#168 1968 World Series Game 7 - Lolich Series Hero Outduels Gibson

The 1968 World series marked the last time two teams faced off in the Fall Classic without having to first advance via a playoff series.  With Major League Baseball expanding to 24 teams in 1969, the two leagues were split into four divisions and a League Championship Series would determine the World Series opponents between 1969 and 1993.

The Cardinals and Tigers were powerhouses in their respective leagues, easily advancing to the World Series.  This was a rematch of the 1934 World Series, when the Gashouse Gang of the Cardinals had bested the Tigers in seven games.  The Tigers would prevail this time, winning their first title since 1945, and their third World Series title overall as the Cardinals couldn't repeat after winning in 1967 against the Red Sox.

World Series cards were a key subset in Topps flagship sets throughout the 1960s and 1970s, with a card highlighting each game along with a series capping "Celebration" card.  Topps designed its World Series cards in its 1969 set to have the appearance of the front page of a newspaper, with The Sporting News getting some free publicity as the paper's banner.

Building the Set / Card #642

September 21, 2025 from The Philly Show (Crazy Boxes)

On Sunday morning, September 21st, I made the hour-long drive to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania for the latest installment of the Philadelphia Sports Card & Memorabilia Show, known to its friends as The Philly Show.  The show has a legitimate official sponsor (eBay) and the advertisement for the event notes the show is in its 50th year.  I hadn't attended a baseball card show since the last Philly Show in December, and I was flying solo to this one as our oldest son is in his first month of college at Villanova.  I posted a full summary of the show over at The Phillies Room.

I made stops at six tables at the show, all yielding needed cards for our 1969 Topps set, and I left the show with just 16 more cards to go for my version of a complete set.  I'm not even sure how best to describe the fifth table I visited.  I typically steer clear of tables that look incredibly disorganized or tables that look as if the dealer put minimal effort into his/her display.  This table was both.  But the crudely designed, hand-made sign advertising "Entire Table is 50% Off" made me stop and at least look at what was in the 1969 Topps hodgepodge of cards.  And I'm glad I did.  It took me a solid 20-25 minutes to go through the cards that were loosely in order, but I found seven cards I needed with either mislabeled prices (?) or prices that hadn't been updated since the 1980s.  I paid a little over $0.50 for this World Series card, the second of seven cards purchased from what I'm calling the Crazy Boxes table, and I wished I had made this table my first stop.

The Card / Tigers Team Set / Cardinals Team Set  

Starting on only two days rest, Mickey Lolich (#270) again got the call to start the game, his third start of the series.  Bob Gibson (#200), also making his third start, but on three days rest, was set to face Lolich in the deciding game of the 1968 World Series.  Advertised as a pitcher's duel, Lolich and Gibson did not disappoint, with both shutting down the other team's offense through six innings.  In the top of the seventh, and with two outs, Norm Cash (#80) and Willie Horton (#180) both singled.  Jim Northrup (#580) hit a fly ball that some said would have been typically caught by Gold Glove center fielder Curt Flood (#540), but Flood initially misjudged the ball and it fell in for a two-run triple.  Bill Freehan (#390) then doubled Northrup home and the Tigers had a 3-0 lead, plenty of support for Lolich.  The Tigers added another run in the top of the ninth when Don Wert (#443) singled home pinch-runner Dick Tracewski (#126).

Mike Shannon (#110) connected for a solo home run off Lolich in the bottom of the ninth, spoiling his shutout, but Tim McCarver (#475) hit a pop foul caught by Freehan a batter later, giving the Tigers the title.  Gibson ended the series with a record 35 strikeouts, but Lolich was named World Series MVP.

Sources:

Baseball Reference / Wikipedia

#167 1968 World Series Game 6 / #169 Tigers Celebrate Their Victory