Traveling back to Detroit with a two games to nothing lead, the Tigers sent Earl Wilson to the mound. The slugging hurler (seven homers) had another solid campaign in the Year of the Pitcher, posting a 13-12 record with a 2.85 ERA. The Cardinals countered with Ray Washburn. During most seasons, Washburn would have been the ace of the Cardinals staff with his 14-8 record and 2.26 ERA, however not in 1968 when Bob Gibson was dominating the National League.
Both pitchers were off the mark in the first inning. Lou Brock led off the game by ripping a triple to deep centerfield. He scored on a Roger Maris ground out. The Tigers countered with two runs in the bottom of the first. After a leadoff walk by Dick McAuliffe, Mickey Stanley pulled a fastball down the leftfield line for a two-run homer.
Wilson had more trouble in the second. After issuing a base on balls to Mike Shannon, Julian Javier smacked a home run into the left-field reserved seats. Both pitchers settled down and the score remained tied until the fourth when Jim Northrup hit a one-out single and was doubled home by Bill Freehan.
For the next four innings, Wilson and Washburn traded shutout innings. In the ninth, Wilson was one out away from victory when Lou Brock popped a hanging slider into the overhang in right field to tie the score. The crowd at Tiger Stadium was stunned.
However, the 1968 Tigers were known for winning games in the late innings. After Northrup grounded out to start the bottom of the ninth, Freehan connected on a Joe Hoerner fastball for an opposite-field home run over the 370-foot marker in right-centerfield. Hoerner was rattled and left a pitch over the plate which Don Wert laced into centerfield for a single. During a pitching conference, Mayo Smith decided to pinch hit for Wilson with his secret weapon off the bench, Gates Brown. On his first pitch, Hoerner tried to bury a slider inside but left it at the knees. Brown connected for a towering two-run home run into the upper deck in right. As the stadium shook like there was an earthquake, Brown was mobbed at home plate by his teammates.
With a commanding three games to nothing lead, the Tigers will start Denny McLain in game four. The Cardinals will rely on Bob Gibson to tame the Tigers and give St. Louis a chance to extend the series. Look for the game four report in a future post. In the meantime, feel free to pursue the game three box score.
