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The Cardinals won the NL crown by 10.5 games over the San Francisco Giants. The Cards took over first place on June 19 and never relinquished it the rest of the way.
By contrast, the 1967 American League pennant race was one of the greatest of all time. Entering the last week of the season, four teams had a chance to make it to the World Series. A four-way tie for the pennant for the first time in baseball history was a possibility.
The Chicago White Sox seemed to have the best chance to cop the crown because they had to play last-place Kansas City twice and the seventh-place Washington Senators three games. But incredibly the Palehose lost all five games, scoring only five runs.
The Minnesota Twins, who led by a half-game entering the final week, won only one of five.
Detroit split its final six games to tie the Twins for second, one game out of first.
The Red Sox, led by Dick Williams in his first year as a major league manager, went into the final two days of the season one behind the Twins. But they beat Minnesota in Fenway Park Saturday and Sunday to finish first by a game.
Game One: Fenway Park
Attendance: 34,796
Time of Game: 2:22
Cardinals 2 Red Sox 1
WP: Bob Gibson; LP: Jose Santiago
- The Cards scored first in the third when LF Lou Brock singled and went to third on CF Curt Flood's double down the left-field line. Then Brock scored on RF Roger Maris's groundout.
- The Red Sox tied the game when—of all batters—Santiago homered over the Green Monster in left-centerfield.
- With Santiago matching Gibson goose egg for goose egg, the game stayed 1-1 into the seventh inning.
- Brock, one of the greatest leadoff men in baseball history, led the league in runs scored (113) and stolen bases (52). He singled, then stole second. Flood hit a grounder to the right side to send Brock to third. With the infield in, Maris grounded to second, and Lou zipped home.
- The Sox got a man on base in each of the final three innings, but Gibson shut them down each time.
Bob Gibson pitches in Fenway Park.
Game Two: Fenway Park
Attendance: 35,188
Time of Game: 2:24
Red Sox 5 Cardinals 0
WP: Jim Lonborg; LP: Dick Hughes
- Jim Lonborg, who had a sensational 22-9 season that earned him the AL Cy Young award, couldn't start against Gibson in Game 1 because he pitched the last Sunday of the season to clinch the pennant against the Twins.
- He pitched the fourth one-hitter in World Series to enable the Red Sox to tie the Series at one game apiece.
- Dick Hughes held the Sox at bay until the fourth when star LF Carl Yastrzemski, the AL Triple Crown winner, homered to deep right field.
- Boston doubled their lead in the 6th on two walks and error and a sacrifice fly by SS Rico Petrocelli.
- The Sox put the game away with three in the 7th on Yaz's three-run homer.
Game Three: Busch Stadium II
Attendance: 54,575
Time of Game: 2:15
Cardinals 5 Red Sox 2
WP: Nelson Briles; LP: Gary Bell
- The Cardinals jumped in front with a run in the first and two in the second. Brock continued his coming-out party for the whole baseball world. He tripled to left-center, then scored on Flood's single.
- C Tim McCarver led off the Cards' second with a single and scored on 3B Mike Shannon's home run.
- Boston scored in the 6th on PH Mike Andrews' single, a sacrifice, and 3B Dalton Jones' single.
- The Redbirds got that run back in the bottom of the inning. Brock led off with a single, then went to second when the Red Sox had him picked off but threw the ball wild. Lou then scored on Maris's single.
- The Sox got that run back in the top of the 7th when Smith clouted a homer.
- The Cards got a final run in the 8th when 1B Orlando Cepeda doubled home Maris.
Game Four: Busch Stadium II
Attendance: 54,575
Time of Game: 2:05
Cardinals 6 Red Sox 0
WP: Bob Gibson; LP: Jose Santiago
- The Cardinals gave Gibson more runs than he needed when they scored four in the first to send Santiago to the showers early. Brock and Flood singled and came home on Maris's double. After Cepeda's fly sent Roger to third, McCarver's single made it 3-0. One-base hits by 2B Julian Javier and SS Dal Maxvill made it 4-0 and brought Gary Bell to the mound for Boston.
- St. Louis added two more runs in the 3rd on Cepeda's double, a wild pitch, McCarver's sacrifice fly and then a walk to Shannon, who came home on Javier's double.
- The only question now was whether Gibson would pitch a shutout. The answer was yes as he scattered five hits.
Game Five: Busch Stadium II
Attendance: 54,575
Time of Game: 2:20
Red Sox 3 Cardinals 1
WP: Jim Lonborg; LP: Steve Carlton
- Boston broke the scoring ice in the third on 3B Joe Foy's single, a botched sacrifice that put runners on first and second, and RF Ken Harrelson's RBI single.
- Neither team scored until the Red Sox got two insurance runs in the 9th off reliever Red Sox.
- Scott walked and Smith doubled him to 3rd. Following an intentional pass to Petrocelli, Jack Lamabe replaced Wilils and gave up a two-run single by veteran C Elston Howard.
- Lonborg lost his shutout when Maris homered ion the 9th but finished with a splendid three-hitter.
Game Six: Fenway Park
Attendance: 35,188
Time of Game: 2:48
Red Sox 8 Cardinals 4
WP: John Wyatt; LP: Jack Lamabe
- The Red Sox forced Game 7 when they scored four in the bottom of the 7th to break a 4-4 tie.
- The home team scored first on Petrocelli's homer off Dick Hughes in the 2nd.
- The Cards took the lead with two in the 3rd. Javier led off with a double but stayed at 2nd until two outs later Brock singled him home. Lou stole second and scored on Flood's single.
- Boston answered with three in the 4th, starting with Yaz's leadoff homer. With two outs, Smith and Petrocelli hit back to back round-trippers to knock out Hughes and bring on Ron Willis.
- Neither side scored until the Cards tied the game with two in the 7th on a walk to PH Bobby Tolan and a homer by Brock.
- The Red Sox jumped on Jack Lamabe in the bottom of the 7th. With one out, Jones singled and Foy doubled him home. Lefty Joe Hoerner replaced Lamabe and immediately gave up a run-scoring single to 2B Mike Andrews. When Yaz singled, Larry Jaster took over for Hoerner and gave up a sacrific fly to PH Jerry Adair. Scott singled Yaz to 2nd, and Smith drove him home with a single, sending Scott to 3rd. Cards manager Red Schoendienst brought in his fourth pitcher of the inning, Ray Washburn, who got the final out.
- Gary Bell got the save with two shutout innings.
Read the separate article on the seventh game of the 1967 World Series.
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