1968 Detroit Tigers: Five players that made the difference

The 1968 Detroit Tigers were a special team, uniting a fractured city with a World Series victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. Free Press sports writer Ryan Ford looks back on five key players from that team:

Willie Horton, shown during his Tigers career, hasn’t visited his old stomping grounds much: “I’d just rather stay away because I’ve got too many great memories.” (Photo: Detroit Free Press file photo)

The slugger: Willie Horton

MLB’s 1968 season has been called “The Year of The Pitcher.” An expanded strike zone and pitching mounds that were 15 inches high (as opposed to the 10 inches they had been previously) gave pitchers a huge advantage over hitters, and batting stats plummeted. Just…