It was great to have a sports fan teaching afternoon classes. My geometry teacher got the AV squad to roll in a TV on a stand for this series, and we were in the Yankees market. Awesome.
The 1968 World Series was one of the greatest ever played. Detroit recovered from a 3-1 deficit, winning three consecutive games, in order to win the World Championship. Tiger Mickey Lolich pitched and won three games, the third on only two days' rest. Yet, this Series barely gets mentioned in Ken Burns' video, "Baseball," except to point out that Gibson struck out 17 in the first game.
"this Series barely gets mentioned in Ken Burns' video, 'Baseball,' except to point out that Gibson struck out 17 in the first game." That's because the Red Sox weren't playing.
I’m a lifelong Yankees fan, but I was glued to the set during this Series. Historically, any number of guys had grabbed 3 wins by starting games 1, 4 and 7, but Lolich’s feat was amazing at the time, and still is!
Ken Burns’ dad lost the family fortune in Denny McLain’s scheme to turn worn-out baseballs into car upholstery. And Ken Burns has never forgiven the Tigers.
I've always felt for Ray Oyler, having a great defensive year at short stop, only to be set down in the World Series to have the center fielder on the club move to short stop. It worked. Micky Stanley made two errors but they never resulted in RBIs.
@@cdjhyoung IIRC, Mayo Smith was the Tigers' manager that year and he felt that Stanley's bat would make up for his defensive liability. This was a great Series, great memories.
@@Diogenes-ty9yy I didn't realize it until I did a little research is that Stanley started the 69 season as the Tiger's short stop and played 58 game there. Ray Oyler was left unprotected in the expansion draft and landed in Seattle where he had the best statistical batting season of his career.
I recall sitting in my little basement bedroom with a bunch of buddies watching the Tigers with our little Sylvaina 12" black and white that my brother and I worked so hard to get via neighborhood odd jobs and delivering newspapers. Fun days!!
@@jerardnorgren3411 teacher took my radio in the 73 playoffs. I had it in my desk and had earplugs running up my sleeve, but I started yelling, and that gave it away 😂. Third grade, Jefferson Elementary, Royal Oak, Mich.
Same here. My teacher was Mrs. Dunham, and though she hated the Tigers being a Cleveland native, she let us watch anyway because they were our team. Teachers wouldn't dream of doing that in today's wretched, woke education system.
I was 13 and in junior high school at the time. Color TV was a new thing. My school HAD color TV, and since back then games were played in the afternoon, we students were allowed to stay after school to watch the games and be bussed back home afterwards. What a country we were back then. I can hardly believe it. To have all my classmates SCREAMING after that hit will remain with me the rest of my life.
I was 10-11 yrs old. The 68 series was the start of my love of baseball. I was able to play until I was 40. In 7th grade woodshop I took a Bob Gibson pic and a Mickey Lolich pic cut from a sports mag, Glued them to a piece of wood after staining it and woodburning in Cardinal and Tiger logos. I displayed that on my walls for decades. I don't know where it is now but I can see it as I speak about it. Baseball. Love it.
@@TheTussman I think Frank Robinson did that once too, hit two slams in one game for the Orioles. I do miss Curt Gowdy calling Saturday afternoon baseball games.
I remember checking the League Leaders in the paper everyday and marveling at how many grand slams Northrup hit. Great World Series. Two terrific teams.
When they won we were on the freeway driving through Detroit traffic on the way to see my grandparents in Flint before flying overseas to our next duty station. My dad, just back from his first tour in Vietnam, started screaming at the top of his lungs and the entire freeway erupted with horns honking. That night the news showed the airport tarmac overrun with fans CHASING PLANES as they landed trying to find the team. I was nine and I’ll never forget it. ❤
Loved Stormin Norman Cash, Willie The Wonder Horton, Jim Northrup, Bill Freehan, Mickey Stanley, Al Kaline, Dick McAuliffe, Dennis Dale McClain, Mickey Lolich, Earl Wilson and The Gator..Gates Brown!! 🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂👍👍👍👍👍
I remember these games like it was yesterday. Denny McClain had been pitching against Gibson in the previous games where he lost. So they did a switch and Mickey Lolich pitched against Gibson after McClain had won game six. It was my first summer back from Vietnam so I always felt the won this series for me!
That's not why they "switched". They didn't want to rely on Earl Wilson, who hadn't had a particularly good year, or Joe Sparma. So, both McLain and Lolich pitched on 2 days rest . That put each of them a day ahead in the rotation.
Marc...I listened to the game in a foxhole in Vietnam at something like 3am on Armed Forces radio with an earphone in one ear. Being a Tiger fan, it was amazing.
I was in school at the time. To allow the kids to watch the game at home Detroit Schools switched a teacher's conference up a day so we got out early to be able to watch the whole game. Pretty nice.
When it was Baseball!.....When it was a game!!!!.....even though I was 1 yr old when this game took place.....I love it more than today's baseball.....My favorite player was Mr. CLemente, and just knowing he played during this time gives me so much happiness! Tim Mcarver, Bob Gibson, Bill Freham.....all of this guys were true to the game......old Shool baseball....The Best......
@K Maxx hey bro...I was born in 1966...In fact I dont remember him playing....but I've seen plenty of videos! Baseball was better than ever!!!! Hater! Go do your HOMEWORK....
kyokogodai ....A decent and humble man...may God bless his soul. He used to always give a shout-out to Gates Brown in local interviews with, "..Say hello to the Gator for me.." He and Gates Brown were tight..
All these years later this still hurts. The Cardinals had never lost a game 7 in their history. Floods stumble was a shock and it was asking too much for Gibson to go on two days rest. However, the key was that St. Louis couldn't do anything against Lolich, who I believe won 3 games. As I recall the Tigers had an outfielder playing shortstop!
The Tigers crushed Carlton as well. It was his first year as an all star. The Cardinals should have brought in somebody else after the first couple of hits in the 7th. Detroit won the last three games, man!
When the Yankees traded Maris to St Louis I went with him ! Those Cards would have won 2 straight WS! Great team ! Give the tigers credit they came back!
I remember being in second grade (St. Jude in Detroit) and watching this game in class! Jim's triple was key, but damn getting four straight hits against gibson was impressive!
The same thing for me---I was a 7th grader at Holy Trinity Catholic School (Alpine Township/GR). The nun who taught my class would wheel the TV into the classroom each and every day of the 1968 Series. And when the dismissal bell rang, I would peddle that mile home in record time so I could watch the remainder of those games.
@@robertflowers6621 My dad was also in grade school when this game was played. Their teacher, Sister Mary Catherine, secured one of the AV departments TVs and brought it into the classroom. Same story 4 years later when the Tigers were in the ALCS against Oakland. If there's more hardcore baseball fans than Catholic Nuns, I haven't met them.
Jim Northrup had a knack for hitting grand slams...In fact, June 24, 1968,In a game against the Cleveland Indians, Northrup hit grand slams in consecutive at bats in the 5th and 6th innings. This made him one of only 13 players to have hit 2 grand slams in one game and the second to do so in consecutive at-bats.
Gibby was one of the fastest working pitchers that you'll ever see. As soon as the catcher threw the ball back to him, Gibson was ready to start his windup.
He was fast, but then, all pitchers got right back to the rubber and hitters stayed in the box. Today, hitters go for a stroll after every pitch, take 3 slow motion swings, adjust their gloves 3 times, and dig in. If the pitcher takes too long, they go out for a latte and biscotti ...
I look at this and say…this is the pace baseball should demand today. No stepping out all time fooling what batting gloves. Pitchers should be pitching with a clock on them.
Finally the 2023 season will rectify a lot of this stalling BS. MLB is rolling out a pitch clock. IIRC, it’s 15 seconds with the bases empty, and 20 with base runners.
- Is it Freddie?? Did you watch any of the Red Sox-Yankees last night? Did you see any of the 9th inning? I'm TIRED of people whining about how baseball today is "unwatchable". Newsflash: baseball 50 years ago ISN'T applicable to today's society. Baseball has to adjust to the times like everything else. Unless you wanted everything from 50 years ago to stay EXACTLY the same and not have even one thing change at all.
Seeing this unforgettable video in black and white takes me back to that day with my transistor radio at Northwest High School in St. Louis, my heart sinking with Northrup's hit evading the slipping Flood, who was a fabulous CF'er.
I was listening to mine as well during the day games. Radio hidden below my shirt, wire run up my long sleeves and covered the bug in my ear with my hand. Might have been the only student in my HS of 3,000 students that thought that my Tigers could win. "We're all behind our baseball team, go get 'em Tigers. World Series bound and pickin' up steam, go get 'em Tigers....."
Just noticed Young Jim Hart played a home game there Oct 6 . Series games were 3 & 4 days later. Outfield probably torn-up like Wrigley after an in-season concert.
illinoizrichy1 Sorry but 1968 was a horrible year for baseball. Pitchers dominated way too much. Every game was 1-0, 2-1, 3-1, etc. Attendance was way down. Hell, the AL batting champion was Yastremski, w/a .301 BA. Lack of offense was why MLB lowered the mound the next year. Time magazine ran an article that year, entitled "Baseball is dead". People, especially sports fans think everything was better 40-50 years ago, but that's not always the case.
I went to game 5 of this series with my brother. I was a freshman at Western Michigan and my dad came and picked me up and had tickets for my brother and me. The Tigers got beat like a drum in that game, but I watched this one in the commons room at Western. Still one of the great times of my life.
Detroit had 4 outfielders in Northrup, Horton, Karine, and Stanley. The Tigers manager got all 4 in each game by benching shortstop Ray Oyler and putting Mickey Stanley in that position. Mayo Smith was called genius for that move, but all it did was strengthen the lineup.
Had to walk home from school with radio in hand, but got home in time to see the win. Same small radio in shirt pocket in history class. Earphone in, Tigers score, let out a whoop! Teacher asks, “What’s the score,”
I as well was 10. This was the first world series I ever followed but I ran home to see and root for the tigers. Remember that all world series games were played in the afternoon back then.
I live in SW Lower Michigan, and it’s more Cubs/Chisox country than Tigers. While I’m 10 Toes Down for the Tigers, I loved listening to Harry Carey and Jimmy Piersall broadcasting the Chisox in the late 70’s! I grew up on Harwell and Paul Carey, and I think that they are the GOAT as radio broadcasters...but Harry and Jimmy were good AND fun!
That became known as "Flood's Fatal Slip". But these 2 teams deserved to be in the series; both were stacked with talented ballplayers at every position.
1968 was last season before divisional play. By all star break it was clear that Cardinals and Tigers were going to World Series, barring a historic collapse.
@@scottodonnell7121 Flood was a victim of his own excellence. Few or no other outfielders could have caught that ball. Northrup completely deserved being credited with a triple. A year later someone told me the Cardinals owner traded Flood to Philadelphia because of that play. I don't know if that was the reason, but I wouldn't put it past a vindictive owner to do something like that. That trade was what lead Flood to challenge the reserve clause.
I remember this series fondly. My school wouldn't allow any radios, so I skipped school and ended up listening to the game in an empty field near my house. Game one was a cold and rainy day here and I came down with a cold and had to stay home for the rest of the series, even though I was sick I never enjoyed myself more until 1984
I watched this game on live television and was rooting for the Tigers. Gibson had a great year but Lolich came out on top when it mattered most: the Series. And don't forget that Game # 7 was played in St. Louis. The Tigers were the better team and deserved their Series victory. Thanks for great memories.
Flood makes that catch like he should have tigers score 0 completely different game Cards defending champs were the better team done in by few bad plays were up 3-1 in that series they blew it.
@@eugeneelar2231 The beauty of baseball is that Flood didn't make that catch, and the defending Champs aren't guaranteed a repeat. The Tigers were the better overall team and proved it when it mattered.
@@richardgriffith1241 many times in sports the better team doesn't win.Some players don't play well unlucky breaks like flood tripping.There were 2outs he makes the catch tigers lose,all their runs came from that inning right?Shannon's hr in ninth wins it.
@@eugeneelar2231 Wrong. The Tigers scored another run, final was 4-1. Had the Tigers been up only 1-0 in the ninth, no way Shannon hits that meaningless two-out homer.
I distinctly remember our 6th grade teachers letting us listen to the games. When one of the fourth grade teachers Bryon a small, portable tv we crowded in for the last game. I remember most of the players and the positions they played. What a wonderful memory. Thanks for this post.
Till the day he died, Tim McCarver said that this was the World Series that got away from them. The Cardinals were up three games to one with a chance to finish them off in Detroit. But because they knew they had Gibson going in a Game 7, they thought he was invincible, and there was no way they could lose that game. They took their foot off the gas, let the Tigers back in, and Mickey Lolich ended up outpitching Bob Gibson in the Year of the Pitcher.
I've spent more than 50 years feeling sick about how this Series turned out. My Cardinals up 3-1 and they let it slip away. How could that happen? The Cards had all-world Bob Gibson (he of the 1.12 ERA) and beat 31 game winner Denny McLain twice. Yet still lost in 7. It still drives me crazy every day.
I was 11 years old and still recall being disappointed the Cardinals did not win but the Tigers had a great team..... ah, who cares about the Tigers, I wanted the Cardinals to win - lol.
@@michaelinhouston9086 Gibson, Brock, Flood, McCarver, Carlton, Maxvill, Shannon, Cepeda, Maris. Seemed like a monster team of legends when I was a kid. I lived in Chicago but at night could catch the Cardinal games on KMOX when the wind was blowing right. It was the Card's Last Hurrah. In 69, the miracle Mets would emerge and then Cincinatti's Big Red Machine took over. But in the mid 60s the Card ruled the roost. And we did have 2006 when the Cards got revenge over the Tigers. Retaliate for '68!!
I know that this is "old " video, but I remember Denny McLain. I was collecting the 7/11 slurpee cups on MLB. He was the last cup I needed. Was so happy when I got it! ☺️
1968 was, without doubt, the 'Year of the Pitcher'. And the fall classic did not disappoint. Gibson was great but Lolich was historic. Enjoyed the trip back to the days of yore. Thanks.
This happened just one year after the Detroit riots it brought the city back together.I was in 5th grade,Wade Fast elementary, Mt,Clemens Mi. Cash was my favorite player probably because he was a lefty first baseman the position I played all my life. Our teacher Mrs. Emerick who was retiring that year brought in a 13 inch black n white TV and set with bunny ears,with tin foil on em. up in class and we skipped our work and watched the games . Back then World series games were always played during the day.Great memories. Side note the great Denny Mclain barely showed up for the series the very underrated Mickey Lolich carried the team on his back by getting 3 wins with the 3rd one over Bob Gibson and the Cards in game 7. The Tigers were down 3 games to one and came back to win it! While McClain and Gibson got all the press Lolich was in the trenches winning ballgames. But, I will never forget how dominate Gibson was in game 1 breaking a record by fanning 17 Tigers in that game.
I got to see Denny McLain speak at a local theater a couple of years ago. Still funny AF. We were in the second row. At one point, he couldn’t remember the name of the first Black umpire. I softly said, “Emmett Ashford”? He looked at me, amazed, and said “How the hell do you know THAT?” My long suffering wife just shook her head and said, “This is what I live with”. He laughed.
And I too loved Stormin’ Norman. A sad ending for a great guy. The story of him bringing a table leg up to bat against Nolan Ryan as he was throwing a no-no is one of my all time favorite stories.
Cash was great, saw him clear the right field rooftop with a blast at Old Tiger Stadium. Went to our church at St. James Methodist off of Southfield freeway in Detroit!
I really liked Bill Freehan back then. He was a hell of an athlete and the best catcher in the American League for years. He looked like he could have played in the NFL as a linebacker
@Harry Browneigh he should be in the hall, has the same stats that Carter has, one world title for both. But freehan did something no other player did and that was he played all 15 innings of a All-Star game 1967. you can look it up.
Northrup passed away 1/8/11 at age of 71, from a seizure following years of declining health. This Tiger team had so many regulars who stayed with the club for years. C Bill Freehan played all 15 seaons with the Tigers, 1B Norm Cash played from 1960-74, OF Al Kaline all 22 years ('53-74), OF Willie Horton ('63-77), OF Jim Northrup ('64-74), 2B Dick McAuliffe ('60-74), OF Mickey Stanley all 15 years ('64-78), and 3B Don Wert ('63-70). Gates Brown played all 15 years ('63-75)
those were the days, when players stayed with their team their entire career, unless traded. Tigers were very good from early 60s through early 70s, though this was their only title until 84.
@@scottodonnell7121 Freehan's back up at catcher was Jim Price. On any other team he would have been the starting catcher, but being trapped behind Bill, he was lucky to see 15-20 starts a season at catcher. He may have actually logged more playing time at First Base.
@@Diogenes-ty9yy You're correct that Cash started out wiht the White Sox. They traded him to the Cleveland Indians one year later. It was a multi-player trade, but the most significant player obtained by the WSox was Minnie Minoso. Minoso actually led the league in hits in his first year with the WSox. And Cash never played for the Indians, who immediately traded him to the Tigers for Steve Demeter. That was not one of Cleveland's better trades. Demeter played a total of 4 games for Cleveland, was sent to the minors, and never returned to the majors. (He did have a great career in the minors for what that's worth, hitting 272 minor league HR's.)
I was 8, and was with my Dad in St Louis on this day, and we had to head back home to the Illinois side. As we drove past Busch Stadium on the way to the bridge, there was a banner that said "Standing Room Available" and I'll never forget the pain in my Dad's face because he had to go back and work, and we couldn't stop. Sad that the Cards lost that day, but I vowed never to pass up an opportunity like that again. Thanks for posting this clip.
Thanks. I grew up in Detroit and its suburbs, and I was 11 when the 1968 series was played. I was in seventh heaven when Detroit finally pulled it out, after being down three games. For Burns not to mention it, except to note Gibson's performance, is outrageous.
I only remember some of the scores,because I was 19,years old,and with the 1st Cavalry,in Viet Nam,at 75 years old this is the first time I have seen these great games!Duty CalledThomas A.Filipiak
Me too Kim ,Don Wert single walk off I heard Ernies call.I remember manager Smith going to outfielder Mickey Stanley to play Short Stop for the weak hitting Ray Oiler.
Keep in mind, this is the guy who came to the plate with a table leg against Nolan Ryan and told the ump it didn't matter what he went up there with because no one was going to get a hit off Ryan that night anyway. One of the true characters of the game. Dad used to get company box seats in the upper deck, front row right over Cash playing down at first. RIP Norm, we still remember.
@@itinerantpatriot1196 The first game I ever got to see at Tiger Stadium was pretty much in that very same area watching my favorite player Norm Cash and his counterpart Joe Pepitone of the Yankees in 1964. And at 12 years old I was pretty much in awe of both teams and the place as well. My only regret was that Yogi Berra wasn't playing anymore... he was managing. The Tigers eeked out a really close 14 to 2 loss to a very good Yankee team that went on to lose the World Series to the Cardinals.
That’s one thing I appreciate about modern technology. You don’t really get a feel for how exciting this must have been for local fans. But man, baseball has always been the best.
God, I could watch this all day. I was 7 years old, Wayne Michigan. Our elementary school brought a TV into our classroom so we could watch these WS games and root for the Tigers (all WS games were day games back then). What a glorious Team our '68 Tigers were!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was in jr. high school when they let our class go into the auditorium to watch the series on a black & white set. The one thing I wish they would have never done was to go to night games. Play all day games the way it was. It is just not the same any more.
It's unrealistic though. I could see having a day game or two on a weekend but wouldn't it have been better if you were already out of school when the game started so you could watch the whole game? If they had a 7 o clock start time back then I'm sure it would be over before 9:30 and kids would be able to stay up. Plus you'd have all day wondering, anticipating if your team can win, that nervous tension building. Also, I've always believed that turning on the bright lights for a night game is the perfect playoff atmosphere. I've probably been conditioned by baseball movies though where the climactic game at the end is always played at night.
Also the day games on weekends in the WS or CS’s afford the avoidance of October evening chills in some of the northern cities, altho even with that now climate change is causing more mild nights sometimes. But late October especially, some of those night games can be bleak.
Yep, back then they knew it was just a blip and that he would come out of it, of course they would have preferred to never have the blip in the first place but, there it was, and, it happened. Today they go running around like chickens with their heads cut off when a starter gives up a couple runs. One other point tho, the center field hit could have been ruled as an error and thus counted as an unearned run.
@@JohnSmith-kz8yo Those commercial breaks are definitely annoying, but doesn't even begin to explain the huge difference of time the game is played. It used to be 2 1/2 hours instead of the eternity it takes for today's game.
Games today are slower because the strike zone is much smaller then back in the 60s if you threw 100 pitches back then you would be in the ninth inning. if you throw 100 pitches today you're probably in the sixth or seventh inning. so it's not fair to say that nobody comes close to Gibson because guys like Ryan, Clemens, Johnson are pitching to a smaller strike zone.
@@michaelguadiana4756 We had a lot more complete games for the starting pitchers, none of this pitch count and seven innings for the starter and one pitcher for the 8th and another for the 9th. Some starters less than that. We had relief pitchers that could pitch more than one inning. The manager and catcher could tell when the pitcher was losing his stuff. I remember when the umpires decided on their own to narrow the strike zone by not calling pitches above the belt a strike even if it was a strike by the rules. That was miserable as hell, but the owners finally convinced the umpires to go back to calling the letter high strike. It's still the same strike zone. They just work slower and even slower than that if the team scores a couple of runs. Baseball has changed so radically that I can't stand to watch it. Wild cards and multiple divisions have really ruined it for me. It used to be if you finished 2nd, you wait till next year. Then there are those boring 3 1/2 hour games and I have seen some go past 4 hours. It was my favorite sport growing up. Now I can't stand it. It's for the sports junkies who are addicted to it and a lot of other sports going on at the same time.
Back then, ALL World Series games were played during the day!! You had to SNEAK a transitor radio , with an earpiece to school to listen to it and it was YOUR ASS if you got caught too. Anybody else remember doing that??
@@frederickrapp5396 But I did stay awake for 2016 World Series when the Cubs won! It ended between 1130 and 1200 in Chicago, an hour later in Cleveland and the East. The game went 10 innings and had a short rain delay at end of 9th.
Of course that game, obviously game 7, likely would have been over much earlier, and before the delay, if Joe Maddon, Cubs manager, hadn't over managed the game in regard to his pitching.
My dad, who was a Cardinal fan, pulled me out of school to watch this game. He named me after Stan Musial but unfortunately for my dad I became a Tigers fan. This was a great moment for me but not for him.
@@rascal211 The Tigers games were shown on TV where I lived when I was a kid and the Cardinals games weren't. I was a big Al Kaline fan so there was no way I was changing.
Interesting to note the lack of white chalk outlining the batters box etc..,, the was the first series of baseball that i ever watched sparking my interest in baseball. Northrup became my baseball hero at that point
Many players in those days wore what is known as a cap "liner", worn inside the cap when batting. It provided some protection, but certainly not as much as an actual helmet.
So, old man, you don’t approve of helmets, gloves, pads, and guards. Ah, an ancient armchair warrior! You must be a pleasure to be around. 🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦♂️
The safety concerns in baseball then were secondary to tradition and we really don’t know how much players of those eras of baseball paid the price. But… I’m sure they did.
Thanks for posting this Wayne. After the final out, all of us kids plus neighbor kids piled in the back of my Dad’s pickup truck and drove east on Warren Avenue. Greeted by plenty of honking horns and a huge crowd in the intersection of Warren and Greenfield. Great memories!
I was downtown on Grand River when they won. It was pandemonium!!! I never kissed, and was kissed, by so many unknown women and handed a brown bag with hooch in it from people in cars driving by! I think I got home about 4 or 5 in the morning. Fabulous!
one of the best WS of all time. Shame that Gibson lost this gm, after pitching brilliantly for 6 2/3 inn. Tigers had a great team, and were big underdogs, largely becuz of Gibby
The 1968 Detroit Tigers were a much better hitting team than the 1968 St. Louis Cardinals were. They were only underdogs in your mind. Look at both teams hitting statistics in 1968.
@@mjbachman3027 the baseball experts made them underdogs as cardinals won it all in 67 and with largely same team in 64. Not many people were surprised that cards were up 3-1 the way gibson had pitched all year. Axiom was that good pitching could stop good hitting. Compare 65 dodgers hitting with Twins lineup but look who won series
One of the most exciting moments in my childhood was watching the Tigers win in 1968. When they won it was a month before my eighth birthday. Never forget it.
This was a GREAT WS. I just finished reading "Summer of 68" by Tim Wendel. (good read) I like Norm Cash at bat with no helmet (just a cap). Lolich was the hero of the series!!!
This is turn back the clock nostalgia, when all WS games were played in the daytime in stadiums that now exist only in old fans' memories and these black and white films. Gibson, Kaline, McCarver, Horton, Northrup, you are gone but not forgotten
Crazy..but i was 9 also.. lived in Ypsilanti.. That was a AWESOME year.. My brother went to the final game that won the series.. I think he still has a baggie with sod in it from the field. I remember it like yesterday :)
This brings back memories. 7th grade, P.S. #55, Indianapolis, Indiana. This was back in the pre-night games day when you'd run home from school, turn on the telly and the series was usually circa the bottom of the 4th. Oh, and you'd keep a transistor radio in your pocket at school to catch occasion updates.
I could have written this exact same thing except to change the grade to 5th and the city to Chicago. Plus I had to hide my radio in a Catholic school under 1968 rules.Talk about daring!
I lived in Indianapolis at the time. It might be recalled the slogan of Esso for their gas was "Put A Tiger In Your Tank". After the series, the Indianapolis News did a cartoon of a tiger in a baseball cap with a couple of feathers hanging out of his mouth captioned "A Cardinal In His Tank".
+William Stenberg Believe it or not, our 7th grade English teacher was a big sports fan and actually turned on the TV and allowed us to watch the game!
unfortunately for Flood, he challenged the reserve clause that bound a player to a team, but lost in court. Attempted to come back after a year or 2 off but was through. Free agency started in mid 70s, with Catfish Hunter getting out of his contract on technicality and an arbitrator's ruling. Flood never saw any of the benefits but all athletes owe him a tremendous amount of gratitude. RIP Curt
Actually, free agency came about for all MLB players in the 1975 Andy Messersmith arbitration decision. Catfish Hunter won free agency a year earlier under unique circumstances that did not apply to other players. Hunter's contract with Charlie Finley of the A's required Finley to make contributions to a life insurance fund. When the IRS informed Finley that these contributions were not deductible for federal tax purposes, Finley refused to make the contributions required under the contract. The arbiter Peter Seitz then gave him free agency.
@loyaldude10 and @Thomas Wolf - both of you are extremely accurate on the history of free agency. Certainly it was Curt Flood who had the guts to complain and sue the owners’ grip on its employees (the players themselves).
what i remember most about Gibson was how fast he worked; mccarver would throw the ball back to him, and he'd be into his windup already. I never thought the Tigers would beat him after that Game 1 when he struck out 17, but their hitters made the adjustment
Not just Gibson working efficiently. That was how the game was played then. We need to get back to rules outlawing stepping out of the box every pitch & adjusting helmet, glove & crotch. Play ball!
I met Bob Gibson at a autograph signing in Plymouth,Michigan in the late 80s. He was still pissed that the Cardinals blew that world series after being up 3 games to 1... Sorry Bob....lololol
in his book, Stranger to the Game, he admitted that Lolich outpitched him in game 7. Unfortunately I think he was out of gas, as he only allowed 1 hit until Cash's single in 7th
It was a great series for Lolich, Gibson, and to a lesser extent, McClain. McClains' third game was his only outstanding start. As I recall, his shoulder was ailing him during his first two starts (after 336 innings pitched, and 28 complete games, I'll give him a pass on that), and got a cortisone shot before his third start which enabled him to pitch more like the McClain we'd seen all season. I can remember McClain not being very effective during the close of that regular season, dropping 2 of his last 3 decisions. An additional note on that game six; Cardinal starter Ray Washburn was chased after only two innings, and a young pitcher by the name of Steve Carlton would come in later in the game and pitched 3 solid innings in relief. The only run he gave up was on a HR by Al Kaline, one of my baseball heroes as a kid.
I was in the third grade when this happened. Never watched the games live since they were generally played during the day while I was in school. No streaming or even VCR’s in those days. It’s great to see these highlights on YT though.
And that 2 out, World Series clinching rally was started by my all time favorite player, Stormin' Norman Cash!! The heroes of my youth.....Go Get 'em Tigers!!!!! R.I.P. Jim
Lost in the excitement of Northrup's hit was Bill Freehan handling that Gibson curveball to drive in Northrup. That pitch wasn't a great curve but it still had pretty decent break--it probably gets most of today's free swinging hitters out.
I’ve been a Tiger for life and I was in Vietnam when they finally won the World Series. I remember hearing it from someone. Never new any details until I got home.
One of the best world Series I ever saw. Gibson had all theK's but Lolich pitched just as well. On watching this Triple by Northrup, I think Flood misjudged the ball. Al Kaline was an all time great and this was a good Tigers team.
+Ealdred Aruspex Big part of it is that the Tigers were a "Team" that year. They relied on each other, they trusted each other, they pulled for each other. Makes a big difference!
@@loyaldude10 He got to 3-2 with two outs against Cash, but then it was three straight pitches surrendering hits. Freehan was busted inside and the count drew even 2-2, but Gibson tossed a curve to help Detroit go up three, their final victory margin. Meant a lot to me as an 8-year old in Saginaw, Michigan!
![ลักพาตัว เอาลูกเอิร์นกลับมา...!! [เอิร์นไดเม่]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/f4NVKlZ5qkk/mqdefault.jpg)
The 1968 World Series was one of the greatest. I was 13yrs old back in 1968. Bob Gibson was great
Mickey Lolich was better.
Thanks to Jim and all of the '68 Tigers for giving this old man such wonderful memories to cherish.
Man, isn’t that the truth. We will never see the like of it again.
Your wonderful memory is a disaster for me. ;-)
Norm Cash was a money player too.
Me too I was 9.. And from Detroit I remember they played the World Series in school, I actually remember that like it was yesterday
It was great to have a sports fan teaching afternoon classes. My geometry teacher got the AV squad to roll in a TV on a stand for this series, and we were in the Yankees market. Awesome.
The 1968 World Series was one of the greatest ever played. Detroit recovered from a 3-1 deficit, winning three consecutive games, in order to win the World Championship. Tiger Mickey Lolich pitched and won three games, the third on only two days' rest. Yet, this Series barely gets mentioned in Ken Burns' video, "Baseball," except to point out that Gibson struck out 17 in the first game.
"this Series barely gets mentioned in Ken Burns' video, 'Baseball,' except to point out that Gibson struck out 17 in the first game."
That's because the Red Sox weren't playing.
I’m a lifelong Yankees fan, but I was glued to the set during this Series. Historically, any number of guys had grabbed 3 wins by starting games 1, 4 and 7, but Lolich’s feat was amazing at the time, and still is!
The Tigers have always gotten the short end of the stick
Ken Burns’ dad lost the family fortune in Denny McLain’s scheme to turn worn-out baseballs into car upholstery. And Ken Burns has never forgiven the Tigers.
Maybe because it was the greatest collapse by one of the best pitchers of all time.
This was when baseball was the greatest game played by the greatest players no comparison with the game today.
Do you feel better, champ??
@@sludge8506 Do you feel better, troll??
Finish your milk and cookies and go back down to your mommy's basement now.
Cash, Horton, Northrup, Kaline, Freehan....growing up watching these guys I never appreciated how special they were!!!
I've always felt for Ray Oyler, having a great defensive year at short stop, only to be set down in the World Series to have the center fielder on the club move to short stop. It worked. Micky Stanley made two errors but they never resulted in RBIs.
@@cdjhyoung IIRC, Mayo Smith was the Tigers' manager that year and he felt that Stanley's bat would make up for his defensive liability. This was a great Series, great memories.
@@Diogenes-ty9yy I didn't realize it until I did a little research is that Stanley started the 69 season as the Tiger's short stop and played 58 game there. Ray Oyler was left unprotected in the expansion draft and landed in Seattle where he had the best statistical batting season of his career.
I recall sitting in my little basement bedroom with a bunch of buddies watching the Tigers with our little Sylvaina 12" black and white that my brother and I worked so hard to get via neighborhood odd jobs and delivering newspapers. Fun days!!
As an 8 year old, they let us watch the game at school in Detroit. I will never forget that series!
They let us watch the 72' game 5 vs the A's in 3rd grade class room.
I watched at McKinstry elementary with classmates it was fun 🤩
Same here! That was so cool.
@@jerardnorgren3411 teacher took my radio in the 73 playoffs. I had it in my desk and had earplugs running up my sleeve, but I started yelling, and that gave it away 😂. Third grade, Jefferson Elementary, Royal Oak, Mich.
I was 8 also. Born 3-10-60. I was in catholic school- St Roberts in Flushing Michigan. We were allowed to listen to the game on the radio.
I was 10 years old and I remember the teacher wheeled in a tv and we got to watch this in class.
What a wonderful teacher, little did he/she know that was the greatest lesson they ever taught.😊
Same here. My teacher was Mrs. Dunham, and though she hated the Tigers being a Cleveland native, she let us watch anyway because they were our team. Teachers wouldn't dream of doing that in today's wretched, woke education system.
Marquette, Michigan, on that beautiful late summer day. I was in 2nd grade, and we, too, got to watch the game. Thank you, Mrs. Zerbel!
I was 13 and in junior high school at the time.
Color TV was a new thing.
My school HAD color TV, and since back then games were played in the afternoon, we students were allowed to stay after school to watch the games and be bussed back home afterwards.
What a country we were back then.
I can hardly believe it.
To have all my classmates SCREAMING after that hit will remain with me the rest of my life.
I was 10-11 yrs old. The 68 series was the start of my love of baseball. I was able to play until I was 40. In 7th grade woodshop I took a Bob Gibson pic and a Mickey Lolich pic cut from a sports mag, Glued them to a piece of wood after staining it and woodburning in Cardinal and Tiger logos. I displayed that on my walls for decades. I don't know where it is now but I can see it as I speak about it. Baseball. Love it.
I was 11 too,and the first series I recall. The outfield didn't help Gibby much there.
Was it 10 or 11? You don't know how old you were in October of 1968?
Lolich won three of those games. McClain won 31 games that year. It was a great year. I have been a tiger fan ever since.
I was 8 and will never forget it
"Happy days are here again"
Jim Northrup had one hell of a year in '68.
Always liked Northrup
The Silver Fox or the Grandslam Kid, my fav Tiger as a kid. Two grandslams in one game.
@@TheTussman
Wasn't that something?......😊
@@TheTussman I think Frank Robinson did that once too, hit two slams in one game for the Orioles. I do miss Curt Gowdy calling Saturday afternoon baseball games.
He had the perfect swing for Tiger Stadium-He was lethal there.
Every guy on that team means a lot to me.I love them all.
Northrup had a fine World Series that year. Underrated player.
He was very streaky throughout his career but was capable of carrying a team for a week or two when he got rolling.
Northrup often said he knew he had to ready on Gibson's s first pitch and he was.
He was part of really good outfield, including Wilie Horton, Mickey Stanley, who filled in at short quite often that year, and HOFer AL Kaline. RiP.
I remember checking the League Leaders in the paper everyday and marveling at how many grand slams Northrup hit. Great World Series. Two terrific teams.
@@jameskolan9195 your comment prompted me to check him out…one of only 13 players to hit 2 grand slams in a game. Very interesting!
I was so glad Al Kaline finally got to play in a World Series and played a great series.
I was happy for him , as well...and to think some players, like Mick, played in about 12 world series, on great teams
I recall that in his last year with the Tigers, Al Kaline asked for an increase in pay to $100,000 but the Tigers refused him.
Nice to see Kaline’s right field counterpart Roger Maris at 0:51 fielding Cash’s single.
When they won we were on the freeway driving through Detroit traffic on the way to see my grandparents in Flint before flying overseas to our next duty station. My dad, just back from his first tour in Vietnam, started screaming at the top of his lungs and the entire freeway erupted with horns honking. That night the news showed the airport tarmac overrun with fans CHASING PLANES as they landed trying to find the team. I was nine and I’ll never forget it. ❤
Loved Stormin Norman Cash, Willie The Wonder Horton, Jim Northrup, Bill Freehan, Mickey Stanley, Al Kaline, Dick McAuliffe, Dennis Dale McClain, Mickey Lolich, Earl Wilson and The Gator..Gates Brown!! 🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂👍👍👍👍👍
Willie Horton's other nickname was "The Bull."
And Don Wert
@@frankcooper5629 - yes Don was a good dependable 3rd baseman for sure!
I remember these games like it was yesterday. Denny McClain had been pitching against Gibson in the previous games where he lost. So they did a switch and Mickey Lolich pitched against Gibson after McClain had won game six. It was my first summer back from Vietnam so I always felt the won this series for me!
Hey - thank you for your service to your country.
That's not why they "switched". They didn't want to rely on Earl Wilson, who hadn't had a particularly good year, or Joe Sparma. So, both McLain and Lolich pitched on 2 days rest . That put each of them a day ahead in the rotation.
Marc...I listened to the game in a foxhole in Vietnam at something like 3am on Armed Forces radio with an earphone in one ear. Being a Tiger fan, it was amazing.
My first MLB game was September 15, 1968 at Tiger Stadium.
I was in school at the time. To allow the kids to watch the game at home Detroit Schools switched a teacher's conference up a day so we got out early to be able to watch the whole game. Pretty nice.
When it was Baseball!.....When it was a game!!!!.....even though I was 1 yr old when this game took place.....I love it more than today's baseball.....My favorite player was Mr. CLemente, and just knowing he played during this time gives me so much happiness! Tim Mcarver, Bob Gibson, Bill Freham.....all of this guys were true to the game......old Shool baseball....The Best......
Roberto Clemente had more hits than any other batter in the decade of the 1960s.
@K Maxx hey bro...I was born in 1966...In fact I dont remember him playing....but I've seen plenty of videos! Baseball was better than ever!!!! Hater! Go do your HOMEWORK....
Thanks for letting us know what you *don’t* like, geezer. That was interesting. 🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️
Al Kaline passed away this week. RIP Al!!
kyokogodai ....A decent and humble man...may God bless his soul. He used to always give a shout-out to Gates Brown in local interviews with, "..Say hello to the Gator for me.." He and Gates Brown were tight..
That was a month ago junior
@@danfrick220 - He wrote that message a month ago son. Pay attention!
@@JustWinBabee Drink another
He's up there with the rest of the hall of famers
All these years later this still hurts. The Cardinals had never lost a game 7 in their history. Floods stumble was a shock and it was asking too much for Gibson to go on two days rest. However, the key was that St. Louis couldn't do anything against Lolich, who I believe won 3 games. As I recall the Tigers had an outfielder playing shortstop!
Mickey Stanley played most innings of all 7 games at SS. Made 2 errors. I dont recall that costing them any games?
Gibson went on 3days and lolich on 2days.
Gibson only allowed an infield hit until Cash's single, and didn't walk anyone. 7 Ks. Guess he just tired, but until then he was unhittable.
The Tigers crushed Carlton as well. It was his first year as an all star. The Cardinals should have brought in somebody else after the first couple of hits in the 7th. Detroit won the last three games, man!
When the Yankees traded Maris to St Louis I went with him ! Those Cards would have won 2 straight WS! Great team ! Give the tigers credit they came back!
I remember being in second grade (St. Jude in Detroit) and watching this game in class! Jim's triple was key, but damn getting four straight hits against gibson was impressive!
I was in the 5th grade (Holy Redeemer, SW Detroit) They wheeled the TV into class so us kids could watch it! Great memories!
The same thing for me---I was a 7th grader at Holy Trinity Catholic School (Alpine Township/GR). The nun who taught my class would wheel the TV into the classroom each and every day of the 1968 Series. And when the dismissal bell rang, I would peddle that mile home in record time so I could watch the remainder of those games.
@@robertflowers6621 My dad was also in grade school when this game was played. Their teacher, Sister Mary Catherine, secured one of the AV departments TVs and brought it into the classroom. Same story 4 years later when the Tigers were in the ALCS against Oakland. If there's more hardcore baseball fans than Catholic Nuns, I haven't met them.
Good stuff. Could watch this classic baseball stuff all damn day!
Jim Northrup had a knack for hitting grand slams...In fact, June 24, 1968,In a game against the Cleveland Indians, Northrup hit grand slams in consecutive at bats in the 5th and 6th innings. This made him one of only 13 players to have hit 2 grand slams in one game and the second to do so in consecutive at-bats.
I listened to that game on WJR. If I recall correctly, he hit three that week.
I listened to that game as a kid on the radio.
I believe he had a chance at a third GS in that game late and struck out on three pitches.
I was at that game & saw he hit both of those. I’m now 69 years old but I vividly remember this game.
Notice how fast Bob Gibson worked, even in a pressure situation...this five minute sequence would take at least 20 at the pace of today's game.
Gibby was one of the fastest working pitchers that you'll ever see. As soon as the catcher threw the ball back to him, Gibson was ready to start his windup.
He was fast, but then, all pitchers got right back to the rubber and hitters stayed in the box. Today, hitters go for a stroll after every pitch, take 3 slow motion swings, adjust their gloves 3 times, and dig in. If the pitcher takes too long, they go out for a latte and biscotti ...
I look at this and say…this is the pace baseball should demand today. No stepping out all time fooling what batting gloves. Pitchers should be pitching with a clock on them.
Yes! I noticed that, too. 💯
Finally the 2023 season will rectify a lot of this stalling BS. MLB is rolling out a pitch clock. IIRC, it’s 15 seconds with the bases empty, and 20 with base runners.
The commentary is so clean... today's broadcasters seem like they fill every second of airtime with drivel.
Producers hate dead air.
You're right. And they're wrong to. Visuals and nat sound go a long way.
- Is it Freddie?? Did you watch any of the Red Sox-Yankees last night? Did you see any of the 9th inning? I'm TIRED of people whining about how baseball today is "unwatchable". Newsflash: baseball 50 years ago ISN'T applicable to today's society. Baseball has to adjust to the times like everything else. Unless you wanted everything from 50 years ago to stay EXACTLY the same and not have even one thing change at all.
I believe that is a young Harry Caray calling the game. He spent 25 yrs with the Cardinals
@@dunemetal67 Yes, back in his lucid days.
Seeing this unforgettable video in black and white takes me back to that day with my transistor radio at Northwest High School in St. Louis, my heart sinking with Northrup's hit evading the slipping Flood, who was a fabulous CF'er.
I was listening to mine as well during the day games. Radio hidden below my shirt, wire run up my long sleeves and covered the bug in my ear with my hand.
Might have been the only student in my HS of 3,000 students that thought that my Tigers could win.
"We're all behind our baseball team, go get 'em Tigers. World Series bound and pickin' up steam, go get 'em Tigers....."
Just noticed Young Jim Hart played a home game there Oct 6 . Series games were 3 & 4 days later. Outfield probably torn-up like Wrigley after an in-season concert.
@davidburke9596 have a relative that played HS football with Hart at Niles West. 2 others that graduated with Merrick Garland. Same HS.
this is real baseball,, fast paced(no stepping out to fix a batting glove) real fans watching the game (not looking down at a cell phone)
no batting helmet for Norm Cash, he probably had an inside liner.
You got that right 100%
Just a bunch of baseball players
Not the millionaire money driven industry we have today
illinoizrichy1 Sorry but 1968 was a horrible year for baseball. Pitchers dominated way too much. Every game was 1-0, 2-1, 3-1, etc. Attendance was way down. Hell, the AL batting champion was Yastremski, w/a .301 BA. Lack of offense was why MLB lowered the mound the next year. Time magazine ran an article that year, entitled "Baseball is dead". People, especially sports fans think everything was better 40-50 years ago, but that's not always the case.
Not a single advertisement visible on any camera angle.
illinoizrichy1 Plus, charismatic players like Bob Gibson. 😆
I went to game 5 of this series with my brother. I was a freshman at Western Michigan and my dad came and picked me up and had tickets for my brother and me. The Tigers got beat like a drum in that game, but I watched this one in the commons room at Western. Still one of the great times of my life.
Couldn't be game 5. The Tigers won. Had they lost game 5, they'd have been eliminated, being down 3-1 and all.
Scott Trevathan Tigers won game 5, and 6, and 7.
HO HO Scott!!!! Caught lying on TH-cam!! How embarrassing!!
Go Broncos !
Maybe you are thinking of game 4?
I was there. It was a great game.
I lived in Detroit in 68. What a classic!
Remember that 68', team, well. Playing baseball with my friends, in the neighbors backyard, listening to the game.
Jim Northrup was one of my favorite Tiger players. Right up there with Kaline and Horton. He was a good one! SOLID!
Yep, can't forget Kaline arm in left field.
@@eldorado1830 Al Kaline was a right fielder. Only played left and/or center on occasion.
Best .267 hitter in my lifetime!!
@@sludge8506 Mine too!! Very underrated player on both sides of the ball.
@@felixmadison5736 Absolutely correct!! And AK was a great one!! Now, did Eldo just make a typo, or is his mind melted.
Detroit had 4 outfielders in Northrup, Horton, Karine, and Stanley. The Tigers manager got all 4 in each game by benching shortstop Ray Oyler and putting Mickey Stanley in that position. Mayo Smith was called genius for that move, but all it did was strengthen the lineup.
10 yrs. old. off the school bus & ran home 100mph to catch the last 3 innings. WAS WELL WORTH IT!!!!
Had to walk home from school with radio in hand, but got home in time to see the win.
Same small radio in shirt pocket in history class. Earphone in, Tigers score, let out a whoop!
Teacher asks, “What’s the score,”
Same here - no bus - just ran home - I was 11
I as well was 10. This was the first world series I ever followed but I ran home to see and root for the tigers. Remember that all world series games were played in the afternoon back then.
9 years of age for me. I still love this!
Great coverage by Harry Carey and Curt Gowdy . Fifty years has went by too fast . Tigers will celebrate the 1968 win in September at Comerica Park .
Why do we have to be ghetto-ass Michigan?
I live in SW Lower Michigan, and it’s more Cubs/Chisox country than Tigers. While I’m 10 Toes Down for the Tigers, I loved listening to Harry Carey and Jimmy Piersall broadcasting the Chisox in the late 70’s!
I grew up on Harwell and Paul Carey, and I think that they are the GOAT as radio broadcasters...but Harry and Jimmy were good AND fun!
That became known as "Flood's Fatal Slip". But these 2 teams deserved to be in the series; both were stacked with talented ballplayers at every position.
In the Detroit free press the next day a sports columnist wrote Floods slip is showing.
@@kened1954Slip or not, it looked like he was fooled, and committed to the wrong line to catch the ball.
@@DiogenesLantern he had zero chance to make that catch. It was a line drive that landed about 400 feet from the plate.
1968 was last season before divisional play. By all star break it was clear that Cardinals and Tigers were going to World Series, barring a historic collapse.
@@scottodonnell7121 Flood was a victim of his own excellence. Few or no other outfielders could have caught that ball. Northrup completely deserved being credited with a triple. A year later someone told me the Cardinals owner traded Flood to Philadelphia because of that play. I don't know if that was the reason, but I wouldn't put it past a vindictive owner to do something like that. That trade was what lead Flood to challenge the reserve clause.
I remember this series fondly. My school wouldn't allow any radios, so I skipped school and ended up listening to the game in an empty field near my house. Game one was a cold and rainy day here and I came down with a cold and had to stay home for the rest of the series, even though I was sick I never enjoyed myself more until 1984
Freehan should be in baseball hall of fame.
I watched this game on live television and was rooting for the Tigers. Gibson had a great year but Lolich came out on top when it mattered most: the Series. And don't forget that Game # 7 was played in St. Louis. The Tigers were the better team and deserved their Series victory. Thanks for great memories.
Flood makes that catch like he should have tigers score 0 completely different game Cards defending champs were the better team done in by few bad plays were up 3-1 in that series they blew it.
@@eugeneelar2231 The beauty of baseball is that Flood didn't make that catch, and the defending Champs aren't guaranteed a repeat. The Tigers were the better overall team and proved it when it mattered.
@@richardgriffith1241 many times in sports the better team doesn't win.Some players don't play well unlucky breaks like flood tripping.There were 2outs he makes the catch tigers lose,all their runs came from that inning right?Shannon's hr in ninth wins it.
@@eugeneelar2231 Wrong. The Tigers scored another run, final was 4-1. Had the Tigers been up only 1-0 in the ninth, no way Shannon hits that meaningless two-out homer.
@@eugeneelar2231 Tigers we’re the better team. Denny had a bad arm. He took a cortisone shot before game 6 and St. Louis could not touch him.
I distinctly remember our 6th grade teachers letting us listen to the games. When one of the fourth grade teachers Bryon a small, portable tv we crowded in for the last game.
I remember most of the players and the positions they played.
What a wonderful memory. Thanks for this post.
Till the day he died, Tim McCarver said that this was the World Series that got away from them. The Cardinals were up three games to one with a chance to finish them off in Detroit. But because they knew they had Gibson going in a Game 7, they thought he was invincible, and there was no way they could lose that game. They took their foot off the gas, let the Tigers back in, and Mickey Lolich ended up outpitching Bob Gibson in the Year of the Pitcher.
I've spent more than 50 years feeling sick about how this Series turned out. My Cardinals up 3-1 and they let it slip away. How could that happen? The Cards had all-world Bob Gibson (he of the 1.12 ERA) and beat 31 game winner Denny McLain twice. Yet still lost in 7. It still drives me crazy every day.
I was 11 years old and still recall being disappointed the Cardinals did not win but the Tigers had a great team..... ah, who cares about the Tigers, I wanted the Cardinals to win - lol.
@@michaelinhouston9086 Gibson, Brock, Flood, McCarver, Carlton, Maxvill, Shannon, Cepeda, Maris. Seemed like a monster team of legends when I was a kid. I lived in Chicago but at night could catch the Cardinal games on KMOX when the wind was blowing right. It was the Card's Last Hurrah. In 69, the miracle Mets would emerge and then Cincinatti's Big Red Machine took over. But in the mid 60s the Card ruled the roost. And we did have 2006 when the Cards got revenge over the Tigers. Retaliate for '68!!
THERE'S MORE SOBERING THINGS TO LAMENT; LIKE LOSING ONE'S SOUL AFTER GAINING THE WHOLE WORLD. TRUST JESUS BASEBALL FANS.
@@markdebenedetti5953 sorry but the Cards losing the 68 World Series is as sad and bad as it gets for me. As painful as it gets in life.
The Cardinals lost 3 home games in the series. They had their chances.
I know that this is "old " video, but I remember Denny McLain. I was collecting the 7/11 slurpee cups on MLB. He was the last cup I needed. Was so happy when I got it! ☺️
One of THE most entertaining MLB World Series !! Big-time ballplayers !! ;)
I remember this well. I was in 5th grade and growing up in the Detroit area, was a huge tigers fan.
1968 was, without doubt, the 'Year of the Pitcher'. And the fall classic did not disappoint. Gibson was great but Lolich was historic. Enjoyed the trip back to the days of yore. Thanks.
Probably the greatest clutch pitching Series from a "second tier" pitcher ever. To outshine Gibson--1.12 ERA--and McClain--31-6--was something else.
This happened just one year after the Detroit riots it brought the city back together.I was in 5th grade,Wade Fast elementary, Mt,Clemens Mi. Cash was my favorite player probably because he was a lefty first baseman the position I played all my life. Our teacher Mrs. Emerick who was retiring that year brought in a 13 inch black n white TV and set with bunny ears,with tin foil on em. up in class and we skipped our work and watched the games . Back then World series games were always played during the day.Great memories. Side note the great Denny Mclain barely showed up for the series the very underrated Mickey Lolich carried the team on his back by getting 3 wins with the 3rd one over Bob Gibson and the Cards in game 7. The Tigers were down 3 games to one and came back to win it! While McClain and Gibson got all the press Lolich was in the trenches winning ballgames. But, I will never forget how dominate Gibson was in game 1 breaking a record by fanning 17 Tigers in that game.
I got to see Denny McLain speak at a local theater a couple of years ago. Still funny AF.
We were in the second row. At one point, he couldn’t remember the name of the first Black umpire. I softly said, “Emmett Ashford”?
He looked at me, amazed, and said “How the hell do you know THAT?” My long suffering wife just shook her head and said, “This is what I live with”. He laughed.
And I too loved Stormin’ Norman. A sad ending for a great guy. The story of him bringing a table leg up to bat against Nolan Ryan as he was throwing a no-no is one of my all time favorite stories.
Cash was great, saw him clear the right field rooftop with a blast at Old Tiger Stadium. Went to our church at St. James Methodist off of Southfield freeway in Detroit!
I really liked Bill Freehan back then. He was a hell of an athlete and the best catcher in the American League for years. He looked like he could have played in the NFL as a linebacker
He played football at Michigan. I understand he was a skilled punter.
Great catcher and tough. Very underrated.
He finished 2nd to McLain in MVP voting in 68
Heard he has dementia really bad and needs round the clock care. Sad.
@Harry Browneigh he should be in the hall, has the same stats that Carter has, one world title for both. But freehan did something no other player did and that was he played all 15 innings of a All-Star game 1967. you can look it up.
Northrup passed away 1/8/11 at age of 71, from a seizure following years of declining health. This Tiger team had so many regulars who stayed with the club for years. C Bill Freehan played all 15 seaons with the Tigers, 1B Norm Cash played from 1960-74, OF Al Kaline all 22 years ('53-74), OF Willie Horton ('63-77), OF Jim Northrup ('64-74), 2B Dick McAuliffe ('60-74), OF Mickey Stanley all 15 years ('64-78), and 3B Don Wert ('63-70). Gates Brown played all 15 years ('63-75)
those were the days, when players stayed with their team their entire career, unless traded. Tigers were very good from early 60s through early 70s, though this was their only title until 84.
@@loyaldude10 It was before free agency
@@scottodonnell7121 Freehan's back up at catcher was Jim Price. On any other team he would have been the starting catcher, but being trapped behind Bill, he was lucky to see 15-20 starts a season at catcher. He may have actually logged more playing time at First Base.
I remember Norm Cash started out with the White Sox. IIRC, they traded him to Detroit for a pair of old sweat socks or something similar. SMH...
@@Diogenes-ty9yy You're correct that Cash started out wiht the White Sox. They traded him to the Cleveland Indians one year later. It was a multi-player trade, but the most significant player obtained by the WSox was Minnie Minoso. Minoso actually led the league in hits in his first year with the WSox. And Cash never played for the Indians, who immediately traded him to the Tigers for Steve Demeter. That was not one of Cleveland's better trades. Demeter played a total of 4 games for Cleveland, was sent to the minors, and never returned to the majors. (He did have a great career in the minors for what that's worth, hitting 272 minor league HR's.)
I was 8, and was with my Dad in St Louis on this day, and we had to head back home to the Illinois side. As we drove past Busch Stadium on the way to the bridge, there was a banner that said "Standing Room Available" and I'll never forget the pain in my Dad's face because he had to go back and work, and we couldn't stop.
Sad that the Cards lost that day, but I vowed never to pass up an opportunity like that again. Thanks for posting this clip.
Thanks. I grew up in Detroit and its suburbs, and I was 11 when the 1968 series was played. I was in seventh heaven when Detroit finally pulled it out, after being down three games. For Burns not to mention it, except to note Gibson's performance, is outrageous.
I only remember some of the scores,because I was 19,years old,and with the 1st Cavalry,in Viet Nam,at 75 years old this is the first time I have seen these great games!Duty CalledThomas A.Filipiak
Still have the pennant from this game. Such a fond memory.
Me too Kim ,Don Wert single walk off I heard Ernies call.I remember manager Smith going to outfielder Mickey Stanley to play Short Stop for the weak hitting Ray Oiler.
One of the best World Series of all time
That camera angle behind the batter is great they should use that in today's game.
"Players nowadays are so God damn disrespectful."
[ _Norm Cash stares down ump and tells him how to do his job on first pitch of the clip_ ]
He didn't get the nickname Stormin Normin signing autographs. :)
Keep in mind, this is the guy who came to the plate with a table leg against Nolan Ryan and told the ump it didn't matter what he went up there with because no one was going to get a hit off Ryan that night anyway.
One of the true characters of the game. Dad used to get company box seats in the upper deck, front row right over Cash playing down at first.
RIP Norm, we still remember.
@@itinerantpatriot1196
The first game I ever got to see at Tiger Stadium was pretty much in that very same area watching my favorite player Norm Cash and his counterpart Joe Pepitone of the Yankees in 1964. And at 12 years old I was pretty much in awe of both teams and the place as well.
My only regret was that Yogi Berra wasn't playing anymore... he was managing. The Tigers eeked out a really close 14 to 2 loss to a very good Yankee team that went on to lose the World Series to the Cardinals.
Cash was a Great one. This was before the Unions got into the umpires attitudes. Now this Umps are Jackasses
@@stever1791 uh huh. And it’s all because of unions.
"And that Detroit dugout now is a happy place." A fair assessment, I'd say.
And by the way, the city of Detroit was going ballistic at this point!
Oh brother! You have that right. Just like in 1984! and I don't want to tell you how it felt after the Stanley Cup was returned to Detroit in 1997!
That’s one thing I appreciate about modern technology. You don’t really get a feel for how exciting this must have been for local fans. But man, baseball has always been the best.
Even with Flood catching his cleats you get 4 straight hits of Gibson you earned it ❤
God, I could watch this all day. I was 7 years old, Wayne Michigan. Our elementary school brought a TV into our classroom so we could watch these WS games and root for the Tigers (all WS games were day games back then). What a glorious Team our '68 Tigers were!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gotta acknowledge the recent passing of Bob Gibson’s catcher, Tim McCarver (Feb 16, 2023). Those two were a couple of fierce competitors.
I was in jr. high school when they let our class go into the auditorium to watch the series on a black & white set. The one thing I wish they would have never done was to go to night games. Play all day games the way it was. It is just not the same any more.
It's unrealistic though. I could see having a day game or two on a weekend but wouldn't it have been better if you were already out of school when the game started so you could watch the whole game? If they had a 7 o clock start time back then I'm sure it would be over before 9:30 and kids would be able to stay up. Plus you'd have all day wondering, anticipating if your team can win, that nervous tension building. Also, I've always believed that turning on the bright lights for a night game is the perfect playoff atmosphere. I've probably been conditioned by baseball movies though where the climactic game at the end is always played at night.
Also the day games on weekends in the WS or CS’s afford the avoidance of October evening chills in some of the northern cities, altho even with that now climate change is causing more mild nights sometimes. But late October especially, some of those night games can be bleak.
the also played in early october in them days
In the 7th ,Gibson gave up two, 2 out singles a triple and a double and still stayed in game
Yep, back then they knew it was just a blip and that he would come out of it, of course they would have preferred to never have the blip in the first place but, there it was, and, it happened. Today they go running around like chickens with their heads cut off when a starter gives up a couple runs. One other point tho, the center field hit could have been ruled as an error and thus counted as an unearned run.
He also batted for himself later in the game.
May God Bless your soul Jim.
Thank you for the memories!
The tempo of the game was faster.
Of course. They didn't have 5 minute commercial breaks between innings.
@@JohnSmith-kz8yo -yeah and no fucking shifts or bringing in endless relief pitchers.
@@JohnSmith-kz8yo Those commercial breaks are definitely annoying, but doesn't even begin to explain the huge difference of time the game is played. It used to be 2 1/2 hours instead of the eternity it takes for today's game.
Games today are slower because the strike zone is much smaller then back in the 60s if you threw 100 pitches back then you would be in the ninth inning. if you throw 100 pitches today you're probably in the sixth or seventh inning. so it's not fair to say that nobody comes close to Gibson because guys like Ryan, Clemens, Johnson are pitching to a smaller strike zone.
@@michaelguadiana4756 We had a lot more complete games for the starting pitchers, none of this pitch count and seven innings for the starter and one pitcher for the 8th and another for the 9th. Some starters less than that. We had relief pitchers that could pitch more than one inning. The manager and catcher could tell when the pitcher was losing his stuff. I remember when the umpires decided on their own to narrow the strike zone by not calling pitches above the belt a strike even if it was a strike by the rules. That was miserable as hell, but the owners finally convinced the umpires to go back to calling the letter high strike. It's still the same strike zone. They just work slower and even slower than that if the team scores a couple of runs. Baseball has changed so radically that I can't stand to watch it. Wild cards and multiple divisions have really ruined it for me. It used to be if you finished 2nd, you wait till next year. Then there are those boring 3 1/2 hour games and I have seen some go past 4 hours. It was my favorite sport growing up. Now I can't stand it. It's for the sports junkies who are addicted to it and a lot of other sports going on at the same time.
Even though ole Northrup was a great player, "Stormin Norman" was My Tiger! #1🐅fan since the 60's.😃( Freehan was my older Brother's 😀)
Back then, ALL World Series games were played during the day!! You had to SNEAK a transitor radio , with an earpiece to school to listen to it and it was YOUR ASS if you got caught too. Anybody else remember doing that??
I remember our teacher being cool, allowing us to sneak a radio into the classroom.
Those were the days! Now you can't stay awake through a World Series game.
@@stephenkammerling9479You are correct about falling asleep during the World Series. Most games end after midnight on the East Coast.
@@frederickrapp5396 But I did stay awake for 2016 World Series when the Cubs won! It ended between 1130 and 1200 in Chicago, an hour later in Cleveland and the East. The game went 10 innings and had a short rain delay at end of 9th.
Of course that game, obviously game 7, likely would have been over much earlier, and before the delay, if Joe Maddon, Cubs manager, hadn't over managed the game in regard to his pitching.
My dad, who was a Cardinal fan, pulled me out of school to watch this game. He named me after Stan Musial but unfortunately for my dad I became a Tigers fan. This was a great moment for me but not for him.
If the Cardinals won the series you would have been a cardinal fan.
@@rascal211 The Tigers games were shown on TV where I lived when I was a kid and the Cardinals games weren't. I was a big Al Kaline fan so there was no way I was changing.
Interesting to note the lack of white chalk outlining the batters box etc..,, the was the first series of baseball that i ever watched sparking my interest in baseball. Northrup became my baseball hero at that point
No batting helmets, no batting gloves, no elbow pads or shin guards. Just pure, unadulterated baseball.
And no stinking DH
Most of the players were using batting helmets. Not wearing one is just stupid.
Many players in those days wore what is known as a cap "liner", worn inside the cap when batting. It provided some protection, but certainly not as much as an actual helmet.
So, old man, you don’t approve of helmets, gloves, pads, and guards. Ah, an ancient armchair warrior! You must be a pleasure to be around. 🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦♂️
The safety concerns in baseball then were secondary to tradition and we really don’t know how much players of those eras of baseball paid the price.
But… I’m sure they did.
"And that Detroit dugout now is a happy place!"
You bet!
Was on the couch riveted to this as a youngster great memories
Thanks for posting this Wayne. After the final out, all of us kids plus neighbor kids piled in the back of my Dad’s pickup truck and drove east on Warren Avenue. Greeted by plenty of honking horns and a huge crowd in the intersection of Warren and Greenfield. Great memories!
I was downtown on Grand River when they won. It was pandemonium!!! I never kissed, and was kissed, by so many unknown women and handed a brown bag with hooch in it from people in cars driving by! I think I got home about 4 or 5 in the morning. Fabulous!
greatest day of my life
I am there with you - CASH - NORTHRUP- HORTON - LOLICH - McCLAIN - FREEHAN - a tremendous all around team
You had a sad life
cyberpimp29 what’s sad is that you get off on insulting strangers anonymously online
@@brianfergus839 lol - but you take the high road, huh Bri?
cyberpimp29 no, it must be clear from my response that I enjoy insulting people I’ve never met from the anonymity of the internet. I’m weak
one of the best WS of all time. Shame that Gibson lost this gm, after pitching brilliantly for 6 2/3 inn. Tigers had a great team, and were big underdogs, largely becuz of Gibby
The 1968 Detroit Tigers were a much better hitting team than the 1968 St. Louis Cardinals were. They were only underdogs in your mind. Look at both teams hitting statistics in 1968.
@@mjbachman3027 the baseball experts made them underdogs as cardinals won it all in 67 and with largely same team in 64. Not many people were surprised that cards were up 3-1 the way gibson had pitched all year. Axiom was that good pitching could stop good hitting. Compare 65 dodgers hitting with Twins lineup but look who won series
One of the most exciting moments in my childhood was watching the Tigers win in 1968. When they won it was a month before my eighth birthday. Never forget it.
This one just popped up on the screen, and I had to watch it. An old time AL fan from Buffalo.
RIP Jim
This was a GREAT WS. I just finished reading "Summer of 68" by Tim Wendel. (good read) I like Norm Cash at bat with no helmet (just a cap). Lolich was the hero of the series!!!
I was 16 and the memories are all coming back now, thank you.
This is turn back the clock nostalgia, when all WS games were played in the daytime in stadiums that now exist only in old fans' memories and these black and white films. Gibson, Kaline, McCarver, Horton, Northrup, you are gone but not forgotten
Great times! Great game!
Crazy..but i was 9 also.. lived in Ypsilanti.. That was a AWESOME year.. My brother went to the final game that won the series.. I think he still has a baggie with sod in it from the field. I remember it like yesterday :)
Was there in 68! And in 84 in Detroit. Sat 2 rows from Bob Seger! Didn't know it.
I was 12 and watched this series in school and at home and celebrated like a 12 year old when they won Joy rd and Farmington rd area
This brings back memories. 7th grade, P.S. #55, Indianapolis, Indiana. This was back in the pre-night games day when you'd run home from school, turn on the telly and the series was usually circa the bottom of the 4th. Oh, and you'd keep a transistor radio in your pocket at school to catch occasion updates.
I could have written this exact same thing except to change the grade to 5th and the city to Chicago. Plus I had to hide my radio in a Catholic school under 1968 rules.Talk about daring!
I lived in Indianapolis at the time. It might be recalled the slogan of Esso for their gas was "Put A Tiger In Your Tank". After the series, the Indianapolis News did a cartoon of a tiger in a baseball cap with a couple of feathers hanging out of his mouth captioned "A Cardinal In His Tank".
+William Stenberg Believe it or not, our 7th grade English teacher was a big sports fan and actually turned on the TV and allowed us to watch the game!
I feigned illness so I could stay home and watch this game.
Very Cool Teacher
unfortunately for Flood, he challenged the reserve clause that bound a player to a team, but lost in court. Attempted to come back after a year or 2 off but was through. Free agency started in mid 70s, with Catfish Hunter getting out of his contract on technicality and an arbitrator's ruling. Flood never saw any of the benefits but all athletes owe him a tremendous amount of gratitude. RIP Curt
Actually, free agency came about for all MLB players in the 1975 Andy Messersmith arbitration decision. Catfish Hunter won free agency a year earlier under unique circumstances that did not apply to other players. Hunter's contract with Charlie Finley of the A's required Finley to make contributions to a life insurance fund. When the IRS informed Finley that these contributions were not deductible for federal tax purposes, Finley refused to make the contributions required under the contract. The arbiter Peter Seitz then gave him free agency.
@loyaldude10 and @Thomas Wolf - both of you are extremely accurate on the history of free agency. Certainly it was Curt Flood who had the guts to complain and sue the owners’ grip on its employees (the players themselves).
@@thomaswolf723 The free agency opened the door for Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally.
We didn't have TV back then in our house...but "listening" to the hit, I can still see the ball drop in behind the fielder.
Game 7 of the World Series and it was played on October 10th. Now we’re lucky if the series is over by November.
So clutch by Cash to start that rally on a 3-2 pitch and 2 outs.
what i remember most about Gibson was how fast he worked; mccarver would throw the ball back to him, and he'd be into his windup already. I never thought the Tigers would beat him after that Game 1 when he struck out 17, but their hitters made the adjustment
and Gibson almost shut them out in gm 4. Northrop hit a HR late, and Gibson was pissed.
Not just Gibson working efficiently. That was how the game was played then. We need to get back to rules outlawing stepping out of the box every pitch & adjusting helmet, glove & crotch. Play ball!
Ouch. Cardinal fan here. Hopefully this madness ends soon and we get back to baseball. All the best to everyone.
I met Bob Gibson at a autograph signing in Plymouth,Michigan in the late 80s. He was still pissed that the Cardinals blew that world series after being up 3 games to 1... Sorry Bob....lololol
That was Gibby, as fierce a competitor between the lines as there ever was. But Lolich was just a little better in '68.
maybe just in game 7. Gibson's performance in game 1 was jaw dropping--record 17 Ks
in his book, Stranger to the Game, he admitted that Lolich outpitched him in game 7. Unfortunately I think he was out of gas, as he only allowed 1 hit until Cash's single in 7th
It was a great series for Lolich, Gibson, and to a lesser extent, McClain. McClains' third game was his only outstanding start. As I recall, his shoulder was ailing him during his first two starts (after 336 innings pitched, and 28 complete games, I'll give him a pass on that), and got a cortisone shot before his third start which enabled him to pitch more like the McClain we'd seen all season. I can remember McClain not being very effective during the close of that regular season, dropping 2 of his last 3 decisions. An additional note on that game six; Cardinal starter Ray Washburn was chased after only two innings, and a young pitcher by the name of Steve Carlton would come in later in the game and pitched 3 solid innings in relief. The only run he gave up was on a HR by Al Kaline, one of my baseball heroes as a kid.
I’ve hated bob since 67, got sweet revenge against the birds in 2004,2013
Jaysus - Brock and Flood get picked off by Lolich in the bottom of the 6th, then butcher the outfield plays in the TOP of the 7th. Yeeesh !! ;P
I was only 3 but when we won again in 84 I was 19 and in the Navy celebrating from Florida.
I was in the third grade when this happened. Never watched the games live since they were generally played during the day while I was in school. No streaming or even VCR’s in those days. It’s great to see these highlights on YT though.
And that 2 out, World Series clinching rally was started by my all time favorite player, Stormin' Norman Cash!! The heroes of my youth.....Go Get 'em Tigers!!!!! R.I.P. Jim
Lost in the excitement of Northrup's hit was Bill Freehan handling that Gibson curveball to drive in Northrup. That pitch wasn't a great curve but it still had pretty decent break--it probably gets most of today's free swinging hitters out.
I chewed a lot of gum trying to collect as many cards as I could on the '68 Tigers team. One of the best..ever!
I’ve been a Tiger for life and I was in Vietnam when they finally won the World Series. I remember hearing it from someone. Never new any details until I got home.
My dad had just gotten home from Vietnam when they won.
One of the best world Series I ever saw. Gibson had all theK's but Lolich pitched just as well. On watching this Triple by Northrup, I think Flood misjudged the ball. Al Kaline was an all time great and this was a good Tigers team.
The Tigers were simply a better team. They came, they saw and ultimately they conquered Bob Gibson.
+Ealdred Aruspex Big part of it is that the Tigers were a "Team" that year. They relied on each other, they trusted each other, they pulled for each other. Makes a big difference!
Gibson was tiring by 7th inning. it was obvious. Wouldn't say he got conquered. But Tigers were something else that yr
@@loyaldude10 He got to 3-2 with two outs against Cash, but then it was three straight pitches surrendering hits. Freehan was busted inside and the count drew even 2-2, but Gibson tossed a curve to help Detroit go up three, their final victory margin. Meant a lot to me as an 8-year old in Saginaw, Michigan!
@ gibson got "conquered" by his fielders letting him down. period.
@@skontch1 Gibson got beat by his hitters not giving him any runs more than anything floods gaff ment little if you don't score any runs.