Denny McClain won 31 games and lost only six
in 1968; he was the first 30-game winner since
Dizzy Dean reached that level 34 years earlier.
No other hurler has come close since ’68; in fact,
few manage to win 20 any longer! But Denny
was the star that year, picking up the Cy Young
and the Most Valuable Player Awards in the
Junior Circuit.
But in the Series, Denny lost two out of three
(Bob Gibson was unreal!) while teammate
Mickey Lolich, with three victories (including
beating Gibson on two days’ rest in the final
match) was the one who led the Tigers to the
Crown . . . the more important when you
consider that Detroit has won it all only four
times since it came into existence in 1901.
(Sunshine is fine but what comes out of the
shadows can take on an unexpected glow
that lights the way to baseball heaven.)