The baseball world is mourning the loss of a player who made history with the Detroit Tigers.

Mickey Lolich, remembered as the Tigers’ hero in the 1968 World Series, has died, the Tigers announced. He was 85. Lolich is the last MLB pitcher to win three games in the league’s championship series, the World Series. He was named World Series MVP that year.

The Tigers said Lolich’s wife informed the franchise that Lolich was recently in hospice care. The cause of death was not released.

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Lolich is No. 23 on the all-time career strikeouts list with 2,832 punchouts.

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Lolich was an unlikely star of the Tigers 1968 title run. During a reunion of the World Series team, he recalled how manager Mayo Smith had sent him to the bullpen for much of August. He returned to the Tigers’ starting rotation and was 6-1 in the final weeks.

“I was having a few problems, but I had been a starting pitcher ever since 1964,” said Lolich, who was upset about the bullpen move. “I remember telling him, ‘If we win this thing this year it’s going to be because of me.’ But I was only talking about the season. I wasn’t talking about the World Series.

“I got my revenge back in the World Series,” he said.

FILE – Mickey Lolich, pitcher of Detroit Tigers poses for a photo, March 1968.  (AP Photo, File)

Lolich pitched Game 7 after only two days of rest. He figured he would get a Corvette from General Motors for being the Series MVP but had to settle for a Dodge Charger GT because Chrysler was the sponsor in 1968.

“Nothing against Chargers, nothing at all,” Lolich said in his book, “Joy in Tigertown.” “It’s just that I already had two of them in my driveway.”

Since Lolich, only two pitchers have won three games in a single World Series: Arizona’s Randy Johnson in 2001 and Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2025. But they pitched fewer innings and got their third victories in relief.

FILE – Former Detroit Tigers pitcher Mickey Lolich throws out the ceremonial first pitch before a baseball game between the Tigers and the Pittsburgh Pirates, March 30, 2018, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)

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In a statement, the Tigers expressed condolences to Lolich’s family and said his legacy “will forever be cherished.”

After his baseball career, Lolich went into the doughnut business in the Detroit suburbs, making and selling them for 18 years.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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The Philadelphia 76ers traded guard Jared McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder for a 2026 Rockets first-round pick and three second-round picks, the teams announced Wednesday.

One of the second-round picks heading to the Sixers is for 2027 (most favorable of picks via OKC/Houston/Indiana/Miami) and two are for 2028 (via OKC, Milwaukee), sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania.

McCain, the 16th overall pick in the 2024 draft, joins the reigning NBA champions after averaging 6.6 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists on 38.5% shooting in 16.8 minutes per game for the Sixers this season.

He made his season debut on Nov. 4 after suffering a torn ligament in his right (shooting) thumb during a workout just prior to the Sixers’ season-opening media day. McCain, 21, missed most of his rookie season after having season-ending surgery for a torn meniscus in December 2024.

For the 76ers, the trade allows them to receive assets, clear space in the glut of guards and give them flexibility to bring Quentin Grimes back in free agency. It also allows them to convert two-way Dominick Barlow.

The trade comes on the heels of Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander suffering an abdominal strain during Tuesday’s game against the Orlando Magic. He will be reevaluated following the All-Star break.

The Thunder later sent Ousmane Dieng and a 2029 second-round pick (most favorable of picks from Atlanta/Miami) to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Mason Plumlee. Dieng was then re-routed by the Hornets to the Bulls in another deal.

Karim Benzema said he wants to bring trophies to his new Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal, which he called the “Real Madrid in Asia.”

The French forward turned down a contract extension to remain at Al Ittihad beyond June and instead joined Saudi Pro League leaders Al Hilal on Monday.

Speaking for the first time since his move, the former Madrid captain and 2022 Ballon d’Or winner told the club’s website: “It’s good. I’m happy to be here. After my first training with the team, with the coach, I’m so happy and glad to be a part of this team.

“It’s a good team, with a good history. They have won a lot of trophies.

“It’s similar, like Real Madrid in Asia. Everything is good, the fans are good, they play well, they have good players, they have a good mentality.

“I liked this team from before. I used to play against them with Madrid and it was not an easy game. It was a good game so I have good memories. Today I’m happy because I’m a player of Al Hilal.”

According to sources, Benzema, 38, felt disrespected with the contract extension Al Ittihad had offered him.

The Al Ittihad deal from the Saudi Pro League, which handles the contracts of the main players in PIF(Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund)-owned clubs, would effectively have seen the veteran striker play for free, sources said.

Benzema, who had offers from European clubs, decided to stay in Saudi Arabia, partly because his image rights deal there is until 2030.

His move to Al Hilal, which PIF orchestrated, has reportedly angered Benzema’s former Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, who captains rivals Al Nassr.

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According to sources, Ronaldo refused to play for his club on Monday in protest because PIF was not investing enough in Al Nassr and instead was giving an advantage to Al Hilal.

Ronaldo is looking to win his first major title with Al Nassr and his team are second in the Saudi Pro League standings, one point adrift of Al Hilal.

Benzema, who was instrumental in Al Ittihad winning the league crown and the King’s Cup last season, said he is hungry for more silverware.

“[It’s a] clear message,” he said. “You know my mentality. I have a lot of ambition. I will work, I will give everything on the pitch. I will help this team and, inshallah, win trophies. For me it’s more important to bring trophies. As I said before, we have a good team, good fans and together, inshallah, we will do it.”

Benzema arrived in Saudi Arabia in the summer of 2023 having won 25 trophies with Madrid, including four LaLiga, three Copa del Rey, and five Champions League titles.

He has eight goals in 14 league games this season.

His first game with Al Hilal will be Thursday’s league encounter at Al Okhdood.