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Detroit Tigers - The Psychedelic Years (1960-1969) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Yr | P | W | L | Yr | P | W | L | Yr | P | W | L | 1960 | ||||||||||||||||||||
1960 | 6 | 71 | 83 | 1963 | 5 | 79 | 83 | 1967 | 2 | 91 | 71 | Decade | ||||||||||||||||||||
1961 | 2 | 101 | 61 | 1964 | 4 | 85 | 77 | 1968 | 1 | 103 | 59 | Click | ||||||||||||||||||||
1962 | 4 | 85 | 76 | 1965 | 4 | 89 | 73 | 1969 | 2 | 90 | 72 | on Logo | ||||||||||||||||||||
1966 | 3 | 88 | 74 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Titles: | Top Tigers Players of the Sixties | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
World Champs 1968 (Beat St. Louis) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pitchers: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
BallPark: | Denny McLain (22.16) - 74 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tiger Stadium (previously Navin Field and Briggs Stadium) | Mickey Lolich (14.16) - 62 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Jim Bunning (16.72) - 43 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Team Name: | Earl Wilson (11.55) - 35 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tigers | Hank Aguirre (17.43) - 34 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Frank Lary (8.72) - 30 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Owner: | Don Mossi (9.44) - 22 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
John Fetzer | Dave Wickersham (5.24) - 20 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Joe Sparma (0.72) - 20 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
General Managers: | Phil Regan (-0.13) - 17 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rick Ferrelll (1960-1962) | Terry Fox (8.04) - 11 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Jim Campbell (1963-1969) | Fred Gladding (6.5) - 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Managers: | Catchers: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Jimmie Dykes (1960) | Bill Freehan (24.87) - 68 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Billy Hitchcock (1960) | Dick Brown (1.29) - 11 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Joe Gordon (1960) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bob Scheffing (1961-1963) | First Basemen: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chuck Dressen (1964-1966) | Norm Cash (42.91) - 107 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bob Swift (1965-1966) | Bobo Osborne (0.55) - 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Frank Skaff (1966) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mayo Smith (1967-1969) | Second Basemen: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dick McAulliffe (28.8) - 65 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No Hitters: | Jake Wood (-0.14) - 18 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
None | Chuck Cottier (0) - 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hall of Famers: | ShortStop: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Jim Bunning | Chico Fernandez (0.91) - 16 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Al Kaline | Ray Oyler (1.27) - 11 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coot Veal (0.08) - 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rookie of the Year: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
None | Third Base: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Don Wert (11.81) - 20 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
MVP: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Denny McLain (1968) | Outfield: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Al Kaline (48.67) - 110 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cy Young: | Willie Horton (16.65) - 44 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Denny McLain (1968) | Jim Northrup (15.17) - 39 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rocco Colavito (17.29) - 35 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notable Events: | Bill Bruton (8.3) - 34 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mickey Stanley (9.79) - 20 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1960 - John Fetzer emerges as the sole owner of the Tigers. He had been | Gates Brown (7.26) - 11 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
one of a group of radio and television executives who had bought the club | Don Demeter (2.97) - 11 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
from the Briggs family four years earlier. Fetzer has the resources to support a | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
successful operation. | Notable Events: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1960 - Briggs Stadium is renamed Tiger Stadium | 1963 - The Tigers select nineteen year old righthander Denny | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
McLain from the White Sox as a first year waiver selection. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1960 - The Tigers are a stagnant ballclub on a mediocrity treadmill coming into the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
decade. The 1960 roster shows that there is some hope, however. The lineup boasts | 1963 - Twenty Two year old lefthander Mickey Lolich is brought | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
three young sluggers, first baseman Norm Cash, 25, right fielder Rocky Colavito, 26 | up from Syracuse. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
and centerfielder Al Kaline, 25. Kaline has been with the club since he was eighteen. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Meanwhile, the Tigers braintrust of President Bill DeWitt and General Manager Rick | 1963 - Willie Horton, slugging twenty four year old outfielder, | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ferrell perpetrated a couple of major thefts in getting Cash and Colavito. Cash was | joins the Tigers from Syracuse. He will spend the next fifteen | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
picked up from Cleveland before the season in exchange for journeyman utility infielder | years with Detroit including four all star appearances | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Steve Demeter. Colavito was obtained in a monumental deal, again with the Indians | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
and their GM Frank Lane, for Harvey Kuenn. It was a no-brainer deal from Detroit's | 1963 - Catcher Bill Freehan is a hard hitting twenty one year old | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
point of view and, from Cleveland's point of view, Lane had no brains. Cash would | rookie. He'll spend the next fifteen years as Detroit's starting | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
spend the next fifteen years in Detroit as their starting first baseman Colavito would be | catcher and as one of the top catchers in the game including | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
with the Tigers four years before being dealt to Kansas City. On the pitching | eleven all star games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
side of the ledger, Detroit had three solid righthanders anchoring their rotation in the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
late Fifties: Frank Lary (30), Jim Bunning (28) and Paul Foytack (29). Foytack would | 1964 - Jim Northrup, 24, is a rookie. He will spend the next eleven | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
hurt his arm in 1960 and bounce back a bit in 1961. However, Lary and Bunning were | seasons as a starting outfielder in Detroit. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
still getting better. The Tigers also had a couple of pretty good lefties on their roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
who had also been pilfered from Cleveland: Don Mossi (31) who was obtained for | 1964 - Twenty one year old centerfielder Mickey Stanley is brought | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Billy Martin in 1959 and Hank Aguirre (29) who was picked up for Hal Woodeshick in | up from Syracuse. He'll be the Tigers' starting center fielder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1958. Also on the roster was twenty year old second baseman Dick McAulliffe. | for the next fourteen years. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dick would be Detroit's starting second baseman for the next thirteen years. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Tigers didn't have a good season in 1960, but the pieces were falling into place. | 1967 - The Tigers finish second to the Red Sox by one game with | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
the pennant race coming down to the final day. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1961 - Detroit gains a whopping thirty victories, going from 71 wins to 101 wins. | Detroit has one of the more stable lineups in baseball history, | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
However, they only finish second, eight games behind the legendary 1961 Yankees | probably the most stable, with catcher Freehan, first baseman Cash, | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Lots of players had big years to account for the gain. Cash's liine was 41-132-.361. | second baseman McAulliffe, third baseman Wert and outfielders | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Colavito's 45-140-.290. Kaliine hit .324. On the mound, Lary went 23-9, Bunning 17-11, | Kaline, Horton, Stanley and Northrup. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
and Mossi 15-7. The bullpen featured Terry Fox, 25, with a 1.41 ERA and | This is basically their lineup from 1965 thru 1974 (with a few tweaks, | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Phil Regan, 24, who went 10-7 | of course). At this stage of the game, this Detroit lineup is young | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
and just starting to come into it's own | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1962 -Detroit falls back down to earth, winning 85 games. A good, but not great team in | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
the mid Sixties, they will average 85 wins over the next five years, not deviating much | 1968 - Denny McLain wins 31 games. No one has won thirty since. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
from the norm during that period | It had been 34 years since Dizzy Dean had last won thirty in 1934. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
McLain was a monster talent who tragically had the personality | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1963 - Jim Campbell takes over for Rick Ferrell as GM. Ferrell had done all of the | of a purse snatcher. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
legwork bringing in a great deal of talent into the organization. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Campbell picked it up from there by not screwing it up and tinkering with the | 1968 - Detroit wins the pennant with 103 wins and goes on to beat | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
base of talent that had been assembled. He had the good sense to ride the wave. | the Cardinals and a brilliant Bob Gibson in the World Series. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ferrell is moved upstairs to VP | Mickey Lolich is the hero of the series winning three games | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
including beating Gibson in game seven. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1969 - The Bengals drop back down to second place, still playing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
at a high level with 90 wins. Most of the decline is the collapse | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
of the bullpen with Hiller and Dobson going from lights out to | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
lights on plus McLain comes back down to earth a bit from 31-5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
to 24-9. The staff yields 103 more runs in '69 than in '68. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||