1972 Major League Baseball strike

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The 1972 Major League Baseball strike was the first players' strike in Major League Baseball history. The strike occurred from April 1 to 13, 1972.

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Baseball resumed when the owners and players agreed on a $500,000 increase in pension fund payments. Owners agreed to add salary arbitration to the Collective Bargaining Agreement. [1] The 86 total games that were missed over the 13-day period were not rescheduled, because the league refused to pay the players for the time they were on strike. As a result, the Houston Astros and San Diego Padres each played only 153 games, nine fewer than normal, and no team played more than 156 games. [2]

One major effect of the uneven schedule was that the Detroit Tigers played one more game than the Boston Red Sox, which enabled Detroit (with a record of 86–70) to win the American League East as Boston (with a record of 85–70) finished 12 game behind. [2] Detroit won the division on the next-to-last day of the season when they beat Boston, 3–1, at Tiger Stadium. [3]

See also

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The 1972 Boston Red Sox season was the 72nd season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox finished second in the American League East with a record of 85 wins and 70 losses, one-half game behind the Detroit Tigers. Due to the cancellation of games missed during the 1972 Major League Baseball strike, Detroit played one more game than Boston, allowing them to finish with a record of 86–70, winning the division by a half-game.

The 1984 Boston Red Sox season was the 84th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox finished fourth in the American League East Division with a record of 86 wins and 76 losses, 18 games behind the Detroit Tigers, who went on to win the 1984 World Series.

The 1988 Boston Red Sox season was the 88th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox finished first in the American League East with a record of 89 wins and 73 losses, but were then swept by the Oakland Athletics in the ALCS.

The 1994 Boston Red Sox season was the 94th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The season was cut short by the 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike, and there was no postseason. When the strike started on August 12, the Red Sox were in fourth place in the American League East with a record of 54 wins and 61 losses, 17 games behind the New York Yankees.

The 1972 Major League Baseball season was the first to have games cancelled by a player strike. It was also the last season in which American League pitchers would hit for themselves on a regular basis; the designated hitter rule would go into effect the following season.

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References

  1. "Baseball – Baseball's Work Stoppages". CNNSI.com. August 8, 2002. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014.
  2. 1 2 "The 1972 Season". Retrosheet . Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  3. "Detroit Tigers 3, Boston Red Sox 1". Retrosheet. October 3, 1972.