Porch Notes
The 1968 Tigers: A Championship a City Needed
History and culture
Some championships are about more than sports. In the summer of 1967, Detroit was torn by days of deadly civil unrest, much of it within sight of Tiger Stadium — a wrenching chapter for the city. The next summer, the Detroit Tigers gave a hurting town something to share.
The 1968 Tigers were led by pitcher Denny McLain, a flamboyant character who won an astonishing 31 games that season — a feat no major-league pitcher has matched since. But the World Series hero was the unassuming left-hander Mickey Lolich, who won three complete games against the St. Louis Cardinals, including a Game 7 victory over the great Bob Gibson. The image of Lolich leaping into catcher Bill Freehan’s arms for the final out is etched into Detroit memory. Around them stood beloved “Mr. Tiger” Al Kaline and slugger Willie Horton, who the year before had stood in the streets in his uniform pleading for peace.
The Tigers won it all, and for one season a divided city found common ground at the ballpark.
Where to see it
The Tigers play at Comerica Park in downtown Detroit; the site of old Tiger Stadium at Michigan and Trumbull — 'The Corner' — is preserved as a community ballfield.