DETROIT (AP) — Jim Northrup, the outfielder who hit a decisive two-run triple in Game 7 of the 1968 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, propelling the Detroit Tigers to their first championship since 1945, died on Wednesday in Grand Blanc, Mich. He was 71.
A friend, Bill Wischman, said Northrup had been in poor health for some time and was moved to an assisted living facility about a month ago because of Alzheimer’s disease.
In a 12-year major league career, Northrup’s “biggest thrill,” he told Arthur Daley of The New York Times in 1970, came on Oct. 10 in the seventh inning of the final game of the 1968 Series. With two outs and two men on base, Northrup, a left-handed batter, drove the first pitch from the Cardinals’ ace, Bob Gibson, deep into center field. Curt Flood, the Cardinals’ stellar center fielder, misjudging the ball’s carry, started in, then reversed gears and slipped on the grass as the ball sailed over his head.
The hit broke open a scoreless game and scored Norm Cash and Willie Horton. Detroit went on to win, 4-1.
The Tigers, managed by Mayo Smith, won the Series after falling behind, three games to one. They had had a dominant year, rolling to 103 regular-season wins behind the pitching of Mickey Lolich, the Series’ seventh-game winner, and Denny McLain, who went 31-6, the last major league pitcher to win 30 games or more.
Northrup, a brawny 6 feet 2 inches, set a major league record that year when he hit three grand slams in one week. He also hit a grand slam in the sixth game of the 1968 Series. In the same season, he hit a home run out of Tiger Stadium, joining a short roster of sluggers to have done so, and went 6 for 6 in a game, a feat not accomplished by a Tiger since Ty Cobb 44 years earlier.
Northrup also played for Montreal and Baltimore and worked as a sportscaster with the Pass Sports network in the 1980s and 1990s.
James Thomas Northrup was born on Nov. 24, 1939, in Breckenridge, Mich. He signed with the Tigers in 1960 as an amateur free agent and made his major league debut in 1964. Detroit traded him to Montreal in 1974.
In 1,392 major league games, he hit 153 home runs, drove in 610 runs and batted .267.
In addition to Alzheimer’s, Northrup also battled rheumatoid arthritis for many years, Wischman said. He became deeply involved in community and charity work, including an effort to help Polish orphans. Northrup is survived by his wife, Patty; his children, Kamil, Azaria, Jim, Paige and Kate; and seven grandchildren.
McLain, also a longtime friend, was warming up in the bullpen when Northrup hit his decisive triple.
“Jimmy didn’t want to lose at anything,” McLain told The Detroit Free Press. “He was even competitive at the postgame meal. He was the emotional backbone of our team that year. He’d get mad at you if he even saw you exchanging pleasantries with guys from the other team. Jimmy was a big reason why we were just a grind-it-out-type of team.”
NY Times
A friend, Bill Wischman, said Northrup had been in poor health for some time and was moved to an assisted living facility about a month ago because of Alzheimer’s disease.
In a 12-year major league career, Northrup’s “biggest thrill,” he told Arthur Daley of The New York Times in 1970, came on Oct. 10 in the seventh inning of the final game of the 1968 Series. With two outs and two men on base, Northrup, a left-handed batter, drove the first pitch from the Cardinals’ ace, Bob Gibson, deep into center field. Curt Flood, the Cardinals’ stellar center fielder, misjudging the ball’s carry, started in, then reversed gears and slipped on the grass as the ball sailed over his head.
The hit broke open a scoreless game and scored Norm Cash and Willie Horton. Detroit went on to win, 4-1.
The Tigers, managed by Mayo Smith, won the Series after falling behind, three games to one. They had had a dominant year, rolling to 103 regular-season wins behind the pitching of Mickey Lolich, the Series’ seventh-game winner, and Denny McLain, who went 31-6, the last major league pitcher to win 30 games or more.
Northrup, a brawny 6 feet 2 inches, set a major league record that year when he hit three grand slams in one week. He also hit a grand slam in the sixth game of the 1968 Series. In the same season, he hit a home run out of Tiger Stadium, joining a short roster of sluggers to have done so, and went 6 for 6 in a game, a feat not accomplished by a Tiger since Ty Cobb 44 years earlier.
Northrup also played for Montreal and Baltimore and worked as a sportscaster with the Pass Sports network in the 1980s and 1990s.
James Thomas Northrup was born on Nov. 24, 1939, in Breckenridge, Mich. He signed with the Tigers in 1960 as an amateur free agent and made his major league debut in 1964. Detroit traded him to Montreal in 1974.
In 1,392 major league games, he hit 153 home runs, drove in 610 runs and batted .267.
In addition to Alzheimer’s, Northrup also battled rheumatoid arthritis for many years, Wischman said. He became deeply involved in community and charity work, including an effort to help Polish orphans. Northrup is survived by his wife, Patty; his children, Kamil, Azaria, Jim, Paige and Kate; and seven grandchildren.
McLain, also a longtime friend, was warming up in the bullpen when Northrup hit his decisive triple.
“Jimmy didn’t want to lose at anything,” McLain told The Detroit Free Press. “He was even competitive at the postgame meal. He was the emotional backbone of our team that year. He’d get mad at you if he even saw you exchanging pleasantries with guys from the other team. Jimmy was a big reason why we were just a grind-it-out-type of team.”
NY Times
