Detroit Tigers: Jim Northrup Remembered

I am surprised the fans here on the Bleacher Report haven't written some articles on Jim Northrup. 

Sure, he may not have been a superstar of Al Kaline's stature, but he was an integral part of the 1968 World Series team.

I grew up in Detroit and my father had connections through his job that got me in to the locker room after a Tiger home game. There I was, a wide-eyed 10-year-old kid standing among his heroes, one of them being Jim Northrup.

I was way too shy to talk to any of them and there was no "magic" moment where Northrup came up to me and made me feel like I was on top of the world.

But that wasn't what I remember most about Northrup. What I do remember is how he carried himself on and off the field. 

He was a consummate professional, though I'm sure he had his moments.

He was the first player in the Major Leagues to hit three grand slams in a single week in May 1968. On June 24, he hit grand slams in consecutive at-bats, one of 13 players to do so.

For the year, Northrup hit five grand slams, the last one coming in Game 6 of the World Series, a 13-1 blowout over the St. Louis Cardinals, forcing a Game 7.

In Game 7, Northrup laced a triple over the head of Curt Flood to drive in Willie Horton and Norm Cash. Bill Freehan drove him in to secure the Game 7 win, making the Tigers World Series champions.

To say that Jim Northrup loved baseball is an understatement.  He had two offers from the Chicago Bears and the New York Titans to play professional football, as he was an All-American quarterback for Alma College in St. Louis.

He also played forward on the basketball team, ran track and played golf but his greatest love was football. "I was born to play baseball," he said.

Northrup passed away on June 8 from a seizure. He had been recently admitted to an assisted living facility in Holly, Mich. He had been in poor health and was admitted because of Alzheimer's.

Rest in peace, Jim Northrup. May the grand slams be as joyous in heaven for you as they were down here.