1972 Oakland Athletics | ||
---|---|---|
World Series Champions American League Champions American League West Champions | ||
League | American League | |
Division | West | |
Ballpark | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum | |
City | Oakland, California | |
Record | 93–62 (.600) | |
Owners | Charles O. Finley | |
Managers | Dick Williams | |
Television | KBHK-TV | |
Radio | KEEN (Monte Moore, Jim Woods) | |
|
The 1972 Oakland Athletics season was the 72nd season for the Oakland Athletics franchise, all as members of the American League, and their 5th season in Oakland. The Athletics won the American League West with a record of 93 wins and 62 losses. In the playoffs, they defeated the Detroit Tigers in a five-game ALCS, followed by a seven-game World Series, in which they defeated the Cincinnati Reds for their sixth overall World Championship and first since 1930, when the club was in Philadelphia.
In 1972, the A's began wearing solid green or solid gold jerseys, with contrasting white pants, at a time when most other teams wore all-white uniforms at home and all-grey ones on the road. Similar to more colorful amateur softball uniforms, they were considered a radical departure for their time.
Furthermore, in conjunction with a Moustache Day promotion, Finley offered $300 to any player who grew a moustache by Father's Day, at a time when every other team traditionally forbade facial hair. When Father's Day arrived on Sunday, June 18, every player on the 25-man roster collected a bonus. [6] [7]
The nickname "A's" has long been used interchangeably with "Athletics", dating to the team's early days when headline writers wanted a way to shorten the name. Starting in 1972, the team nickname was officially "Oakland A's." The Commissioner's Trophy, given out annually to the winner of baseball's World Series, still listed the team's name as the "Oakland Athletics" on the gold-plated pennant representing the Oakland franchise. According to Bill Libby's Book, Charlie O and the Angry A's, owner Charlie O. Finley banned the word "Athletics" from the club's name because he felt that name was too closely associated with former Philadelphia Athletics owner Connie Mack, and he wanted the name "Oakland A's" to become just as closely associated with himself. The name also vaguely suggested the name of the old minor league Oakland Oaks, which were alternatively called the "Acorns".
Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Oakland Athletics | 93 | 62 | .600 | — | 48–29 | 45–33 |
Chicago White Sox | 87 | 67 | .565 | 5½ | 55–23 | 32–44 |
Minnesota Twins | 77 | 77 | .500 | 15½ | 42–32 | 35–45 |
Kansas City Royals | 76 | 78 | .494 | 16½ | 44–33 | 32–45 |
California Angels | 75 | 80 | .484 | 18 | 44–36 | 31–44 |
Texas Rangers | 54 | 100 | .351 | 38½ | 31–46 | 23–54 |
Sources: | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | BAL | BOS | CAL | CWS | CLE | DET | KC | MIL | MIN | NYY | OAK | TEX | |
Baltimore | — | 7–11 | 6–6 | 8–4 | 8–10 | 10–8 | 6–6 | 10–5 | 6–6 | 7–6 | 6–6 | 6–6 | |
Boston | 11–7 | — | 8–4 | 6–6 | 8–7 | 5–9 | 6–6 | 11–7 | 4–8 | 9–9 | 9–3 | 8–4 | |
California | 6–6 | 4–8 | — | 7–11 | 8–4 | 5–7 | 9–6 | 7–5 | 7–8 | 4–8 | 8–10 | 10–7 | |
Chicago | 4–8 | 6–6 | 11–7 | — | 8–4 | 5–7 | 8–9 | 9–3 | 8–6 | 7–5 | 7–8 | 14–4 | |
Cleveland | 10–8 | 7–8 | 4–8 | 4–8 | — | 10–8 | 6–6 | 5–10 | 8–4 | 7–11 | 2–10 | 9–3 | |
Detroit | 8–10 | 9–5 | 7–5 | 7–5 | 8–10 | — | 7–5 | 10–8 | 9–3 | 7–9 | 4–8 | 10–2 | |
Kansas City | 6–6 | 6–6 | 6–9 | 9–8 | 6–6 | 5–7 | — | 7–5 | 9–9 | 7–5 | 7–11 | 8–6 | |
Milwaukee | 5–10 | 7–11 | 5–7 | 3–9 | 10–5 | 8–10 | 5–7 | — | 4–8 | 9–9 | 4–8 | 5–7 | |
Minnesota | 6–6 | 8–4 | 8–7 | 6–8 | 4–8 | 3–9 | 9–9 | 8–4 | — | 6–6 | 8–9 | 11–7 | |
New York | 6–7 | 9–9 | 8–4 | 5–7 | 11–7 | 9–7 | 5–7 | 9–9 | 6–6 | — | 3–9 | 8–4 | |
Oakland | 6–6 | 3–9 | 10–8 | 8–7 | 10–2 | 8–4 | 11–7 | 8–4 | 9–8 | 9–3 | — | 11–4 | |
Texas | 6–6 | 4–8 | 7–10 | 4–14 | 3–9 | 2–10 | 6–8 | 7–5 | 7–11 | 4–8 | 4–11 | — |
Opening Day Starters | ||
---|---|---|
# | Name | Position |
19 | Bert Campaneris | SS |
26 | Joe Rudi | LF |
9 | Reggie Jackson | RF |
6 | Sal Bando | 3B |
5 | Mike Epstein | 1B |
15 | Bobby Brooks | CF |
10 | Dave Duncan | C |
22 | Dick Green | 2B |
30 | Ken Holtzman | P |
1972 Oakland Athletics | |||||||||
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Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers
| Catchers
Infielders
| Outfielders
Other batters | Manager Coaches
|
= Indicates team leader |
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
C | Dave Duncan | 121 | 403 | 88 | .218 | 19 | 59 |
1B | Mike Epstein | 138 | 455 | 123 | .270 | 26 | 70 |
2B | Tim Cullen | 72 | 142 | 37 | .261 | 0 | 15 |
3B | Sal Bando | 152 | 535 | 126 | .236 | 15 | 77 |
SS | Bert Campaneris | 149 | 625 | 150 | .240 | 8 | 32 |
LF | Joe Rudi | 147 | 593 | 181 | .305 | 19 | 75 |
CF | Reggie Jackson | 135 | 499 | 132 | .265 | 25 | 75 |
RF | Ángel Mangual | 91 | 272 | 67 | .246 | 5 | 32 |
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gene Tenace | 82 | 227 | 51 | .225 | 5 | 32 |
Larry Brown | 47 | 142 | 26 | .183 | 0 | 4 |
Matty Alou | 32 | 121 | 34 | .281 | 1 | 16 |
George Hendrick | 58 | 121 | 22 | .182 | 4 | 15 |
Bill Voss | 40 | 97 | 22 | .227 | 1 | 5 |
Ted Kubiak | 51 | 94 | 17 | .181 | 0 | 8 |
Mike Hegan | 98 | 79 | 26 | .329 | 1 | 5 |
Don Mincher | 47 | 54 | 8 | .148 | 0 | 5 |
Ollie Brown | 20 | 54 | 13 | .241 | 1 | 4 |
Dick Green | 26 | 42 | 12 | .286 | 0 | 3 |
Marty Martínez | 22 | 40 | 5 | .125 | 0 | 1 |
Bobby Brooks | 15 | 39 | 7 | .179 | 0 | 5 |
Dal Maxvill | 27 | 36 | 9 | .250 | 0 | 1 |
Brant Alyea | 20 | 31 | 6 | .194 | 1 | 2 |
Gonzalo Márquez | 23 | 21 | 8 | .381 | 0 | 4 |
Ron Clark | 14 | 15 | 4 | .267 | 0 | 1 |
Curt Blefary | 8 | 11 | 5 | .455 | 0 | 1 |
Adrian Garrett | 14 | 11 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
Allan Lewis | 24 | 10 | 2 | .200 | 0 | 2 |
Bill McNulty | 4 | 10 | 1 | .100 | 0 | 0 |
Art Shamsky | 8 | 7 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
Dwain Anderson | 3 | 7 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
Larry Haney | 5 | 4 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
Orlando Cepeda | 3 | 3 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Catfish Hunter | 38 | 295.1 | 21 | 7 | 2.04 | 191 |
Ken Holtzman | 39 | 265.1 | 19 | 11 | 2.51 | 134 |
Blue Moon Odom | 31 | 194.1 | 15 | 6 | 2.50 | 86 |
Vida Blue | 25 | 151.0 | 6 | 10 | 2.80 | 111 |
Denny McLain | 5 | 22.1 | 1 | 2 | 6.04 | 8 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dave Hamilton | 25 | 101.1 | 6 | 6 | 2.93 | 55 |
Joe Horlen | 32 | 84.0 | 3 | 4 | 3.00 | 58 |
Diego Seguí | 7 | 22.2 | 0 | 1 | 3.57 | 11 |
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rollie Fingers | 65 | 11 | 9 | 21 | 2.51 | 113 |
Bob Locker | 56 | 6 | 1 | 10 | 2.65 | 47 |
Darold Knowles | 54 | 5 | 1 | 11 | 1.37 | 36 |
Gary Waslewski | 8 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2.04 | 8 |
Don Shaw | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 16.88 | 4 |
Jim Roland | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.86 | 0 |
Mike Kilkenny | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 |
October 7, 1972, at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | R | H | E | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Detroit | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 2 | |
Oakland | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 1 | |
W: Rollie Fingers (1–0) L: Mickey Lolich (0–1) | |||||||||||||||
HR: DET – Norm Cash (1), Al Kaline (1) |
October 8, 1972, at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Detroit | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
Oakland | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 5 | 8 | 0 |
W: Blue Moon Odom (1–0) L: Woodie Fryman (0–1) | ||||||||||||
HR: None |
October 10, 1972, at Tiger Stadium
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Oakland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
Detroit | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | X | 3 | 8 | 1 |
W: Joe Coleman (1–0) L: Ken Holtzman (0–1) | ||||||||||||
HR: DET – Bill Freehan (1) |
October 11, 1972, at Tiger Stadium
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | R | H | E |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Oakland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 2 |
Detroit | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 1 |
W: John Hiller (1–0) L: Bob Locker (0–1) | |||||||||||||
HR: OAK – Mike Epstein (1) DET – Dick McAuliffe (1) |
October 12, 1972, at Tiger Stadium
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Oakland | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
Detroit | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
W: Blue Moon Odom (2–0) L: Woodie Fryman (0–2) S: Vida Blue (1) | ||||||||||||
HR: None |
In 1972, the A's won their first league pennant since 1931 and faced the Cincinnati Reds in the World Series. The A's seven-game victory over the heavily favored Reds gave the team its first World Series Championship since 1930.
Of the four wins against the Reds, three of them occurred in Cincinnati, and all four Series victories were by a single run. Gene Tenace hit four home runs and drove in nine runs to power the A's offense, and was named the series Most Valuable Player.
1972 World Series (4–3): Oakland Athletics (A.L.) over Cincinnati Reds (N.L.)
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Oakland Athletics | 1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 46 | 9 | |
Cincinnati Reds | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 21 | 46 | 5 | |
Total Attendance: 363,149 Average Attendance: 51,878 | |||||||||||||
Winning Player's Share: – $20,705, Losing Player's Share– $15,080 *Includes Playoffs and World Series |
Fury Gene Tenace is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played as a catcher and first baseman in Major League Baseball from 1969 through 1983, most notably as a member of the Oakland Athletics dynasty that won three consecutive World Series championships between 1972 and 1974.
Garrabrant Ryerson Alyea was an American professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Senators, Minnesota Twins, Oakland Athletics, and St. Louis Cardinals. In 1965, he became the ninth player to hit a home run on his first MLB pitch.
Led by new manager Bill Rigney, the 1970 Minnesota Twins won the American League West with a 98–64 record, nine games ahead of the Oakland Athletics. The Twins were swept by the Baltimore Orioles in the ALCS. Of note, the Twins were the only team in the American League to have a winning record in the regular season versus the Orioles. The 1970 ALCS would be the last MLB postseason games played at Metropolitan Stadium, as the Twins would not return to the postseason stage until 1987 when they won the World Series.
The 1972 Minnesota Twins finished 77–77, third in the American League West.
The 1971 New York Yankees season was the 69th season for the franchise. The team finished fourth in the American League East with a record of 82–80, 21 games behind the Baltimore Orioles. New York was managed by Ralph Houk. The Yankees played their home games at Yankee Stadium.
The 1981 New York Yankees season was the franchise's 79th season. Games were suspended for 50 days due to the 1981 Major League Baseball strike, causing a split season. The Yankees competed as members of the American League East, finishing first in the first half of the season, and tying for fifth in the second half of the season; overall, they won 59 games while losing 48. The team advanced to the postseason due to their first-half first-place finish, where they defeated the Milwaukee Brewers in the American League Division Series and the Oakland Athletics in the American League Championship Series, capturing the Yankees' only pennant of the 1980s. The Yankees then lost the World Series in six games to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Yankees played their home games at Yankee Stadium and were managed by Gene Michael until September 5, and by Bob Lemon thereafter.
The 1972 St. Louis Cardinals season was the team's 91st season in St. Louis, Missouri and its 81st season in the National League. The Cardinals went 75–81 during the season and finished fourth in the National League East, 21+1⁄2 games behind the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The 1969 St. Louis Cardinals season was the team's 88th season in St. Louis, Missouri and its 78th season in the National League. The Cardinals went 87–75 during the season and finished fourth in the newly established National League East, 13 games behind the eventual NL pennant and World Series champion New York Mets.
The 1968 St. Louis Cardinals season was the team's 87th season in St. Louis, Missouri and its 77th season in the National League. The Cardinals went 97–65 during the season, winning their second consecutive NL pennant, this time by nine games over the San Francisco Giants. They lost in 7 games to the Detroit Tigers in the World Series. The Cardinals would not return to the postseason until 1982.
The 1963 Washington Senators season involved the Senators finishing tenth in the American League with a record of 56 wins and 106 losses.
The 1972 Kansas City Royals season was their fourth in Major League Baseball. The Royals finished fourth in the American League West at 76–78, 16+1⁄2 games behind the Oakland Athletics. John Mayberry, in his first season with Kansas City, led the team with 25 home runs and 100 runs batted in. Mayberry was the first Royals player to drive in at least 100 runs in a season.
The Oakland Athletics' 1997 season was the 97th season in franchise history. The team finished fourth in the American League West with a record of 65–97.
The 1976 Oakland Athletics season was the 76th season for the Oakland Athletics franchise, all as members of the American League, and their 9th season in Oakland. The Athletics finished second in the American League West with a record of 87 wins and 74 losses, 2+1⁄2 games behind the Kansas City Royals. The A's failed to win the division for the first time since 1970. The team set and still holds the American League record for most stolen bases with 341, second in Major League Baseball's modern era to the 1911 New York Giants, who had 347.
The 1975 Oakland Athletics season was the 75th season for the Oakland Athletics franchise, all as members of the American League, and their 8th season in Oakland. Entering the season as the three-time defending World Series champions, the Athletics won their fifth consecutive American League West title with a record of 98 wins and 64 losses. They went on to play the Boston Red Sox in the 1975 American League Championship Series, losing in three straight games.
The 1974 Oakland Athletics season was the 74th season for the Oakland Athletics franchise, all as members of the American League, and their 7th season in Oakland. The Athletics won their fourth consecutive American League West title with a record of 90 wins and 72 losses. In the playoffs, the A's defeated the Baltimore Orioles in the ALCS for their third straight AL pennant, and in the World Series, the first ever played entirely on the West Coast, defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games to take their third consecutive World Series championship. Paid attendance for the season was 845,693.
The 1973 Oakland Athletics season was the 73rd season for the Oakland Athletics franchise, all as members of the American League, and their 6th season in Oakland. The Athletics won their third consecutive American League West title with a record of 94 wins and 68 losses. The A's went on to defeat the Baltimore Orioles in the ALCS for their second straight AL Championship, and won the World Series in seven games over the New York Mets to take their second consecutive World Championship.
The 1971 Oakland Athletics season was the 71st season for the Oakland Athletics franchise, all as members of the American League, and their 4th season in Oakland. The Athletics finished first in the American League West with a record of 101 wins and 60 losses. In their first postseason appearance of any kind since 1931, the A's were swept in three games by the Baltimore Orioles in the American League Championship Series.
The 1970 Oakland Athletics season was the 70th season for the Oakland Athletics franchise, all as members of the American League, and their 3rd season in Oakland. The Athletics finished the season with a record of 89 wins and 73 losses. In 1970, owner Charlie Finley officially changed the team name from the Athletics to the "A's". An "apostrophe-s" was added to the cap and uniform emblem to reflect that fact.
The 1972 Cincinnati Reds season consisted of the Reds winning the National League West title with a record of 95 wins and 59 losses, 10+1⁄2 games over the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Dodgers. They defeated the previous year's World Series Champion Pittsburgh Pirates in the NLCS, but lost to the Oakland Athletics in seven games in the World Series. The Reds were managed by Sparky Anderson.
The 1963 Cincinnati Reds season consisted of the Cincinnati Reds finishing in fifth place in the National League with a record of 86–76, 13 games behind the NL and World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The Reds were managed by Fred Hutchinson and played their home games at Crosley Field.