MLB and Detroit Tigers legend has tragically passed away

It is a sad day for baseball fans everywhere, but especially for those who remember when pitchers were built differently. Lolich wasn't sculpted in a lab; he looked like a guy you'd see at the local bowling alley, yet he dominated the best hitters on the planet.

The news of his passing at age 85 hits hard because he represented an era of grit we rarely see anymore. He didn't need pitch counts or "load management"; he just took the ball and refused to give it back.

His career numbers are staggering: 217 wins, 2,832 strikeouts, and a durability that seems impossible by modern standards. But stats don't tell the full story of what he meant to the city of Detroit and baseball purists.

The 1968 World Series remains his masterpiece. With the Tigers down 3-1 to the Cardinals, Lolich put the team on his back, winning three complete games in a single series.

Think about that for a second. Three complete games in one World Series. That is a feat we will almost certainly never witness again in our lifetimes.

Beating the terrifying Bob Gibson in Game 7 on just two days' rest is the kind of stuff that sounds like fiction today. It was a performance born of pure heart and stubbornness.

He wasn't just a postseason hero, though; he was a workhorse who logged over 370 innings in 1971 alone. That level of endurance is mind-boggling when we celebrate guys for throwing 180 innings now.

For Blue Jays fans who appreciate the art of pitching, Lolich is a reminder of the mental toughness required to be great. He wasn't flashy, he wasn't perfect, but when the lights were brightest, he was untouchable.

We often talk about "gamers" in this sport. Mickey Lolich was the definition of the word. He pitched for the love of the battle, and he won the biggest one of all.

Rest in peace to a true titan of the mound. The game is a little less colorful without you today.