1972 Oakland Athletics season

1972 Oakland Athletics
1972 AL West Champions 1972 AL Champions 1972 World Series Champions
Major League affiliations
American League (since 1901)
Western Division (since 1969)
Location
Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum (since 1968)
Oakland, California (since 1968)
Results
Record	93–62 (.600)
Other information
Owner(s)	Charles O. Finley
Manager(s)	Dick Williams
Local television	KBHK
Local radio	KEEN (Monte Moore, Jim Woods)
< Previous season     Next season  >

The 1972 Oakland Athletics season involved the A's winning 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 first World Championship since 1930, when the club was in Philadelphia.

Offseason

• November 29, 1971: Rick Monday was traded by the Athletics to the Chicago Cubs for Ken Holtzman.^[1]
• November 29, 1971: 1971 rule 5 draft
  • Brant Alyea was drafted by the Athletics from the Minnesota Twins.^[2]
  • Steve Hovley was drafted from the Athletics by the Kansas City Royals.^[3]
• January 12, 1972: 1972 Major League Baseball Draft (January Draft) notable picks:^[4]

Round 9: Rich Dauer (did not sign)

Round 10: Bob Lacey

• March 4, 1972: Jim Panther and Don Stanhouse were traded by the Athletics to the Texas Rangers for Denny McLain.^[5]

Regular season

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 $500 to any player who grew a moustache by Father's Day, at a time when every other team forbade facial hair. When Father's Day arrived, every member of the team collected a bonus.

Changing the nickname

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".

Season standings

AL West	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
Oakland Athletics	93	62	0.600	—	48–29	45–33
Chicago White Sox	87	67	0.565	5½	55–23	32–44
Minnesota Twins	77	77	0.500	15½	42–32	35–45
Kansas City Royals	76	78	0.494	16½	44–33	32–45
California Angels	75	80	0.484	18	44–36	31–44
Texas Rangers	54	100	0.351	38½	31–46	23–54

Record vs. opponents

1972 American League Records 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

• Sal Bando
• Bobby Brooks
• Bert Campaneris
• Dave Duncan
• Mike Epstein
• Dick Green
• Ken Holtzman
• Reggie Jackson
• Joe Rudi

Notable transactions

• April 15, 1972: Tim Cullen was signed as a free agent by the Athletics.^[6]
• May 15, 1972: Dwain Anderson was traded by the Athletics to the St. Louis Cardinals for Don Shaw.^[7]
• May 17, 1972: Curt Blefary, Mike Kilkenny, and a player to be named later were traded by the Athletics to the San Diego Padres for Ollie Brown. The Athletics completed the trade by sending Greg Schubert (minors) to the Padres on September 11.^[8]
• May 18, 1972: Brant Alyea was traded by the Athletics to the St. Louis Cardinals for Marty Martínez.^[2]
• June 6, 1972: 1972 Major League Baseball Draft (June Draft) notable picks:^[9]

Round 1: Chet Lemon

Round 9: Dennis Littlejohn (did not sign)^[10]

Round 12: Chris Batton^[11]

Round 15: Bob Pate (did not play)

• June 7, 1972: Diego Seguí was sent by the Athletics to the St. Louis Cardinals as part of a conditional deal.^[12]
• June 29, 1972: Denny McLain was traded by the Athletics to the Atlanta Braves for Orlando Cepeda.^[5]
• July 20, 1972: Marty Martínez, Vic Harris and a player to be named later were traded by the Athletics to the Texas Rangers for Don Mincher and Ted Kubiak. The Athletics completed the deal by sending Steve Lawson to the Rangers on July 26.^[13]
• July 23, 1972: Brant Alyea was returned to the Athletics by the St. Louis Cardinals.^[2]
• August 30, 1972: Joe Lindsey (minors) and a player to be named later were traded by the Athletics to the St. Louis Cardinals for Dal Maxvill. The Athletics completed the trade by sending Gene Dusen (minors) to the Cardinals on October 27.^[14]

Roster

1972 Oakland Athletics
Roster
Pitchers 35 Vida Blue 34 Rollie Fingers 33 Dave Hamilton 30 Ken Holtzman 22 Joe Horlen 27 Catfish Hunter 33 Mike Kilkenny 32 Darold Knowles 36 Bob Locker 17 Denny McLain 13 Blue Moon Odom 33 Jim Roland 24 Diego Seguí 14 Don Shaw 17 Gary Waslewski		Catchers 10 Dave Duncan 12 Larry Haney 38 Gene Tenace Infielders 11 Dwain Anderson  6 Sal Bando  3 Curt Blefary  8 Larry Brown 19 Bert Campaneris  4 Ron Clark 16 Tim Cullen  5 Mike Epstein  1 Dick Green 20 Mike Hegan 11 Ted Kubiak 12 Gonzalo Márquez 11 Marty Martínez 21 Dal Maxvill 18 Bill McNulty  4 Don Mincher		Outfielders 14 Matty Alou  7 Brant Alyea 15 Bobby Brooks 15 Ollie Brown  3 Adrian Garrett 25 George Hendrick  9 Reggie Jackson 24 Allan Lewis  2 Ángel Mangual 26 Joe Rudi 24 Bill Voss Other batters 12 Orlando Cepeda  7 Art Shamsky		Manager 23 Dick Williams Coaches 41 Jerry Adair 44 Vern Hoscheit 43 Irv Noren 40 Bill Posedel

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

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	Duncan, DaveDave Duncan	121	403	88	.218	19	59
1B	Epstein, MikeMike Epstein	138	455	123	.270	26	70
2B	Cullen, TimTim Cullen	72	142	37	.261	0	15
3B	Bando, SalSal Bando	152	535	126	.236	15	77
SS	Campaneris, BertBert Campaneris	149	625	150	.240	8	32
LF	Rudi, JoeJoe Rudi	147	593	181	.305	19	75
CF	Jackson, ReggieReggie Jackson	135	499	132	.265	25	75
RF	Mangual, ÁngelÁngel Mangual	91	272	67	.246	5	32

Other batters

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
Brown, LarryLarry Brown	47	142	26	.183	0	4
Martínez, MartyMarty Martínez	22	40	5	.125	0	1
Brooks, BobbyBobby Brooks	15	39	7	.179	0	5
Alyea, BrantBrant Alyea	20	31	6	.194	1	2

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
Hunter, CatfishCatfish Hunter	38	295.1	21	7	2.04	191
Holtzman, KenKen Holtzman	39	265.1	19	11	2.51	134
Odom, Blue MoonBlue Moon Odom	31	194.1	15	6	2.50	86
Blue, VidaVida Blue	25	151	6	10	2.80	111
McLain, DennyDenny McLain	5	22.1	1	2	6.04	8

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
Hamilton, DaveDave Hamilton	25	101.1	6	6	2.93	55
Horlen, JoeJoe Horlen	32	84	3	4	3.00	58
Seguí, DiegoDiego Seguí	7	22.2	0	1	3.57	11

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	W	L	SV	ERA	SO
Fingers, RollieRollie Fingers	65	11	9	21	2.51	113
Locker, BobBob Locker	56	6	1	10	2.65	47
Knowles, DaroldDarold Knowles	54	5	1	11	1.37	36
Shaw, DonDon Shaw	3	0	1	0	16.88	4
Kilkenny, MikeMike Kilkenny	1	0	0	0	0.00	0

Postseason

ALCS

Game 1

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)

Game 2

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

Game 3

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)

Game 4

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)

Game 5

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

World Series

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.

Composite Box

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

Awards and honors

• Gene Tenace, Babe Ruth Award
• Gene Tenace, World Series Most Valuable Player

League leaders

• Joe Rudi, American League leader, triples (tied) (9)^[15]

Farm system

Level	Team	League	Manager
AAA	Iowa Oaks	American Association	Sherm Lollar
AA	Birmingham A's	Southern League	Phil Cavarretta
A	Burlington Bees	Midwest League	Harry Bright
A-Short Season	Coos Bay-North Bend A's	Northwest League	Grover Resinger

References

1. Rick Monday page at Baseball Reference
2. Brant Alyea page at Baseball Reference
3. Steve Hovley page at Baseball Reference
4. 1972 Oakland Athletics Picks in the MLB January Amateur Draft
5. Denny McLain page at Baseball Reference
6. Tim Cullen page at Baseball Reference
7. Don Shaw page at Baseball Reference
8. Curt Blefary page at Baseball Reference
9. 1972 Oakland Athletics Picks in the MLB June Amateur Draft
10. Dennis Littlejohn page at Baseball Reference
11. Chris Batton page at Baseball Reference
12. Diego Segui page at Baseball Reference
13. Vic Harris page at Baseball Reference
14. Dal Maxvill page at Baseball Reference
15. Great Baseball Feats, Facts and Figures, 2008 Edition, p. 96, David Nemec and Scott Flatow, A Signet Book, Penguin Group, New York, ISBN 978-0-451-22363-0

External links

• 1972 Oakland Athletics team page at Baseball Reference
• 1972 Oakland Athletics team page at www.baseball-almanac.com