October 1, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 6 (91-70), Angels 4 (83-77)
The Tigers kept their slim playoff hopes alive as they took the first game of their second straight doubleheader with the Angels. Joe Sparma took the mound and he went head to with Angels starter Hamlilton.
The Tigers put two runs on the board in the very first inning and while things got close, they never yielded their lead. Dick Tracewski led off the inning with a single and then both Dick McAuliffe and Al Kaline flew out. Willie Horton came up big though and he belted a two run homer to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead.
The Angels touched up Sparma in the bottom of the second inning and the Tigers lead was cut in half pretty quick when Don Mincher led off the inning with a solo homer. He was set for a big day but even as he put the team on his back, things came up a bit short.
The Tigers did the bulk of their damage in the third inning. Dick McAuliffe and Al Kaline both grounded out but Willie HOrton when he reached second on an error by Roger Repoz. Bill Freehan was given a free pass before Don Wert singled home Horton to make it 3-1. Eddie Mathews then came up with the big clutch hit when he singled home Freehan and Wert to make it 5-1. The four run lead would be their biggest of the game.
Buck Rodgers hit a solo homer in the top of the fourth to make it 5-2 but Willie Horton struck again and he doubled and scored on Bill Freehan’s single to make it 6-2. Don Mincher hit his second homer of the game when he went yard in the eighth with a runner on to make it 6-4 but that was as close as the Angels would get.
Sparma improved to 16-9 and he gave up all four Angels runs. Fred Gladding threw two shutout innings and he picked up twelth save of the season while Wright took the loss for the Angels and he fell to 5-5 on the season.
October 1, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Angels 8 (84-77), Tigers 5 (91-71)
The Tigers pennant hopes came to an abrupt end on their final game of the season. They needed a win to force a one game playoff with the Red Sox but they came up short as the Angels tagged Tigers’ pitching for eight runs. The Tigers actually had a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the second but the Angels scored three in the third, three in the fourth and one in the fifth to open the game up.
The Tigers actually put a rally together in the bottom of the ninth inning. After scoring two runs to make it 8-5, Bill Freehan led off the ninth with a double and Don Wert walked to put two runners on. Jim Price flied out to left and then Dick McAuliffe, who had gone the entire season and hit into just one double play, bounced to second base for an inning ending double play to end the Tigers season. McAuliffe would go the entire 1968 season without hitting into a double play.
Denny McLain was tagged for three runs and he was gone by the third inning. John Hiller also gave up three runs but it was just in 2/3 of an inning and he fell to 4-3. Jim McGlothlin gave up the two runs in the seventh but he improved to 12-8 with 4 2/3 innings of solid relief.
Rick Reichardt and Don Mincher both went yard for the Angels. Dick McAuliffe went two for four with a triple and three RBIs while Jim Northrup belted a two run homer for the Tigers.