World Series hero, Tigers great Mickey Lolich, dies at 85
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The baseball world is mourning the loss of a player who made history with the Detroit Tigers.
Mickey Lolich, remembered as the Tigers’ hero in the 1968 World Series, has died, the Tigers announced. He was 85 years old. Lolich is the last MLB pitcher to win three games in the World Series. That year he was named MVP of the World Series.
The Tigers said Lolich’s wife informed the franchise that Lolich was recently in hospice care. The cause of death was not revealed.
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In this Oct. 3, 1968 file photo, Mickey Lolich of the Detroit Tigers pitches during game two of the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri. (AP Photo/File)
Lolich ranks 23rd on the all-time strikeout list with 2,832.
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Lolich was an unlikely star in the Tigers’ 1968 title run. During a World Series team meeting, he recalled how manager Mayo Smith had sent him to the bullpen for much of August. He returned to the Tigers’ starting rotation and went 6-1 in recent weeks.
“He was having some problems, but he had been a starting pitcher since 1964,” said Lolich, who was upset by the bullpen movement. “I remember telling him, ‘If we win this this year, it’s going to 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 just two days of rest. He thought he would get a General Motors Corvette for being the series MVP, but had to settle for a Dodge Charger GT because Chrysler was the sponsor in 1968.
“Nothing against the Chargers, nothing at all,” Lolich said in his book “Joy in Tigertown.” “It’s just that I already had two of them in my driveway.”
Since Lolich, only two pitchers have won three games in a single World Series: Randy Johnson of Arizona in 2001 and Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2025. But they pitched fewer innings and earned their third victory in relief.
Former Detroit Tigers pitcher Mickey Lolich throws out the ceremonial first pitch before a game between the Tigers and the 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 cherished.”
After his baseball career, Lolich went into the donut business in suburban Detroit, making and selling them for 18 years.
The News contributed to this report.
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Chantz Martin is a sports writer for News Digital.