The Detroit Tigers have had some great pitchers in their long history, but few made their mark the way left-hander Mickey Lolich did. The hero of the 1968 World Series passed away at age 85 on Wednesday.
Lolich was the ultimate combination of workhorse and ace. He pitched 16 seasons, covering 3638 1/3 innings with a career 3.44 ERA. He struck out 2832 hitters in that span, putting him 23rd all-time, putting him right between Mike Mussina and Jim Bunning, only three behind Clayton Kershaw and three ahead of Frank Tanana. Lolich remains fifth all-time in strikeouts among left-handed pitchers.
Michael Stephen Lolich was born on September 12, 1940 in Portland, Oregon. Right-handed in everything else, a childhood accident broke his left collarbone, and the rehabilitation efforts strengthened his left arm and eventually was credited with him throwing southpaw. He was a dominant pitcher in high school, setting numerous state records before the Tigers signed him as an amateur free agent in 1958. He played with the Knoxville Smokies and the Durham Bulls in the minor leagues, reaching the Triple-A level with the old Denver Bears in 1962.
He struggled in Triple-A and ended up fighting with the Tigers and getting suspended. He then proceeded to get on track and was reclaimed in 1963. The rest was history as the lefty started 18 games in ‘63 with a 3.55 ERA and a 5-9 record. Some good seasons followed, but it really wasn’t until the 1968 World Series run that Lolich really came into his own as one of the more dominant arms of his era.
Denny McLain was the star of the regular season with one of the great years of any pitcher all-time. Meanwhile, Lolich struggled late in the season and was briefly relegated to the bullpen. He emerged instead as the hero of the 1968 World Series, spinning three complete games in Games 1, 5, and 7, hitting a solo shot in Game 1, and allowing just five runs total across those 27 innings of work. His Game 7 complete game in which he allowed just one run game on just two days rest.
That triumphant postseason set Lolich off into the best stretch of his career from 1969 to 1975, all with the Tigers. His career started winding down after he and Billy Baldwin were traded to the Mets in December 1975 for Rusty Staub and Bill Laxton. He had a solid season with the Mets but then sat out the 1977 season before returning for two years as a reliever with the Padres for two seasons. His final appearance was September 23, 1979, when he was 39 years old.
Lolich is a member of the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame, and also the Croatian-American Sports Hall of Fame, but he never got that much support for his National Baseball Hall of Fame candidacy. In 2003, he was on the final ballot for the Veteran’s Committee along with 26 other players, but wasn’t elected. He topped out on the regular ballot at 25.5 percent of the vote in 1988. Based on his 64.6 fWAR, career ERA, legendary capstone performance in the ‘68 World Series, and the fact that he remains 23rd all-time in strikeouts, he deserves another look.
Lolich is survived by his wife of 61 years, Joyce, his daughters Kimberly, Stacy, and Jody, as well as three grandsons.