1969–75 North was drafted by the Cubs in the 12th round of the 1969 amateur draft. The speedy outfielder was traded to the Athletics after the 1972 season and started in center field on Oakland's
1973 World Series champions. Batting leadoff, he posted career highs in batting average (.285) and
runs scored (98). However, on September 20, in a loss to the
Minnesota Twins, North tripped over first base; the resulting ankle sprain not only cost him the
American League stolen base title (his 53 steals placed him second, only one behind
Tommy Harper), it also sidelined him for the remainder of the season and cost him the chance to play in the post-season. In 1974, North led the league in steals, with 54, on an Athletics team that won its third consecutive
World Series title. He was also involved in a not-so-memorable moment on June 5 of that season. He and
Reggie Jackson engaged in a clubhouse fight at
Detroit's
Tiger Stadium that resulted in Jackson injuring his shoulder.
Ray Fosse, attempting to separate the combatants, suffered a crushed disk in his neck, costing him the next three months on the
disabled list.
1976–81 North also led the American League in steals in 1976 with 75, at the time the second-highest in a season in franchise history, trailing only
Eddie Collins' 81 in 1910 with what were then the
Philadelphia Athletics. As of 2012, only
Rickey Henderson has stolen more bases for the Athletics, surpassing North's total three times, each with at least 100 steals: an even 100 in 1980, a still-standing Major League record 130 in 1982 and 108 in 1983. Injuries limited North to only 56 games in 1977, and after a slow start in 1978, the Athletics traded him to the Dodgers for
Glenn Burke. His Dodgers won the
National League pennant, but lost to the
New York Yankees in the
World Series. After the season, the San Francisco Giants signed him as a free agent; in 1979 he returned to form with 58 stolen bases, the most by a Giant in the live-ball era. Injuries, however, kept him out of 20 games and prevented him from breaking the overall franchise record of 62. After a similar season in 1980, he tailed off in 1981.
Notable moments and statistics In addition to stealing bases, North also utilized his speed in the field to lead American League outfielders three times in
total chances per game, twice in
putouts, and once each in
assists and
double plays. In the second game of a July 28, 1974
doubleheader, he accomplished an unassisted double play against the
Chicago White Sox. North caught
Brian Downing's fly ball and continued to the second-base bag to double up
Dick Allen, who had been running on the play. North was the first player in Oakland Athletics history to serve as a
designated hitter. He went 2-for-5 in the Athletics's 1973 season opener, an 8–3 loss to the Minnesota Twins at
Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum. North was an ineffective hitter in postseason play; in two
World Series, two
American League Championship Series and one
National League Championship Series covering 20 games, North posted only a .051
batting average (3-for-59), among the lowest batting averages in the postseason for a position player. However, he made the most of his baserunning opportunities, scoring 8
runs, drawing 7
base on balls, stealing 3 bases and recording 3 RBI. Former Dodgers teammate
Dusty Baker invited North as an honorary coach for the
2023 MLB All-Star Game, played at
T-Mobile Park in Seattle. As players, North and Baker were teammates in
1978. Baker was manager of the American League All-Star team, having managed the
Houston Astros to the
2022 World Series. ==See also==