks with two strikeouts in five innings.

Tommie Agee hit a solo homerun in the win.  Peters helped out his own cause with a single and he drove in two runs.  For the Angels, the lone hit was a solo homerun by Bill Skowron.

May 13, 1967 at Comiskey Park
White Sox 1 (16-7), Angels 0 (13-15)

Jim O’Toole was simply phenomonal in a ten inning, two hit shutout for the White Sox.  He walked just one batter and he struck out eleven Angels to push the White Sox to their eighth straight win.

A great start by Nick Wilhite went to waste.  He gave up three hits and a walk with one strikeout in eight shutout innings.

Burgess drove home Williams with a sac. fly in the bottom of the tenth to win it.  No player on either side had more the one hit there were only six hits between the two teams in the ten inning game.

May 12, 1967 at Comiskey Park
White Sox 1 (15-7), Angels 0 (13-14)

Joe Horlen outdueled Jack Sanford in the White Sox seventh straight win.  Horlen threw 8 1/3 shutout innings and he picked up the win whle Sanford gave up just one unearned run in seven innings to take the loss.

The lone run of the game by the White Sox came in the fifth inning when J.C. Martin doubled home Ken Berry.  Martin was the only White Sox hitter with two hits while Don Mincher went three for four for the Angels.

May 10, 1967 at Memorial Stadium
White Sox 15, Orioles 1  (14-7)

The White Sox got plenty of offense in their sixth straight win and just about everyone was a hitting star.  Tommie Agee was one of four White Sox to go yard and he went three for five with two RBIs and two runs.  Don Buford went three for four with an RBI and two runs.

Lost in all of the offense was a really nice start by Tommy John.  He went the distance and he gave up one run on six hits with five strikeouts.

May 9, 1967 at Memorial Stadium
White Sox 5, Orioles 4  (13-7)

Don Buford singled home Gary Peters in the seventh inning to give the White Sox the one run they needed to win this one.  The win was the fifth straight for the White Sox as they continued a hot start to their May.  Tommie Agee his a two run homer in the win and Ron Hansen hit a solo homer.

Peters improved to 3-1 with the win. He gave up four runs on five hits and five walks with nine strikeouts in 8 1/3 innings.  Bob Locker got the final two batters out and he picked up his fifth save of the season.

May 6, 1967 at Cleveland Stadium
White Sox 2, Indians 0  (12-7)

The White Sox won their fourth straight game with a combined three hit shutout by Joe Horlen and Bob Locker.  Horlen gave up the three hits and he struck out four while Locker struck out one without giving up a hit.

Tommy McCraw singled and drove in a run.  Don Buford singled and he scored one of the two runs.

May 5, 1967 at Cleveland Stadium
White Sox 3, Indians 2  (11-7)

The White Sox came back from two runs down to top the Indians 3-2 and in the process, they picked up their third straight win.  Tommy John threw all nine innings and he gave up two runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks with five strikeouts.  It was John’s first win of the season and he improved to 1-2.

The game winner came in the ninth.  Tommy Agee singled with one out and he stole second.  Then he scored on Pete Ward’s single to make it 3-2.  It was Agee’s ninth steal of the season and he was the only player with more then one hit with a two for three game.

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 Comiskey Park

Indians 2, White Sox 1  (8-7)

A solid start by Bruce Howard went to waste in the White Sox 2-1 loss to the Indians.  Howard gave up a single run on only two hits and two walks with five strikeouts in eight innings.  Bob Locker gave up a key run as well and the insurance run ended up being the difference between a loss and sending the game into extra frames.

The White Sox only run of the game came in the bottom of the ninth when Tommy McCraw hit a solo homerun.  The White Sox did manage seven hits but they were all by different players.

April 30, 1967 at Comiskey Park

White Sox 4, Indians 2  (9-7)

The White Sox salvaged a split in their doubleheader with the Indians and also but they won their three game series with the win.  Jim O’Toole gave up two early runs but the White Sox chipped away at the lead a run at a time.  Hoyt Wilhelm picked up the win with four shutout innings to close out the game.

Tommie Agee got it done with the bat.  He drove in two runs while Don Buford walked twice and scored two runs.

April 28, 1967 at Comiskey Park

White Sox 3, Indians 2  (8-6)

The White Sox were down 2-1 heading into the bottom of the ninth and they came back to win it.  Wayne Causey led off with a single and then Ron Hansen struck out.  Ed Stroud, who ran for Causey, stole second and Smoky Burgess drew a walk.  Then Ken Berry reached first on a critical error by Sonny Siebert that loaded the bases up.  Don Buford then came up big with a single to drive in two to win the game.

Joe Horlen was solid but he didn’t get a decision.  He gave up two runs (one earned) on six hits in 6 1/3 innings.  Bob Locker picked up the win by getting the final five Indians out.

April 26, 1967 at Yankee Stadium

White Sox 5, Yankees 1  (7-6)

Gary Peters got the job done and picked up his first win of the season in a complete game four hitter.  He gave up only the one run and he walked two with seven strikeouts.

Tommy McCraw had the big hit of the game.  He hit a three run shot in the third inning to give the White Sox ample cushion to walk away with the win.  Don Buford also had a nice game.  He had two hits, a run and an RBI.

April 25, 1967 at Yankee Stadium

Yankees 11, White Sox 2  (6-6)

Tommy John dropped to 0-2 in a pretty poor performance against the Yankees.  He gave up eight runs (seven earned) on ten hits and four walks with four strikeouts in only 4 2/3 innings of work.

Even worse, the White Sox could never get going against Whitey Ford.  The White Sox scored two runs in the second and that was it.  Dick Kenworthy tripled home a run and then he later scored in the inning on Jerry Adair’s single.

April 23, 1967 at D.C. Stadium

Senators 5, White Sox 1  (6-5)

The White Sox dropped their series finale with the Senators in a rather anemic offensive display.  The White Sox managed just a single run on seven hits and that run came in the ninth inning when Wayne Causey doubled home Tommie Agee with two outs.

Bruce Howard was knocked around and he took his first loss of the season.  He gave up four runs on seven hits and a walk with four strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings.

April 22, 1967 at D.C. Stadium

White Sox 1, Senators 0  (6-4)

Joe Horlen carried the White Sox to a win in what turned out to be phenomonal pitching performance.  He gave up just two hits and a walk and not a single Senator crossed the plate.  He took a no hitter into the eighth inning and allowd the White Sox to win despite scoring just one run themselves.

That lone run came on Tommie Agee’s solo shot in the second inning.  The only other hit came on a single by Pete Ward.

April 21, 1967 at D.C. Stadium

Senators 4, White Sox 3  (5-4)

The White Sox took a 3-1 lead into the sixth inning but couldn’t hold on to win as the Senators came back in an exciting game.  Gary Peters went the distance but he gave up the game winner in the bottom of the ninth.  He struck out twelve and walked six.

Ken Berry and Duane Josephson both had two hits in the game.  Tommie Agee drove in two of the three White Sox runs with a two run shot in the fourth and Pete Ward hit a solo shot to account for the White Sox scoring.

April 20, 1967 at D.C. Stadium

White Sox 8, Senators 4  (5-3)

The White Sox scored six runs in the third inning to push themselves to an easy win over the Senators.  The White Sox rattled off six hits in the inning and they even benefited from an error by Humphreys to help extend the inning.

Ken Berry had three hits, a run and an RBI while Pete Ward, Ron Hansen and John Buzhardt all drove in two runs.  Buzhardt not only helped out his own cause, but he threw a good enough game to pick up his first win of the season.  He gave up four runs on ten hits and two walks with a strikeout in seven innings of work.  Bob Locker held the Senators scoreless in the final two frames and he picked up his second save of the season.

April 19, 1967 at Comiskey Park

Yankees 3, White Sox 0  (4-3)

The Yankees ended the White Sox three game winning streak behind a shutout by Whitey Ford.  The White Sox managed only seven hits off of the Hall of Famer with Ken Berry getting three of them.

Tommy John had another nice start go to waste as he dropped to 0-1.  He gave up three runs (one earned) on six hits and four walks in five innings of work.  Jim O’Toole and Wilbur Wood threw four innings of shutout relief to let the White Sox get back into the game but Ford was too much for the home team.

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 Comiskey Park

White Sox 7, Senators 3  (2-2)

The White Sox evened up their record at 2-2 with a blow out win in the first game of their doubleheader with the Senators.  Tommie Agee and Pete Ward both had big games.  They each homered and drove in three runs.  Tommy McCraw had a hit, a walk, two runs and an RBI.

Joe Horlan pitched a nice game and he improved to 1-0 on the season.  He gave up three runs on six hits and four walks with two strikeouts in nine innings of work.

April 16, 1967 at Comiskey Park

White Sox 3, Senators 2  (3-2)

It’s pretty tough playing a double header but it’s even tougher when you second game goes 16 innings.  The White Sox held on to win it though.  They took a 2-0 lead before the Senators tied it up in the fifth but the White Sox took the lead again in the sixth with a single run.  The Senators answered in the eighth and then neither team scored the seven innings.  Finally in the bottom of the sixteenth, Jerry Adair drew a bases loaded walk that sent Berry home for the game winner.

Adair finished the game with two RBIs and Ken Berry scored twice.  Tommy McCraw also had a nice game at the plate.  He had four hits and a run.

Gary Peters threw a nice game for the Sox but he didn’t get a decision.  He gave up three runs (two earned) on five hits and a walk with eight strikeouts in eight innings.  Bob Locker, Wilbur Wood and Jack Lamabe then combined for seven innings of shutout ball before Dennis Higgins threw the top of the sixteenth to pick up the win.

April 15, 1967 at Comiskey Park

Senators 3, White Sox 1 (1-2)

A solid outing by Tommy John went to waste as the White Sox dropped their home opener to the Senators in eleven innings.  John pitched eight innings and he gave up only one run on nine hits and walk with eight strikeouts before yielding to the pen.  Dennis Higgins took the loss when he gave up two in the eleventh.

The only run of the game for the White Sox came in the fourth inning when Jerry Adair drove home Tommie Agee with a sac. fly.  The White Sox managed only two hits the entire game as they were completely shut down for eleven innings.

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.

In 1967, the White Sox offense was pretty bad.  I know this was a very pitcher friendly era, but the 1967 White Sox hearken back to the Hitless Wonders of 1906.  The finished eighth in batting average (.225) and ninth in both OBP (.288) and slugging (.320).  They also finished dead last in hits (1,209) and they struck out more then any other team in the American League (849).  Yes, it’s a very good thing the White Sox had a good pitching staff in 1967.

Every offense, no matter how bad, has a leader though.  And the 1967 White Sox offensive leader was Pete Ward.  He led the team in slugging (.392), homeruns (18) and RBIs (62).    He didn’t finish in the top ten in anything, but that’s kind of how the White Sox offense was that year.  Ward was good (above average with an OPS+ of 118), but that’s about it.

Ward had a pretty extreme platoon split in 1967.  As a left hander, he was pretty good against right handed pitchers (.264/.363/.445) but he was awful against left handed pitching (.154/.257/.254).  August was his best month and eight of his eighteen homeruns came during that time.  His best game of the season came on August 16th when the White Sox blew out the Royals 14-1.  In that game, he went four for four with two homeruns, four RBIs and three runs.

There’s no doubt Ward was a solid player.  It’s just unfortunate he wasn’t on a team that could hit a little better or he might have had a few 100 RBI seasons.  Here’s a look at Ward’s numbers in 1967:

Games 146
AB 467
Runs 49
Hits 109
Doubles 16
Triples 2
Homeruns 18
RBIs 62
Walks 61
Strikeouts 109
Stolen Bases 3
Caught Stealing 2
BA .233
OBA .334
SLG% .392
OPS .726
RC 64
RCAA 16
RCAP 4
RC/G 4.70
ISO .158

When it came to pitching, the 1967 White Sox led the way.  They led the American League in ERA (2.45), shutouts (24), hits allowed (1,197) and homeruns allowed (87) and they were second in walks allowed (465).  About the only thing this team didn’t do was strikeout batters (the White Sox were seventh in the American League).

So the best pitcher on the best pitching staff has to be pretty good, and that guy was Joe Horlen.  1964 was Horlen’s breakout year.  He finished with a league leading 0.935 WHIP and was second with a 1.88 ERA on a White Sox team that fell one game short of the Yankees in the American League.  Like 1967, the White Sox combined a top notch pitching staff with a bad offense and the end result was no pennant.

Horlen put together good seasons in 1965 and 1966 before his spectacular 1967 campaign.  In 1967, Horlen set career marks in wins (19), innings (258), complete games (13) and shutouts (6) and his 2.06 ERA and 0.953 WHIP led the league.

One of Horlen’s strength’s was his effectiveness against left handed hitters.  As a right handed pitcher, Horlen was ever better against lefties (.187/.230/.252) then he was against righties (.218/.273/.326) and he did all of this without striking out many batters.  His .216 batting average against for balls in play is simply off the chart and it’s little surprise that he was able to replicate this 1967 season.

Horlen got off to a great start in 1967.  He won his first eight decision and in four of those games, the opposition didn’t score a run.  He was 10-2 by the All Star break and that earned him his first and only All Star appearance of his career.  Horlen actually pitched better in the second half but the offense didn’t get the job done for him and he finished one win shy of 20.

The end result of this fantastic season was a fourth place finish for the Most Valuable Player award and a second place finish for the Cy Young.  Red Sox starter Jim Lonborg didn’t have as good of an ERA or WHIP, but he struck out 246 and finished with 22 wins.

Here are Horlen’s numbers in 1967.

Wins 19
Losses 17
Games 35
Games Started 35
Complete Games 13
Innings Pitched 258
Hits 188
Runs 66
Earned Runs 59
Walks 58
Strikeouts 103
ERA 2.06
Runs Saved Above Average 25
Shutouts 6
H/9 6.56
BR/9 8.72
SO/9 3.59
BB/9 2.02
SO/BB 1.78
Neutral Wins 17
Neutral Losses 9