DETROIT — Mickey Lolich, the left-handed pitcher who outdueled Bob Gibson and won MVP of the 1968 World Series, was an icon of his time.
He died on Wednesday at 85, the Detroit Tigers confirmed.
Lolich leaves a legacy as one of the best left-handers in MLB history. He was a three-time All-Star known for his ironclad durability. He won three games in that 1968 World Series, going nine innings all three times.
Lolich surrendered only one earned run in Game 2. He gave up three earned runs in Game 5. Three days later, in Game 7, he allowed only one run in a 4-1 Tigers victory against Gibson’s St. Louis Cardinals.
“I was asked to pitch five innings,” Lolich recalled of his most famous outing in a 2018 interview with The Athletic. “I thought nothing of that, because I usually would go down to bullpen and throw 100-135 pitches getting a workout. I said, ‘That will be easy; that will be nothing.’ I pitched five innings, walked off the mound and said, ‘Well, I did my job.’
“My manager was asking for me and said, ‘Could you pitch one more?’ And I felt pretty good, so I pitched one more and walked off, and he says, ‘Can you pitch one more?’ We ended up scoring three runs in that inning. I walked up and tapped him on the shoulder, and I said, ‘Well, now I’ll finish this thing for you,’ and he said, ‘That was just what I wanted to hear.’ And I finished it for him.”
The 1968 series was Lolich’s greatest triumph, but far from his only work of pitching mastery. Born right-handed, Lolich broke his left collarbone in a childhood accident where he rode a tricycle into a parked motorcycle, which fell on him. Efforts to strengthen his left arm unearthed Lolich’s dazzling talent as a lefty.
In 1971, Lolich was worth 8.5 bWAR, posted a 2.92 ERA and led the league with an incredible 376 innings pitched. He finished second to Vida Blue in American League Cy Young Award voting that season and finished third behind Gaylord Perry and Wilbur Wood in 1972.
Lolich played 13 of his 16 MLB seasons with the Tigers, pitching 3,361 2/3 innings with a 3.45 ERA. He still holds team records for single-season strikeouts (308), career strikeouts (2,679), shutouts (39) and games started (459).
In an era of workhorse starters, Lolich, who first pitched in the major leagues in 1963, was among the most durable ever to step foot on a mound. He finished his career with 41 shutouts and 195 complete games, nearly 40 percent of his career starts. Lolich retired with 2,832 strikeouts, the most ever by a left-handed pitcher until Steve Carlton surpassed him. To this day, Randy Johnson, Steve Carlton, CC Sabathia and Clayton Kershaw are the only left-handers to strike out more batters in a career.
After his time with the Tigers, Lolich played one season with the New York Mets and two more years with the San Diego Padres, his final season coming in 1979. Lolich never received more than 25.5 percent of the vote on Hall of Fame ballots.
Born in Portland, Ore., Lolich retired to a quiet life in the Detroit suburbs.
“Lolich was a great pitcher, teammate and champion, but he was more than that to me,” Tigers great Willie Horton said in a statement. “He was like a brother for over 60 years. I will keep the memories close to my heart and will never forget the close bond we shared. My condolences to Joyce (Lolich’s wife) and their family and to everyone who loved him.”