Just like game three, game four started off with with a lead-off triple by Lou Brock. It was Brock’s third triple of the series, and he would score moments later on Curt Flood’s sacrifice fly. Things were looking up for the Cardinals, with their ace Bob Gibson on the mound. Unfortunately for St. Louis, it would be the only run they could muster against the Tigers’ ace Denny McLain.
The Cards maintained their lead until the bottom of the fourth when Jim Northrup smacked a hanging slider into the right field reserve seats. Then, Eddie Mathews, playing in his final game, made it back-to-back homer by lifting a fastball into the upper deck in right. The Tigers had the lead and could smell a World Series title.
The alway dominate Gibson seemed rattled the rest of the game. In the fifth inning, he gave up a one-out single to Al Kaline. Then, he hung another breaking pitch, this time to Norm Cash, who deposited it into the bleachers in right centerfield. After that, Gibson gave up two more singles, but didn’t yield another run.
It looked like Gibson might be back on track in the sixth, but the wheels fell off in the seventh. After getting the first two hitters of the inning, Cash took the future Hall of Famer deep once again. A frustrated Gibson challenged Willie Horton with a fast ball on the next pitch, and Horton hit a towering drive into the upper deck in left. Northrup followed the Horton blast with a double to deep centerfield and then Gibson walked Mathews. Gibson was able to get out of the inning when Bill Freehan popped out to left, however it was one of the few times all season that four straight hitters reached base against the Cy Young Award winner.
After surrendering the run in the first, McLain was masterful the rest of the afternoon. While only striking out four because of a tired arm, McLain mixed off speed pitches with well-placed fastballs to keep the Cardinal hitter off balance all game. When Roger Maris, playing in his final game, flew out to Horton in left, Detroit celebrated a World Series sweep.
With his three series home runs, five RBI, and .375 batting average, Willie Horton took home the World Series MVP Award. A close second was Jim Northrup, who hit .438 in the four games. For more detailed statistics and the game four box score, see below.
The the sweep was surprising, the Tigers fielded a much better hitting lineup than the Cardinals. The Cardinals pitching was slightly better, but their lack of power in the lineup was their downfall. For the series, the Cardinals only hit two home runs, while the Tigers bombed TEN in four games. Looking at the APBA cards, the Cardinals had ZERO first column 1s in their starting lineup, while the Tigers had five for the first three games, and seven when Mathews played third base in game four. Without a doubt, Detroit’s power was the difference in the series.
