1973 World Series
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The 1973 World Series matched the defending champion Oakland Athletics against the New York Mets, with the A's winning in seven games to repeat as World Champions.
The Mets' .509 season winning percentage was (and remains) the lowest posted by any pennant-winner in major league history. Under the comparatively new divisional play system, the Mets found themselves back in the World Series, but with a much weaker team than in their legendary 1969 championship season.
Stumbling through summer in last place, the Mets had gotten hot in September as the National League East collapsed, and ended up winning a mediocre division with a mere 82 victories. The final standings:
1. New York Mets 82 79 .509 --- 2. St Louis Cardinals 81 81 .500 1.5 3. Pittsburgh Pirates 80 82 .494 2.5 4. Montreal Expos 79 83 .488 3.5 5. Chicago Cubs 77 84 .478 5.0
1969 holdovers Bud Harrelson, Jerry Grote, Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, and Tug McGraw joined forces with the Mets' farm-system alumni John Milner and Jon Matlack and trade-acquired Rusty Staub, Felix Millan, and future Hall of Famer Willie Mays, now 42 years old. Don Hahn and Mays alternated in centerfield, although they both batted right.
The Mets' National League playoff opponents: an imposing Cincinnati Reds squad that posted 99 victories during the regular season and was the favorite to return to the Series for a second consecutive year. (The Reds had fallen to the A's in the previous year's Series.) The 1973 NLCS went the full five games, and featured a now-famous brawl between the barrel-chested Pete Rose and the wispy Met shortstop, Bud Harrelson. In the end, the Mets continued their improbable rise and bumped Rose and the rest of the mighty Reds from the playoffs.
The Oakland Athletics secured the pennant by overcoming the Baltimore Orioles in the 1973 ALCS. The A's, defending champions, still possessed a formidable lineup headed by a healthy Reggie Jackson, (.293, 32 HR, 117 RBI, 22 stolen bases) who would be named league MVP in 1973. Jackson was joined in the lineup by standouts like third baseman Sal Bando, the fine defensive outfielder Joe Rudi, the speedy shortstop Bert Campaneris, and the A's catcher, 1972 World Series hero Gene Tenace. The pitching staff featured three 20-game winners, Ken Holtzman (21-13), Catfish Hunter (21-5), and Vida Blue (20-9), with Rollie Fingers (22 svs, 1.92) serving as the A's ace relief pitcher.
As usual, the A's offered entertainment both on and off the field in 1973; their day-glo uniforms were the perfect metaphor for a team notable for clashing personalities. The stars engaged regularly in conflicts with each other and with owner Charles O. Finley.
With the designated hitter rule in effect for the first time in 1973, American League pitchers did not bat during the regular season. They were, however, expected to take their turn at the plate during each game of this Series. So it was that a man who had played no offensive role during the regular season came to make a key batting contribution for the A's during the Series. With some extra batting practice, A's pitcher Ken Holtzman would stroke a double that helped the A's to win game one -- and another double that helped them secure the deciding seventh game.
Records: Oakland Athletics (W: 94, L: 68, Pct: .580, GA: 6) - New York Mets (W: 82, L: 79, Pct: .509, GA: 1 ½)
Playoffs: ALCS: (3-2) Oakland Athletics over Baltimore Orioles – NLCS: (3-2) New York Mets over Cincinnati Reds
Managers: Dick Williams (Oakland), Yogi Berra (New York)
Umpires: Marty Springstead (AL), Augie Donatelli (NL), Jerry Neudecker (AL), Paul Pryor (NL), Russ Goetz (AL), Harry Wendelstedt (NL)
Series MVP: Reggie Jackson (Oakland)
Television: NBC (Curt Gowdy, Tony Kubek, Monte Moore and Lindsey Nelson announcing)
Contents |
[edit] Summary
AL Oakland Athletics (4) vs. NL New York Mets (3)
Game Score Date Location Attendance ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (1) Mets - 1, Athletics - 2 October 13 Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum 52,918 (2) Mets - 10, Athletics - 7 October 14 Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum 53,224 (12 inns) (3) Athletics - 3, Mets - 2 October 16 Shea Stadium 49,410 (11 inns) (4) Athletics - 1, Mets - 6 October 17 Shea Stadium 49,410 (5) Athletics - 0, Mets - 2 October 18 Shea Stadium 49,410 (6) Mets - 1, Athletics - 3 October 20 Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum 52,737 (7) Mets - 2, Athletics - 5 October 21 Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum 56,040
[edit] Matchups
[edit] Game 1
The Mets and A's opened the Series in Oakland with Jon Matlack and Ken Holtzman as the Game One starters. Mays started in place of the injured Rusty Staub and batted third in what turned out to be his final big league start.
The A's got two runs in the third when Holtzman doubled and scored when Bert Campaneris hit a routine grounder that inexplicably bounced between second baseman's Felix Millan's legs. Campaneris then stole second and scored on Rudi's single to right. The Mets came up with a run in the 4th on an RBI single by John Milner that scored Cleon Jones. Holtzman, Fingers, and Knowles then shut the door on the Mets offense; Darold Knowles earned the save.
October 13, 1973 at Oakland Coliseum (Oakland Athletics)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
New York Mets 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 7 2
Oakland Athletics 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 X 2 4 0
PITCHERS: NYM - Matlack, McGraw (7)
OAK - Holtzman, Fingers (6), Knowles (9)
WP - Holtzman
LP - Matlack
SAVE - Knowles
HOME RUNS: NYM - none
OAK - none
ATTENDANCE: 46,021
[edit] Game 2
Game 2 proved to be one of the wildest games in World Series history.
Blue opposed Koosman on the mound, but neither pitched well. In the first inning, the A's jumped on Koosman for two runs and scored again in the second on Rudi's single scoring the ubiquitous Campaneris, who had tripled. The Mets got solo home runs from Cleon Jones and Wayne Garrett in the 2nd and 3rd innings, respectively.
The A's were up 3-2 going into the sixth when things started to get strange. Four Mets runs scored, two of them when Darold Knowles fielded a comebacker to the mound and then threw home wildly in a vain attempt to start a 1-2-3 double play. The A's came back with a run in the 7th and two more in the ninth on RBI singles by Reggie Jackson and Sal Bando. That sent the game into extra innings.
The game was knotted at 6-6, until the 12th, when Mays drove in Harrelson with a single up the middle that gave the Mets a one-run lead. Then two more runs scored when second baseman Mike Andrews let an easy grounder go through his legs with two outs. The very next batter hit a chopper to Andrews, who threw wildly to first to let a fourth run score. It was a strange sequence of events -- one that would get even stranger after the game's final out was recorded.
The A's added a run in the bottom of the inning on a Jackson triple, but Andrews' errors proved too much to overcome. Stone earned the save and the Mets evened the series, winning by a score of 10-7. But that wasn't all this odd game had to offer. A's Owner Charlie Finley was furious at Andrews' twelfth-inning miscues; he proceeded to punish Andrews (and further alienate A's manager Dick Williams) by placing the infielder on the disabled list -- citing a fake injury that would have sidelined Andrews for the rest of the Series. Commissioner of Baseball Bowie Kuhn stepped in, reactivated Andrews, and disciplined Finley.
October 14, 1973 at Oakland Coliseum (Oakland Athletics)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
New York Mets 0 1 1 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 4 10 15 1
Oakland Athletics 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 1 7 13 5
PITCHERS: NYM - Koosman, Sadecki (3), Parker (5), McGraw (6), Stone (12)
OAK - Blue, Pina (6), Knowles (6), Odom (8), Fingers (10), Lindblad (12)
WP - McGraw
LP - Fingers
SAVE - Stone
HOME RUNS: NYM - Jones, Garrett
OAK - none
ATTENDANCE: 49,151
[edit] Game 3
Game 3 matched up future Hall of Famers Tom Seaver and Catfish Hunter. Hunter had trouble early on when Garrett homered to right and MIllan scored on a wild pitch, but then found his rhythm. Seaver kept the A's off the board until the 6th, when Bando and Tenace broke through with consecutive doubles that delivered a run and cut the Met lead to 2-1. Rudi came up with another clutch hit in the 8th when he singled in Campaneris to tie the game and send the second consecutive game into extra innings. Campaneris delivered the game-winning RBI when he singled to center off Paul Lindblad in the eleventh. Rollie Fingers got the save.
October 16, 1973 at Shea Stadium (New York Mets)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Oakland Athletics 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 3 10 1
New York Mets 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 10 2
PITCHERS: OAK - Hunter, Knowles (7), Lindblad (9), Fingers (11)
NYM - Seaver, Sadecki (9), McGraw (9), Parker (11)
WP - Lindblad
LP - Parker
SAVE - Fingers
HOME RUNS: OAK - none
NYM - Garrett
ATTENDANCE: 54,817
[edit] Game 4
The tide seemed to turn in the Mets' favor beginning in Game 4. Holtzman couldn't make it out of the first after Rusty Staub smashed a three-run homer to leftcenter. Blue Moon Odom relieved and gave up a two run single to Staub in a three run Mets 4th. Matlack got the win by pitching eight innings of five-hit ball.
October 17, 1973 at Shea Stadium (New York Mets)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Oakland Athletics 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 1
New York Mets 3 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 X 6 13 1
PITCHERS: OAK - Holtzman, Odom (1), Knowles (4), Pina (5), Lindblad (8)
NYM - Matlack, [[Ray Sadecki|Sadecki]] (9)
WP - Matlack
LP - Holtzman
SAVE - Sadecki
HOME RUNS: OAK - none
NYM - Staub
ATTENDANCE: 54,817
[edit] Game 5
Game 5 was a rematch up of Blue and Koosman. This time, both men threw well. Milner drove in a run for the Mets in the 2nd inning with a RBI single through the right side. Don Hahn's triple to centerfield scored Jerry Grote with the second Mets run in the 6th. Koosman pitched well and got a win, with a save from Tug McGraw.
The Met fans at Shea Stadium couldn't be happier, as the team that just barely made it into the playoffs was now one win away from upsetting the defending champions for the title.
October 18, 1973 at Shea Stadium (New York Mets)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Oakland Athletics 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1
New York Mets 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 X 2 7 1
PITCHERS: OAK - Blue, Knowles (6), Fingers (7)
NYM - Koosman, McGraw (7)
WP - Koosman
LP - Blue
SAVE - McGraw
HOME RUNS: OAK - none
NYM - none
ATTENDANCE: 54,817
[edit] Game 6
The A's were in need of a win and they got one, thanks to the clutch pitching of Catfish Hunter (who outdueled Tom Seaver), and the timely hitting of Reggie Jackson. Jackson doubled and drove in Rudi in the first inning and Bando in the 3rd to give Oakland a 2-0 lead. In the eighth inning, the Mets threatened, knocking Hunter out of the game after Ken Boswell singled in a run. Reliever Darold Knowles put out the fire by striking out Rusty Staub on three pitches with two men on base. In the bottom half of the inning, the A's added an insurance run when Jackson singled, advanced to third on centerfielder Don Hahn's error, and scored on Felipe Alou's sacrifice fly. Fingers got the save in the ninth inning to force a seventh game.
October 20, 1973 at Oakland Coliseum (Oakland Athletics)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
New York Mets 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 6 2
Oakland Athletics 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 X 3 7 0
PITCHERS: NYM - Seaver, McGraw (6)
OAK - Hunter, Knowles (8), Fingers (8)
WP - Hunter
LP - Seaver
SAVE - Fingers
HOME RUNS: NYM - none
OAK - none
ATTENDANCE: 49,333
[edit] Game 7
Jon Matlack, who had pitched brilliantly in the series, matched up with Ken Holtzman, who was coming back from getting knocked out in the first inning of game 4. The third inning proved to be the difference. Matlack surrendered a two run opposite-field homer to Campaneris (Oakland's first home run of the series), and then served up another two run blast when he faced Jackson, making the score 4-0 in favor of the A's. The Mets came back with two runs after Oakland increased their lead to 5-0 in the fifth inning, but it was not enough. Campaneris snagged a Garrett pop fly to end the series; Jackson was named the World Series MVP.
October 21, 1973 at Oakland Coliseum (Oakland Athletics)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
New York Mets 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 2 8 1
Oakland Athletics 0 0 4 0 1 0 0 0 X 5 9 1
PITCHERS: NYM - Matlack, Parker (3), Sadecki (5), Stone (7)
OAK - Holtzman, Fingers (6), Knowles (9)
WP - Holtzman
LP - Matlack
SAVE - Knowles
HOME RUNS: NYM - none
OAK - Campaneris, Jackson
ATTENDANCE: 49,333
[edit] Composite Box
1973 World Series (4-3): Oakland Athletics (A.L.) over New York Mets (N.L.)
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland Athletics | 3 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 21 | 51 | 9 | |
| New York Mets | 5 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 24 | 66 | 10 | |
| Total Attendance: 358,289 Average Attendance: 51,184 | ||||||||||||||||
| Winning Player’s Share: – $24,618, Losing Player’s Share – $14,950 * Includes Playoffs and World Series | ||||||||||||||||
[edit] Trivia
- Oakland reliever Darold Knowles became the only pitcher to appear in every game of a seven-game World Series.
- At 82-79, the 1973 New York Mets had the worst record of any team to ever play in a World Series. They had only the ninth-best record in the 24-team major leagues, behind the Oakland Athletics, the Cincinnati Reds (who they beat in the National League playoffs), the Baltimore Orioles (who were defeated by Oakland in the American League playoffs), the Los Angeles Dodgers, the San Francisco Giants, the Boston Red Sox, the Detroit Tigers and the Kansas City Royals (none of whom made the postseason).
- The Mets had the second-lowest winning percentage of any post-season team (the San Diego Padres finished 82-80 in 2005).
- The great Willie Mays would record the final hit of his storied career in Game 2. In four World Series (1951, 1954, 1962, and 1973), Mays did not hit a single home run. He hit only one in the post-season, during the 1971 NLCS - San Francisco Giants versus the Pittsburgh Pirates.
- Yogi Berra became the second manager to win pennants in both leagues. The first was Joe McCarthy.
- Mike Andrews never played in the majors after this series.
- Oakland manager Dick Williams quit after the Series was over, having had enough of owner Charles O. Finley's interference.
[edit] Reference(s)
Neft, David S., and Richard M. Cohen. The World Series. 1st ed. New York: St Martins, 1990. (Neft and Cohen 345-350)
[edit] External links
- 1973 World Series by Baseball Almanac
- 1973 World Series at Baseball-Reference.com
- 1973 World Series at WorldSeries.com (MLB.com)
- 1973 World Series box scores and play-by-play at Retrosheet.org
- History of the World Series - 1973 at SportingNews.com
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