Sports
Mickey Lolich
1940–2026 · baseball pitcher
Left-hander who won three complete games, including Game 7, to be MVP of the 1968 World Series; he holds the Tigers' career strikeout record and stayed in metro Detroit for life.
- Born
Portland, Oregon- Died
Sterling Heights, Michigan
aged 85- Birth name
- Michael Stephen Lolich
- Detroit years
- 1963–2026
- Field
- Sports
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Lolich signed with Detroit out of Portland, Oregon, at seventeen and became a regular starter in 1964. A durable, burly left-hander, he won at least 14 games every season from 1964 through 1974. In July 1967 he was called up with the Michigan Air National Guard during the Detroit uprising. His defining moment came in October 1968: overshadowed all season by 31-game winner Denny McLain, he beat the St. Louis Cardinals three times in the World Series, finishing with a 4–1 win over Bob Gibson on two days' rest in Game 7, and was named Series MVP. In 1971 he led the league with 25 wins and 308 strikeouts. He still holds Tigers records for strikeouts (2,679), starts and shutouts. After baseball he settled in the Detroit suburbs, famously running a doughnut shop in Lake Orion, and he died in Sterling Heights in 2026.
Highlights
- 1968 World Series MVP with three complete-game wins
- Beat Bob Gibson in Game 7 of the 1968 Series
- 25 wins and 308 strikeouts in 1971
- Tigers career records: 2,679 strikeouts, 459 starts, 39 shutouts
- Three-time All-Star
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 1
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Played here · 1963–1975
Tiger Stadium (site)
Demolished · 1912–1999
His home ballpark for thirteen seasons; demolished in 2008–2009.