PRELIMINARY ROUND
Series #152
1968 Detroit Tigers (103-59) vs 1901 Chicago Orphans (53-86)
The story of every championship team is glittered with outstanding performances and moments. The 1968 Tigers overcame a 1-3 deficit and defeated Bob Gibson and the Cardinals showing you what they are made of. Denny McLain had a dream season winning 31 games with a 1.96 ERA and 280 strikeouts. It can be considered one of the best seasons in league history. Earl Wilson went 13-12 with a 2.85 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP making him a solid number two man. Mickey Lolich was 17-9 with a higher 3.19 ERA with 197 K and four shutouts. Joe Sparma was on the on or off fourth starter who finished 10-10 with a high 3.70 ERA for the era. John Hiller also made 12 starts with a 2.39 ERA but was eventually transitioned to the set up role. Pat Dobson also was used in a variety of roles but had 7 saves and is the most likely candidate to be used in the most high leverage situations. Dayl Patterson and Fred Lasher added to a very good pen for a team that was anchored in pitching with a 2.71 ERA, indicative of the times. Bill Freehan was a gamer all the way around at catcher and one of the leaders of the team. He hit 25 home runs with 84 RBI and a .819 OPS not to mention his outstanding play on the defensive side. Norm Cash smacked 25 homers from first base hitting .263 but in many ways his age was starting to show at 34. Dick McAuliffe hit .249 with 16 home runs and a .755 OPS which wasn’t bad at all out of a second baseman. Ray Oyler hit only .135 in 111 games at short giving him 40 total bases for the season and had some of the worst metrics ever in a season, good thing he could field a bit. Don Wert wasn’t much better at third hitting an even .200 with only 37 RBI and 44 runs scored in 150 games played. Willie Horton hit an impressive 36 home runs with a .285 average from left field. Horton did whiff 110 times but was a major power source for this team. Mickey Stanley played center and hit .259 with 88 runs scored and 60 RBI. He was an average center fielder all the way around. Jim Northrup drove in 90 runs to lead the team with a 129 OPS= and 29 doubles making him a vital cog in the Tiger lineup. The great Al Kaline played in 102 games hitting .287 with an .820 OPS and 52 RBI. Kaline was still as smooth and effective for the reputation he carried. Tommy Matchick played 80 games at short but hit only .203 while Gates Brown and ancient Eddie Matthews filled out the roster. The Tigers did lean on their pitching but also had a super resolve and a number of players that played the game the right way and found a way to come through when it mattered defensively or at the plate.
The National League came into a new century as the dominant league in the land, but the Chicago club had still not found its footing as contenders. The club had a total of seven pitchers, which should make things interesting, and among them was a 24 years old fire baller named Rube Waddell. Wadell went 14-14 with a 2.81 ERA and 168 strikeouts in 243 innings. Wadell was known for chasing fire trucks but was becoming one of the most feared lefties in the game. Also feared was Tom Hughes who struck out 225 men which was an unheard of number at the time. Hughes lost 23 games however because he also walked 115 batters and had a WHIP of 1.375. Jack Talor lost 19 games with a 3.36 ERA and pitched in some bad luck with an ERA+ of 96. Mel Eason at 22 years old went 8-17 in 25 starts with a 3/59 ERA and a 3.83 FIP. Eason also battled with control and was in and out of the rotation as John Menefee also started in 20 games but with a worse 3.80 ERA as he was the elder of the group at 33 years old. Bert Cunningham and Charlie Ferguson were on the roster but combined for 11 innings all season long. The team average of .258 was average at best for the era and the hope of the lineup seemed to be 24 year old outfielder Frank Chance. Chance hit .278 with 27 steals in only 69 games with a .737 OPS. Danny Green was in center and hit .313 with 12 triples, six home runs, and a .364 OBP. Topsy Hartsel may have been the best hitter on the team with a .335 average and 111 runs scored with 54 stolen bases. Hartsel could do it all and finished with a 161 OPS+. Barry McCormick was the man at short hitting .234 with a .592 OPS and 32 runs driven in. Cupid Childs was at second hitting .258 at 3 years old and was truly a player from another eral he ended with a .656 OPS in only 63 games. Fred Raymer was at third hitting .233 with 14 doubles and 18 stolen bases. Jack Doyle had the most games at first base but had a 59 OPS+ with 9 doubles and 21 runs scored in 75 games. Mike Kahoe was the light hitting catcher hitting .224 in 67 games and unspectacular in the field. Charlie Dexter had a lot of play as a backup in the infield hitting .267 with 66 RBI and likely will start somewhere while Cupid's brother, Pete hit .229 and 14 RBI in another backup infield spot. Johnny Kling was the 25 year old catcher who showed potential hitting .273 with 8 steals and 26 RBI in 74 games. Young Jim Delahanty from the famous ballplaying family was also on the bench as was Cozy Dolan who was the outfield replacement if needed hitting a .588 OPS.
Game 1 At Tiger Stadium
Clear 67
1901 Orphans.......................1
1968 Tigers...........................0
WP: T. Hughes (1-0) LP: D. McLain (0-1)
HR: D. Green (1)
POG: Tom Hughes
1901 Orphans Lead Series 1-0
A three hit complete game three hit shutouts by Tom Hughes who was brilliant in this one striking out 11, walking none, and sending a clear message to the favorite Tigers. Denny McLain was almost just as good over 9 innings striking out a high 15 batters and only making one mistake. Danny Green hit a solo home run to right field in the 7th inning in what would be the only run of the night.
Game 2 At Tiger Stadium
Partly cloudy 59
1901 Orphans.........................0
1968 Tigers.............................2
WP: E. Wilson (1-0) LP: J. Menefee (0-1)
POG: Earl Wilson
Series tied at 1
The Tigers come right back in game two and return the favor on Chicago by shutting them out behind Earl Wilson. Wilson struck out nine and made everyone forget about the game one loss getting the better of loser Jock Menefee. Norm Cash and Bill Freehan drove in the only two runs of the game and the Tigers also played some impressive defense as they send the series back to the very early days of West Side Park in Chicago for game 3.
Game 3 At West Side Grounds
Partly cloudy 61
1968 Tigers.....................6
1901 Orphans.................3
WP: M. Lolich (1-0) LP: J. Taylor (0-1)
HR: A. Kaline (1), T. Hartsel (1), M. Stanley (1)
POG: Mickey Lolich
1968 Tigers Lead Series 2-1
Al Kaline and Mike Stanley both hit two run home runs off of Jack Taylor to build a 5-0 lead in Chicago. The lead was preserved by Mickey Lolich who did allow a Chicago comeback through a Topsy Hartsel two run home run but would seven innings striking out seven. The Tigers had no problem adapting to West Side Grounds.
Game 4 At West Side Grounds
Partly cloudy 40
1968 Tigers.......................4
1901 Orphans...................1
WP: J. Hiller (1), M. Eason (0-1) S: D. Patterson (2)
HR: N. Cash (1), M. Stanley (2)
POG: John Hiller
1968 Tigers Lead Series 3 Games To 1
Norm Cash hit a 398 foot home run in the very first inning to set the stage for another convincing win for the Tigers who this time leaned on John Hiller who looked good for 8 innings. Hiller struck out three, allowed 6 hits and no earned runs before Daryl Patterson closed out the game unscathed. The Orphans now face elimination and will do their best to avoid being sweped away at home.
Game 5 At West Side Grounds
Rain 56
1968 Tigers........................5
1901 Orphans....................0
WP: D. McLain (1-1) LP: T. Hughes (1-1)
HR: W. Horton (1)
POG: Denny McLain
An excellent way to close out the series by the Tigers and their all world ace Denny McLain. McLain threw a 2 hit shutout striking out 5 and walking none in what truly was an almost flawless performance. Willie Horton gave the visitors the only runs that they would need with a towering two run home run in the 4th and a red hot Mike Stanley added to the lead with his sixth RBI of the series. This was all Tigers and their pitching against the old Chicago club was just superb for the entire series. The Tigers played like champions indeed.
1968 Tigers Win Series 4 Games To 1
Series MVP:
Mickey Stanley
(10/20, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 4 R, .800 SLG, .545 OBP)