In the 1961 and 1962 seasons, McAuliffe shifted between shortstop and second base before replacing Chico Fernandez as the Tigers starting shortstop from 1963–1966. Known for his wide-open batting stance and leg kick, McAuliffe never hit higher than .274 but was a significant contributor to the Tigers' offensive output in the 1960s. In 1964, he hit a career-high 24 home runs, the most by any Tiger that season. In 1965, he was the American League's starting shortstop in the All Star game, and he went 2-for-3 with a home run and two runs batted in. In 1966, he finished the season ranked fourth in the league with a .373 on-base percentage and fifth in the league with a .509 slugging percentage. After making the American League All Star team in 1965 and 1966 at shortstop, McAuliffe agreed to move to second base in 1967 to make room for Ray Oyler to take over at shortstop. Even with the move, McAuliffe was selected for his third consecutive All Star team in 1967. In 1967, McAuliffe was among the American League leaders in walks with 105 (3rd), 245 times on base (3rd), 7 triples (3rd), 92 runs (5th), 118 strikeouts (5th), 22 home runs (8th), and a .364 on-base percentage (9th).