Major League Season Recap 1972

World Series – Oakland A’s AL over Cincinnati Reds NL 4 games to 3

World Series MVP – Gene Tenace
Babe Ruth Award – Gene Tenace

ALCS Oakland A’s over Detroit Tigers 3 games to 2 ALCS MVP –
NLCS Cincinnati Reds over Pittsburgh Pirates 3 games to 2 NLCS MVP –

Awards –

Cy Young Award National League Steve Carlton
Cy Young Award American League Gaylord Perry

MVP Awards –
NL Johnny Bench
AL Dick Allen

NL Rookie of The Year – Jon Matlack
AL Rookie of The Year – Carlton Fisk

Roberto Clemente Award – Brooks Robinson

All-Star Game – July 25th 1972 – N.L. 4 over A.L. 3 (10) , played at Atlanta Stadium (NL)
AL Starter J. Palmer+ NL Starter B. Gibson+ MVP J. Morgan+

Sort bySearch Days, Events, Players Title (A - Z)Date (Newest)

January 9, 1972

1972 – Jay Powell is born in Meridian, MS. As a reliever, he wins eleven games and loses ten over four seasons as an Astro, saving eight games and closing the pennant clincher on the last day of the 1999 regular season.

January 12, 1972

Detroit Tigers owner John Fetzer announces that the Tigers have signed a lease to build a $126 million domed stadium along the river in downtown Detroit. The complex will seat 52,000 for baseball, and 60,000 for football. Lawsuits, a failed bond issue, and the construction of the Silverdome in nearby Pontiac will eventually kill the idea.

January 12, 1972

In the secondary phase of the January draft, P Tom Hume is picked by the Cincinnati Reds, OF Sam Bowen by the Atlanta Braves, IF Duane Kuiper by the Cleveland Indians, and the Boston Red Sox, with pick 1,653, take IF Roy Smalley, who decides to stay in school.

January 12, 1972

Cedeno-Wynn-May-Watson-Rader

January 13, 1972

Bernice Gera wins her lawsuit against Organized Baseball, clearing the way for her to maker her umpiring debut

January 19, 1972

Baseball Writers elect three players to the Hall of Fame: Yogi Berra, Sandy Koufax and Early Wynn

January 19, 1972

The New York Yankees acquire outfielder Johnny Callison on a conditional basis from the Chicago Cubs. The Yankees will end up keeping him and completing the deal by shipping pitcher Jack Aker to the Cubs on May 17th.

February 2, 1972

Lefty Gómez and Ross Young’s elected into Cooperstown

February 8, 1972

Josh Gibson and Buck Leonard win election to the Hall of Fame

February 9, 1972

California Angels infielder Chico Ruiz is killed in an auto accident

February 25, 1972

St. Louis Cardinals trade future Hall of Famer Steve Carlton to the Philadelphia Phillies

February 29, 1972

Hank Aaron becomes the first player to earn $200,000 in average annual salary

March 3, 1972

Hall of Fame outfielder Zach Wheat dies at the age of 83

March 4, 1972

Texas Rangers trade former two-time Cy Young Award winner Denny McLain to the Oakland A’s for minor league pitchers Don Stanhouse and Jim Panther

March 6, 1972

Fregosi breaks thumb

March 12, 1972

Yogi Berra fines Willie Mays

March 16, 1972

Hall of Famer Pie Trayner passes away

March 16, 1972

Oakland A’s holdout Vida Blue announces that he has rejected the team’s latest contract offer

March 17, 1972

In Caracas, Venezuela, the Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates play the first of a three-game series.

March 22, 1972

New York Yankees make one of the best trades in franchise history. The Yankees acquire reliever Sparky Lyle

March 22, 1972

American League approves the sale of the Cleveland Indians by Vernon Stouffer

March 24, 1972

1972 – The Cincinnati Reds send pitcher Tony Cloninger to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for second baseman Julian Javier.

March 30, 1972

Marvin Miller finds 663 players are in favor of a strike

April 2, 1972

Gil Hodges suffers heart attack and passes away

April 2, 1972

Hank Aaron, Rico Carty, and Orlando Cepeda all start in an exhibition game. The contest marks the first time the trio of sluggers, sidelined with a variety of injuries over the past two seasons, has appeared together in the Braves lineup since 1970.

April 5, 1972

Rusty Staub acquired by New York Mets

April 5, 1972

The season opener between the Astros and Reds is canceled due to the player strike which started on April 1. The work stoppage cancels Opening Day for the for the first time in major league history, with a total of 86 games not played until both sides agree on an increase in pension fund payments with the owners also adding salary arbitration to the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

April 6, 1972

April 1972 The First Strike in Baseball

April 13, 1972

The first player strike in Major League Baseball history ends, with an abbreviated schedule to start two days later.

April 15, 1972

Jackson sports mustache – first player since 1913

April 15, 1972

Don Sutton beats the Reds 3-1 on opening day

April 16, 1972

Burt Hooton fires no hitter in 4th start

April 18, 1972

1972 – After the infamous eight-player trade that sent Joe Morgan to Cincinnati, Houston wins the first head-to-head matchup with the Reds, 8-4. Tommy Helms, part of the deal, homers off Don Gullett to spark the attack. 

April 19, 1972

Sparky Lyle becomes the first reliever to come into a game with a signature entrance song when the Yankee Stadium

April 21, 1972

Texas Rangers play first home game

April 23, 1972

Astros stun the Giants with ten runs in the ninth for a 13-7 victory

April 24, 1972

Johnny Edwards takes Ferguson Jenkins deep to stop the Cubs, 3-2, in eleven innings

April 25, 1972

Don Zimmer replaces Preston Gomez as manager

April 25, 1972

Steve Carlton fans 14 pitching a 1 hitter

April 29, 1972

Don Zimmer, who replaced the recently fired Preston Gomez, gets the first of his of 885 victories as a big league manager when the Padres blank the Phillies at San Diego Stadium, 4-0. The victory is very unlikely as Steve Arlin, who will lead the league in losses with 21, bests Steve Carlton, this season’s eventual Cy Young Award winner, who will be tops in the majors with 27 victories.

May 1, 1972

Philadelphia starter Dick Selma goes the distance, three-hitting the Dodgers at Chavez Ravine, 2-1. The victory is the fifth consecutive complete-game thrown by a Phillies starter, with Steve Carlton, Woody Fryman, Barry Lersch, and Bill Champion each finishing their game without help from the bullpen in team’s previous four contests.

May 2, 1972

The long holdout of Oakland A’s pitching star Vida Blue comes to an end

May 5, 1972

Jim Fregosi, obtained by the Mets from the Angels in the off-season for future Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan, breaks his right thumb during a spring training workout. The All-Star infielder will suffer through an agonizing season, batting only .232 in 101 games, after being touted as the team’s solution to its revolving door at third base.

May 6, 1972

The Angels make quick work of Milwaukee, beating the visitors at Anaheim Stadium, 2-0. Andy Messersmith’s two-hit masterpiece takes only one-hour and thirty-one minutes to complete, making the contest the quickest nine-inning game in franchise history.

May 6, 1972

Willie Mays birthday 1972

May 9, 1972

Career triple No. 160 for Roberto Clemente puts Pittsburgh up, 1 – 0, on Atlanta and the Bucs never look back. Clemente comes home on Richie Hebner’s single and solo home runs from Willie Stargell and Dave Cashprovide Pittsburgh’s next two runs. Cash’s 8th-inning RBI double supplies additional insurance and reliever Bruce Kison responds with a perfect 8th and 9th to nail down the 5 – 2 win for starter Dock Ellis.

May 10, 1972

Orioles lefty Dave McNally hurls his fourth shutout of the season, blanking the Rangers, 1 – 0. Pete Broberg, who allows just two hits, takes the loss.

May 10, 1972

Roger Metzger belts his first major-league homer off future Hall-Of-Famer Bob Gibson

May 11, 1972

New York Mets acquire Willie Mays from the San Francisco Giants for pitcher Charlie Williams and $50,000

May 11, 1972

Tom Seaver wins his 100th game in a 2 – 1 New York Mets victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

May 13, 1972

Buzz Capra is the winning pitcher in a 1 – 0 Mets victory over the San Francisco Giants. Capra’s first major league RBI – a 2nd-inning single scoring Cleon Jones – is the only run of the game.

May 14, 1972

Willie Mays, playing his first game with the New York Mets, hits a game-winning home run against his former teammates

May 14, 1972

1972 – Astros put the shift on for Willie Stargell, leading 7-6 with two out and two on in the top of the ninth. It works as Stargell rolls out to shortstop Roger Metzger, who is behind second base, for the final out. Houston had built a 7-2 lead behind homers from Cesar Cedeno and Bob Watson.

May 15, 1972

Oakland, A’s outfielder Reggie Jackson becomes the first player in fifty-eight years to wear a mustache during the regular season

May 16, 1972

Greg Luzinski ‘rings’ the replica of the Liberty Bell hanging in dead center field on the fourth level

May 21, 1972

1972 – Doug Rader makes a spectacular stab of a liner by Jim Lefebrve then doubles up Wes Parker at third base to end a 2-1 victory over the Dodgers. Bob Watson’s two-run shot provides the Astro runs. 

May 22, 1972

5/22/1972 – The Texas Rangers batted out of order in the bottom of the 10th inning against Chicago. Texas had made a double switch an inning earlier when Paul Lindblad entered the game as the new pitcher and Don Mincher went to first base. Evidently Rangers manager Ted Williams did not notify the umpire, who therefore recorded the substitutions in the same batting order slot as the previous players at the same defensive position. This is usually referred to as ‘straight up.’  Thus when Mincher batted in the ninth spot in the 10th inning he was out of order. Lindblad was called out with Toby Harrah as the runner on first and then Elliott Maddox struck out to end the game, with the White Sox winning 7-6.

May 24, 1972

California Angels pitcher Don Rose homers in his first major league at-bat

May 26, 1972

1972 – Dave Roberts throws a complete game against the Dodgers, a 5-3 triumph, setting a team record with six consecutive complete games by the staff. Six different Astro hurlers take part. Roberts scatters five hits in this one which saw both managers ejected and Bob Watson robbed twice by the men in blue. 

May 29, 1972

American spy Moe Berg passes away

June 4, 1972

Dodgers retire 3 numbers Koufax, Robinson and Campanella

June 4, 1972

A major league record eight shutouts are pitched in 16 major league games: five in the American League, three in the National League. Two are recorded by the Oakland Athletics, who sweep a pair from the Baltimore Orioles by identical 2 – 0 scores.

June 4, 1972

In game 2 of a doubleheader in Chicago‚ pinch hitter Dick Allen connects with 2 on and 2 out in the 9th inning and drives a Sparky Lyle pitch into the LF upper deck for a dramatic 5 – 4 White Sox win over the Yankees.

June 4, 1972

The Dodgers retire Roy Campanella’s uniform number 39. Campy, who won the MVP three times catching for Brooklyn in the fifties, joins Jackie Robinson (42) and Sandy Koufax (32) to be honored in this manner.

June 6, 1972

Japanese baseball legend Sadaharu Oh belts his 500th home run

June 6, 1972

1972 – On “Turn It Around Night” in Philadelphia, Astros pitcher Dave Roberts swats a two-run homer for a 4-3 victory. The Phils, losers of 18 of their past 19 games, resort to such lunacy as holding the seventh-inning stretch in the third inning, introducing the starting lineups backwards and playing the national anthem after the game ended. The hex had a delayed effect as the Phillies beat Houston the next day. 

June 9, 1972

6/9/1972 – The Braves Marty Perez made the last out of the top of the sixth, but he came up to start the seventh. Phillies catcher Tim McCarver proved to be too clever as he pointed out the incorrect batter to the home plate umpire after the first pitch, which was a ball. He did not realize that until the incorrect batter’s plate appearance is over, the team can replace that batter with the proper one or a pinch hitter. The Braves sent up Jim Breazeale in place of Perez as a pinch hitter for the pitcher, who was the correct batter. Breazeale inherited a 1-0 count, but struck out. This was not the first time a team did not understand the rules in order to take advantage of them. If Perez had finished his at bat and made an out, the Phillies could have accepted the play. Most likely Breazeale would have come up as a pinch hitter, which would have been correct since the Perez play would have reset the lineup. The effect would have been to have Perez, a “good field, no hit” shortstop bat an extra time, which would have delayed the top of the order coming up by a batter. It turned out not to matter since the Braves did not score in the last three innings and the Phillies won the game 4-3 with a run in the bottom of the eighth.

June 10, 1972

Hank Aaron’s grand slam helps the Atlanta Braves to a 15 – 3 rout of the Phillies. It is Aaron’s 649th home run, moving him ahead of Willie Mays into second place on the career list. It is also his 14th grand slam, tying Gil Hodges’ National League record. Aaron will now by just 65 shy of Babe Ruth’s total.

June 11, 1972

Jim Qualls is sold by the White Sox to the Kintetsu Buffaloes of the Japanese League.

June 11, 1972

Roberto Clemente’s two-out, two-strike, two-run bomb breaks a 4 – 4 tie in the 7th as the Pirates win their 21st game in 26 tries

June 11, 1972

In Montreal‚ the Reds conclude their 12-game road trip with their 11th win‚ an 11 – 1 pasting behind the pitching of Gary Nolan (8-1). The Expos’ only score is a Ken Singleton homer. The Reds will go 53-25 this year on the road.

June 11, 1972

Graig and Jim Nettles become the tenth different pair of brothers to homer in the same game when they both go deep in the Cleveland Stadium contest. Twins center fielder Jim’s solo shot in the top of the sixth inning is matched by his older brother’s blast in the bottom of the seventh in Minnesota’s 5-3 victory over the Indians.

June 14, 1972

6/14/1972: Matty Alou of St. Louis homered off LA’s Don Sutton in the third inning. It came with no one on and one out, but was rained out at Busch Stadium.

June 16, 1972

1972 – Jim Wynn belts a solo shot off Dick Selma in the bottom of the eleventh to stun the Phillies, 1-0. Houston outlasts eventual Cy Young Award winner Steve Carlton, who blanked them on six hits for the first ten frames. Don Wilson and Tom Griffin team for the shutout. 

June 18, 1972

1972 – Jerry Reuss allows only a ninth-inning double to Larry Bowa in a 10-0, one-hit victory over Philadelphia . Cesar Cedeno paces the attack with four hits, including two doubles and a homer. Bob Watson collects three hits and drives in four. 

June 18, 1972

Charlie Finley holds baseball’s first ever “Mustache Day.”

June 19, 1972

U.S. Supreme Court rules against former St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Curt Flood

June 19, 1972

Roberto Clemente passes Hall of Fame third baseman Pie Traynor on the Pittsburgh Pirates’ all-time RBI list

June 19, 1972

1972 – Larry Dierker hurls a one-hitter to blank the Mets, 3-0 . Duffy Dyer’s third-inning single is the lone blemish on Dierker’s night. Tommy Helms delivers four hits to lead the Houston offense. The day before, Jerry Reuss had tossed a one-hitter at the Phillies. The back-to-back one-hitters tie a major league mark and establish a club record. 

June 20, 1972

1972 – Randy Hundley caps the scoring in the 1st inning with a grand slam as the Cubs score 7, all off Don Carrithers, en route to a 15 – 8 pasting of the Giants. The first three runs come on three walks, two wild pitches and three singles. Hundley singles in another run in the 5-run 4th as the Cubs win their 7th straight.

June 21, 1972

Rico Petrocelli and Carl Yastrzemski lead the Red Sox to an 11-inning, 10 – 9 win over Texas. Yaz collects five hits and scores four times, while Rico drives in six runs, four with a grand slam. Frank Howard is 4 for 4 for Texas. Luis Tiant wins with an inning of shutout relief.

June 21, 1972

Bob Gibson wins his 211th game, passing Jesse Haines as the Cards’ biggest winner, in St. Louis’s 14 – 3 win over the Padres. Gibson cracks a 3-run homer in the 7th before exiting.

June 23, 1972

1972 – Following up a two-hitter against the Pirates in his previous start, San Diego’s Steve Arlin allows just one hit in beating San Francisco, 4 – 1. Garry Maddox triples in the 2nd inning for the lone hit. Nate Colbert’s three-run homer, off Sam McDowell, is the deciding blow.

June 24, 1972

Bernice Gera becomes the first woman to umpire in a professional game

June 25, 1972

After a five-year legal battle, Bernice Gera finally becomes the first woman professional umpire when she works a minor league game in Geneva, New York. When Auburn manager Nolan Campbell vehemently argues a play where she first signals Terry Ford safe at second on a double play and then reverses her decision, the new arbitrator is brought to tears and will resign between games of the twin bill.

June 25, 1972

The Reds take over first place in the National League West for good with a 5 – 4, 10-inning win over the Astros. Denis Menke’s double in the 10th against his old team wins it.

June 26, 1972

Brewer Billy Conigliaro jumps his club for the comfort of a Massachusetts island retreat.

June 26, 1972

Detroit’s Bill Slayback makes his major league debut a good one, allowing no hits for seven innings against the Yankees. Johnny Callison’s single in the 8th is the first hit, but Detroit hangs on to a 4 – 3 win.

June 26, 1972

Astro rock five home runs

June 27, 1972

Continuing his slugging, John Mayberry belts a home run, double and two singles to lead the Royals to a 6 – 4 win over the White Sox. Mayberry has driven in 20 runs in his last 11 games.

June 27, 1972

Nolan Ryan Triple Delivers a Win

June 27, 1972

Wade Blasingame’s American League debut for the Yankees is an inauspicious one, as the Tigers go deep three consecutive times in the first frame

June 29, 1972

Oakland A’s and Atlanta Braves become the first teams to trade former MVPs for one another

June 29, 1972

Jim Palmer’s 8-game win streak ends as the Yanks chase the ace in the 2nd inning of a 4 – 3 win. Mel Stottlemyre, with relief from Sparky Lyle, gains his 7th win.

June 30, 1972

Joe Pepitone rejoins the Cubs after a brief retirement, and is 1 for 4 in the Cubs’ 4 – 3 win over the Pirates. Rick Reuschel allows two hits in 7 1/3 innings before leaving with a twisted ankle, but picks up the win. Billy Williams drives in three runs for the Cubs.

June 30, 1972

President Richard Nixon discuss his All Time Team in Baseball and biggest moments

July 1, 1972

Roberto Clemente’s 4th and 5th (out of 6) career home runs off his friend and fellow future Hall of Famer Ferguson Jenkins provide the Pirates with a sudden and devastating 4 – 3 walk-off win, against the Cubs at Three Rivers Stadium. Clemente hits Fergie’s first pitch in the 7th inning over the left field fence to tie the game. After the Bucs fall behind, 3 – 2, his second homer is a game-ending blast with none out in the 9th.

July 1, 1972

Nolan Ryan allows five hits and strikes out 16 in pitching the Angels to a 5 – 3 victory over the Athletics. Ryan has a RBI single and is helped by homers from Ken Berry and Leo Cardenas, off Steve Hamilton.

July 2, 1972

Reggie Smith homers from both sides of the plate as Boston beats Milwaukee, 15 – 4.

July 2, 1972

Willie McCovey hits his 14th career grand slam to pace the Giants’ 9 – 3 win over the Dodgers. Randy Moffitt wins his first major league game and receives a congratulatory telegram from his sister, tennis star Billie Jean King, who is playing at Wimbledon.

July 2, 1972

The Reds score eight runs in the 8th to defeat the Dodgers, 12 – 2, at Riverfront Stadium. Tony Perez’s 3-run homer is the big blow.

July 2, 1972

Minnesota’s Jim Kaat, sporting a 10-2 record and a 2.07 ERA, breaks his pitching hand while sliding. He will miss the remainder of the season. Kaat is relieved in the 8th by Wayne Granger, but gets credit for the 6 – 4 win over the White Sox. Tom Bradley wins his 10th in the nitecap, 2 – 1, for Chicago.

July 2, 1972

At Montreal’s Jarry Park, the Expos walk away with a 4-3 victory when Mets right-hander Bob Rauch issues his fourth free pass of the inning, forcing in Carl Morton the winning run from third base. The frustrating loss will be the 23 year-old rookie’s only decision during a brief 19-game major league career.

July 4, 1972

Leron Lee singles in the 9th to break up Tom Seaver’s no-hitter, but the Mets shut out the Padres, 2 – 0, in the opener. Seaver strikes out 11. The Pads take the nitecap, 4 – 2, as Nate Colbert hits his 16th homer.

July 4, 1972

Denny McLain makes his National League debut in the second game of a twinbill with the Cubs, called in the 8th inning because of rain. McLain gets no decision in the 3 – 3 tie, but receives a standing ovation at the end from the crowd of 50,597. Atlanta wins the opener, 5 – 1, as Ron Reed beats Juan Pizarro. Paul Casanova’s first National League homer and Mike Lum’s three-run homer in the 7th account for four runs.

July 5, 1972

Nolan Ryan (10-5) strikes out eight in topping the Brewers, 2 – 1. Winston Llenas, batting for Ryan in the 9th, singles off starter Earl Stephenson for the winning run.

July 6, 1972

The Twins fire manager Bill Rigney, promoting 33-year-old coach Frank Quilici to take his place.

July 7, 1972

In the Pirates’ 10 – 2 lid lifter win over Atlanta, Milt May goes 5 for 5 to lead a 20-hit attack. May has two more hits in the nitecap, but the Pirates lose, 3 – 2, to Jim Hardin.

July 7, 1972

Back in the Expos lineup for the first time since June 27th, Ken Singleton drives in three runs to support Bill Stoneman’s 7 – 2 win over the Giants. Singleton wears a special uniform to prevent a rash from reoccurring because of his allergy to materials in the Expos’ regular uniforms.

July 8, 1972

Detroit Tigers pitcher John Hiller makes his first appearance after suffering a heart attack in 1971

July 9, 1972

The Twins lose to the Yankees, 9 – 6, despite Rich Reese’s pinch grand slam. For Reese, it is his third pinch grand slam, tying Ron Northey’s major league record.

July 9, 1972

The Angels’ Nolan Ryan strikes out 16 batters, including an American League-record 8 in a row and 3 on nine pitches in the 2nd inning, as he stops the Red Sox on one hit. Carl Yastrzemski’s one-out single in the 1st is the only safety: Ryan then racks up his eight K’s and retires the last 26 consecutive batters. Sonny Siebert loses the 3 – 0 battle. For Ryan, he is the third pitcher to twice fan the side on nine pitches.

July 10, 1972

Phillies GM Paul Owens takes over as field manager after firing Frank Lucchesi.

July 11, 1972

At Oakland, Boston’s Marty Pattin has his no-hit bid foiled when Reggie Jackson hits a one-out single in the 9th. Boston wins, 4 – 0.

July 11, 1972

Chicago’s Billy Williams goes 8-for-8 in a doubleheader split against the Astros

July 12, 1972

The A’s Dave Duncan is 5 for 5, but the Red Sox win, 7 – 6.

July 12, 1972

1972 – Jim Wynn bangs two home runs and drives in four to pace a 10-6 triumph over the Cubs. Norm Miller and Lee May also homer. Chicago’s Billy Williams is retired in his first time up, snapping his consecutive hitting streak, but stays hot with a double and a home run. 

July 13, 1972

In a contest which lasts only 93 minutes, the Cardinals play the quickest nine-inning game in their history.

July 14, 1972

In a major league first, the plate umpire and the catcher in a game are brothers. Bill Haller is the ump and Tom Haller is the Detroit Tigers catcher during a game with the Kansas City Royals. Kansas City wins, 1 – 0.

July 14, 1972

The Minnesota Twins cap a 3-run rally in the 9th, scoring the winning run when Harmon Killebrew draws a bases-loaded walk from Boston Red Sox reliever Don Newhauser. Boston wins, 7 – 6. Minnesota is helped by Juan Beniquez’s second straight three-error game, a record for American League shortstops. John Kennedy will take over the SS job, while Beniquez will play the rest of his major league career mostly in the outfield and at 1B.

July 14, 1972

In his first major league game, Dave Schneck hits a 2-run homer off the Padres’ Steve Arlin that turns out to be the game winner in the Mets’ 3 – 2 win at San Diego Stadium.

July 14, 1972

Haller Brothers work the plate as catcher and umpire

July 18, 1972

San Diego’s Steve Arlin takes a no-hitter against Philadelphia into the 9th inning before settling for a second straight two-hitter.

July 18, 1972

A two-run inside-the-park homer by Cesar Cedeno highlights an 11-3 triumph over St. Louis

July 19, 1972

At Three Rivers Stadium, Luke Walker singles off Cecil Upshaw to break an 0-for-39 drought at the plate. The Pirates’ southpaw pitches three innings of one-hit shutout baseball to pick up a save in the 8-3 victory over the Braves.

July 21, 1972

Los Angeles Dodgers release longtime major league pitcher Hoyt Wilhelm

July 21, 1972

Billy Williams drives in six runs to lead the Cubs to an 11 – 3 win over the Astros. Williams has four hits, including a double and homer, to give Bill Bonham his only win of the year. Ken Forsch takes the loss.

July 21, 1972

The Yankees sweep the Angels, winning 6 – 0 and 3 – 0. Fritz Peterson and Mel Stottlemyre apply the whitewashes.

July 25, 1972

The National League wins the All-Star Game, 4 – 3, at Atlanta behind hometown hero Hank Aaron’s two-run home run and Joe Morgan’s 10th-inning RBI single. It is the 7th time the classic has gone into extra innings.

July 25, 1972

Cubs general manager John Holland announces Whitey Lockman will manage the Cubs, replacing Leo Durocher

July 27, 1972

Marking the debut of manager Whitey Lockman, Fergie Jenkins allows one hit in the Cubs’ 4 – 0 win over the Phillies

July 28, 1972

1972 – Steve Carlton wins his 10th straight for the last-place Phils, beating the Cubs’ Milt Pappas, 2 – 0. Lefty allows four hits and strikes out 7, while setting the club record for consecutive wins.

July 29, 1972

Brooks Robinson hits a two-out home run in the 11th to give Baltimore a 4 – 3 win over the Indians. Frank Duffy hits his first major league home run for the Tribe and John Lowenstein hits a home run in the 9th to briefly give the Indians the lead.

July 29, 1972

The Padres take 17 innings but finally edge the Reds, 4 – 3, at Riverfront Stadium.

July 30, 1972

The Angels beat Kansas City, 4 – 3, when Bob Oliver hits a leadoff home run in the 11th inning against his former team. The win goes to Lloyd Allen, relegated to the bullpen after five straight losses as a starter. Allen’s batterymate, Jack Hiatt, is 1 for 1 after taking over in the late innings. Hiatt, purchased yesterday from the Astros, appears without a number on his uniform since there was not enough time to sew one on.

July 30, 1972

Ralph Garr and Earl Williams collect 10 hits and 10 runs between them to lead the Braves to 14 – 4 and 5 – 4 victories over the Dodgers. They each have four RBIs in the two games.

July 31, 1972

Royals OF Amos Otis scores the game’s only run, swiping home in the 4th inning with a surprised John Mayberry at bat. Otis reached 3B when Angels pitcher Nolan Ryan makes two of his three errors trying to pick his former teammate off base. This is only the second time in the post-war years that a steal of home accounts for a game’s only run.

July 31, 1972

Vida Blue retires the first 17 batters before Texas pitcher Rich Hand beats out a surprise bunt in the 6th. Blue allows one other hit to win, 2 – 0 for Oakland. Hand allows just two hits in 7 1/3 innings, but two errors and a mental boner by LF Ted Ford allows two runs. With a runner on third base, Ford catches Joe Rudi’s fly and trots in thinking it is the third out. It is the second. Rudi adds another sac fly for the other run.

July 31, 1972

1972 – Houston edges San Diego, 3-2, on a gift run in the bottom of the ninth inning. It starts when Cesar Cedeno swings at a Steve Arlin pitch in the dirt for strike three. The catcher can’t hang on and Cedeno is safe at first. Next, Cesar steals second and moves to third when the throw sails into center field. Two outs and two intentional walks later, Johnny Edwards takes ball four to bring Cedeno home. 

July 31, 1972

Dick Allen hits 2 inside park Hr’s

August 1, 1972

Trailing by several runs in a game threatened by rain, Billy Martin has his Detroit Tigers employ stalling tactics while the opposing Milwaukee Brewers try to speed up the game. The game lasts six innings, with Del Crandall’s Brewers winning, 6 – 0. Umpire Frank Umont recommends a fine of $1,000 for both managers.

August 1, 1972

In the nightcap, the Phillies salvage a split of the twin bill when Steve Carlton, who sees his 30 consecutive scoreless innings streak snapped in the fourth, beats the Mets at Shea Stadium, 4-1. In the opener, New York outlasted Philadelphia, scoring a run in the bottom of the 18th inning for a 3-2 victory.

August 1, 1972

Nate Colbert sets a major league record by driving in 12 runs during a doubleheader

August 2, 1972

Tigers acquire some needed help for the pennant chase, purchasing left-hander Woodie Fryman

August 2, 1972

1972 – Cesar Cedeno becomes the first Astro to hit for the cycle during a 10-1 whipping of the Reds . Cesar doubles in the first then smacks a two-run shot off Gary Nolan into the seats. Cedeno adds a run-scoring single in the fifth then triples off Pedro Borbon in the eighth to cap a four-RBI night. His average jumps to a league-leading .353 and Houston trails the Reds by six for the division lead. 

August 3, 1972

Cubs pitcher Bill Hands allows one hit, by Ken Singleton, in beating the Expos, 3 – 0, in the nitecap. The Cubs lose the opener, 2 – 1, as Jack Aker absorbs his 3rd loss in his last 5 save opportunities.

August 4, 1972

Luis Aparicio returns after a 6-week layoff with a broken finger and drives in a run as the Red Sox win, 2 – 0 over Baltimore. Marty Pattin allows two hits in beating Pat Dobson.

August 4, 1972

The Angels beat the Royals, 4 – 3, in 10 innings. Vada Pinson shows the way home with five hits and three RBIs.

August 4, 1972

Bobby Murcer’s grand slam in the 7th clinches the Yankees’ 9 – 4 win over the Brewers. Murcer also scores twice on walks.

August 4, 1972

1972 – Lee May tags Juan Marichal for two solo homers while Johnny Edwards adds another during a 6-1 triumph at San Francisco. Jerry Reuss and Fred Gladding share shutout honors with Gladding contributing a sacrifice fly for the game’s final run as well as earning the save. 

August 5, 1972

Tiger shortstop Ed Brinkman commits an error, ending his major league record of 72 games and 331 total chances without making a misplay.

August 6, 1972

Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves breaks Babe Ruth’s record for the most home runs with one team

August 6, 1972

The second game of the Midland Cubs and Amarillo Giants minor league doubleheader is postponed when thousands of grasshoppers begin appearing everywhere at Christensen Stadium. The massive clusters of insects, who swarmed from their nests behind the center field wall after the ballpark’s lights were turned on, made play impossible when infielders couldn’t see their outfielders through the hordes of fluttering invaders.

August 7, 1972

Hall of Fame inducts 8 new members

August 7, 1972

When Cleon Jones misses a shoestring catch in the bottom of the 13th inning, Ted Sizemore races around with an inside-the-park homer to give the Cards a 3 – 2 win over the 2nd-place Mets. Diego Segui, in relief of Bob Gibson who pitches 10 innings, is the winner. Mets 2B Ken Boswell has no fielding chances to tie a major-league record for an extra-inning game.

August 7, 1972

Ron Allen hits three home runs as the Yankees beat the Dodgers, 8 – 3, in the annual Hall of Fame Game. The contest is preceded by inductions of eight new members.

August 7, 1972

Eddie Mathews takes over as Braves manager following the dismissal of Lum Harris. Things don’t change as the Reds squash the Braves, 9 – 1, at Riverfront Stadium.

August 7, 1972

A horde of grasshoppers invades the field at Midland (Texas League) after the first game of a doubleheader, causing the postponement of the second game.

August 7, 1972

Dick Drago hits Sal Bando and Catfish Hunter to deliver a win

August 8, 1972

After much speculation about the future of the team, the Yankees sign a thirty-year lease to play in the ‘new’ Yankee Stadium beginning in 1976. After completing the Stadium’s 50th-Anniversary next season, the Bronx Bombers will play their home games for the next two years at Shea Stadium while the ‘House that Ruth Built’ is completely remodeled.

August 8, 1972

The New York Yankees sign a 30-year lease to play in renovated Yankee Stadium starting in 1976; they will share Shea Stadium with the New York Mets while the renovations take place in 1974 and 1975.

August 8, 1972

At Riverfront Stadium‚ the Reds beat the Dodgers‚ 2 – 1‚ in 19 innings. The Dodgers use five pitchers and the first four – Tommy John‚ Jim Brewer‚ Pete Richert and Ron Perranoski – strike out 22 batters to tie a National League record. The 5th‚ Pete Mikkelsen‚ fans no one in the defeat to Pedro Borbon. Joe Hague’s single drives in pinch runner Ted Uhlaender to end the marathon.

August 8, 1972

After much speculation about the future of the team, the Yankees sign a thirty-year lease to play in the ‘new’ Yankee Stadium beginning in 1976. After completing the Stadium’s 50th-Anniversary next season, the Bronx Bombers will play their home games for the next two years at Shea Stadium while the ‘House that Ruth Built’ is completely remodeled.

August 8, 1972

Eddie Mathews gets his first managerial win,

August 9, 1972

Cardinals’ Ted Simmons finally signs his contract for this season

August 11, 1972

The A’s defeat the White Sox, 5 – 3, on Joe Rudi’s two-run homer in the 19th inning off Stan Bahnsen. The game had been suspended after a 3 – 3 tie in 17 frames yesterday.

August 12, 1972

1972 – The White Sox top the A’s, 3 – 1, in 11 innings. The Sox‚ who were 8 1/2 games behind Oakland on July 18th‚ take over first place in the AL West.

August 13, 1972

1972 – Bengals manager Billy Martin literally picks his starting lineup out of a hat in an attempt to halt the Tigers’ four-game losing streak. The ploy works as Detroit defeats Cleveland, 3 – 2. Using a regular lineup in the nightcap, the Tigers lose, 9 – 2.

August 13, 1972

In an effort to stop a four-game losing streak, Tigers skipper Billy Martin picks his starting lineup out of a hat for the first game of a doubleheader. The idea works as Detroit edges the Indians in the opener, 3-2, but using a regular lineup in the nightcap, the team loses, 9-2.

August 13, 1972

Former major league executive George Weiss dies at the age of 78

August 13, 1972

Billy Martin picks his team’s lineup out of a hat

August 14, 1972

1972 – In Atlanta, Johnny Bench drives in five runs on a home run, double and single, to lead the Reds to a 12 – 2 win over the Braves.

August 14, 1972

Astro Bullpen Buggy

August 17, 1972

Steve Carlton extends his streak to 15 consecutive victories when he beats Cincinnati 9-4 to win his 20th game of the season

August 17, 1972

1972 – Lee May belts four hits, a three-run blast among them, and drives in five to lead a 17-5 slaughter in Montreal. Cesar Cedeno homers and drives in four. The Expos take such a beating that Gene Mauch sends in former Astro shortstop Hector Torres to pitch the ninth. It is Torres’ first pitching performance since the Mexican Little Leagues. He surrenders six straight hits before getting the last two outs. 

August 18, 1972

The Orioles trade C Elrod Hendricks to the Cubs for OF/1B Tommy Davis.

August 18, 1972

Mickey Lolich regains first place for the Tigers as he bests the Angels and Nolan Ryan, 2 – 0. It is Lolich’s 19th win.

August 18, 1972

After playing in 414 games and accumulating over 1500 career at-bats, Larry Bowa hits his first major league home run, an inside-the-park round-tripper at Veterans Stadium. It will take another two years before the 26 year-old shortstop, who will go deep only 15 times in his 16-year career, will put a ball over the fence for a homer.

August 20, 1972

Striking out 14, Don Wilson pitches the Astros to a 3 – 1 win over the Phils. Greg Luzinski accounts for the lone Quaker run with a homer. Still without a win this year, Ken Reynolds absorbs his 11th loss.

August 20, 1972

The Angels score nine runs in the 4th inning but Detroit counters with eight runs in the 6th to win the wild affair, 11 – 9. Aurelio Rodriguez touches off the comeback with a double and ends the scoring with another extra base hit, a three-run homer. In between are six singles and a sac fly.

August 21, 1972

On his birthday, Jim Beauchamp of the New York Mets hits his first two home runs of the season. The second one comes in the bottom of the ninth inning to defeat the Houston Astros.

August 21, 1972

Steve Carlton’s consecutive-victory streak ends at 15 dtoping a 2-1 extra innings decision

August 22, 1972

Pirate pitcher Nelson Briles one-hits the Giants, and outduels Juan Marichal, 1 – 0. Ken Henderson is the Giants’ only baserunner, singling in the 7th.

August 22, 1972

Jim Beauchamp hits a home run and drives in all the Mets’ runs in a 4 – 2 win over the Astros. Yesterday, Beauchamp celebrated his birthday with a pair of home runs as the Mets beat the Astros by the same score.

August 23, 1972

Chicago’s Dick Allen becomes the 4th major league player to hit one into the CF bleachers in Comiskey Park 

August 23, 1972

Kansas City’s Roger Nelson shuts out the Red Sox, 3 – 0. Ben Oglivie’s single in the 8th is the only hit off Nelson.

August 25, 1972

1972 – Phillie Ken Reynolds ties a dubious National League record with his 12th straight losing decision from the start of the season after dropping a 6 – 1 decision to the Reds. Reynolds is knocked out in the 4th and loses to Don Gullett.

August 25, 1972

1972 – In second place and desperate to catch up with the blazing Cincinnati Reds, the Astros fire manager Harry Walker, naming 67-year-old Leo “The Lip” Durocher as his replacement. Walker has a 355-353 record in Houston. In his final game with the Astros, Houston drops a 4-3 decision to the Montreal, featuring the 200th homer of Jim Wynn’s career  . Coach Salty Parker is interim manager for one game before Leo takes the reigns. Durocher, who had earlier left the Cubs in mid-season, skippers a 16-15 finish to the season.

August 26, 1972

The Red Sox score five in the 9th to top Texas, 7 – 6.

August 26, 1972

Leo Durocher, formerly of the Cubs, replaces Harry Walker as manager of the Astros. It is only the second time someone has managed two National League teams in the same season. The first was in 1948, when Durocher piloted the Dodgers and the Giants.

August 26, 1972

Ron Santo records his 2,000th career hit, a 3-run home run off Ron Bryant

August 27, 1972

Oakland A’s acquire outfielder Matty Alou

August 27, 1972

The Tigers’ Willie Horton clouts an 11th-inning two-run home run to beat Minnesota, 5 – 3, in the opener of two. In the nightcap, Joe Coleman pitches 11 shutout innings against Minnesota before Aurelio Rodriguez’s home run gives him the 1 – 0 win. This is the third win in a row for the Tigers on 11th-inning homers. Rodriguez hit one to start the streak.

August 29, 1972

Yankee Bobby Murcer hits for the cycle against Texas. He’s the first Yankee to cycle since Mickey Mantle in 1957. The next will be Tony Fernandez in 1995.

August 29, 1972

At Fenway Park, Luis Tiant pitches his third straight shutout, beating the White Sox, 3 – 0. Reggie Smith hits two run-scoring doubles off starter Tom Bradley for Boston.

August 29, 1972

Barr sets a major-league record of 41 consecutive batsmen retired

August 30, 1972

1972 – In Pittsburgh, announcer Bob Prince turns the mike over to Harold Arlin. On August 5, 1921, Arlin was the first announcer to broadcast a live play-by-play game, on KDKA. Today he calls a few innings while his grandson, Steve, is on the mound for San Diego against the Pirates.

August 30, 1972

With the game scoreless in the top of the fifth, Terry Harmon hits his first major league home run in the Phillies’ 5-3 loss to Houston at the Astrodome. The Philadelphia infielder, who will hit just four round-trippers in his 10-year career, easily circles the bases for an inside-the-park round-tripper when right fielder Jimmy Wynn fails to make a shoestring catch and the ball rolls along the artificial turf, before bouncing off the fence.

August 30, 1972

On the same night in different games, Pete Rose of the Reds and Pittsburgh’s Roberto Clemente both tie their respective club records for hits. With his two hits at Three Rivers Stadium, the Pirates outfielder equals Honus Wagner’s club mark of 2,970 career hits and Cincinnati’s ‘Charlie Hustle’ matches Vida Pinson’s total when he singles at Riverfront Stadium to collect his 1,881st hit

August 31, 1972

1972 – Another insurance purchase for the Tigers: they buy slugging 1B/OF Frank Howard from Texas.

September 1, 1972

Rod Carew swipes home with 2 out in the 10th inning to give the Twins a 5 – 4 victory over the Indians. Carew will swipe home 17 times in his career‚ seven times stealing alone. The Twins score their first 4 runs as Bobby Darwin drives them all in on 4 hits‚ including 2 homers.

September 1, 1972

Mel Stottlemyre hurls a 4-hitter to stop the White Sox‚ 4 – 0. Rookie Charlie Spikes has two hits in his major league debut‚ drives in a run and saves a run with a sparkling catch in right field.

September 1, 1972

The Reds edge the Expos‚ 1 – 0‚ in 12 innings on Johnny Bench’s single. Ross Grimsley and Clay Carroll combine on the shutout.

September 1, 1972

Battle on the base paths

September 2, 1972

Milt Pappas of the Chicago Cubs pitches a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres and comes within one strike of hurling a perfect game

September 2, 1972

Coming to bat in the top of the eighth inning trailing 8-0, the Mets score seven runs and add another four tallies in the ninth to stun the Astros, 11-8. The come-from-behind victory is the Amazins’ biggest comeback in franchise history.

September 2, 1972

In his major league debut, Doug Rau throws a three-hitter, beating St. Louis at Busch Stadium, 5-1. In his first big-league at-bat, the 23 year-old Dodger southpaw helps his cause with an RBI-triple in the second inning.

September 2, 1972

Roberto Clemente breaks Honus Wagner’s record for the most hits in the history of the franchise and Bob Veale is sold

September 2, 1972

Dave Downs throws a complete game shutout in his first major league appearance

September 3, 1972

Steve Carlton shuts out the Braves, 8 – 0, for his 8th whitewash of the season. This is the most for a Phillies pitcher since Grover Alexander in 1917.

September 3, 1972

Hal McRae’s 2-run pinch homer in the 9th gives the Reds a 4 – 3 win over the visiting Expos.

September 4, 1972

Luis Tiant (10-4) pitches his 4th straight shutout, beating the Brewers, 2 – 0, in the opener. Carl Yastrzemski’s two-run home run accounts for the scoring. The Red Sox lose the nitecap, 6 – 2, as four former Hubmen do the damage. Syd O’Brien and Joe Lahoud homer, Boomer Scott has three hits and Ken Brett is the winner.

September 4, 1972

The Yankees split with the Orioles, losing, 4 – 3, before winning, 5 – 2. The split leaves the Yankees (69-61) in 4th place, just one-half game out of first place. The Orioles (69-60) are tied with Detroit for the lead. Andy Etchebarren’s three-run homer in the first game, off Fritz Peterson, is the big blow while the Yankees take the nitecap behind the three hits, including a homer, by Bobby Murcer.

September 4, 1972

The Cubs top the Mets, 2 – 0, as Fergie Jenkins posts his 19th win. The Cubs then drop the second game, 7 – 2, to Gary Gentry, who strikes out 8.

September 5, 1972

1972 – Felix Millan is 5 for 5 in the Braves’ 5 – 3 win over the Astros.

September 6, 1972

1972 – Behind Mickey Lolich’s 20th win‚ Detroit beats the Orioles in Baltimore, 4 – 3, in the tight pennant race. Lolich had failed in 5 previous outings to win his 20th.

September 6, 1972

Ken Holtzman and first baseman Mike Epstein wear black armbands on the sleeves of their uniforms to pay respect to the 11 Israeli Olympic athletes who were killed yesterday by terrorists in Munich

September 7, 1972

1972 – Tommy Harper and Rico Petrocelli club 3-run homers to pace the Red Sox to a 10 – 4 win over the Yankees and move into first place in the American League East ahead of the Tigers. Sonny Siebert adds a homer as he wins his 12th game.

September 7, 1972

1972 – Don Wilson ties a club record by tossing 13 innings in a complete-game 5-1 victory in San Francisco. Bob Watson and Roger Metzger end it with home runs in the decisive frame. Metzger finishes with four hits and four RBIs. Imagine how scribes would howl at Leo Durocher these days for keeping Wilson out there for 193 pitches. 

September 8, 1972

In the first game of a doubleheader with the Cardinals, the Mets win, 8 – 2, as John Milner collects a homer, double, and three singles in five at-bats. Milner had another home run in the 1st inning of game 2, but the Cards turn around, using a pair of homers in the 13th to win, 9 – 4.

September 8, 1972

Beating the Phils, 4 – 3, Fergie Jenkins wins his 20th, the 6th consecutive year he’s reached the mark. This ties the Cubs club record set by Three Finger Brown, 1906-1911. Billy Williams’ 2-run home run in the 6th ties it at 3 – 3, and a pair of doubles in the 8th wins it.

September 8, 1972

Pirates manager Bill Virdon posts his 100th different lineup in the 131st game of the season. The starting nine for the eventual NL Eastern Division winners beats the Expos in the second game of a doubleheader at Jarry Park in 12 innings, to complete the sweep of the twin bill, 4-2.

September 11, 1972

1972 – Dick Allen’s club record 34th home run gives the White Sox their only two runs as they beat Kansas City, 2 – 1.

September 12, 1972

In his final appearance in a big league uniform, 29 year-old right-hander Denny McLain, who will finish his ten-year career with a 131-92 record, is tagged with the loss when he gives up three runs in the ninth inning without retiring a batter in the Braves’ 7-5 loss to Cincinnati at Atlanta Stadium. The last batter the one-time 30-game winner, rumored to have been involved with gambling and bookmaking during his time in the major leagues, will face is Pete Rose, who will be banned from baseball for life for wagering on the game.

September 13, 1972

The Reds’ Johnny Bench hits a 2-run homer in the bottom of the 10th to beat the Braves, 8 – 6. He hit a grand slam yesterday in a 7 – 5 win over Atlanta, and he’ll have 11 homers and 33 ribbies for September.

September 13, 1972

Frank Howard, who is not playing regularly for the Tigers, hits a 3-run homer off Dave McNally of the Orioles for a Detroit victory. It is his 13th career four-bagger off his favorite pitcher. He had hit one with the Rangers on July 18th, and 11 with the Senators from 1965 to 1971.

September 13, 1972

Roberto Clemente’s final career regular-season home run – No. 240 – propels Pittsburgh to a 6 – 4 win over Chicago. It comes, appropriately enough, off Fergie Jenkins, Clemente’s old friend and frequent HR victim (most notably, on September 2, 1966), and within the “friendly confines” of his home away from home, launching pad for numerous RC rockets over the years—most famously, Wrigley’s scoreboard near-miss of May 17, 1959. Today’s blast is a two-run, tie-breaking bomb, “crashed deep into the center field seats,” as per Post-Gazettescribe Charley Feeney. “Clemente just hit everything I had,” admits Jenkins. “He hit a slider for a single, a fastball for a triple and another slider for the home run. He’s something.”

September 14, 1972

1972 – Roberto Clemente’s batting practice moon shot again comes close to Wrigley Field’s scoreboard. Bart Ripp, writing in Sport Magazine, recalls Clemente’s confrontation with 6′ 7″ Jim McKee, a young, fireballing, Pirate pitching prospect who has just made Richie Hebner, Al Oliver and Willie Stargell look foolish: “Clemente dusted his hands, then took his usual righthanded stance deep in the box, as far from the plate as possible. Standing still, Clemente heard the first pitch go by, then primly stuck his bat out over the plate at the next three. Each time, the ball hit the club, then pirouetted to the grass, just fair, and there they stuck as if they had landed in wet cement. Roberto then took three swings, but did not move his legs or hips, just the arms and wrists – he was merely getting his eye in. The result was three line drives – to left, to center, to right. All base hits in any game. Clemente slowly hauled out his familiar swing: the front leg lifted and cocked to the catcher, his torso leaping at the ball, the swing ending with his back foot hanging in the air. He proceeded to undress the rookie, smacking severe line drives all over old Wrigley Field. Not paying any respect to a god, Hebner shouted taunting encouragement to Clemente, ‘Come on, take one more swing.’ Clemente motioned to the pitcher, wiping the side of his hand across the letters of his uniform. McKee put it right there, right on the outside corner, and Clemente swung once more. The ball nearly tipped the button of McKee’s cap, then once past second began to rise on a straight line. It was still rising when it struck the bleachers just below the scoreboard, 500 feet away. The people around the cage surveyed the landing site for a few seconds, then closed their mouths and looked back into the cage. It was empty, as Clemente walked back to the dugout, rolling his head about to relieve a crick in his neck.”

September 15, 1972

In a record-setting effort, the Reds and Padres combine for 28 strikeouts for a nine-inning game, the Padres winning 1 – 0, on Cito Gaston’s 4th-inning homer. Winning P Fred Normanstrikes out 15, while Don Gullett fans 11 Pads. Pedro Borbon notches the other 2.

September 15, 1972

Steve Carlton beats the Expos, 5 – 3, raising his record to 24-9. The rest of the Phillies pitchers have a combined record of 26-80.

September 16, 1972

Expo P Balor Moore extends his scoreless innings streak to 25 before serving up a 7th-inning three-run home run to lose to the Phillies, 3 – 1. The home run is the first for Phils rookie Mike Schmidt.

September 16, 1972

Following the Reds-Padres game at Riverfront Stadium, “This is your Life” host Ralph Edwards surprises Johnny Bench as the catcher is the featured guest on the program. With cameras rolling, Bench’s family and friends appear as Edwards narrates the show.

September 16, 1972

In an 18 – 5 victory over the Mets, Cub infielder Glenn Beckert goes 0 for 6 and sets a record by leaving 12 men on base.

September 16, 1972

Joe Coleman wins his 17th game and Dick McAuliffe clouts two home runs and drives in four to lead Detroit to a 6 – 2 win in Milwaukee. This is Detroit’s 5th win in a row and keeps them a percentage point behind Boston.

September 16, 1972

Glen Beckert strands 12 men on base to set a new major league mark

September 16, 1972

9/16/1972 – Dwight Evans made his major league debut in the bottom of the sixth inning against the Cleveland Indians when he pinch ran for Reggie Smith. The Red Sox were leading at the time, 9-0 and Cecil Cooper had already been placed in the game as a pinch runner for Carl Yastrzemski. Yaz was batting third and Smith fourth in the original lineup. In the top of the seventh, both Cooper and Evans stayed in the game and three other defensive replacements were made by manager Eddie Kasko. With one out in the bottom of the eighth inning, Evans batted in Cooper’s spot but flew out. No protest was made by the Indians. The next legal batter should have been Phil Gagliano but Cooper came to the plate and also made an out to end the inning and the Sox went on to win 10-0. Thus, Dwight Evans’ first major league plate appearance was out of order!

September 16, 1972

Phillies’ rookie third baseman Mike Schmidt hits his first career home run, breaking Expos’ Balor Moore’s 25 consecutive scoreless inning streak

September 17, 1972

Lee May and Cesar Cedeno drive in five runs apiece as Houston storms back to win a 15-11 slugfest over the Dodgers

September 19, 1972

Chicago White Sox and Oakland A’s set a major league record by combining to use 51 players

September 19, 1972

The Twins’ Cesar Tovar hits for the cycle as Minnesota beats Texas, 5 – 3.

September 20, 1972

After scoring all of their runs in the second inning, the Braves put it on cruise control, beating the Astros, 13-6. Only 2,062 fans are on hand at Atlanta Stadium to enjoy the big inning.

September 20, 1972

Milt Pappas, with a 6-2 complete-game victory over Montreal at Wrigley Field, wins his 200th major league game. The Cubs’ right-hander becomes the first hurler to reach the milestone without the benefit of a single 20-win season.

September 20, 1972

9/20/1972: In the first inning of a game in Anaheim, Kansas City pitcher Steve Busby hit a grand slam homer off Lloyd Allen. Unfortunately, first base umpire John Rice called time as the play started which nullified the blast. John Mayberry had already hit a slam in the inning so the Royals would have been added to the very short list of teams with two grand slams in one inning.

September 20, 1972

Atlanta plates 13 runs in one inning to bomb the Astros, 13-6

September 20, 1972

9/20/1972: Milwaukee’s George Scott homered leading off the bottom of the 4th off Mel Stottlemyre of the Yankees with no score at the time. The game was rained out before the 4th inning was completed.

September 21, 1972

The American League East is in a virtual tie as Detroit’s Joe Coleman posts his 18th win, a critical 10 – 3 defeat of first-place Boston. Coleman strikes out 10 and knocks in three runs.

September 21, 1972

The Pirates clinch the National League East title with a 6 – 2 victory over the Mets.

September 23, 1972

Don Wilson scatters four hits while Lee May gets just as many by himself. Houston tops the first-place Reds, 7-1.

September 24, 1972

1972 – In the nitecap of a twinbill sweep over the Indians, Sparky Lyle sets an American League record and ties the major league mark by saving his 35th game. The Yankees win, 8 – 3, after gaining a 5 – 4 win in the opener when they score two unearned runs on five Indian errors in the 11th. Thurman Munson steals second base by kicking the ball out of Frank Duffy’s glove and going to third on the error. Duffy then boots a grounder and throws wildly for two more E’s. Catcher Gerry Moses then picks up a squibber and fires over 1B and RF Del Unser’s throw to the plate is over Moses’ head for error number 5.

September 26, 1972

1972 – Pittsburgh’s Steve Blass and Roberto Clemente each close in on a cherished goal: the former, a 20-win season, the latter a 3,000-hit career. Charley Feeney of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette reports: “Blass notched his 19th victory – and No. 100 of his career – while Clemente rapped two hits in a 5 – 1 breeze over the Phillies here last night… ‘I’ve always looked forward to winning 20 games,’ says Blass. He will get a chance for No. 20 on Sunday in Pittsburgh when he faces the Mets… Clemente is within four hits of becoming the first Pirate in history to collect 3,000 hits. Clemente hit four balls hard last night. He was instrumental in sending Wayne Twitchell to the hospital. Twitchell was hit on the palm of the right hand by Clemente’s vicious smash in the 1st inning. Twitchell retrieved the ball and threw out Clemente, then headed for the hospital where X-rays of the hand were negative. In the 3rd, rookie third baseman Mike Schmidt made a fine stop of Clemente’s hot smash and, with plenty of time to nab Clemente at first base, Schmidt threw low for an error. Clemente singled in the five-run 6th and chopped a hit to third in the 9th. He also fanned.”

September 27, 1972

A’s relief star Darold Knowles breaks his thumb, costing him a chance to pitch in the World Series. Knowles finishes the season with a 5-1 record, 11 saves, and a 1.36 ERA.

September 27, 1972

The Dodgers’ Don Sutton shuts out San Diego, 2 – 0, handing Steve Arlin his National League-high 21st loss of the year. Arlin also led the NL in losses last year with 19. It’s Sutton’s 9th shutout of the year to tie Nolan Ryan for the most in the majors.

September 27, 1972

Trailing 5 – 1, the Tigers score three in the 8th and two in the 9th to beat the Yankees and Sparky Lyle.

September 27, 1972

Reggie Smith relaxes in the locker room after the Red Sox 7-5 victory over the Brewers

September 30, 1972

Pittsburgh Pirates star Roberto Clemente collects the 3,000th hit of his major league career

September 30, 1972

The Tigers take their 3rd in a row from Milwaukee as John Hiller throws a 5-hitter. Aurelio Rodriguez’s 3-run home run is the margin in the 5 – 1 win. The Tigers now return home to face the Red Sox in a 3-game series that will determine which team wins the East.

October 1, 1972

Steve Blass fails to win 20th Game

October 2, 1972

Bill Stoneman throws the second of his two no-hitters when he holds the Mets hitless in the Expos’ 7-0 victory at Jarry Park

October 3, 1972

10/3/1972 Surpassing Honus Wagner, Roberto Clemente appears in his 2,433rd game for the most ever played by a Pirate. Sadly, it will be the last regular season game the Pittsburgh outfielder will ever play as he will be killed in a plane crash during the off-season.

October 3, 1972

10/3/1972 1972 – Roric Harrison homers as Baltimore beats Cleveland 4 – 3 in the second game of a doubleheader. With the designated hitter rule on the horizon, it will be the last home run hit by an American League pitcher until interleague play 25 years later.

October 3, 1972

Tigers clinch the division 1972 in shortened season

October 4, 1972

At Montreal’s Parc Jarry, the Mets end the 1972 campaign beating the Expos, 3-1. Although New York finishes ten games over .500, they will become the first club in baseball history to finish a season without any player collecting 100 hits.

October 4, 1972

Ted Williams manages his final game as the Texas Rangers lose to the Kansas City Royals, 4 – 0, in the last game played at Municipal Stadium. Williams will be replaced by Whitey Herzog.

October 4, 1972

Yankees pitcher Larry Gowell hits a double in his only major league at-bat. This is the last hit by an American League pitcher before the league adopts the Designated Hitter rule in 1973. The Yankees lose to the Milwaukee Brewers, 1 – 0.

October 8, 1972

Bert Campaneris throws his bat at Detroit Tigers pitcher Lerrin LaGrow after being hit by a pitch

October 9, 1972

October 9, 1972 – Johnny Bench is out at home after tagging up at third on Cesar Geronimo’s fly to left in the 4th inning of game 3 of the NLCS at Riverfront Stadium.

October 11, 1972

Bob Moose Wild Pitch gives Reds the NLCS Title

October 11, 1972

Bobby Winkles, former head baseball coach at Arizona State, becomes the first major league skipper taken from the collegiate ranks since Hugo Bezdek managed the Pirates in 1917. The Angel coach, who compiled a 524-173 record en route to three national championships with ASU, replaces the fired Del Rice, who spent one season with the fifth-place (75-80) Halos.

October 11, 1972

Northrup’s wallop wins it for Tigers in ALCS Game 4

October 12, 1972

A’s clinching the pennant with a 2-1 victory in Game 5 of the ALCS

October 13, 1972

The day after Oakland wins the ALCS, Bowie Kuhn announces that A’s shortstop Burt Campaneris, suspended for the rest of the division playoff for throwing his bat at Tiger hurler Lerrin LaGrow in Game 2, will be allowed to participate in the World Series. The commissioner cites the precedent of Yankee shortstop Frank Crosetti, who had been suspended for 30 days due to an ugly late-season incident with an umpire, being permitted to play in the 1942 Fall Classic by AL president Will Harridge, who decided to carry the penalty into next season rather than diminish his circuit’s chances of winning a World Championship.

October 14, 1972

Gene Tenace hits home runs in his first two World Series at-bats

October 15, 1972

Joe Rudi makes a game saving catch in world series game 2

October 15, 1972

Jackie Robinson makes his final appearance at a ballpark prior to Game 2 of the World Series

October 18, 1972

Johnny Bench strikes out looking with a full count when a trick play dupes him

October 19, 1972

Oakland A’s stage a dramatic comeback to win Game Four of the World Series

October 20, 1972

Pete Rose hits home run on the first pitch of the game off Catfish Hunter 

October 21, 1972

Cincinnati Reds send the World Series to game 7

October 22, 1972

Oakland A’s defeat the Cincinnati Reds, 3-2, to win their first World Series in Oakland

October 24, 1972

Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson dies from a heart attack at the age of 53

October 27, 1972

1972 – The New York Yankees ship OF Danny Walton to the Minnesota Twins for C Rick Dempsey. Walton spent the 1972 season in the minors, while young Dempsey has had cups of coffee with the Twins the past four seasons.

October 27, 1972

The Braves trade outfielder Rico Carty, who led the National League in 1970 batting .366, to the Rangers for hurler Jim Panther. The 28 year-old right-hander will post a 2-3 record with an ERA of 7.14 for Atlanta in his final season in the major leagues, and the traded outfielder will retire in 1979, finishing his 15-year career with a lifetime .299 batting average.

October 31, 1972

Gaylord Perry (24-16,1.92) of the Indians edges Wilbur Wood (24-17, 2.51) for the American League Cy Young Award

October 31, 1972

Don Money is dealt by the Phillies to open up room for Mike Schmidt

November 1, 1972

Paul Owens replaces himself when he introduces Danny Ozark as Philadelphia’s new manager. Owens, the team’s general manager, had fired skipper Frank Lucchesi, and he took over the managerial reins in July to get a closer look at the players of the last-place Phillies, who finished the season with a 59-97 record.

November 2, 1972

Steve Carlton wins the 1972 National League Cy Young Award

November 2, 1972

The Braves trade southpaw George Stone and second baseman Felix Milan to the Mets for hurlers Danny Frisella and Gary Gentry

November 2, 1972

Philadelphia Phillies hold a press conference to introduce Los Angeles Dodger coach Danny Ozark as the new manager.

November 2, 1972

Freddy Parent last living member from 1903 World Series passes away

November 7, 1972

 Cincinnati Reds catcher Johnny Benchwins the National League MVP Award for the second time in three years

November 15, 1972

Dick Allen of the Chicago White Sox wins the American League MVP Award 

November 21, 1972

Carlton Fisk wins the first unanimous AL Rookie of the Year

November 22, 1972

Cesar Cedeno and Lee May are the first Astros to crack the top ten in N.L. Most Valuable Player voting.

November 22, 1972

Johnny Bench wins his second NL MVP in the last three years

November 24, 1972

1972 – The New York Yankees acquire veteran Matty Alou from the Oakland Athletics for Rob Gardner and Rich McKinney. It is the second time the Yankees have traded Gardner to the Athletics for an Alou. Last year, the trade was for Felipe Alou.

November 25, 1972

Roberto Clemente wins his 12th straight Gold Glove

November 27, 1972

The New York Yankees make one of their best trades ever, acquiring third baseman Graig Nettles from the Cleveland Indians for catcher John Ellis, infielder Jerry Kenney, and outfielders Charlie Spikes and Rusty Torres. Nettles will help the Yankees win the World Series in 1977 and 1978.

November 27, 1972

1972 – Pitcher Buddy Harris and outfielder Rich Chiles are traded to the Mets for outfielder Tommie Agee. While Chiles and Harris accomplish little in New York, Agee bats .235 in 83 games before getting dealt in mid-season. 

November 28, 1972

A Six Player blockbuster trade highlighted by future HOF Frank Robinson

November 28, 1972

A pair of infielders, Ray Busse and Bob Fenwick are shipped to St. Louis for catcher Skip Jutze and infielder Milt Ramirez

November 30, 1972

Major league teams pull off 12 trades involving 36 players – Including Hal McRae who becomes a star in Kansas City

December 10, 1972

The DH Rule is passed in American League

December 10, 1972

1972 – The major leagues make modifications to the official save rule, a statistic officially adopted before the 1969 season. A pitcher shall be credited with a save if, when entering a game as a reliever, he finds the tying or winning run on base or at the plate, and he preserves the lead. Or he pitches three effective innings and preserves the lead. The rule will be tweaked again, to take its lasting form, before the 1975 season.

December 20, 1972

Hall of Fame catcher Gabby Hartnett dies on his 72nd birthday

December 27, 1972

Roberto Clemente’s final home run comes on his final swing during a batting demonstration in front of “300 admiring kids during a baseball clinic at the town of Aguadilla

December 31, 1972

Pittsburgh Pirates superstar Roberto Clemente dies in the crash of a four-engine plane over the Atlantic Ocean

August 2, 2019

Podcast – July 29 – August 4

September 14, 2020

Dick Allen 1972 American League MVP