1974 Oakland Athletics season
Major League Baseball season
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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.[1]
| 1974 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 | 90–72 (.556) |
| Divisional place | 1st |
| Owners | Charles O. Finley |
| Managers | Alvin Dark |
| Television | KTVU |
| Radio | KEEN (Monte Moore, Jon Miller) |
In early 1974, owner Charlie Finley tried to sell the team with an asking price of $15 million.[2][3]
Offseason
- November 3, 1973: Horacio Piña was traded by the Athletics to the Chicago Cubs for Bob Locker.[4]
- December 12, 1973: Rico Carty was released by the Athletics.[5]
- February 22, 1974: Reggie Jackson won an arbitration case for a $135,000 salary for the season, nearly doubling his previous year's $70,000.[6][7]
Regular season
- June 5, 1974: Outfielders Billy North and Reggie Jackson engaged in a clubhouse fight at Detroit's Tiger Stadium[8] Jackson injured his shoulder, and catcher Ray Fosse, attempting to separate the combatants,[8] suffered a crushed disk in his neck, costing him three months on the disabled list.
The pinch runner
In 1974, "Hurricane" Herb Washington was tapped by Oakland owner Charlie Finley to become the A's "designated runner." Despite having no professional baseball experience, and having last played baseball in high school, Washington was signed to a major league contract prior to the season. His major league debut was on April 4, 1974, against the Texas Rangers. Appearing as a pinch runner for Joe Rudi in game two of the 1974 World Series, Washington was picked off first base in a crucial ninth-inning situation by Dodgers' reliever Mike Marshall.
Season standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland Athletics | 90 | 72 | .556 | — | 49–32 | 41–40 |
| Texas Rangers | 84 | 76 | .525 | 5 | 42–38 | 42–38 |
| Minnesota Twins | 82 | 80 | .506 | 8 | 48–33 | 34–47 |
| Chicago White Sox | 80 | 80 | .500 | 9 | 46–34 | 34–46 |
| Kansas City Royals | 77 | 85 | .475 | 13 | 40–41 | 37–44 |
| California Angels | 68 | 94 | .420 | 22 | 36–45 | 32–49 |
Record vs. opponents
Sources: | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | BAL | BOS | CAL | CWS | CLE | DET | KC | MIL | MIN | NYY | OAK | TEX | |
| Baltimore | — | 10–8 | 7–5 | 5–7 | 12–6 | 14–4 | 8–4 | 8–10 | 6–6 | 11–7 | 6–6 | 4–8 | |
| Boston | 8–10 | — | 4–8 | 8–4 | 9–9 | 11–7 | 4–8 | 10–8 | 6–6 | 11–7 | 8–4 | 5–7 | |
| California | 5–7 | 8–4 | — | 10–8–1 | 3–9 | 5–7 | 8–10 | 3–9 | 8–10 | 3–9 | 6–12 | 9–9 | |
| Chicago | 7–5 | 4–8 | 8–10–1 | — | 8–4 | 7–5 | 11–7 | 8–4 | 7–11–1 | 4–8 | 7–11 | 9–7–1 | |
| Cleveland | 6–12 | 9–9 | 9–3 | 4–8 | — | 9–9 | 8–4 | 10–8 | 6–6 | 7–11 | 5–7 | 4–8 | |
| Detroit | 4–14 | 7–11 | 7–5 | 5–7 | 9–9 | — | 7–5 | 9–9 | 3–9 | 11–7 | 5–7 | 5–7 | |
| Kansas City | 4–8 | 8–4 | 10–8 | 7–11 | 4–8 | 5–7 | — | 11–1 | 8–10 | 4–8 | 8–10 | 8–10 | |
| Milwaukee | 10–8 | 8–10 | 9–3 | 4–8 | 8–10 | 9–9 | 1–11 | — | 6–6 | 9–9 | 5–7 | 7–5 | |
| Minnesota | 6–6 | 6–6 | 10–8 | 11–7–1 | 6–6 | 9–3 | 10–8 | 6–6 | — | 4–8 | 5–13 | 9–9 | |
| New York | 7–11 | 7–11 | 9–3 | 8–4 | 11–7 | 7–11 | 8–4 | 9–9 | 8–4 | — | 7–5 | 8–4 | |
| Oakland | 6–6 | 4–8 | 12–6 | 11–7 | 7–5 | 7–5 | 10–8 | 7–5 | 13–5 | 5–7 | — | 8–10 | |
| Texas | 8–4 | 7–5 | 9–9 | 7–9–1 | 8–4 | 7–5 | 10–8 | 5–7 | 9–9 | 4–8 | 10–8 | — | |
Opening Day starters
Notable transactions
- May 10, 1974: Dal Maxvill was signed as a free agent by the Athletics.[10]
- June 5, 1974: Rick Lysander was drafted by the Athletics in the 19th round of the 1974 Major League Baseball draft.[11]
- August 19, 1974: Pat Bourque was traded by the Athletics to the Minnesota Twins for Jim Holt.[12]
Roster
| 1974 Oakland Athletics | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers
|
Catchers
Infielders
|
Outfielders
Designated runner |
Manager
Coaches
| ||||||
Player stats
| = Indicates team leader |
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 | Ray Fosse | 64 | 204 | 40 | .196 | 4 | 23 |
| 1B | Gene Tenace | 158 | 484 | 102 | .211 | 26 | 73 |
| 2B | Dick Green | 100 | 287 | 61 | .213 | 2 | 22 |
| 3B | Sal Bando | 146 | 498 | 121 | .243 | 22 | 103 |
| SS | Bert Campaneris | 134 | 527 | 153 | .290 | 2 | 41 |
| LF | Joe Rudi | 158 | 593 | 174 | .293 | 22 | 99 |
| CF | Billy North | 149 | 543 | 141 | .260 | 4 | 33 |
| RF | Reggie Jackson | 148 | 506 | 146 | .289 | 29 | 93 |
| DH | Ángel Mangual | 115 | 365 | 85 | .233 | 9 | 43 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ángel Mangual | 115 | 365 | 85 | .233 | 9 | 43 |
| Claudell Washington | 73 | 221 | 63 | .285 | 0 | 19 |
| Ted Kubiak | 99 | 220 | 46 | .209 | 0 | 18 |
| Deron Johnson | 50 | 174 | 34 | .195 | 7 | 23 |
| Larry Haney | 76 | 121 | 20 | .165 | 2 | 3 |
| Pat Bourque | 73 | 96 | 22 | .229 | 1 | 16 |
| Dal Maxvill | 60 | 52 | 10 | .192 | 0 | 2 |
| Jim Holt | 30 | 42 | 6 | .143 | 0 | 0 |
| Gaylen Pitts | 18 | 41 | 10 | .244 | 0 | 3 |
| Manny Trillo | 21 | 33 | 5 | .152 | 0 | 2 |
| Phil Garner | 30 | 28 | 5 | .179 | 0 | 1 |
| John Donaldson | 10 | 15 | 2 | .133 | 0 | 0 |
| Tim Hosley | 11 | 7 | 2 | .286 | 0 | 1 |
| Rich McKinney | 5 | 7 | 1 | .143 | 0 | 0 |
| Herb Washington | 92 | 0 | 0 | ---- | 0 | 0 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catfish Hunter | 41 | 318.1 | 25 | 12 | 2.49 | 143 |
| Vida Blue | 40 | 282.1 | 17 | 15 | 3.25 | 174 |
| Ken Holtzman | 39 | 255.1 | 19 | 17 | 3.07 | 117 |
| Glenn Abbott | 19 | 96.0 | 5 | 7 | 3.00 | 38 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dave Hamilton | 29 | 117.0 | 7 | 4 | 3.69 | 69 |
| Blue Moon Odom | 34 | 87.1 | 1 | 5 | 3.81 | 52 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rollie Fingers | 76 | 9 | 5 | 18 | 2.65 | 95 |
| Paul Lindblad | 45 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 2.06 | 46 |
| Darold Knowles | 45 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4.22 | 18 |
| Leon Hooten | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.24 | 1 |
| Bill Parsons | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 2 |
Postseason
ALCS
The Athletics defeated the Baltimore Orioles, 3 games to 1.
| Game | Score | Date | Location | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baltimore – 6, Oakland – 3 | October 5 | Oakland Coliseum | 41,609 |
| 2 | Baltimore – 0, Oakland – 5 | October 6 | Oakland Coliseum | 42,810 |
| 3 | Oakland – 1, Baltimore – 0 | October 8 | Memorial Stadium | 32,060 |
| 4 | Oakland – 2, Baltimore – 1 | October 9 | Memorial Stadium | 28,136 |
1974 World Series
Summary
| Game | Score | Date | Location | Attendance | Time of Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Athletics – 3, Dodgers – 2 | October 12 | Dodger Stadium | 55,974 | 2:43 |
| 2 | Athletics – 2, Dodgers – 3 | October 13 | Dodger Stadium | 55,989 | 2:40 |
| 3 | Dodgers – 2, Athletics – 3 | October 15 | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum | 49,347 | 2:35 |
| 4 | Dodgers – 2, Athletics – 5 | October 16 | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum | 49,347 | 2:17 |
| 5 | Dodgers – 2, Athletics – 3 | October 17 | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum | 49,347 | 2:23 |
Awards and honors
- Rollie Fingers, World Series Most Valuable Player Award
- Catfish Hunter, P, American League Cy Young Award
All-Stars
1974 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
- Bert Campaneris, shortstop, starter
- Reggie Jackson, outfield, starter
- Sal Bando, reserve
- Rollie Fingers, reserve
- Catfish Hunter, reserve
- Joe Rudi, reserve