Drafted by the
Detroit Tigers in the 1st round (12th pick) of the
1970 Major League Baseball draft, Seelbach pitched four innings for the Tigers in 1971 and became the Tigers' closer in 1972, helping them win the American League East Championship. In 1972, Seelbach had a 9–8 record with a 2.89 ERA and was among the
American League leaders with 61 games (7th in the AL), 14 saves (7th in the AL), and 34 games finished (9th in the AL). On April 20, 1972, Seelbach combined with
Tom Timmermann for a two-hitter but lost to the
Baltimore Orioles, 1–0, on a home run by
Paul Blair. Seelbach was also on the mound when the Tigers clinched the American League East championship on October 3, 1972. Seelbach set down the
Boston Red Sox 1-2-3 in the 9th inning to clinch the AL East title, as the game ended on a
Ben Oglivie fly ball caught by
Al Kaline in right field. Seelbach pitched in two games of the
1972 American League Championship Series, allowing four hits and two runs for an 18.00 post-season earned run average. A shoulder injury the next year ended his appearance in the league. He pitched in only 7 innings in 1973 and 7 innings in 1974. ==Personal life==