Tuesday October 02, 2012
40th anniversary: Mickey Lolich?s great clutch game.
40 years ago today, Mickey Lolich came through with one of the greatest clutch pitching performances in Detroit Tigers history.
Oct. 2, 1972 began the last series of the baseball season. 1972 was a strange season, due to a brief players strike at the outset of the year, all teams lost a handful of games. When the baseball lords decided to just cancel the lost contests instead of making them up, that meant that the final standings for any of the division races could end with teams a half-game ahead or behind.
In fact, that was the situation in the AL Central. The Tigers began the day in second place with an 84-69 record, just a half-game behind of the front running 84-68 Boston Red Sox. And wouldn?t you know it ? the season ended with Detroit hosting Boston.
Really, it was simple. Whoever won the series won the division. That made the first game that much more important. If you win it, you put all the pressure on the other squad to win out, while giving yourself a little room for error. That pressure was especially acute on Detroit as they after all began the games trailing.
For the big game, Detroit went with their big guy, ace pitcher Mickey Lolich. Four years earlier he?d won three games in the 1968 World Series, including a Game Seven victory on short rest while against Bob Gibson. He could handle a big game for the Tigers. Then again, just four days ago he?d pitched a whopping 12 innings in a complete game loss. Would he still be tired?
Lolich looked a little shaky in the first, letting two of the first three batters he face reach base. Then he fanned two in a row to end the inning. And then he fanned another pair in the second inning. Meanwhile, Detroit staked him to a 1-0 lead.
The third was Lolich?s danger spot. After fanning the leadoff hitter (already his fifth K of the day), Lolich ran into trouble. Tommy Harper and Luis Aparicio smacked consecutive singles against him, and then longtime star Carl Yastrzemski smashed a line drive to center for extra bases. Smith came around to score, 1-1. Aparicio blew past third on his way home, but the relay throw got to the plate and Aparicio thought better of it and retreated back to third.
And here is where Lolich caught a nice break for himself. Yaz apparently saw the speedy Aparicio go for home but missed him turning around. Not only was Aparicio headed to third ?but so was Yaz. Both men ended up on third, and the ump gave Aparicio possession of the bag and called Yaz out. The score was still 1-1 and now there were two outs. True, the go-ahead run was on third and the dangerous Reggie Smith at the plate, but Lolich fanned him for his sixth strikeout victim of the day.
In the fourth Lolich allowed a single and walk, but also racked up another three strikeouts to snuff out any rally. That?s nine Ks in four innings. He had another strikeout in the fifth and two more in the sixth. He let guys on base in almost every inning, but they never had any chances to advance with all the guys going down swinging.
More importantly, Detroit?s hitters came to life, giving Lolich the lead once again. That?s all he needed. After the third inning scare, no Boston player made it to second base until the ninth, and that would-be run died at second.
When it was all said and done Lolich was not perfect?he?d surrendered six hits while issuing five walks and hitting two batters?but he?d also fanned 15 batters while allowing just one run. It was only the fourth time in franchise history a Tiger pitcher struck out at least 15 men in one game ? and Lolich pitched three of those games. No other Tiger would fan this many batters in one game until Max Scherzer fanned 15 in seven innings earlier this year.
Detroit won, 4-1 behind Lolich?s gutsy effort. The Tigers won the next day to clinch the division. Lolich?s big game was vital for Detroit?s postseason hopes, and that big game was 40 years ago today.
from the Hardball Times
