Game Four of the 1968 World Series
Tigers Stopped Again by Gibson As Cardinals Win 10-1
Jul 31, 2008
The game in Detroit was a Gibson repeat. The St. Louis Cardinal's righthanded ace thwarted the Tigers and 31-game winner Denny McLain for the second time in the Series. McLain, as in Game One, could find no mastery over the St. Louis hitters, while Gibson remained unbeatable.
Tiger Roar Not Heard in Game Four
Their pitching ace was dull, their batsmen unable to start a rally as Detroit fell into a 3-1 deficit in Game Four at Tiger Stadium. Faithful fans had no roars of approval to bellow from the beginning when singer-songwriter Jose Feliciano replaced stadium regular and favorite "Fat Bob the Singing Plumber" to render the national anthem. Feliciano was booed, and protests of his performance flooded the stadium switchboard. The calls of disapproval and shock set the tone for a gray day in the Motor City.
Rain delayed the ballgame for over 70 minutes with Detroit trailing St. Louis 4-0 after three innings. The Tigers wanted a no-contest washout, which by rule would have occurred if the rain prevented the game from going five innings. The Motor City Express began to use stalling tactics when play resumed.
The Cardinals countered by purposefully surrendering outs at their turn at bat.
Baseball Commissioner William Eckert was forced to take action. Eckert consulted with the umpiring crew in his private box, instructing them to put an end to the on-field display.
Gibson Unaffected by Rain Delay
Twenty-two game winner Gibson was stoic, as always, on the mound when play continued. He mowed down the Tiger batters as methodically as a lawn mower eats grass. He chilled the Bengal fans. He flattened Detroit's hopes for a comeback. He destroyed Tigerdom.
In the meantime, the Cardinal hitters continued to have no problems with the offerings of McLain. The magical hurler of 1968, McLain was again chased off the hill. His seasonal win total of 31 games had broken a record set in 1934.
Cardinal Hitters Sharp in Game Four
Curt Flood, centerfielder, Mike Shannon, third baseman, Julian Javier, second baseman, Tim McCarver, catcher, and Orlando Cepada, first baseman, and base-stealing Lou Brock, leftfielder, batted themselves on base and brought runs around to the plate all afternoon in the gray mist.
Brock led all St. Louis hitters for the Series with 13 hits in 28 at bats for a mighty .464 average. He also stole a total of seven bases. On the season, he had led the team in doubles (46) and triples (14), as well as stolen bases (62).
In the Series, he was aided at the plate in hits by Cepada (7), Javier (9), Shannon (8), Flood (8), and McCarver (9).
