[Alberta's Child]

Nothing against McLain, but the pitching numbers from that era are really an anomaly. The rule changes adopted by MLB after Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth's home run record in 1961 facilitated an era of pitching dominance that reached an almost absurd level in 1968. There were more than a few pitching records or historic seasons for pitchers that year:

1. Denny McLain's 31 wins

2. Bob Gibson's 1.12 ERA

3. Don Drysdale's record 58-2/3rds consecutive scoreless innings pitched

4. The .168 batting average for the season against Luis Tiant

Conversely, the hitting was anemic at best. Carl Yastrzemsku won the American League batting title with an average of just .301.

[treetopsandroofs]

Thanks, my father used to talk about that year.

I was still a few years too young, later became a huge fan, hung on until the third strike and cancellation of the Series in 1994.

[F450-V10]

Thanks for posting. Although I had just graduated high school and wasn’t a die hard female sports fan, I remember all the buzz about the Bird. I would love to relive the memory of a Tigers’ game on in the kitchen on a summer night with the sky still barely light out the east window. My Dad standing at the sink eating watermelon, spitting out the seeds, and Ernie Harwell announcing.
The first time I listened to a game broadcast by some national announcer I was dumbfounded...how come he’s not talking about the plays? WTF? With Ernie, you could join in progress and know the count within seconds and the score within a minute. Best play-by-play announcer and the nicest man ever.
I expect heaven to be the place where we get the full fruition of our memories exponentially.

[Rummyfan]

In Game 1 of the ‘68 Series, Bob Gibson struck out 17 Tigers, a record that still stands.