Amid all the chaos of the offseason market, the world of MLB has been hit with news that is tough to swallow. A former World Series winner with the Detroit Tigers and a pitcher who homered in a World Series has left us behind.

It was just reported by Bob Nightengale that, “RIP Tigers World Series hero Mickey Lolich.”

Detroit Tigers pitcher Mickey Lolich died Wednesday at 85, the organization confirmed publicly officially. Lolich spent 13 seasons with Detroit before finishing his career with the Mets and Padres.

His passing was reported without a disclosed cause, marking a natural passing at an advanced age. Across 16 MLB seasons, he compiled longevity rarely seen among starting pitchers historically leaguewide. That longevity framed everything fans later felt when Detroit announced the loss Wednesday publicly.

Lolich’s impact on the Detroit Tigers is anchored by franchise records across multiple pitching categories.

He ranks first in Tigers history for strikeouts with 2679 and shutouts with 39. Lolich also finished third in wins with 207, and innings pitched totaling 3361 there. Those totals came across 490 regular-season starts, the most by any Tigers pitcher.

Such usage defined Detroit rotations for years and shaped fan expectations every fourth day.

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His defining moments peaked during the 1968 World Series against the Cardinals, historically.

Mickey Lolich won three complete games, throwing 27 innings while allowing only 5 runs total. He earned World Series MVP honors, including a complete game victory on two days’ rest.

Lolich also homered in Game 2, a rare feat for pitchers then during play. That series swung Detroit’s fate after trailing 3 to 1 earlier in the matchup there.

Beyond October heroics, Mickey Lolich delivered extreme workloads like 376 innings during the 1971 season. He struck out 308 batters that year, leading the league in both categories then. Across his Detroit Tigers tenure, durability met availability, as he never required an injured list stint.

Lolich later retired after Mets and Padres stops, returning home to suburban Detroit afterward.

He will be remembered through documented numbers, images, and moments that defined Detroit Tigers baseball.

MLB and the Tigers’ fans mourn the loss of Mickey Lolich

MLB and the Detroit Tigers pause because 490 starts, 3361 innings, and franchise strikeout records do not fade quietly. Mickey Lolich represents an era where three complete games in a 1968 World Series decided everything. The sadness lands because durability, like 39 shutouts and 207 wins, does not exist anymore.

The Detroit Times wrote, “Rest in Peace, 1968 Detroit Tigers World Series hero, Mickey Lolich.” During Game 7, he picked off two runners, sealing control across nine innings there alone. Across Detroit tenure, his 190 complete games and 46.7 bWAR defined trust earned nightly. His 508 appearances reflected availability, even while serving National Guard duties during the 1967 unrest.

The Tigers said they were ‘deeply saddened,’ a feeling grounded in 13 seasons anchoring rotations. Calling him a ‘three-time All-Star,’ Detroit pointed to consistency across appearances, starts, and a decade-long trust. As a ‘1968 World Series Champion,’ he carried Detroit through October with repeated complete-game starts. Labeled a ‘cornerstone,’ Lolich led the Tigers’ records in shutouts and strikeouts for more than a decade.

The passing stung deeper because Willie Horton called Mickey Lolich “like a brother for over 60 years,” reflecting a lifelong bond. In 1969, they combined for a memorable June 21 victory when Horton hit two homers, and Lolich earned the win, allowing just four hits. Horton had slugged 36 homers and driven in key runs in 1968 while also throwing out Lou Brock at home plate in Game 5. As teammates, their chemistry helped weather Detroit’s late-season and World Series pressure with shared triumphs and unforgettable plays. The sadness grows knowing a pitcher and hitter once linked on the field and in memory now belong only to history.

We mourn “three-time All-Star and 1968 World Series MVP” Mickey Lolich, who died at 85. Across 16 seasons, including 13 with Detroit, he pitched for the Mets and Padres, winning the 1968 ALCS MVP. His 1971 peak led AL wins 25, starts 49, CGs 29, innings 376, strikeouts 308. He finished with “217 career games,” 2,832 strikeouts, fifth among lefties, remembered quietly forever.

Fans wrote “Best World Series pitching performance ever” after Mickey Lolich struck out 25 across three starts. On two days’ rest, he won Game 7, outdueling Bob Gibson in a 1968 classic. He completed all three starts, allowing five runs total, a record-setting October workload then. “RIP, Mickey Lolich,” felt earned because his October dominance changed championships, memories, and pitching standards.

MLB and the Detroit Tigers lowered the volume because Mickey Lolich made silence feel earned. History argues softly now, knowing standards he set still argue back, long after grief.