1972 American League Championship Series

Game 1

Saturday, October 7, 1972 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum

McAfee Coliseum

O.co Coliseum is a multi-purpose stadium, located in Oakland, California, in the Coliseum Industrial area...

Oakland, California

Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...

Game 1 pitted ace pitchers Catfish Hunter

Catfish Hunter

James Augustus "Catfish" Hunter , was a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. During a 15-year baseball career, he pitched from 1965-1979 for both the Oakland Athletics and the New York Yankees...

for the A's and Mickey Lolich

Mickey Lolich

Michael Stephen Lolich is a former Major League Baseball pitcher from 1962 until 1979 who played the majority of his career with the Detroit Tigers.-Baseball career:...

for the Tigers, and, as expected, both were brilliant. Norm Cash

Norm Cash

Norman Dalton Cash was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball who spent almost his entire career with the Detroit Tigers...

gave the Tigers a 1–0 lead in the second inning, and the A's tied it in the third on a Joe Rudi

Joe Rudi

Joseph Oden Rudi is a former left fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Kansas City & Oakland Athletics , California Angels and Boston Red Sox . He batted and threw right-handed...

sacrifice fly.

The score remained at 1–1 until the eleventh, although the Tigers threatened in their half of the ninth. Duke Sims

Duke Sims

Duane B. Sims was a Major League Baseball catcher who played from 1964 to 1974 with the Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Dodgers, Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees and Texas Rangers....

led off with a double off Hunter. Vida Blue

Vida Blue

Vida Rochelle Blue Jr. is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. During a 17-year career, he pitched for the Oakland Athletics , San Francisco Giants , and Kansas City Royals He won the American League Cy Young award and Most Valuable Player Award in 1971...

came on in relief to pitch to left-handed hitting Norm Cash

Norm Cash

Norman Dalton Cash was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball who spent almost his entire career with the Detroit Tigers...

. Cash laid down a sacrifice bunt, but reached first when second baseman Ted Kubiak

Ted Kubiak

Theodore Rodger Kubiak is a former switch-hitting infielder for the Kansas City Athletics, the Oakland Athletics, the Milwaukee Brewers, the St. Louis Cardinals, the Texas Rangers, and the San Diego Padres. He was a member of the Oakland Athletics teams that won three World Series in a row...

, covering first, dropped Sal Bando

Sal Bando

Salvatore Leonard Bando is a former third baseman and executive in professional baseball who played for the Kansas City & Oakland Athletics and Milwaukee Brewers . He batted and threw right-handed. During the A's championship years of 1971-75, he captained the team and led the club in runs batted...

's throw. Sims reached third. Rollie Fingers

Rollie Fingers

Roland Glen Fingers is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. During his 18-year baseball career, he pitched for the Oakland Athletics , San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers . He became only the second reliever to be elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992...

then came in to face pinch hitter Gates Brown

Gates Brown

William James "Gates" Brown is a former Major League Baseball player who spent his entire career with the Detroit Tigers...

and got him on a foul pop fly. Jim Northrup then bounced into a 4–6–3 double play

Double play

In baseball, a double play for a team or a fielder is the act of making two outs during the same continuous playing action. In baseball slang, making a double play is referred to as "turning two"....

to end the threat.

Al Kaline

Al Kaline

Albert William "Al" Kaline is a former Major League Baseball right fielder. He is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Kaline played his entire 22-year baseball career with the Detroit Tigers. Kaline still works for the Tigers as a front office official. Because of his lengthy career and...

gave the Tigers a 2–1 lead in the eleventh with a solo homer off Fingers and looked like a hero at that point. In the bottom of the eleventh, Lolich gave up back-to-back singles to Sal Bando

Sal Bando

and Mike Epstein

Mike Epstein

Michael Peter Epstein , nicknamed SuperJew, is a former Major League Baseball player for the Baltimore Orioles, Washington Senators, Oakland Athletics, Texas Rangers, and California Angels from –....

. Chuck Seelbach

Chuck Seelbach

Charles Frederick "Chuck" Seelbach is a right-handed former pitcher in Major League Baseball.Seelbach played baseball at Dartmouth College from 1968-1970 and still ranks among Dartmouth's all time leaders in winning percentage , strikeouts , and shutouts .Drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 1st...

relieved Lolich. Gene Tenace

Gene Tenace

Fury Gene Tenace , better known as Gene Tenace, is a former Italian-American professional baseball player and current coach in Major League Baseball. He was a catcher and first baseman from through . Tenace was drafted by the Kansas City Athletics from Valley High School in Lucasville, OH and...

attempted a sacrifice bunt, but third baseman Aurelio Rodríguez

Aurelio Rodríguez

Aurelio Rodríguez Ituarte, Jr. , was a third baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the California Angels , Washington Senators , Detroit Tigers , San Diego Padres , New York Yankees , Chicago White Sox and Baltimore Orioles...

pounced on it and forced Blue Moon Odom

Blue Moon Odom

Johnny Lee Odom was a Major League Baseball pitcher who won three consecutive World Series championships with the Oakland Athletics in , and .-Early years:...

, running for Bando, at third. Gonzalo Marquez

Gonzalo Márquez

Gonzalo Enrique Márquez Moya was a professional baseball first baseman. A left-handed batter, he played parts of three seasons in Major League Baseball for the Oakland Athletics and Chicago Cubs...

pinch hit for Dal Maxvill

Dal Maxvill

Charles Dallan Maxvill is a former shortstop, coach and general manager in Major League Baseball. A graduate of St. Louis' Washington University, where he earned a degree in electrical engineering, Maxvill signed a professional baseball contract in 1960 with the hometown St...

and grounded a base hit to right, scoring Mike Hegan

Mike Hegan

James Michael "Mike" Hegan is an American former Major League Baseball first baseman and outfielder and later radio announcer for the Cleveland Indians. In 1969, Hegan hit the first home run in Seattle Pilots history in his first at-bat.He is the son of longtime Indians catcher Jim Hegan...

, running for Epstein, and tying the game. Tenace attempted to advance to third, and Kaline's throw from right field sailed past Rodriguez, allowing Tenace to score and win the game for the A's.

Game 2

Sunday, October 8, 1972 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum

McAfee Coliseum

O.co Coliseum is a multi-purpose stadium, located in Oakland, California, in the Coliseum Industrial area...

in Oakland, California

Oakland, California

Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...

Bert Campaneris

Dagoberto Campaneris Blanco , nicknamed "Campy", is a former shortstop in Major League Baseball who played for four American League teams, primarily the Kansas City and Oakland Athletics...

was a sparkplug from the start. He led off the game for the A's with a single off Woodie Fryman

Woodie Fryman

Woodrow Thompson Fryman was a Major League Baseball pitcher. A two-time National League All-Star, he is best remembered as the mid-season acquisition that helped lead the Detroit Tigers to the 1972 American League Championship Series.-Pittsburgh Pirates:Fryman was 25 years old when he signed with...

and promptly stole second and third. Joe Rudi

Joe Rudi

Joseph Oden Rudi is a former left fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Kansas City & Oakland Athletics , California Angels and Boston Red Sox . He batted and threw right-handed...

then batted him in with a one-out single.

The A's plated four more runs in the fifth when George Hendrick

George Hendrick

George Andrew Hendrick Jr. is a former major league outfielder for the Oakland Athletics, Cleveland Indians, San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates and California Angels. However Hendrick is best remembered as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals, for whom he played for from 1979–84. He was a...

pinch-hit a single and went to second on a Blue Moon Odom

Blue Moon Odom

Johnny Lee Odom was a Major League Baseball pitcher who won three consecutive World Series championships with the Oakland Athletics in , and .-Early years:...

sacrifice. Campaneris singled Hendrick to third and Matty Alou

Matty Alou

Mateo Rojas "Matty" Alou was a Dominican outfielder who spent fifteen seasons in Major League Baseball with the San Francisco Giants , Pittsburgh Pirates , St. Louis Cardinals , Oakland Athletics , New York Yankees and San Diego Padres...

singled him in. Chris Zachary

Chris Zachary

William Chris Zachary was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who had a 10-year career from 1963 to 1967, 1969, 1970 to 1973. He played for the Houston Colt 45s and Astros, St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates, of the National League, and the Kansas City Royals and...

relieved Fryman and threw two wild pitches, scoring Campaneris and sending Alou to third. After Rudi walked, Reggie Jackson

Reggie Jackson

Reginald Martinez "Reggie" Jackson , nicknamed "Mr. October" for his clutch hitting in the postseason with the New York Yankees, is a former American Major League Baseball right fielder. During a 21-year baseball career, he played from 1967-1987 for four different teams. Jackson currently serves as...

blasted a two-run double to make it 5–0.

Odom got the win for the A's, who now had a 2–0 lead, but would be without Campaneris for the remainder of the playoffs due to the bat-throwing incident described above.

Game 3

Tuesday, October 10, 1972 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit, Michigan

Detroit, Michigan

Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...

Joe Coleman put the Tigers back into the series by throwing a complete-game, seven-hit shutout, striking out a then ALCS record 14 batters. Coleman was aided by a two-run single in the fourth by Ike Brown

Ike Brown

Isaac Brown was an infielder/outfielder in the Negro leagues and a utilityman in Major League Baseball for the Detroit Tigers from 1969 through 1974...

and a solo homer by Bill Freehan

Bill Freehan

William Ashley Freehan is a former professional baseball player. He played his entire Major League Baseball career as a catcher for the Detroit Tigers...

in the eighth.

Game 4

Wednesday, October 11, 1972 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit, Michigan

Detroit, Michigan

Game 4 was the most exciting of the series. For eight innings it was a tight pitching duel between Game 1 duelists Catfish Hunter

Catfish Hunter

and Mickey Lolich

Mickey Lolich

Michael Stephen Lolich is a former Major League Baseball pitcher from 1962 until 1979 who played the majority of his career with the Detroit Tigers.-Baseball career:...

. The only runs across were a Dick McAuliffe

Dick McAuliffe

Richard John McAuliffe is a former American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a shortstop and second baseman for the Detroit Tigers from to and for the Boston Red Sox from to . He was a part of the Tigers' 1968 World Series championship, and was known for his...

solo homer for the Tigers in the third and a Mike Epstein

Mike Epstein

solo homer for the A's in the seventh.

In the sixth, A's second baseman Dick Green

Dick Green

Richard Larry Green , is a former Major League Baseball player.He was raised in Rapid City, S.D., where his ability as a baseball player was first noted....

was hurt on a hard slide by Norm Cash

Norm Cash

Norman Dalton Cash was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball who spent almost his entire career with the Detroit Tigers...

trying to break up a double play. A's manager Dick Williams

Dick Williams

Richard Hirschfeld "Dick" Williams was an American left fielder, third baseman, manager, coach and front office consultant in Major League Baseball. Known especially as a hard-driving, sharp-tongued manager from 1967–69 and 1971–88, he led teams to three American League pennants, one National...

had to move catcher Gene Tenace

Gene Tenace

to second due to no other healthy players available. Tenace had last played second base in high school, and this inexperience would prove costly later.

The Tigers threatened in both the eighth and ninth innings. In the eighth, McAuliffe walked and was sacrificed to second by Al Kaline

Al Kaline

. Mickey Stanley

Mickey Stanley

Mitchell Jack "Mickey" Stanley was a baseball player for the Detroit Tigers from 1964-1978. Stanley was known as a superb defensive outfielder over his 15-year career, though he is best remembered for the last few weeks of the 1968 season.-Early life:Stanley prepped at Ottawa Hills High School in...

reached on an infield hit, sending McAuliffe to third. Rollie Fingers

Rollie Fingers

relieved Hunter and Billy Martin

Billy Martin

Alfred Manuel "Billy" Martin, Jr. was an American Major League Baseball second baseman and manager. He is best known as the manager of the New York Yankees, a position he held five different times...

had McAuliffe attempt to steal home, but Fingers gunned him down and struck out Bill Freehan

Bill Freehan

William Ashley Freehan is a former professional baseball player. He played his entire Major League Baseball career as a catcher for the Detroit Tigers...

for the final out. In the ninth, with two outs, Tony Taylor

Tony Taylor

Antonio Nemesio Taylor is a former second baseman in Major League Baseball. From 1958 through , Taylor played for the Chicago Cubs , Philadelphia Phillies and Detroit Tigers...

doubled and Vida Blue

Vida Blue

intentionally walked Aurelio Rodríguez

Aurelio Rodríguez

. Blue then retired pinch-hitter Willie Horton on a fly to center.

In the tenth, the A's took a two-run lead when Gonzalo Marquez

Gonzalo Márquez

Gonzalo Enrique Márquez Moya was a professional baseball first baseman. A left-handed batter, he played parts of three seasons in Major League Baseball for the Oakland Athletics and Chicago Cubs...

continued his pinch-hitting heroics with a one-out single. Matty Alou

Matty Alou

doubled home Marquez and went to third on the throw home. Ted Kubiak

Ted Kubiak

then hit a bloop single to right that Kaline overran, and Kubiak reached third with Alou scoring for a 3–1 lead. After Joe Rudi

Joe Rudi

Joseph Oden Rudi is a former left fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Kansas City & Oakland Athletics , California Angels and Boston Red Sox . He batted and threw right-handed...

was retired for the second out, Reggie Jackson

Reggie Jackson

lifted another blooper that fell for a hit, but Kubiak strangely stayed at third and tagged, not realizing there were two outs. Sal Bando

Sal Bando

made the last out of the inning, and Kubiak's running mistake would come back to haunt the A's.

The Tigers rallied in the bottom of the tenth, starting with singles by McAuliffe and Kaline. A's reliever Joe Horlen

Joe Horlen

Joel Edward Horlen is a right-handed former Major League Baseball pitcher. Horlen pitched for the Chicago White Sox from to , and the Oakland Athletics in ....

wild-pitched the runners to second and third and then walked Gates Brown

Gates Brown

William James "Gates" Brown is a former Major League Baseball player who spent his entire career with the Detroit Tigers...

to load the bases with no outs. Bill Freehan

Bill Freehan

William Ashley Freehan is a former professional baseball player. He played his entire Major League Baseball career as a catcher for the Detroit Tigers...

then grounded an apparent double play ball to third, but the inexperienced Tenace at second dropped Sal Bando

Sal Bando

's throw. McAuliffe scored and everybody was safe. Dave Hamilton

Dave Hamilton (baseball)

David Edward Hamilton is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who won three World Series championships as a member of the Oakland Athletics in the early 1970s.-Oakland A's:...

then relieved Horlen and promptly walked Norm Cash

Norm Cash

Norman Dalton Cash was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball who spent almost his entire career with the Detroit Tigers...

to tie the game, and then gave up a game-ending single to Jim Northrup, scoring Brown with the winning run.

Game 5

Thursday, October 12, 1972 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit, Michigan

Detroit, Michigan

The Tigers struck in their half of the first off Blue Moon Odom

Blue Moon Odom

Johnny Lee Odom was a Major League Baseball pitcher who won three consecutive World Series championships with the Oakland Athletics in , and .-Early years:...

when Dick McAuliffe

Dick McAuliffe

led off with a single. After a one-out walk to Duke Sims

Duke Sims

Duane B. Sims was a Major League Baseball catcher who played from 1964 to 1974 with the Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Dodgers, Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees and Texas Rangers....

, a passed ball by Gene Tenace

Gene Tenace

put the runners on second and third. McAuliffe scored when Bill Freehan

Bill Freehan

William Ashley Freehan is a former professional baseball player. He played his entire Major League Baseball career as a catcher for the Detroit Tigers...

grounded out.

In the second, Reggie Jackson

Reggie Jackson

led off for the A's with a walk and stole second. Sal Bando

Sal Bando

's fly to right sent Jackson to third. After a walk to Mike Epstein

Mike Epstein

, Dick Williams

Dick Williams

ordered a double steal. Jackson collided with Freehan and scored, but, the bad news was, Jackson tore his left hamstring and would be out for the World Series

World Series

The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...

if Oakland won.

The A's got the winning tally in the fourth when George Hendrick

George Hendrick

, Jackson's replacement, reached on an error by shortstop McAuliffe. Bando sacrificed Hendrick to second, and Gene Tenace

Gene Tenace

, making amends for his earlier passed ball, singled Hendrick home for his only hit and RBI of the series.

Odom got the win and Vida Blue

Vida Blue

the save in four innings of relief as the A's, minus Jackson, moved on to the 1972 World Series

1972 World Series

The 1972 World Series matched the American League champion Oakland Athletics against the National League champion Cincinnati Reds, with the A's winning in seven games. These two teams would meet again in the fall classic eighteen years later...

.

As an odd precursor to what would become an explosive relationship years later, Billy Martin

Billy Martin

Alfred Manuel "Billy" Martin, Jr. was an American Major League Baseball second baseman and manager. He is best known as the manager of the New York Yankees, a position he held five different times...

visited the A's locker room and consoled Jackson, expressing regret that he would miss the Series.

Composite box

1972 ALCS (3–2): Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....

over Detroit Tigers

Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...

External links

1972 ALCS at Baseball-Reference

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