1972 Major League Baseball season

The 1972 major league baseball season was originally scheduled to begin on April 5. The 1972 strike caused the season to see its first 10 days of games canceled, resulting in the season starting on April 15, while the regular season ended as originally scheduled on October 4. The postseason began on October 7. The 69th World Series began with Game 1 with the Oakland Athletics of the American League defeating the Cincinnati Reds of the National League, four games to three, capturing their sixth championship in franchise history, since their previous in Philadelphia in 1930. This was the first of three straight victories behind the bats of Reggie Jackson and Bert Campaneris, and the pitching cadre of Catfish Hunter, Rollie Fingers, and Vida Blue. Jackie Robinson, the player instrumental in breaking the AL and NL's color barrier, threw out the first pitch prior to Game 2 in what would be his last public appearance. He died two days after the series ended at age 53 due to complications from diabetes and heart failure. Going into the season, the defending World Series champions were the Pittsburgh Pirates from the 1971 season. The season was the first to have games canceled by a player strike. It was also the last season in which American League pitchers would hit for themselves on a regular basis; the designated hitter rule would go into effect the following season.

Labor strike

1972 was affected by a players' strike over pension and salary arbitration. The strike, which started on April 1, erased the first ten days of the season, canceling 86 games, and ended on April 13. Both leagues decided to excise the lost portion of the season with no makeups, and start the season on April 15. 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 the playoffs, led to the Boston Red Sox losing the American League East by half a game to the Detroit Tigers, who played one more game (156 to 155). ==Schedule==

Schedule

The 1972 schedule, originally scheduled with a 162 game schedule per team, consisted of 153–156 games for all teams in the American League and National League, each of which had twelve teams. Each league was split into two six-team divisions. Each team was (pre-strike) scheduled to play 18 games against their five division rivals, totaling 90 games, and 12 games against six interdivision opponents, totaling 72 games. Due to the strike, the total number of games were inconsistently cut down, as the first ten days scheduled were simply canceled. The structure of the 162-game format was put in place in and would be used until in the American League and in the National League. Opening Day, which pre-strike was scheduled for April 5, took place on April 15, featuring 22 teams. The final day of the regular season was on October 4, also featuring 22 teams. The League Championship Series for both leagues began on October 7. The National League Championship Series concluded on October 11, while the American League Championship Series concluded October 12. The World Series took place between October 14 and October 22. ==Rule changes==

Rule changes

The 1972 season saw the following rule changes: • The rule governing "players to be named later" was modified to prohibit such a player from appearing in the same league as the team to which he was traded, between the date of the trade and the date of its completion. This provision was added to keep a player from directly competing with a club to whom he had been traded. The rule was also modified to require that a cash amount be specified so that the teams could later agree to use the cash consideration instead of the player. • During the season several players — notably St. Louis outfielders Lou Brock and José Cardenal and San Diego outfielder Ivan Murrell — began using a so-called "Japanese teacup bat," which had a hollow end. NL President Chub Feeney approved its use pending the eventual opinion of the Rules Committee, which met at the meetings and approved. Committee chairman John H. Johnson, an administrative aide to the commissioner, claimed that the bat did not provide the hitter an advantage. ==Teams==

Standings

American League National League Tie game 1 tie game (0 in AL, 1 in NL), which is not factored into winning percentage or games behind (and was replayed again) occurred during the season. National League • July 4 (game 2), Atlanta Braves vs. Chicago Cubs, tied at 3 following two singles in the top of the eighth inning due to rain. ==Postseason==

Postseason

The postseason began on October 7 and ended on October 22 with the Oakland Athletics defeating the Cincinnati Reds in the 1972 World Series in seven games. Bracket ==Managerial changes==

Managerial changes

Off-season In-season ==League leaders==

League leaders

American League National League 1 National League Triple Crown pitching winner ==Milestones==

Milestones

Batters • Roberto Clemente (PIT): • Became the 11th member of the 3,000-hit club with a double in the fourth inning against the New York Mets on September 30. ==Awards and honors==

Awards and honors

Regular season Other awards • Commissioner's Award (Humanitarian): Brooks Robinson (BAL) • Hutch Award: Bobby Tolan (CIN) • Sport Magazine's World Series Most Valuable Player Award: Gene Tenace (OAK) Monthly awards Player of the Month Baseball Hall of Fame • Yogi Berra • Josh Gibson • Lefty Gomez • Sandy Koufax (at 36, the youngest inductee ever) • Buck Leonard • Early Wynn • Ross Youngs • Will Harridge (executive) ==Home field attendance==

Uniforms

Most teams (16 of 24) switched from wool flannel uniforms to double knit uniforms made of nylon and rayon at the outset of 1972. The Pirates were first to adopt double knits when they moved from Forbes Field to Three Rivers Stadium in July 1970. The Cardinals switched at the start of the 1971 season, and the Orioles gradually phased out their flannels throughout 1971, becoming all-double knit in time for the postseason. The Giants wore flannels until midseason, going to double knits at home only; the flannels would not be phased out for the road uniforms until 1973. The Red Sox switched to double knits midway through 1972, but continued to wear flannels occasionally. Only the Royals, Expos and Yankees wore flannels full-time during the 1972 season, and all three converted to double knits for 1973 (the Royals waited to switch uniforms until their new stadium opened). ==Venues==

Venues

With the relocation from Washington, D.C. to Arlington, Texas, the Texas Rangers (formerly Washington Senators) move from Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium (where they played 10 seasons) to Arlington Stadium (where they would go on to play for 22 seasons through ). The Kansas City Royals would play their final game at Municipal Stadium on October 4 against the Texas Rangers, moving into Royals Stadium for the start of the season. ==Media==

Media

Television NBC was the exclusive national TV broadcaster of MLB. While the network had occasionally aired a limited number of Monday night games in past seasons, 1972 was the first year that NBC signed a contract for a regular slate of Monday Night Baseball. The network continued to air the weekend Game of the Week, the All-Star Game, both League Championship Series, and the World Series. ==Retired numbers==

Retired numbers

• Frank Robinson had his No. 20 retired by the Baltimore Orioles on March 10. This was the first number retired by the team. Robinson would later have his No. 20 retired by the Cincinnati Reds on May 22, and the Cleveland Indians on May 27, • Pie Traynor had his No. 20 retired by the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 18. This was the third number retired by the team. • Willie Mays had his No. 24 retired by the San Francisco Giants on May 12. This was the third number retired by the team. Mays would later have his No. 24 retired by the New York Mets on August 27, . • On June 4, the Los Angeles Dodgers retired three numbers, their first three numbers retired by the team. • Roy Campanella had his No. 39 retired. • Sandy Koufax had his No. 32 retired. • Jackie Robinson had his No. 42 retired. Robinson would later have his No. 42 retired in all of MLB on April 15, to acknowledge his contributions to breaking the baseball color line. From 2004, this day would be known annually as Jackie Robinson Day. • On July 22, the New York Yankees retired No. 8 to honor two players. This was their sixth and seventh numbers retired by the team. • Yogi Berra had his No. 8 retired. • Bill Dickey had his No. 8 retired. ==See also==

Source: Wikipedia ↗

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