Background
The A's won the American League West division by 5 1⁄2 games over the Chicago White Sox then defeated the Detroit Tigers, three games to two, in the American League Championship Series. The Cincinnati Reds won the National League West division by 10 1⁄2 games over both the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Houston Astros, then defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates, three games to two, in the National League Championship Series, marking the first year in which an LCS series in either league went the full five games since divisional play was introduced in 1969. The Reds, who won one fewer game than the Pirates during the regular season, became the first team in MLB history to reach the World Series without having the best record in its league. In each of the first six League Championship Series, the team with the better record advanced to the World Series.
This was the Reds' second trip to the Series in three years. It was Oakland's first trip to the Series, and the first for the Athletics' franchise since their Philadelphia days (1931).
The A's prevailed in this matchup of what were to become the two premier Major League Baseball dynasties of the 1970s. Iconoclastic club owner Charlie Finley's "Swingin' A's" featured day-glo uniforms, lots of facial hair, colorful nicknames, and explosive personalities, while "The Big Red Machine" were a more traditional franchise with a more traditional look—and an everyday lineup with multiple future Hall of Famers as well as all-time Hits King, Pete Rose. The Series was dubbed "The Hairs vs. the Squares".
After a 40-year absence and two franchise relocations, the A's had finally made it back to the Series. They would play the Series without their star right fielder Reggie Jackson, who was injured (pulled hamstring) stealing home in the final game of the season against Detroit. Darold Knowles was also missing. He broke his thumb during a game played on September 27, 1972—less than three weeks before the Series opener.
With Jackson out, Gene Tenace—who had hit five home runs during the entire 1972 regular season—would fill-in admirably socking four home runs equaling the World Series mark set by Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Tenace also had nine RBI in the Series—no other Oakland player had more than one. He was voted winner of the World Series Most Valuable Player Award.
In contrast, the Reds' big boppers, Johnny Bench (.270 avg., 40 HR, 125 RBI, NL MVP), Tony Pérez (.283 avg., 21 HR, 90 RBI), and Denis Menke (9 HR, 50 RBI), combined for only two homers and five RBI the entire Series.
The teams were fairly equal statistically, each club totaling 46 hits with the same .209 batting average (the combined batting averages were the lowest recorded in all World Series played up to that year). The Reds out-scored the A's, 21–16, but lost each of their four games by a single run. Six of the seven games in the series were decided by one run, marking perhaps the most closely contested series in major league history.
Read more about this topic: 1972 World Series
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