1968 Tigers Tribute Site

September 22, 1968 at D.C. Stadium
Senators 6, Tigers 0  (101-55)

The Tigers eleven game winning streak came to an end in a game that saw the offense sputter.  The Tigers managed only four hits and the lone extra base hit came off the bat of Bob Christian.  The double was also Christian’s first major league at bat.

John Hiller fell to 9-6 with a rough outing.  He gave up three runs on four hits and three walks with one strikeout in just three innings of work.

September 11, 1968 at Anaheim Stadium
Tigers 8, Angels 2  (93-54)

The Tigers finished up a three game sweep over the Angels and the big stick was Willie Horton.  He belted a pair of solo homers which brought his season total up to 35.  Bill Freehan went two for four with a homerun and three runs.

John Hiller had a nice start and he improved to 8-5.  He gave up two runs on ten hits and three walks with six strikeouts in a complete game.

September 4, 1968 at the Oakland Coliseum
Tigers 4, Athletics 2  (89-52)

The Tigers march towards the American League pennant continued behind a solid start by John Hiller.  He gave up two runs on six hits and two walks with five strikeouts in seven innings.  Pat Dobson picked up his sixth save of the season with two innings of shutout relief.

Jim Northrup had a big game and he went three for four with a run and an RBI.  Mickey Stanley went one for three with two runs.

August 31, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
Orioles 5, Tigers 1  (85-51)

The Tigers three game winning streak came to an end in a game where the offense picked up just six hits.  Al Kaline had two of those and he drove in a run while Dick McAuliffe tripled and scored.

John Hiller fell to 6-5 with a rough start.  He gave up four runs on three hits and two walks with three strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings.

August 27, 1968 at Comiskey Park
White Sox 2, Tigers 1  (82-50)

The Tigers were held to just four hits as they failed to follow up their win yesterday.  Norm Cash drove in the lone Tigers run with a solo homer in the fifth inning and no Tiger hitter reached base more the once.

A very solid start by John Hiller went to waste and he fell to 6-4.  He gave up two runs (one earned) on eleven hits and two walks with two strikeouts in 8 1/3 innings.  The run went against Hiller, but Daryl Patterson gave up the walk off RBI single in the ninth inning with just one out.

August 23, 1968 at Yankee Stadium
Yankees 2, Tigers 1  (81-46)

There was no late inning comeback in this one as the Tigers kicked off both their doubleheader and series against the Yankees with a loss. A solid start by Earl Wilson and the Tigers pen went to waste.  Wilson fell to 10-11 and he gave up two runs on five hits and two walks with five strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.  His start was cut short when he was hit in the shoulder by a comebacker.

Earl Wilson was also the hitting star in the loss.  He had two of the Tigers six hits and he drove in the lone run with his fourth homerun of the season. 

August 23, 1968 at Yankee Stadium
Yankees 3, Tigers 3  (81-46)

There was no outcome as the Tigers and Yankees played a five hour, nineteen inning 3-3 tie in the finale of their doubleheader.  Pitching was the name of the game in this one and John Hiller was the star.  He threw nine shutout innings of relief in which he gave up four hits and six walks.  Don McMahon took over from there and threw the final three innings without giving up a run before the game was called.

Norm Cash finished the game four for eight and he scored a run.  Mickey Stanley went three for eight with a run and an RBI.

August 20, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 7, White Sox 0  (79-44)

John Hiller gave up a leadoff single in the top of the fifth inning and that was the lone hit against him in an incredible one hit shutout.  He walked two, struck out seven and improved to 6-3 as the Tigers took the opener in both their series with the White Sox and their doubleheaderr.

Gates Brown got a rare start in left field and he made the most of it.  He went two for three with a homerun and two RBIs.  Mickey Stanley went two for four with two RBIs and a run.

August 20, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
White Sox 10, Tigers 2  (79-45)

Denny McLain fell to 25-4 with a rough outing as the Tigers failed to sweep the White Sox in their twin bill.  McLain gave up nine runs but just two them were earned as a result of four Tiger errors.  He gave up nine hits and two walks with three strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.

Willie Horton was the hitting star in the loss.  He went two for four with a double and an RBI.

August 11, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 5, Red Sox 4 (73-42)

A long day was made even longer as the Tigers and Red Sox kicked off a doubleheader with a 4 1/2 hour, 14 inning contest.  The Tigers were down 4-0 after the Red Sox scored four in the first but the pitching staff held the Red Sox scoreless over the final thirteen frames.  Mickey Lolich provide the bulk of the relief pitching and he gave up two hits and three walks with four strikeouts in five innings of shutout relief to close out the game.  The win pushed his record to 10-7 on the season.

The game winner came on a walk off solo homer by Gates Brown in the bottom of the fourteenth.  Bill Freehan and Wayne Comer also pitched in with solo homers.  For Comer, it was the first homerun of his career.   Mickey Stanley had a team high three hits in six at bats.

August 11, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 6, Red Sox 5  (74-42)

The Tigers worked their magic yet again as they finished up a sweep over the Red Sox in their doublheader.  Down 2-0, the Tigers scored two in the bottom of the eighth to tie it only to see the Red Sox scored three in the top of the ninth.  Then in the bottom of the ninth, the Tigers stormed back and scored four to walk away with the win.  It was Gates Brown who provided the heroics again with his second walk off hit of the day. He singled home Mickey Stanley to win it while Norm Cash was the hitting star with three hits and two RBIs.

Jon Warden picked up the win and improved to 4-1 although he was in the right place at the right time.  He gave up two of the Red Sox ninth inning runs.  John Hiller had a solid start in a no decision and he gave up two runs on five hits and two walks with five strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings.

August 6, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 2, Indians 1  (68-41)

It can be tough enough playing a doubleheader, but when the first game goes seventeen innings, it makes it that much tougher.  Down 1-0, Don Wert hit a solo homer in the bottom of the eighth inning to tie the game up.  Then neither side scored until the bottom of the seventeenth when Dick Tracewski singled home Bill Freehan for the game winner. 

John Hiller threw the first eight innings and he held the Indians to just one run.  Then five relievers held the Indians to just three hits in nine shutout innings to finish up the game.  John Wyatt threw the final frame and he picked up the win to improve to 2-4.

August 6, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 5, Indians 2  (69-41)

The Tigers didn’t finish up their sweep over the Indians until August 7 because this one was suspended at the end of eight innings where they picked up the next day.  Mickey Lolich picked up the win and he improved to 8-7 with 2 2/3 innings of shutout relief while John Wyatt threw three shutout innings to pick up his first save of the season.

Norm Cash was the hiting star.  He went two for four with a solo homerun while Al Kaline doubled in two at bats and he drove in a pair.

July 13, 1968 at Metropolitan Stadium
Twins 7, Tigers 6 (56-30)

The Tigers lost a tough one as they blew a three run eighth inning lead then lost it in the fourteenth inning.  Joe Sparma gave up two runs in six innings in a solid start but it was John Hiller and Fred Lasher who combined to give up the three runs in the eighth.  Then in the fourteenth, after the Tigers had scored a run in the top of the inning, Dennis Ribant and John Wyatt combined to give up a pair of runs on back to back bases loaded walks to lose it.

Mickey Stanley and Willie Horton both went yard in the loss.  For Horton, it was his 22nd of the season and Stanley belted his eighth.  Dick McAuliffe went two for seven with a double, a run and an RBI.

July 11, 1968 at Metropolitan Stadium
Twins 5, Tigers 4  (55-29)

The Tigers kicked off their second half with a loss in a game that saw the pitching staff blow a 4-2 lead.  Mickey Lolich gave up a pair of runs in the seventh inning and then John Hiller gave up a ninth inning run that was the game winner.  He fell to 5-3 on the season.

Mickey Stanley provided the bulk of the Tigers offense with a three run blast.  Dick McAuliffe accounted for the other Tigers run and he belted a solo homer.

July 4, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 13, Angels 10  (52-27)

The Tigers held on to win a wild one as they finished up a four game sweep over the Angels for their fourth straight win.  Jim Northrup and Norm Cash both hit a pair of homeruns and Northrup had a team high five RBIs.  Bill Freehan and Willie Horton both also went yard in the win.

Pitching was not the name of the game in this one.  Dennis Ribant picked up the win and he improved to 2-1 but he was more in the right place at the right time because he pitched just 2/3 of an inning.  John Hiller pitched a perfect ninth inning and he picked up his second save of the season.

June 23, 1968 at Cleveland Stadium
Indians 3, Tigers 0  (43-26)

The Tigers suffered their third straight loss and their second straight shutout at the hands of the Indians.  This time, the offense was held to just three hits, two of which were by Don Wert.  He singled and doubled while Tom Matchick had the only other hit with a single.

John Hiller was roughed up and he gave up three runs while he pitched just 1/3 of an inning.  Dennis Ribant did a fine job in relief and he pitched 6 2/3 shutout innings and he also got the Tigers out of their first inning jam, but it wasn’t enough as the hitters could never get going.

June 23, 1968 at Cleveland Stadium
Tigers 4, Indians 1 (44-26)

The Tigers snapped their three game losing streak behind a solid outing by Joe Sparma.  He gave up one run on six hits and four walks with five strikeouts in seven innings.  Pat Dobson threw two no-hit innings to close out the game and he picked up his third save of the season.

Dick Tracewski had a big day at the plate in the win. He went two for five and his three run homer was the difference.  Dick McAuliffe had a pinch hit, RBI single and he later drew a walk.

June 14, 1968 at Comiskey Park
Tigers 6, White Sox 5  (40-20)

This time it was the hitters who bailed out the pitchers as the Tigers won their fifth straight contest despite needing fourteen innings to notch the win.  Earl Wilson helped out his own cause with a three run homer and Don Wert belted a solo homer in the top of the fourteenth for the game winner.  Bill Freehan had a team high three hits and he scored and drove in a run.

Wilson gave up four runs in seven innings before yielding to the pen.  Pat Dobson came up huge with five shutout innings while John Hiller shut the White Sox out in the final two frames to improve to 5-1.

June 7, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 5, Indians 4  (34-19)

The Tigers needed five runs in the final three innings but they did it to win their fourth straight game.  Norm Cash had a big game with a pair of solo homers while Willie Horton joined him with a solo shot of his own.  For Horton, it was his sixteenth of the season.

John Hiller walked five and gave up three runs in 4 2/3 innings.  Fred Lasher gave up a run in the ninth to tie it but he picked up the win because of Mickey Stanley’s walk off RBI triple in the bottom of the ninth.

June 2, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
Yankees 4, Tigers 3  (29-17)

This time it was the Yankees who came out on top in a one run game as they topped the Tigers in the first game of their Sunday doubleheader.  The Tigers scored three runs in the sixth inning but then the Yankees finally got to Denny McLain, who gave up single runs in the seventh and eighth innings.  Then in the ninth, Jon Warden gave up what would be the game winner on a close play at the plate that would see Tigers manager Mayo Smith get ejected.

Warden took the loss and while McLain didn’t get the win, he threw a decent enough game.  He gave up three runs on nine hits and a walk with four strikeouts in eight innings.

Dick McAuliffe accounted for half of the Tigers’ hits with three singles, a run and an RBI.  Jim Northrup had the only extra base hit with a double.  He also walked and drove in a run.

June 2, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 8, Yankees 1  (30-17)

Mickey Stanley capped off a six run fifth inning with a grand slam as the Tigers salvaged a split with the Yankees in their doubleheader.  Stanley finished the game with two hits while Jim Northrup went two for four with two runs and an RBI.

Lost in all of the offense was a very nice start by John Hiller.  He improved to 3-1 and he gave up just one run on six hits and four walks with three strikeouts in the complete game win.

May 28, 1968 at Anaheim Stadium
Tigers 4, Angels 1  (25-16)

Bill Freehan doubled home two runs and then Willie Horton followed that up with a two run homer to give the Tigers an early 4-0 lead before the Angels even got to hit.  That was all the Tigers got but it more then enough because of some exceptional relief pitching from John Hiller.

Les Cain got the start and after giving up a run in the first, he ran into trouble in the third inning when he put two men on with one out.  John Hiller came in to get the final two outs and he then pitched six more innings of shutout ball to improved to 2-1 on the season.

May 26, 1968 at the Oakland Coliseum
Athletics 7, Tigers 6  (24-15)

The Tigers lost a bizare one as Joe Sparma was pummelled for six runs total in the second, third and fourth innings.  The Tigers then scored two in the fifth and four in the sixth to tie it before the game settled down and the final three regulation innings were scoreless on both sides.  Then John Hiller was touched up for a run in the bottom of the tenth as the Tigers dropped their fourth game in their last five.

Mickey Stanley had a nice day at the plate.  He went two for five with a triple, an RBI and two runs.  Don Wert singled, doubled and scored a run in the loss.

May 19, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 5, Senators 4  (21-12)

The Tigers held off a late inning surge to walk away with a win in the first game of their doubleheader with the Senators.  The Tigers took a 4-0 lead into the eigth inning when Earl Wilson and Joe Warden were both tagged for a pair of runs to tie it up.  Then Gates Brown singled home Dick Tracewski in the bottom of the eighth inning to break the tie and to give the Tigers the win.

Fred Lasher picked up the win and he improved to 2-0.  John Hiller threw a perfect ninth and he picked up his first save of the season.

Dick McAuliffe put the Tigers on the board with a solo homer to lead things off.  Al Kaline went two for four and he drove in a run.

May 19, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 7, Senators 0  (22-12)

Les Cain picked up his first career win in his first career start as the Tigers finished up a doubleheader sweep over the Senators.  Cain gave up six hits and six walks with eight strikeouts in 6 2/3 shutout innings while Fred Lasher got the final seven outs in succession to pick up his third save of the season.

Six of the Tigers runs came via the longball.  Eddie Mathews belted a three run shot, Al Kaline went yard with a two run homer and Dick McAuliffe hit a solo homer.

May 2, 1968 at Tiger Stadium
Twins 3, Tigers 2  (13-6)

The Twins turned the tables on the Tigers in a ten inning, 3-2 game that replicated the previous days scores with the sides being switched.  Still, it was a solid game as Jim Northrup drilled a solo homer in the bottom of the ninth to send the game into extra frames.  Still, Dennis Ribant gave up a pair of hits which resulted in a tenth inning run as the Tigers took the loss.  Prior to that, John Hiller and Daryl Patterson threw two scoreless innings a piece to keep the Tigers in the game.

Northrup had the big day at the plate.  He went two for three with the solo homer, a walk and he scored both Tigers’ runs.

April 28, 1968 at Yankee Stadium
Yankees 2, Tigers 1  (10-4)

The Tigers lost a tough one in a low scoring pitchers duel.  Joe Sparma took a shutout into the eighth inning but both he and Jon Warden combined to give up two runs in the eighth to blow a 1-0 lead.  Sparma dropped to 1-2 on the season and while one of the runs scored off of Warden, both were credited to Sparma.

The Tigers lone run came in the fourth inning when Roy Oyler drove in Jim Northrup with a sac. fly.  No Tiger reached base more the once in the loss.

April 28, 1968 at Yankee Stadium
Tigers 3, Yankees 2  (11-4)

The Tigers salvaged both a split in their doubleheader with the Yankees as well as their four game series at Yankee Stadium.  The Tigers were down 2-1 heading into the ninth when Bill Freehan belted a solo shot to tie the game and then just two batters later, Jim Northrup drove in the winning run with a solo shot of his own.  Don Wert singled twice and drove in a run to account for the other Tigers run.

Les Cain made his major league debut and while he didn’t get the win, he definitely kept the Tigers in this one.  He gave up just a single run on six hits and four walks with two strikeouts in seven innings.  John Hiller threw 1 2/3 shutout innings and he picked up the win while Fred Lasher got the final batter out to earn his second save of the season.