00:00Hello Tigers fans, we have some sad news to share today about a true legend of this franchise,
00:06Mickey Lolich, the left-handed pitcher who went from a skinny kid in Oregon to the hero
00:10of Detroit's incredible 1968 World Series comeback, has passed away at the age of 85.
00:17The news hits hard, especially for those who knew him best.
00:20Former Tigers outfielder Willie Horton, his teammate from 1963 to 1975, shared his feelings
00:27saying, Lolich was a great pitcher, teammate and champion, but he was more than that to me.
00:32He was like a brother for over 60 years. I will keep the memories close to my heart and will never
00:37forget the close bond we shared. My condolences to Widow Joyce and their family and to everyone who
00:43loved him. Mickey Lolich leaves behind a legacy that for many feels somewhat underrated, yet he was one
00:50of the most clutch performers ever to take the mound for the Tigers. In 1968, while his teammate
00:56Denny McClain was earning the AL MVP with a historic 31-win season, it was Lolich who seized the
01:03spotlight in the World Series. He was named World Series MVP after pitching three complete game
01:08victories against the heavily favored St. Louis Cardinals in that best-of-seven series.
01:14He delivered two of those gems with the Tigers facing elimination. He saved his best for last,
01:20pitching on just two days rest in a winner-take-all Game 7 in St. Louis.
01:24There, he out-dueled the great Bob Gibson, allowing just one run, on five hits, to secure the championship
01:32for Detroit. That 1968 series was a monumental showcase for Lolich, but his breakthrough had
01:38been building. He won 17 games in that 68 regular season, often pitching in McClain's shadow.
01:45But go back to 1967, and you see his dominance, a 14-win season where he led all of Major League
01:51Baseball with six shutouts. He even threw three consecutive shutouts that September as part of a
01:5628-and-2-three-innings scoreless streak. That 67 season is also remembered for his call to duty.
02:05During the Detroit riots, Lolich was called into the Michigan Air National Guard for two weeks.
02:11He served as a sergeant, guarding a radio tower, and driving in a motor pool. He later wrote in his
02:16biography, Joy in Tigertown, with Tom Gage. I neither fired my weapon at anyone, nor was I fired a pawn.
02:23I'm also not going to tell you I was ever at the epicenter of the unrest. But until peace was
02:28restored, we didn't know what we would or would not experience. Until I was Mickey Lolich,
02:34left-handed pitcher again, I was Mickey Lolich, sergeant.
02:37His journey to Detroit began in Portland, Oregon, where Michael Stephen Lolich was born on September 12,
02:441940. The son of a parks director, he spent his youth outdoors, and as his Society for American
02:50Baseball Research biography notes, he was often flinging rocks at birds.
02:54He was a star in Babe Ruth League and American Legion Ball, and went 19-5 in his high school career
03:09at Portland's Lincoln High. In June of 1958, at just 17 years old, he signed with the Tigers for a
03:15$30,000 bonus. He made his pro debut in 1959 with the Class A Knoxville team. His path to the majors
03:23wasn't instant. For three seasons, he split time between Knoxville and Class B Durham. In 1962,
03:30frustrated with another assignment to Knoxville, he went back home to Portland, ready to quit baseball.
03:35But, after striking out 16 batters in a semi-pro game, Tigers GM Jim Campbell arranged for him to
03:41pitch for the AAA Portland Beavers. There, he went 10-9 with a 3.95 ERA and 138 strikeouts in 130
03:50innings. Back in the Tigers' system in 1963, he started at AAA Syracuse, but was called up, quickly.
03:59Mickey Lolich made his Major League debut on May 12, 1963, against Cleveland, pitching two hitless
04:06innings of relief, walking one, and striking out three. He earned his first MLB win just seven days later,
04:13on May 28, with a complete game victory over the Los Angeles Angels, allowing just one unearned run.
04:20His durability became the foundation for the Tigers throughout the 1970s. After McLean was traded to
04:27Washington, Lolich became the undisputed ace. He was an all-star three times in four years from 1969 to
04:351972. His 1971 season was one for the ages. He led all of baseball with 25 wins, 308 strikeouts,
04:43and 376 innings pitched over 45 starts, completing 29 of those games. He followed that up with a 22-win
04:51season in 1972, helping lift Detroit to an American League East title. From 1971 through 1974, he made at
05:00least 41 starts and pitched a minimum of 308 innings each year. His recovery method was legendary.
05:07While most pitchers ice their arms, Lolich would soak his left arm in scalding hot water for 30 minutes
05:13after every start to reduce swelling. Lolich pitched 13 seasons for Detroit. After the 1975 season,
05:21he was traded to the New York Mets for Rusty Staub. He had a frustrating 8-13 record there in 1976,
05:27despite a solid 3.22 ERA, retired briefly, then came back to pitch two final seasons for the San Diego
05:35Padres. His legacy as a Tiger is etched in the record books. His 2,179 strikeouts with Detroit
05:44set an American League record for left-handers that stood for over four decades, until C.C. Sabathia
05:51finally passed it in 2017. After his playing days, Lolich returned to Michigan and embarked on a
05:58second, sweeter career. He bought into donut shops in Detroit's northern suburbs, learned how to bake
06:03them himself, and became a mainstay of the operation. He joked about it later, writing,
06:08I frittered away the years after I played baseball, you could even say I apple-frittered them away.
06:14It was a fitting next chapter for a gregarious, hard-to-define personality who loved motorcycle rides,
06:19and even performed on stage in Las Vegas. One of the few quiet aspects of his life was his subtle
06:25but strong case for the Baseball Hall of Fame. His 16-year career totals are impressive. A 217-191
06:32record, 2,832 strikeouts in 3,638 in 1-3 innings, a 3.44 ERA, and 48.0 career wins above replacement
06:42according to baseball reference. He completed 195 of his 496 career starts, a rate just shy of 40%.
06:49He was on the baseball writer's ballot for 15 years, topping out at 25.5% of the vote,
06:56last appearing in 1999. The Veterans Committee considered his case in 2003, 2005, and 2007.
07:05He was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1982, and the Croatian-American
07:10Sports Hall of Fame in 20,000 an hour.
07:18Schaffen. So, Tigers fans, as we remember a man who delivered our city its most iconic baseball
07:23moment in 1968, what's your favorite memory of Mickey Lalic? Was it the durability, the three
07:28complete games in one World Series, or the image of him out there on the mound, giving everything he
07:33had for Detroit?
07:34Hit it!
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