Detroit Tigers

You're looking for a long shot.

The Detroit Tigers.

Okay.

The Tigers just had a weird year.

The last two years, they were really good.

They outperformed the talent level on the team.

And this is too good a team, especially Kevin McGonigal is really good, Max Clark.

This is a pretty good team.

And this, of course, this game decides the National League champions to face either Detroit or Oakland.

As the Tigers won dramatically, we'll talk more about that later, 4-3 today in Oakland.

Bottom of the second inning, Pittsburgh leading 2-0.

The Reds will send up Johnny Bench, Tony Perez, and Dennis Finke.

Cincinnati nothing.

In those totals for the American League playoff game today, won by Detroit, they'll have a sudden death thing tomorrow coming up at Detroit again.

Tigers, four runs, ten hits, one error.

Oakland, three runs, nine hits, and two errors.

They had to have a little bit of an effect on them.

The Detroit Tigers proved their worth through the American League season, and it was their first game yesterday.

I know Cardinal Scouting reports, Kurt, referred to Mickey Lelich as the pitcher that so made with the kind of stuff that he has to give the Cardinals the most trouble.

He being a southpaw will counteract the left-handed hitting strength of the Cardinal lineup with Brock and McCarver, and of course it keeps Roger Marris out of the lineup as Ron Davis will be playing right field.

So the Cardinals have success during the season against left-handers, but against a good southpaw like Mickey Lollick, the Detroit Tigers, who I'm sure would be happy with an even break in the two games here in St. Louis, before returning to their own ballpark in Detroit for the next three games, know that this is the one they have to win.

All right, Harry, and right now, let's go down to the field.

We're going to have the introduction of today's starting lineup.

We had the biggest crowd ever to see in a baseball game here yesterday.

And if that's true, it's altogether proper that the All-Star game be played here because this is most of all a baseball park.

Whether you call it Bennett Park or Navin Field or Briggs Stadium or Tiger Stadium, this has been most of all the home of the Detroit Tigers.

It's been the scene of some great players and some great exploits.

This is where Ty Cobb played and managed.

Batting third and playing left field from the Boston Red Sox, Carl Yastrzemski.

Batting fourth and playing right field from the Baltimore Orioles, Frank Robinson.

Batting fifth and playing first base from the Detroit Tigers, Norm Cash.

Batting sixth and playing third base from the Baltimore Orioles, Brooks Robinson.

First base, he led right off with a base hit, and Don Holt standing in.

The Tigers had a great year, batting a .282.

Thus far, here in the series, batting a .250.

Pirates leading 2-0.

Touchdown in the 3-2 advantage for a little bit out there.

We'll see you next time.

I'd be kind of looking maybe for a little run and hit or hit and run, although Pittsburgh's got to be a little nervous out there, but the Tigers got good bat control.

We'll have to just see how things are going.

As far as the American League East is concerned, it is starting to build up.

Toronto, two and a half games over the Detroit Tigers, four and a half over New York, Baltimore six and a half back, Boston eight and a half, these Brewers at 11, and Cleveland at 23.

And good evening, everyone, and welcome to Anaheim Stadium.

I'm Don Drysdale, and happy that you've joined us tonight for ABC's Monday Night Baseball, the California Angels and the Milwaukee Brewers.

Things started to come around.

They were starting to get some good pitching, and all of a sudden they started to make things tough on their contenders in that American League East.

As a matter of fact, the president of the Detroit Tigers said that was Jim Campbell.

Watch out for the Brewers.

That's impressive.

During the season, that's the first 1-2-3 finish in base hits for any major league team since the 1915 Detroit Tigers.

Jay, this whole Milwaukee lineup, you've got to walk almost eight guys before you get to the guys you want to pitch to.

There's really no soft spot.

The distance of the wall out in center field, height-wise up and down, is eight feet.

The Orioles, who during the regular season won the American League championship, won the Eastern Division of the American League over the Detroit Tigers, Baltimore won 109 ballgames and lost only 53.

They will lead off in the top of the first inning with Don Buford, and they'll follow with Paul Blair and Frank Robinson.

Charles at third base, as the Met third baseman have done every time Buford has come to bat.

His dad, of course, Ray Boone, the former...

American leaguer the bulk of his career with the Cleveland Indians and the Detroit Tigers.

Rounds and foul over to the California dugout so the count remains full on Boone at three balls two strikes.

There's Donnie Moore they're calling him the guardian angel here.