Summary
Pitching dominated this World Series, with Bob Gibson leading the Cardinals. Cy Young winner Jim Lonborg pitched the decisive final game of the regular season, so he was unable to start Game 1. Facing Boston's José Santiago, Gibson and St. Louis won, 2–1. Roger Maris, (obtained from the Yankees in December 1966) knocked in both of St. Louis' runs with third and seventh-inning grounders. Santiago pitched brilliantly and homered in the third inning off Gibson for the Red Sox' only run.
Gibson cemented his reputation as an unhittable postseason pitcher in this series, allowing only three total runs over three complete games. His efforts allowed the Cardinals to triumph despite the batting of Yastrzemski (.500 OBP, .840 SLG), and pitching of Lonborg, who allowed only one run in each of his complete-game wins in Games 2 and 5. In Game 2, Yastrzemski belted two homers but the story was Lonborg. The Boston ace retired the first 19 Cardinals he faced until he walked Curt Flood with one out in the seventh inning. He had a no-hitter until Julian Javier doubled down the left field line with two out in the eighth inning; Lonborg settled for a one-hit shutout in which he faced only 29 batters.
In St. Louis, the El Birdos (as Cepeda had nicknamed them) took Games 3 and 4, with Briles pitching the home team to a 5–2 victory (Mike Shannon's two run blast proved to be the decisive factor), and Gibson tossing a 6–0 whitewashing (with two RBIs apiece by Maris and Tim McCarver). Now leading three-games-to-one, Lonborg kept the Bosox in the series with a 3–1 victory. The 25-year-old righty tossed two hit, shutout ball over 8 2⁄3 innings, then finally gave up a run when Maris knocked a home run to right.
Going for the clincher at Fenway Park in Game 6, the visiting team took a 2–1 lead going into the fourth inning when Dick Hughes (who led the National League with a .727 winning percentage and won 16 games during the regular season) gave up a record three homers in a single inning. Yastrzemski led off the fourth with a long drive over the wall in left-center and, two outs later, rookie Reggie Smith and Rico Petrocelli both hammered consecutive shots. Brock managed to tie the game with a two-run homer in the seventh, but Boston retaliated with four runs of their own and went on for the 8–4 triumph to tie the series at three games all. The Cardinals set a World Series record using eight pitchers.
The decisive Game 7 featured Gibson and Lonborg facing each other for the first time in the series, but Lonborg was starting on only two days' rest, and was unable to compete with Gibson, who only allowed three hits over the course of a complete game. Both pitchers were 2–0 in the series with Gibson giving up four hits in 18 innings and Lonborg surrendering a single run and four hits in his 18. Something had to give—and it was Lonborg. The Cardinal ace clearly dominated the finale, permitting only three hits, striking out 10 batters and even adding a home run blast of his own in the fifth. Julian Javier added a three run shot off Lonborg in the sixth and Gibson cruised to the decisive 7–2 victory. He now boasted a 5–1 record and a 2.00 ERA in World Series competition, with 57 strikeouts in 54 innings and only 37 hits allowed.
This was the first year since 1948 that neither the Yankees, the Giants, nor the Dodgers played in the World Series. It would be another seven years before the Dodgers would return to the series and nine before the Yankees came back. The Giants would not play in a World Series until 1989. Lou Brock stole three bases in Game 7 for a record seven (7) thefts in a seven-game series. The Cardinals tied a World Series record by using eight pitchers in their Game 6 loss.
Ken Brett, the older brother of George Brett, became the youngest pitcher in World Series history at 19 years, 20 days, when he pitched one inning of relief at the end of Game 4. He also pitched 1⁄3 of an inning at the end of Game 7. He gave up no hits or runs in either appearance. He was the only left-hander on the Boston pitching staff.
Red Sox catcher Elston Howard had the dubious distinction of tying Pee Wee Reese's record for most losing World Series teams (6).
St. Louis catcher Tim McCarver said the Boston newspapers made the Cardinals angry with their headline "Lonborg and Champagne" that basically declared that Jim Lonborg would win before Game 7.
The two teams met again in the 2004 and the Red Sox swept in four to break the Curse of the Bambino.
St. Louis is only one of two teams to take a 3–1 series lead only to lose the next two games and still win the championship. The other was the 1972 Oakland Athletics.
1967 marked the first time that the Commissioner's Trophy was presented to the World Series-winning team.
NL St. Louis Cardinals (4) vs. AL Boston Red Sox (3)
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 4 | St. Louis Cardinals – 2, Boston Red Sox – 1 | Fenway Park | 2:22 | 34,796 |
| 2 | October 5 | St. Louis Cardinals – 0, Boston Red Sox – 5 | Fenway Park | 2:24 | 35,188 |
| 3 | October 7 | Boston Red Sox – 2, St. Louis Cardinals – 5 | Busch Stadium (II) | 2:15 | 54,575 |
| 4 | October 8 | Boston Red Sox – 0, St. Louis Cardinals – 6 | Busch Stadium (II) | 2:05 | 54,575 |
| 5 | October 9 | Boston Red Sox – 3, St. Louis Cardinals – 1 | Busch Stadium (II) | 2:20 | 54,575 |
| 6 | October 11 | St. Louis Cardinals – 4, Boston Red Sox – 8 | Fenway Park | 2:48 | 35,188 |
| 7 | October 12 | St. Louis Cardinals – 7, Boston Red Sox – 2 | Fenway Park | 2:23 | 35,188 |
Read more about this topic: 1967 World Series
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