| 
Jim Bunning
Courtesy National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown, New York Jim Bunning wins 19 games, the first of 4 times he'll do that
Hank Aguirre leads the league in ERA with 2.21 AND goes 2 for 75 to bat .027
Young Dick McAuliffe is the first of the Syracuse Boys to play regularly, hitting .263 with 63 RBIs
The Almanac says:
Hopes are very high for '62, but injuries take care of them early... "The Mule," Frank Lary," pulls a muscle in April running out a triple of all things... causes him to injure his arm and Frank wins 21 less games than in '61 and never really pitches well again. Al Kaline breaks his collarbone, making a game saving catch against the Yankees... he misses over a month- pretty much putting an end to the Tigers hopes. They hang around the .500 mark until the last month of the season, but it's a major disappointment.
| | | |
1963(79-83)Al Kaline finishes 2nd in AL batting with .312
Bill Freehan, Don Wert, Willie Horton, Gates Brown, Denny McLain and Mickey Lolich wear the Old English D for the first time!
Hank Aguirre gets 10 hits, 3 of them doubles, to bat a robust .132
The Almanac says:
Another sad season... this team never contends and attendance is down to pre-war levels. Bob Scheffing's gone after two months as the Tigers hire former Washington and Brooklyn skipper Chuck Dressen to bring along the kids who are the basis of the next rebuilding.
1964(85-77)
22 year-old Bill Freehan hits .300 and makes the All Star team- his first of eleven times!
Dave Wickersham, acquired in the Rocky Colavito trade, wins 19 games- by far his best year
Jim Northrup, Mickey Stanley and Joe Sparma see Tiger Stadium for the first time
The Almanac says:
A transitional year as guys like Bill Freehan, McLain, Sparma, Lolich, Gates Brown, and Don Wert begin to get some serious playing time. Dressen shows patience as he brings along a team which struggles around the .500 mark most of the season as they rebounded to 85 wins. The fans are a little slow to warm up to this group as attendance still lags... well down from normal levels... but better days are on the way!
1965(89-73)Willie Horton's 104 RBIs is second in the league... and he clouts 29 shots!
Young Denny McLain goes 16-6 in his first full year in the bigs
No .300 hitters... Kaline paces the club with only .281
The Almanac says:
The year gets off to an ominous start.. Dressen sufferes a mild heart attack during spring training and doesn't come back until May... BUT the young Tigers are playing well... a very nice season as the club plays consistently good ball staying well over .500 all season. Only once since 1950 have the Tigers won this many games, but more importantly, they're young and getting better.
1966(88-74)
Al Kaline bounces back with 29 blasts and 88 RBIs- he's an All Star for the 12th time in a row!
...and Willie Horton hits the century mark in RBIs... again!
We rip-off the Red Sox, trading Don Demeter for "The Duke," Earl Wilson
Denny McLain wins 20 and starts the All Star game in St. Louis!
The Almanac says:
Hope is returning to Tigertown in the mid '60s... and so are the crowds... there's mucho optimism about all the good young players on this team, and it seems justified, especially in the first part of the year. The team gets off to a great start and is within shouting distance of a very good Baltimore team before fading in mid July. Even another Dressen heart attack in May doesn't slow them down much, but it's a strange year... Dressen eventually dies from heart disease, in August, and is replaced by Bob Swift who manages only 2 months before being hospitalized with cancer, which will claim his life in October. Imagine a young team dealing with that sort of tragedy... all in such a short period of time.
1967(91-71)Earl Wilson wins 22 to tie for the league lead... he also hits 4 home runs!
Al Kaline hits .308, but injuries cost him some crucial time
Joe Sparma has his best year, winning 16 times
The Almanac says:
The 1967 season features the closest pennant race in AL history... 4 teams go down to the wire... 3 end up separated by just 1 game at the end as Boston somehow nabbs the flag after finishing ninth in '66. New manager Mayo Smith's Bengals roar out of the gate, staying in or near first place a good part of the season before the dance begins... that is, a different team rotating anywhere from first to fourth almost every day. Detroit probably has the best balance of the four... 2nd in hitting and 4th in pitching, but a self-imposed injury to Al Kaline cost him 26 games and certainly the pennant. Make no mistake about it, this one really hurts as many feel Detroit had the best talent in the league. BUT.... what if they had won in '67... would it have diminished the glory of 1968?
1968(103-59)Denny McLain wins 31 games, the most by any pitcher in 34 years. He's the Cy Young winner and the MVP.
Mickey Lolich is only the 3rd pitcher in history to win 3 games in the World Series!
Willie Horton hits a career high 36 home runs to finish 2nd in the league
The Almanac says:
OH YEAH!!!--- This is what we've been waiting for... a romp to the pennant--- winning by 12 games--- and a victory in a CLASSIC WORLD SERIES!... This season could take up the entire almanac page, so... See our detailed recap of the season HERE!... and a World Series summary here!
1969(90-72)Jim Northrup leads the team with a .295 average
McLain leads the league in wins with 24, and wins another Cy Young Award
Mickey Lolich sets his personal high of 19 wins
The Almanac says:
... any thoughts of a dynasty are short-lived. A great Baltimore team, just hitting its stride locks the Tigers out of first place for a few years, but it isn't just them, it's us! The bats are cold to start the season and the team is in fourth place after the first month... McLain and Lolich still pitch well, but it isn't enough... and that old comeback magic is gone. It all adds - or subracts- up to 14 fewer wins and 19 games behind the leaders.
Continue on to the HEAVENLY '70s!
Go Back to the NIFTY '50s!
Return from 1960s Almanac to Almanac
Return to Top
