1972 IN BASEBALL

Labor strife and more moving

1972 was tainted by a players' strike over pension and salary arbitration. The strike erased the first week and a half of the season, and the Leagues decided to just excise the lost portion of the season with no makeups. As a result, an uneven number of games were lost by each team; some as few as six, some as many as nine. The lack of makeups, even when they affected playoffs, led to the Boston Red Sox losing the American League East by half a game to the Detroit Tigers.
1972 marked the first year for the Texas Rangers, who had moved to Arlington from Washington, D.C. (where they played as the Washington Senators), after the season. The team was one of the worst ever fielded by the franchise, losing 100 games for the first time since . Manager Ted Williams hated it in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and resigned at the end of the season.
1972 would mark the Kansas City Royals' final year at Kansas City Municipal Stadium, as the next year they would move to Royals Stadium at the Truman Sports Complex in suburban Kansas City.
The World Series was won by the Oakland Athletics, the first of three straight behind the bats of Reggie Jackson and Bert Campaneris, and the pitching cadre of Catfish Hunter, Rollie Fingers and Vida Blue. The year ended on a sad note when Roberto Clemente died in an airplane crash off the coast of San Juan, Puerto Rico, on New Year's Eve, while participating in aid efforts to an earthquake-ravaged Nicaragua.

Champions

Major League Baseball

★ World Series MVP: Gene Tenace

★ All-Star Game, July 25 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium: National League, 4-3 (10 innings); Joe Morgan, MVP

Other champions

★ Caribbean World Series: Leones de Ponce (Puerto Rico)

★ College World Series: USC

★ Japan Series: Yomiuri Giants over Hankyu Braves (4-1)

★ Little League World Series: Taipei, Taiwan

Awards and honors

★ 'Most Valuable Player'

★
★ Dick Allen (AL)

★
★ Johnny Bench (NL)

★ 'Cy Young Award'

★
★ Gaylord Perry (AL)

★
★ Steve Carlton (NL)

★ 'Rookie of the Year'

★
★ Carlton Fisk (AL)

★
★ Jon Matlack (NL)

Statistical Leaders

	'American League'		'National League'
Type	Name	Stat	Name	Stat
AVG	Rod Carew MN	.318	Billy Williams CHC	.333
HR	Dick Allen CHW	37	Johnny Bench CIN	40
RBI	Dick Allen CHW	113	Johnny Bench CIN	125
Wins	Wilbur Wood CHW & Gaylord Perry CLE	24	Steve Carlton PHI	27
ERA	Luis Tiant BOS	1.91	Steve Carlton PHI	1.97

Major League Baseball final standings

American League final standings

'American League'
'Club'	'Wins'	'Losses'	'Win %'	'GB'
'East Division'
Detroit Tigers	86	70	.551	--
Boston Red Sox	85	70	.548	0.5
Baltimore Orioles	80	74	.519	5
New York Yankees	79	76	.510	6.5
Cleveland Indians	72	84	.462	14
Milwaukee Brewers	65	91	.417	21
'West Division'
Oakland Athletics	93	62	.600	--
Chicago White Sox	87	67	.565	5.5
Minnesota Twins	77	77	.500	15.5
Kansas City Royals	76	78	.494	16.5
California Angels	75	80	.484	18
Texas Rangers	54	100	.351	38.5

National League final standings

'National League'
'Club'	'Wins'	'Losses'	'Win %'	'GB'
'East Division'
Pittsburgh Pirates	96	59	.619	--
Chicago Cubs	85	70	.548	11
New York Mets	83	73	.532	13.5
St. Louis Cardinals	75	81	.481	21.5
Montreal Expos	70	86	.449	26.5
Philadelphia Phillies	59	97	.378	37.5
'West Division'
Cincinnati Reds	95	59	.617	--
Houston Astros	84	69	.549	10.5
Los Angeles Dodgers	85	70	.548	10.5
Atlanta Braves	70	84	.445	25
San Francisco Giants	69	86	.445	26.5
San Diego Padres	58	95	.379	36.5

Events

★ January 13 - Bernice Gera wins a discrimination suit against organized baseball, opening the door for her to become the first female umpire in professional baseball.

★ January 19 - The Baseball Writers Association of America elects Sandy Koufax, Yogi Berra and Early Wynn to the Hall of Fame. Koufax makes it in his first try and, at age of 36, is the youngest honoree in history.

★ March 16 - Reigning Cy Young and MVP award winner Vida Blue announces his retirement. It will be a short one as he will join the Oakland Athletics in May.

★ April 1-13 - The first players' strike in baseball history wipes 6-8 games off the schedule of each MLB team. It is agreed that those games will be cancelled (i.e., not even played to resolve pennant races). This results in teams not being scheduled for the same number of games in the 1972 season; although non-cancelled games are to be made up if they affect championships, the schedule unbalance will lead to the Detroit Tigers edging the Boston Red Sox by only one-half game to win the American League East Division championship. The strike results in the team owners adding salary arbitration to the collective bargaining agreement, and increasing pension fund payments.

★ April 2 - With the sudden death of Gil Hodges, Yogi Berra is named manager of the New York Mets.

★ April 16 - Chicago Cubs pitcher Burt Hooton pitches a no-hitter at Chicago's Wrigley Field in a 4-0 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.

★ April 21 - At Arlington Stadium, Frank Howard hits the first home run in Texas Rangers history, a solo shot against Clyde Wright of the California Angels.

★ May 11 - The San Francisco Giants trade Willie Mays to the New York Mets for minor league pitcher Charlie Williams and cash.

★ May 14 - In front of a Mother's Day crowd of 35,000 in New York's Shea Stadium, Willie Mays makes a triumphant return to New York with the Mets, hitting a game-winning home run against his old teammates (the Giants). He scores in the 1st inning on Rusty Staub's grand slam and his solo homer in the 5th inning snaps a 4-4 tie. The final score: Mets 5, Giants 4.

★ May 28 - The Milwaukee Brewers fire manager Dave Bristol, replacing him with Del Crandall. Coach Roy McMillan takes over until Crandall arrives and guides the team to a 4-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox.

★ June 18 - The U.S. Supreme Court rules 5-3 in favor of Major League Baseball in the lawsuit brought by Curt Flood.

★ June 24 - In the first game of a doubleheader between the visiting Auburn Phillies and Geneva Senators of the Class A New York-Pennsylvania League, Bernice Gera becomes the first woman to umpire a professional baseball game. She resigns between games after being verbally abused by some spectators and by some involved in the game.

★ July 2 - San Francisco's Willie McCovey hits his 14th career grand slam home run to pace the Giants 9-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Pitcher Randy Moffitt wins his first major league game and receives a congratulatory telegram from his sister Billie Jean King, who is playing at Wimbledon.

★ July 11 - At Oakland, Boston's Marty Pattin has his no-hit bid foiled when Reggie Jackson hits a 1-out single in the 9th inning. Boston wins 4-0.

★ July 14 - In a game between the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals in Kansas City, the Tigers' catcher, Tom Haller, has his older brother Bill Haller right over his shoulder; the first time brothers have served as catcher and home plate umpire in the same Major League game. The Royals win 1-0.

★ July 25 - At Atlanta Stadium, the National League wins the All-Star Game over the American League 4-3, behind hometown hero Hank Aaron's two-run home run and Joe Morgan's 10th-inning RBI single. Morgan is named MVP. It is the seventh time the classic has gone into extra innings.

★ August 29 - Jim Barr of the San Francisco Giants retires the first twenty batters in todays game. Added to the last twenty one batters he retired in his previous game, it establishes a record for consecutive batters retired. It will be tied in 2007 by relief pitcher Bobby Jenks.

★ September 2 - At Wrigley Field, Chicago Cub pitcher Milt Pappas no-hits the San Diego Padres 8-0. Pappas retires the first 26 batters and comes to within one strike of a perfect game with a 2-2 count to pinch-hitter Larry Stahl, but home-plate umpire Bruce Froemming calls the next two pitches, both of which are close, balls. Undeterred, Pappas ends the game by retiring the next batter, ex-Cub Gary Jestadt. To date, the no-hitter is the last the Cubs have been involved in—either in pitching it or having it pitched against them.

★ September 15 - Steve Carlton beats the Montreal Expos 5-3, raising his record to 24-9. The rest of the Philadelphia Phillies pitchers have a combined record of 26-80.

★ September 21 - The Pittsburgh Pirates clinch the National League East title with a 6-2 victory over the Mets.

★ September 22 - The Cincinnati Reds clinch the National League West crown with a 4-3 road victory over the Houston Astros.

★ September 30 - During the Pirates' 5-0 win over the Mets at Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Stadium, Roberto Clemente hits a double off New York's Jon Matlack in the 4th inning to get his 3,000th and final regular season hit in the major leagues.

★ October 2 - Montreal Expo pitcher Bill Stoneman no-hits the New York Mets 7-0 in the first game of a doubleheader at Jarry Park. The no-hitter is the second of Stoneman's career, the first having come on April 17, 1969—only nine games into the Expos' existence. It is also the first no-hitter ever pitched in a regular season game in Canada.

★ October 3 - The Detroit Tigers clinch the American League East as Woodie Fryman beats Luis Tiant of the Boston Red Sox 3-1 for his 10th win. Detroit's Chuck Seelbach picks up his 14th save and Al Kaline singles in the winning run for Detroit.

★ October 8 - The Oakland Athletics won Game 2 of the 1972 American League Championship Series 6-0 win over the Detroit Tigers. A key moment from that game occurred when Oakland's Bert Campaneris who was having a great series hurled his bat at Detroit Tiger pitcher Lerrin LaGrow. Campaneris was fined and suspended for the rest of the series.

★ October 11 - The Pittsburgh Pirates carry a lead into the bottom of the ninth of the final game of the NLCS. The Reds' [[Johnny Bench homers to tie the game. After some runners reach base, the Pirates' pitcher, Bob Moose, unleashes a wild pitch, permitting the pennant clinching run to score.

★ October 22 - The Oakland Athletics win the World Series with a 3-2 victory in Game Seven over the Cincinnati Reds. Gene Tenace, who had only five home runs in the regular season, hit four in the Series and is named MVP.

★ November 8 - The St. Louis Cardinals bring Tim McCarver back to St. Louis, sending Jorge Roque to the Montreal Expos in exchange.

★ November 27 - In a great trade for New York, the Cleveland Indians swap third baseman Graig Nettles and catcher Gerry Moses to the New York Yankees for catcher John Ellis, infielder Jerry Kenney, and outfielders Charlie Spikes and Rusty Torres.

★ December 10 - The American League votes unanimously to adopt the designated hitter rule on a 3-year experimental basis. The DH will replace the pitcher in the lineup unless otherwise noted before the start of the game. In the December 1975 meeting, the AL will vote to permanently adopt the DH. The National League declines to follow suit.

Births

Deaths

★ February 9 - Chico Ruiz, 33, infielder for the Cincinnati Reds and California Angels

★ February 28 - Dizzy Trout, 56, All-Star pitcher for the Detroit Tigers who led the AL in wins in 1943 and was MVP runnerup the following year

★ March 11 - Zack Wheat, 83, Hall of Fame left fielder for the Brooklyn Dodgers who held team career records for games, hits, doubles and triples, a lifetime .317 hitter who retired with the 10th-most hits in history

★ March 16 - Pie Traynor, 72, Hall of Fame third baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates who batted .320 lifetime and established a record for career games at third base; was named the best ever at his position in 1969

★ March 28 - Donie Bush, 84, shortstop of the Detroit Tigers for 14 seasons who led AL in walks five times and was a superlative bunter; later managed Pittsburgh to the 1927 NL pennant

★ March 30 - Davy Jones, 91, outfielder with the Detroit Tigers who organized a 1912 walkout to protest Ty Cobb's suspension for attacking a heckler

★ April 2 - Gil Hodges, 47, 8-time All-Star first baseman for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers who drove in more runs than any other player during the 1950s and managed the "Miracle Mets" to the 1969 World Series title

★ April 3 - Alvin Crowder, 73, pitcher who had three 20-win seasons with the Browns and Senators, known for his mastery against the Yankees

★ May 22 - Dick Fowler, 51, Canadian pitcher who won 66 games with the Philadelphia Athletics, including a no-hitter

★ May 29 - Moe Berg, 70, catcher who served as a spy for the U.S. government both during and after his playing career

★ June 9 - Del Bissonette, 72, first baseman who twice batted .300 for the Brooklyn Dodgers

★ July 31 - Rollie Hemsley, 65, All-Star catcher for seven teams, later a coach and minor league manager

★ August 13 - George Weiss, 77, executive who solidified the New York Yankees dynasty as the club's farm director and general manager from 1932 to 1960, then became the Mets' first team president

★ August 24 - J. Roy Stockton, 79, St. Louis sportswriter from the 1910s to the 1950s, also a sportscaster and author of books on baseball

★ September 2 - Jim Brillheart, 68, who pitched for the Senators, Cubs and Red Sox, and one of the few pitchers in baseball history to appear in over 1,000 games

★ September 6 - Charlie Berry, 69, American League catcher for eleven seasons, later an AL umpire from 1942 to 1962 who worked in five World Series and five All-Star Games; also played in the NFL and officiated numerous NFL Championship Games

★ September 16 - Eddie Waitkus, 53, All-Star first baseman who was shot in 1949 by a teenaged female admirer who lured him to her hotel room

★ October 9 - Dave Bancroft, 81, Hall of Fame shortstop for four NL teams, known for his defensive skill and also batting over .300 five times; captain of the New York Giants' pennant winners from 1921-1923

★ October 24 - Jackie Robinson, 53, Hall of Fame second baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers who broke baseball's color line in 1947 after starring in the Negro Leagues; he became the NL's 1949 MVP and batted .311 in a 10-year major league career

★ November 2 - Freddy Parent, 96, shortstop in the Red Sox' first seven seasons, and the last surviving participant of the inaugural 1903 World Series

★ November 26 - Wendell Smith, 58, sportswriter for Pittsburgh and Chicago newspapers since 1937 who became the BBWAA's first black member and helped ease Jackie Robinson's entry into the major leagues; also a Chicago sportscaster since 1964

★ December 20 - Gabby Hartnett, 72, Hall of Fame catcher for the Chicago Cubs who virtually clinched the 1938 pennant with a home run, he established career records for games and home runs as a catcher and was the NL's 1935 MVP

★ December 31 - Roberto Clemente, 38, right fielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates since 1955; a lifetime .317 hitter, 12-time All-Star and winner of 12 Gold Gloves who was a 4-time batting champion and the NL's 1966 MVP, he collected his 3000th base hit in September

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1972 IN BASEBALL

Labor strife and more moving

Champions

Major League Baseball

Other champions

Awards and honors

Statistical Leaders

Major League Baseball final standings

American League final standings

National League final standings

Events

Births

January-March

April-June

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October-December

Deaths

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