MLB mourns loss of Tigers’ 1968 World Series hero Mickey Lolich
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The baseball world is mourning the loss of a player who made history with the Detroit Tigers.
The Tigers announced the death of Mickey Lolich, who was remembered as the Tigers’ hero in the 1968 World Series. He was 85 years old. Lolich became the last MLB pitcher to win three games in the World Series. He was named World Series MVP that year.
The Tigers said Lolich’s wife notified the franchise that Lolich had recently been in hospice care. The cause of death was not disclosed.
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In this Oct. 3, 1968 file photo, Mickey Lolich of the Detroit Tigers beats St. Louis in the second game of the World Series. St. Louis at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Mo. He pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals. (AP Photo/File)
Lolich ranks 23rd on the all-time career hitting list with 2,832.
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Lolich was an unlikely star of the Tigers’ 1968 championship run. During the reunion of the World Series team, he recalled how manager Mayo Smith had sent him to the bullpen for most of August. He returned to the Tigers’ starting rotation and is 6-1 in recent weeks.
“I was having a few problems, but I’ve been a starting pitcher since 1964,” said Lolich, who was upset with the bullpen move. “I remember telling him: ‘If we win this award this year, it will be because of me.’ But I was just talking about the season. I wasn’t talking about the World Series.
“I got my revenge in the World Series.”
Detroit Tigers pitcher Mickey Lolich poses for a photo in March 1968. (AP Photo, File)
Lolich pitched Game 7 after only two days of rest. He thought he would buy a Corvette from General Motors because it was the MVP of the series, but in 1968 he had to settle for the Dodge Charger GT because Chrysler was his sponsor.
“Nothing against the Chargers, nothing,” Lolich said in his book “Joy in Tigertown.” “I just had two in my driveway already.”
Only two pitchers since Lolich have won three games in a single World Series: Arizona’s Randy Johnson in 2001 and Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2025. However, they shot less and earned their third victory comfortably.
Former Detroit Tigers pitcher Mickey Lolich throws out the ceremonial first pitch before a game between the Tigers and Pittsburgh Pirates on March 30, 2018 in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)
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In a statement, the Tigers expressed their condolences to Lolich’s family and said his legacy “will forever be remembered.”
After his baseball career, Lolich went into the donut business in the Detroit suburbs and made and sold donuts for 18 years.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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