Mickey Lolich who won 3 games for the Detroit Tigers in the 1968 World Series and was the World Series MVP turns 72 today.

1968 was the year that Mickey Lolich’s teammate Denny McLain won 31 games. No one has won 31 games since McLain. But in the 1968 World Series Lolich stole the headlines. McLain didn’t pitch all that well in the World Series going 1 and 2. Lolich picked it up, winning games 2, 5 and on 2 days rest the decisive game 7. All 3 wins were complete games. In 27 World Series innings pitched he gave up but 5 runs.

Lolich had a fine career. He won over 20 games twice and in the end had 217 wins against 191 losses. He has the record for most strikeouts by a left-handed pitcher in American League history. He was a 3 time All-Star. He was a popular player in Detroit. Late in his career he bought a doughnut shop that he would own for many years. He was just another guy, never acted like he was something special. He just went out and did his job. McLain and Lolich were at the opposite ends of the spectrum. Everyone liked Lolich, a good guy, McLain is one of the most unsavory people to be associated with major league baseball.

In 1970 he led the American League in losses with 19. The next year he led the American League in wins with 25. In 1971 he pitched 376 innings. Imagine a pitcher today doing that! He started 45 games that year and completed 29 of them.