Great Lakes bracket: 1973 Tigers defeat 1973 Brewers in seven games

Game One: Brewers 9, Tigers 2
WP: Colburn (1-0)
LP: Lolich (0-1)
HR: Scott (1), Coluccio (1)

Game Two: Brewers 3, Tigers 0
WP: Slayton (1-0)
LP: Coleman (0-1)
HR: D May (1)

Game Three: Tigers 7, Brewers 3
WP: J Perry (1-0)
LP: J Bell (0-1)
Save: Hiller (1)
HR: Stanley (1), Northrup (1)

Game Four: Tigers 5, Brewers 0
WP: Lolich (1-1)
LP: Colburn (1-1)
HR: Cash 2 (2)

Game Five: Tigers 8, Brewers 3
WP: Coleman (1-1)
LP: Slayton (1-1)
Save: Hiller (2)
HR: Briggs (1), Cash (3)

Game Six: Brewers 5, Tigers 0
WP: Champion (1-0)
LP: J Perry (1-1)
HR: Scott (2), Porter (1)

Game Seven: Tigers 3, Brewers 1
WP: Lolich (2-1)
LP: Colburn (1-2)
Save: Hiller (3)

Road teams won six games of the seven games.

Workhorse starters Mickey Lolich and Jim Colburn matched up in three of the seven. Game One, in Tiger Stadium, was dominated by the Brewers. Bob Coluccio hit a two-run homer off Lolich in the second inning, and George "Boomer" Scott hit a grand-slam off the lefty in the sixth for force him out of the game. Colburn went the distance, scattering six hits. Willie Horton, Detroit's designated hitter, was plunked in his first plate appearance and injured for the rest of the series.

Jim Slayton outdueled Joe Coleman in the second game. The Tigers got just five hits off Slayton. Dave May homered in the sixth to put the Brewers ahead, and Milwaukee added two more in the eighth.

The series shifted to Milwaukee and County Stadium. Jim Perry pitched into the seventh, allowing three runs on nine hits. John Hiller got the final four outs and earned the save. Gates Brown, who started at DH for Detroit, went 3-for-3 with a triple.

The Tigers evened the series in Game Four behind Lolich's three-hitter. Milwaukee didn't have a baserunner until Ellie Rodriguez doubled with one out in the sixth. By that time Norm Cash had hit a pair of homers and driven in three runs. Three of the five runs charged to Colburn were unearned.

Detroit swept the Milwaukee portion of the series with an 8-3 win in Game Five. Cash hit a three-run homer in the first as the Tigers scored four runs off Slayton. John Briggs made the score 4-3 in the third with a three-run shot of his own off Coleman. The Tigers added an unearned run in the eighth and tacked on three more in the ninth. Hiller worked two perfect innings to collect his second save.

Bill Champion lived up to his name for Milwaukee in Game Six with a four-hit shutout. He had streaks of 12 and 9 straight batters retired. Scott homered, doubled and drove in three runs as the Brewers forced a Game Seven and another Lolich vs Colburn matchup.

Lolich got double-play balls in each of the first two innings and held the Brewers scoreless into the ninth. Aurilio Rodriguez tripled in a run in the second, and that 1-0 lead stood until the Tigers plated two runs in the ninth on RBI singles by Cash and Al Kaline. Hiller entered after the Brewers scored one run and had two in scoring position with two outs in the ninth and got Briggs to ground out to end the game and the series.

Player availablity status: Horton may play beginning with Game Three.

Projected rotation: Coleman-Fryman-Lolich-Coleman-(Perry)-(Lolich)-(Coleman)