Game One of the 1968 World Series was held at Busch Stadium on October 2, 1968. The Cardinals had won titles in 1964 and 1967. The Tigers were back in the Fall Clasic for the first time since 1945.
St. Louis finished 1968 at 97-65 and won the NL by nine games over the San Francisco Giants. Bob Gibson was the leader of the Cards. He went 22-9, led the NL in ERA with a 1.12, strikeouts with 268, and shutouts with 13. Lou Brock was the NL leader in stolen bases with 62. The Cardinals did not lead the league in any major offensive categories. But as a pitching staff, they tossed thirty shutouts and had a team ERA of 2.49.
The Tigers had a record of 103-59 to top the second place Baltimore Orioles by 12 games.
Like the Cards, the Tigers did not lead their league in any major offensive categores. But, they had pitcher Denny McLain. McLain was 31-6 with 28 complete games and a 1.96ERA. He was the first pitcher to win thirty games in a season since Dizzy Dean in 1934.
No surprise that Gibson and McLain would meet in Game One of the 1968 Series.
The game was scoreless until the Cardinals got to McLain for three runs in the bottom of the fourth. Mike Shannon drove the first run of the game. Julian Javier followed with a two run single. That was all Gibson needed.
The intimidating right-hander struckout seventeen batters and walked one in a 5-hit shutout for the win. Seventeen strikeouts in a World Series game is still a record.
Brock put a cap on the game with a seventh inning homer off Pat Dobson.
The complete boxscore for Game One of the 1964 World Series is HERE.
Performances that caught my eye:
Roger Maris was 0-for-3 with a run for the Cards
Tim McCarver went 1-for-3 with a triple and a run for the Cards
Al Kaline had the only extra base hit, a double, for the Tigers
Mickey Stanley was the only Tiger with two hits in the game.
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