Mickey Lolich, a legendary figure in baseball, has passed away at the age of 85, as announced by the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday morning. His remarkable career included being a three-time American League All-Star and earning the title of World Series MVP in 1968.
Lolich made his debut with the Tigers when he was just 22 years old during the 1963 season. He quickly established himself as an essential part of Detroit's pitching rotation, becoming a prominent figure on the team for more than a decade. Over the years, he played alongside notable players such as Hall of Famer Jim Bunning and two-time Cy Young Award winner Denny McLain.
Though he had several impressive seasons, Lolich truly etched his name into baseball history with his spectacular showing in the 1968 World Series. He took the mound in Games 2, 5, and the critical Game 7 against the St. Louis Cardinals. Not only did he win all three games, but he also completed each outing. In what is often regarded as one of the most outstanding individual performances in World Series history, Lolich pitched three complete games, allowing a mere five runs on 20 hits and six walks, achieving an incredible 1.67 ERA while striking out 21 batters. Remarkably, his final appearance in that series came after just two days of rest, yet he still managed to limit the Cardinals to one run on five hits and three walks, leading to a 4-1 triumph.
While this unforgettable World Series performance would be enough to secure a legacy, it was merely one highlight of Lolich's illustrious career. The following year, in 1969, he made his first of three All-Star appearances. Additionally, in 1971 and 1972, he finished among the top three in Cy Young voting, narrowly missing the award to iconic pitchers Vida Blue and Gaylord Perry.
In those same two years, Lolich also made his mark in the American League MVP voting, finishing in the top ten. Notably, in 1971, he led the league with 45 starts and pitched an astounding 376 innings. He completed 29 games that season, maintaining an impressive ERA of 2.92—remarkably close to the 3.00 mark. These figures rank as the second-highest single-season records for any pitcher in the past 100 years, with only Wilbur Wood surpassing him in both categories.
Lolich dedicated the first 13 years of his professional career to the Tigers before a trade in December 1975 sent him to the Mets, with six-time All-Star Rusty Staub coming back to Detroit. After a brief retirement following his lone season with the Mets, he re-emerged as a reliever for the Padres in 1978 and 1979 before retiring definitively.
Overall, Mickey Lolich's major league career spanned 16 seasons, during which he achieved a record of 217 wins and 191 losses, boasting a career ERA of 3.44 across 3,638.1 innings pitched. His total of 2,832 strikeouts places him 23rd on the all-time list, just 33 behind his former teammate, Jim Bunning. Lolich is among a select group of just 122 pitchers who have recorded 200 wins in their careers, tying him with Freddie Fitzsimmons for 87th place in the historical rankings. His wins above replacement (WAR), calculated at 47.9 according to Baseball-Reference, places him in a tie with another exceptional pitcher, Ron Guidry, at 116th overall.
The MLB Trade Rumors team expresses our heartfelt condolences to Lolich’s family, friends, and the countless fans mourning the loss of one of baseball's great talents.
