1968 In Baseball

The Year of the Pitcher

In Major League Baseball, the trend throughout the 1960s was of increased pitching dominance. After the record home run year by Roger Maris in 1961, the major leagues increased the size of the strike zone from the top of the batter's shoulders to the bottom of his knees. A significant "power shortage" culminated in 1968, with far fewer runs scored than in the early 1960s.

Pitchers including Bob Gibson of the St. Louis Cardinals and Denny McLain of the Detroit Tigers dominated hitters, producing 339 shutouts in 1968, almost double the number of shutouts thrown in 1962. Individually, Gibson set a modern earned run average record of 1.12, the lowest in 54 years, and set a World Series record of 17 strikeouts in Game 1. McLain won 31 regular season games, the only player to reach the 30 win milestone since Dizzy Dean in 1934. Mickey Lolich won three complete games in the World Series, the last player as of 2015 to do so. Luis Tiant of the Cleveland Indians had the American League's lowest ERA at 1.60 and allowed a batting average of only .168, a major league record. Don Drysdale of the Los Angeles Dodgers threw a record 58 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings, and Catfish Hunter of the Oakland Athletics was the first American League pitcher to record a perfect game since Don Larsen in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series.

Hitting was anemic as Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox would be the only American League hitter to finish the season with a batting average higher than .300. Yastrzemski's batting average of .301 was the lowest batting average of any league batting champion. The American League's collective slugging average of .340 remains the lowest since 1915 (when the game was still in the so-called dead-ball era), while the collective batting average of .231 is the all-time lowest. As a result of the dropping offensive statistics, Major League Baseball Rules Committee took steps to reduce the advantage held by pitchers by lowering the height of the pitchers mound from 15 inches to 10 inches, and by reducing the size of the strike zone for the 1969 season. 1969 batting averages climbed back to their historical averages and never again would pitching have as large a statistical average over batting in the major leagues.

1968 was the final year when baseball had no divisions within the two leagues, with the only post-season competition being the World Series itself. Four expansion teams would join baseball for the season following in 1969. This was also the first season that the Athletics franchise played in Oakland, California, after their departure from Kansas City, Missouri.

Champions

Major League Baseball

*World Series: Detroit Tigers over St. Louis Cardinals (4–3); Mickey Lolich, MVP
*All-Star Game, July 9 at the Astrodome: National League, 1–0; Willie Mays, MVP

Other champions

* Big League World Series: Charleston, West Virginia
*College World Series: USC
*Japan Series: Yomiuri Giants over Hankyu Braves (4–2)
*Little League World Series: Wakayama, Osaka, Japan
*Senior League World Series: New Hyde Park, New York

Awards and honors

*Baseball Hall of Fame
**Kiki Cuyler
**Goose Goslin
**Joe Medwick
*Most Valuable Player
**Denny McLain, Detroit Tigers, P (AL)
**Bob Gibson, St. Louis Cardinals, P (NL)
*Cy Young Award
**Denny McLain, Detroit Tigers (AL)
**Bob Gibson, St. Louis Cardinals (NL)
* Rookie of the Year
**Stan Bahnsen, New York Yankees, P (AL)
**Johnny Bench, Cincinnati Reds, C (NL)
*Gold Glove Award
** George Scott (1B) (AL)
**Bobby Knoop (2B) (AL)
**Brooks Robinson (3B) (AL)
**Luis Aparicio (SS) (AL)
**Reggie Smith (OF) (AL)
**Mickey Stanley (OF) (AL)
**Carl Yastrzemski (OF) (AL)
**Bill Freehan (C) (AL)
**Jim Kaat (P) (AL)

MLB statistical leaders

Major league baseball final standings

American League final standings

National League final standings

Events

January

*January 23 – Joe Medwick is voted into the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
*January 28 – Goose Goslin and Kiki Cuyler are admitted into the Hall of Fame by unanimous vote of the Special Veterans Committee.

February

*February 6 – Voters in King County, Washington, approve by 62 percent a $40 million bond issue to build a domed, multipurpose stadium. The Kingdome, being built between 1972 and 1976, would operate from 1976 until its demolition in 2000.
*February 13 – The San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers execute a four-player trade, with Tom Haller one of the two players going to Los Angeles and Ron Hunt one of the two going to San Francisco. The trade is the first between the two clubs since their move to the West Coast, and also the first since the one that would have sent Jackie Robinson from the Brooklyn Dodgers to the New York Giants after the 1956 season, but he retired rather than report with his new team.

March

April

*April 9 – Opening Day is postponed because of the funeral of Martin Luther King Jr., who was assassinated on April 4.
*April 14 – Jim Bunning's first win with the Pittsburgh Pirates, 3–0 at Los Angeles' Dodger Stadium, is his 40th career shutout and includes his 1,000th National League strikeout, making him the first pitcher since Cy Young with 1,000 in each league.
*April 15 – At the Astrodome, the Houston Astros defeat the New York Mets 1–0 in a 24-inning, 6-hour, 6-minute marathon. In the bottom of the 24th, Bob Aspromonte's bases-loaded ground ball goes through the legs of Met shortstop Al Weis for an error (the only one committed by the Mets all game) that plates Norm Miller for the winning run. To date, the game is the longest to end in a shutout in terms of both innings and duration.
*April 19 – Nolan Ryan of the New York Mets becomes the sixth pitcher in National League history to strike out the side on nine pitches. But Los Angeles wins 3–2 at New York's Shea Stadium.
*April 27 – Tom Phoebus, the Baltimore Orioles' top pitcher in 1967, throws a 6–0 no-hitter against the Boston Red Sox at Baltimore's Memorial Stadium. Brooks Robinson drives in three runs and makes a great stab to rob Rico Petrocelli of a hit in the 8th inning. Converted outfielder Curt Blefary catches the game.

May

*May 2 - At Shea Stadium, pitcher John Boozer of the Philadelphia Phillies is ejected from a game without having thrown a pitch. His Phillies trailing the New York Mets by what will be the final score of 3-0, Boozer, after a 13-minute rain delay, enters the game in the seventh inning in relief of Woodie Fryman and repeatedly goes to his mouth while warming up in contravention of the anti-spitball rule that had been introduced this year. Home plate umpire Ed Vargo gives Boozer two warnings and awards three balls to batter Bud Harrelson—the last resulting in Boozer's ejection, as well as that of Phillie manager Gene Mauch.
*May 6 – At Memorial Stadium, Baltimore Orioles pitcher Dave Leonhard took a no-hitter into the seventh inning before Detroit Tigers outfielder Jim Northrup broke it up with a single after two outs. He had to conform with a one-hit shutout, 4–0 victory over Detroit.
*May 8 – At Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Catfish Hunter of the Oakland Athletics pitches a 4-0 perfect game over the Minnesota Twins. The perfect game is the first in an American League regular season game since Charlie Robertson's in 1922 and the first no-hitter in the franchise's Oakland history, which is in only its 25th game. (The franchise had never had a no-hitter in its Kansas City history, which was from 1955 to 1967. Its last no-hitter was by Bill McCahan on September 3, 1947; the franchise was then based in Philadelphia.) Hunter strikes out 11 batters, including Rich Reese for the final out. He also records three RBIs: with a seventh-inning bunt single that drives in Rick Monday to break a scoreless tie, and a single in the eighth to drive in Jim Pagliaroni, his catcher, and Monday.

June

*June 1 – St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Joe Hoerner ties a National League record for relievers with 6 consecutive strikeouts vs. the New York Mets.
*June 3 – The New York Yankees turn a triple play in the eighth inning of a 4–3 loss to the Minnesota Twins. It would be the team's last triple play until .
*June 8 – Against the Philadelphia Phillies at Dodger Stadium, Don Drysdale of the Los Angeles Dodgers breaks Walter Johnson's 1913 streak of 56 consecutive scoreless innings. A fifth-inning sacrifice fly by Howie Bedell scores Tony Taylor for the run that ends the streak at 58 consecutive scoreless innings. This new record will stand until another Dodger, Orel Hershiser, breaks it in 1988 with 59 consecutive scoreless innings.
*June 24 – Detroit Tigers right fielder Jim Northrup belted two grand slams, as the Tigers beat the Cleveland Indians, 14–3, at Cleveland Stadium. Northrup connected his first grand slam off Eddie Fisher in the 5th inning and the second off Billy Rohr in the 6th, to become the sixth player in Major League Baseball history to hit two grand slams in one single game.Detroit Tigers 14, Cleveland Indians 3
Game played at Cleveland Stadium. ''Baseball Reference''. Box Score and Play by Play. Retrieved on June 24, 2017.
*June 28 - The Cubs took the Dodgers, 8-3 and 1-0 in front of 42,261 the largest Wrigley Field crowd in over 20 years. Randy Hundley caught both games of a doubleheader and drove in four of the Cubs nine runs.

July

*July 1 – As a part of the season that will see him post a 1.12 ERA, Bob Gibson's streak of 47 and two-thirds inning of scoreless pitching is broken.
*July 3 – Luis Tiant of the Cleveland Indians strikes out 19 in a ten inning, 1–0 victory over the Minnesota Twins.
*July 9 – At the Houston Astrodome, in the first All-Star Game to be played in an indoor arena and on artificial turf, the National League defeats the American League 1–0. Appropriately, pitching dominates the game. Willie Mays, playing in place of injured Pete Rose, tallies an unearned run in the first inning against American League starter Luis Tiant. Don Drysdale, Juan Marichal, Steve Carlton, Tom Seaver, Ron Reed and Jerry Koosman hold the AL to three hits, as Mays is named MVP.
*July 11 – The Baltimore Orioles promote first base coach Earl Weaver to manager, replacing Hank Bauer.
*July 14:
**Hank Aaron becomes the 8th player in major league history to reach 500 career homers.
** Don Wilson of the Houston Astros strikes out 18, including eight in a row at one point.
*July 24 – Hoyt Wilhelm appears in his 907th game as a pitcher, breaking Cy Young's long standing all-time record.
*July 30 – Washington Senators' shortstop Ron Hansen, playing in Cleveland, completes the eighth unassisted triple play in history, and the first since 1927. Cleveland wins, 10–1.

August

September

*September 14 – Denny McLain becomes the first 30-game winner since Dizzy Dean in 1934 as the Detroit Tigers beat the Oakland Athletics, 5–4, at Detroit's Tiger Stadium. Reggie Jackson's home run in the 4th puts the A's ahead 2–0, but Norm Cash answers with a three-run shot. Jackson hits another in the 6th, but the Tigers push across two in the 9th to win. Al Kaline, pinch hitting for McLain, walks and scores the tying run. McLain, who posted a 31–6 record in the regular season, gives up six hits and strikes out 10.
*September 15 – The St. Louis Cardinals clinch the National League pennant with a 7–4 win at the Astrodome over the host Houston Astros. Roger Maris hits his 275th, and last, regular-season home run off Don Wilson in the 3rd inning, and Curt Flood racks up five hits.
*September 17 – Gaylord Perry of the San Francisco Giants hurls a no-hitter at Candlestick Park as the Giants edge the visiting St. Louis Cardinals and Bob Gibson, 1–0. Ron Hunt's first-inning home run (the second of the only two he will hit on the season and one of only 11 Gibson will allow in 304 innings) backs Perry, who evens his record at 14–14.
*September 18 – Sixteen hours after Perry's feat, Ray Washburn of the St. Louis Cardinals makes major league history by hurling a second consecutive no-hitter in the same park. Run-scoring hits by Mike Shannon and Curt Flood at Candlestick down the Giants, 2–0. This is the first time in history back-to-back no hitters have been pitched between the same two teams on two consecutive days.
*September 22 – Minnesota Twins utility player César Tovar plays all nine positions, an inning each, against the Oakland Athletics. Duplicating the feat that Bert Campaneris performed three years earlier, Tovar tops Campy by starting as pitcher and allows no hits or runs, for a 0.00 earned run average. In the inning, the first man to face Tovar was Campaneris, who fouls out. Tovar then strikes out slugger Reggie Jackson. Tovar is charged with a walk and a balk in the scoreless inning; his other contributions to the 2-1 Minnesota win include a single, a walk, a stolen base and a run scored. He makes five putouts and an assist, with no fielding errors.
*September 28 – Mickey Mantle plays in his 2,401st and final game, eight days after hitting his last home run ending his career with 536.
*September 29:
**Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox goes 0-for-5 but maintains a .3005 batting average, to win his second straight American League batting crown with the lowest winning average. Yastrzemski is the league's only .300 hitter. Danny Cater of the Oakland Athletics ends second with a .290 average.
**At Shea Stadium, Dick Allen hits three home runs in the Philadelphia Phillies' 10-3 victory over the New York Mets. He becomes the second player, after Gus Zernial of the Chicago White Sox in , to hit three home runs in his team's regular-season finale. Evan Longoria will join them by hitting three home runs in the Tampa Bay Rays' regular-season finale.

October

*October 2 – For the first time in history, two soon-to-be-named MVPs oppose each other in Game One of the 1968 World Series. St. Louis Cardinals' Bob Gibson is nearly untouchable with a Series-record 17 strikeouts and a 4–0 win over Denny McLain and the Detroit Tigers. Detroit manager Mayo Smith moves Gold Glove outfielder Mickey Stanley to shortstop, improving his offense by opening a spot for Al Kaline.
*October 10 – In Game Seven of the World Series, Mickey Lolich of the Detroit Tigers, pitching on two days rest, wins his third game of the Series as he beats Bob Gibson and the St. Louis Cardinals, 4–1. Lolich brings Detroit its first World Championship since 1945. Lolich hurls a five-hitter, and is named Series MVP. Key moments came in the 6th inning when Lolich picks Lou Brock and Curt Flood off first base to keep the score 0–0. With the game scoreless in the 7th, the Tigers have two on and two out when Jim Northrup hits a line drive to center field. Gold-glover Flood misjudges the ball and starts in, allowing the ball to sail over his head for a triple. Northrup then scores on Bill Freehan's double for a 3–0 lead. Each team adds a 9th inning run to account for the 4–1 final score. It is the first time the Cardinals have lost a 7th game of a World Series. The Tigers become only the 3rd team to rally from a 3–1 deficit to win the Series 4 games to 3 (the 1925 Pirates and 1958 Yankees are the first two). The Tigers become the last team to win the championship between two first-place teams from leagues without division play where the pennant is automatically awarded to the team with the best won-lost record in its league.
*October 21 – After two seasons with the Boston Red Sox, All-Star catcher Elston Howard announces his retirement.

November

*November 1 - Denny McLain the last pitcher to win 30 games in a season is the unanimous American League winner of the Cy Young Award.
*November 19 – New York Yankees pitcher Stan Bahnsen, who posted a 17–12 record with 162 strikeouts and a 2.05 ERA, is named American League Rookie of the Year. Bahnsen easily outdistances outfielder Del Unser of the Washington Senators.
*November 22 – Cincinnati Reds catcher Johnny Bench edges out New York Mets pitcher Jerry Koosman to win the National League Rookie of the Year Award. Bench becomes the third member of the Reds in six years to be named the top rookie.

December

Births

January

*January 8 – Paul Carey
*January 8 – Brian Johnson
*January 9 – Tom Kramer

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