On October 2, 1968, “Someone should have warned us that he changed his clothes in a phone booth before he got to the park and took off the suit with the big S on it.” – NORM CASH, Tiger first baseman commenting on Bob Gibson‘s commanding performance in Game 1 of the 1968 World Series….
On September 27, 1968, Bob Gibson of the St. Louis Cardinals shuts out the Houston Astros, 1-0, to finish the season with an ERA of 1.12-the second-lowest in modern National League history. Gibson, who finishes the season with 13 shutouts and 28 complete games, will unanimously win the Cy Young Award.
On September 14, 1968, In a nationally televised game, Denny McLain becomes a thirty-game winner when the Tigers rally for two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat Oakland 5-4. McLain becomes the first major leaguer to win 30 games in a season since Dizzy Dean in 1934 and will finish…
The Tigers, ahead 5 – 0, fail to score with two on in the 4th inning when the Yanks bring in Rocky Colavito to pitch. The 35-year-old slugger retires Al Kaline and Willie Horton and tosses 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief to earn the win. In Rocky’s only other appearance, in 1958, he also faced Kaline, and the victory by a non-pitcher will be the last this century. Bill Robinson and Bobby Cox crash successive homers to tie the score and, after a walk, Rocky comes around to score the winning run. In the 8th, Yankees reliever Lindy McDaniel ties the American League record for consecutive batters retired by setting down the first Tiger he faces, giving him 32 straight batters retired over four appearances. New York sweeps, winning 6 – 5 and then topping Mickey Lolich, 5 – 4. The four losses in New York leaves the Tigers just five games ahead of the Orioles.
1968 – Bob Gibson pitches the Cardinals to a 2 – 0 win over the Phillies. Gibson strikes out Dick Allen four times, the 7th time this season the Phils’ slugger has K’ed four times. He will strike out a career-high 161 times this season.
Denny McLain of the Detroit Tigers wins his 25th game
1968 – At Oakland, the Yanks edge the A’s, 4 – 3. Blue Moon Odom gives up a triple to Tom Tresh, a walk, then serves up a three-run homer to Mickey Mantle for the difference.
On July 27, 1968, At Memorial Stadium, Denny McLain of the Detroit Tigers earns his 20th victory of the season – a 9-0 shutout of the Baltimore Orioles. The Tiger right-hander is the third pitcher in history to reach the milestone this quickly, with only Rube Marquard (Giants, July 19, 1912) and Lefty Grove (A’s,…
On July 22, 1968, at Busch Stadium the Atlanta Braves set a major league record by using five relief pitchers in the ninth inning of their game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Ken Johnson, Ramon Hernandez, Claude Raymond, Dick Kelley, and Cecil Upshaw all take part in the 3 run 9th that allows St Louis…
On July 14, 1968, Houston Astros righthander Don Wilson strikes out 18 Cincinnati Reds during a 5-4 win. Wilson whiffs Johnny Bench for his 18th strikeout to tie, what was then, the major-league record held by Bob Feller and Sandy Koufax . Wilson (6-11) also ties the major-league record with eight strikeouts in a row,…
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