Major League Season Recap 1974

Major League Season Recap 1974

World Series – Oakland A’s AL over Los Angeles Dodgers NL 4 games to 1

World Series MVP – Rollie Fingers
Babe Ruth Award – Dick Green

ALCS Oakland A’s over Baltimore Orioles 3 games to 1 ALCS MVP –
NLCS Los Angeles Dodgers over Pittsburgh Pirates 3 games to 1 NLCS MVP –

Awards –

Cy Young Award National League Mike Marshall
Cy Young Award American League Catfish Hunter

MVP Awards –
NL Steve Garvey
AL Jeff Burroughs

NL Rookie of The Year – Bake McBride
AL Rookie of The Year – Mike Hargrove

Roberto Clemente Award – Willie Stargell

All-Star Game – July 23rd 1974 – N.L. 7 over A.L. 2 , played at Three Rivers Stadium (NL)
AL Starter G. Perry+ NL Starter A. Messersmith MVP S. Garvey

1974,Oakland won its third straight World Series championship, this time in five games over the Los Angeles Dodgers. A’s pitcher Catfish Hunter led the AL with 25 wins and a 2.49 ERA to earn the Cy Young award. The Dodgers won 102 games in the regular season led by MVP Steve Garvey’s breakout year (.312. 21 HR, 111 RBI) and Cy Young award winner Mike Marshall (15-12, 21 SV, 2.42 ERA, 208 IP all in relief). Billy Martin transformed a 57-win Texas team from 1973 into an 84-win team in 1974 in his first full season managing the Rangers. Texas RF Jeff Burroughs won the Most Valuable Player award in the American League, hitting .301 with 25 HR and 118 RBI, while starter Ferguson Jenkins won 25 games with a 2.82 ERA to finish second in the Cy Young voting.\n\nMilestones and Moments from 1974:\nYankee teammates Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford were voted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974. Jim Bottomley and Sam Thompson were selected by the Veterans Committee to join them…On April 6, Hank Aaron hit his 714th home run to tie Babe Ruth as the all-time home run king. Aaron would break the record four days later…Royals starter Steve Busby retired 33 consecutive batters over two starts in June…Al Kaline collected his 3,000th hit in September…Rangers 1B Mike Hargrove hit .323 to take home Rookie of the Year honors in the American League.

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

April 12, 0197

Brewer Robin Yount gets his first hit

January 1, 1974

Joe Cronin steps down as president of the American League

January 3, 1974

New York Yankees give up on their pursuit of former Oakland A’s manager Dick Williams and hire Bill Virdon

January 5, 1974

Due to heavy financial losses, Rheingold Beer announces it will close its Brooklyn-based plant

January 9, 1974

1974 – Picking first in the January amateur draft, the Texas Rangers select shortstop Roy Smalley, son of ten-year major league veteran SS Roy Smalley and nephew of manager Gene Mauch. Smalley, who dropped out of USC in the fall to make himself eligible, will sign for $100,000.

January 16, 1974

Mickey Mantle becomes just the 7th player elected into the Hall of Fame on first year of eligibility

January 25, 1974

Ray Kroc, fast-food entrepreneur (McDonald’s), buys the San Diego Padres for $12 million

January 28, 1974

the Veterans Committee elects Sam Thompson, Jim Bottomley and umpire Jocko Conlan to the Hall of Fame

February 11, 1974

48 players exercise their rights to settle their contracts through the new arbitration

February 13, 1974

James (Cool Papa) Bell is elected to the Hall of Fame by the Special Committee on the Negro Leagues

February 18, 1974

Houston trades pitcher Pat Darcy and cash to Cincinnati for infielder Denis Menke

February 21, 1974

New York Mets ace Tom Seaver becomes the highest paid player in major league history

February 23, 1974

1974 – The California Angels send veteran Vada Pinson to Kansas City for minor leaguer Barry Raziano and cash. Pinson will call it quits at the end of the 1975 season, having rung up 2,757 hits, the most ever for an eligible player not in the Hall of Fame.

March 11, 1974

1974 – Bob Abreu is born in Aragua, Venezuela. A product of the Astros’ baseball camp in his homeland, Abreu would play just 74 games for Houston before being lost in the 1997 expansion draft. 

March 11, 1974

Commissioner Bowie Kuhn orders the Atlanta Braves to play Hank Aaron

March 14, 1974

Alex Pompez, one of the most important figures in the history of the Negro leagues, dies in New York City

March 15, 1974

In Yuma, Arizona, Ron Bryant, a twenty-four game winner for the Giants last year, is hurt in a pool accident during spring training. The promising southpaw’s record will drop to 3-15 this season, and the Redlands, California native’s career will end in 1975 after a brief 0-1 stint with St. Louis.

March 18, 1974

1974 – At Pompano Beach training camp, country singer Charley Pride plays for the Texas Rangers against pitcher Jim Palmer and the Baltimore Orioles. A former Negro League player, Pride grounds out and singles in two at-bats, as the Orioles coast, 14 – 2.

March 19, 1974

Perry brothers united in Cleveland

March 23, 1974

The Chicago Cubs send All-Star outfielder Jim Hickman to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for pitcher Scipio Spinks.

March 23, 1974

The New York Yankees purchase outfielder Elliott Maddox from the Texas Rangers for $60,000. Maddox will prove to be a great defensive outfielder as well as hitting .303 this year.

April 3, 1974

Dodgers get Pedro Guerrero

April 4, 1974

Hank Aaron ties Babe Ruth for All Time Homerun Record

April 6, 1974

New York Yankees defeat the Cleveland Indians, 6 – 1, at Shea Stadium.

April 6, 1974

The Royals set a team record for runs‚ rolling over the Twins‚ 23 – 6. The 20th Kansas City run comes on Frank White’s first major league homer.

April 6, 1974

At Veterans Stadium, Phillies third baseman Mike Schmidt hits a ninth inning two-run home run off Tug McGraw to beat the Mets on Opening Day, 5-4. The walk-off homer is the first of the league-leading 36 dingers the third baseman will hit this season.

April 8, 1974

Hank Aaron makes history passing Babe Ruth for the most Homeruns all time

April 9, 1974

Ray Kroc will suffer with fans

April 10, 1974

1974 – After a number of snowouts, the Expos finally open their season with an epic 11 – 8 win over the Pirates. Trailing 6 – 5 heading in the top of the 9th, Montreal scores three runs off Dave Giusti, but Bob Robertson hits a two-run pinch homer off Chuck Taylor to tie the game with two outs in the bottom of the 9th­. The Expos manage to score three runs off a tiring Ramon Hernandez in the 13th, with a double by rookie 2B Jim Cox driving in the go-ahead run. Taylor is still on the mound to pitch the bottom of the 13th, his sixth inning of relief, and he sets down the Bucs in order to earn the win.

April 14, 1974

4/14/1974: In Atlanta, Reds first baseman Tony Perez homered off Roric Harrison with one on in the first inning. These were the only runs of a two-inning rainout.

April 17, 1974

C George Mitterwald has a career day in leading the Cubs to an 18 – 9 win over the Pirates. He goes 4-for-4 with a walk, a double, three homers, and 8 RBI. The next Cub catcher to hit three homers in a game will be Dioner Navarro, in 2013.

April 22, 1974

Cesar Cedeno drills two homers and drives in five to pace Houston past Atlanta, 7-0

April 29, 1974

1974 – Lee May slams a pair of two-run homers in a nine-run sixth inning to spark an 18-2 mauling of Chicago. His two “taters” cap a five-for-five performance by the slugger to pace a 20-hit assault. Manager Preston Gomez gives May the rest of the night off or he might have done more. Winning pitcher Dave Roberts adds a sacrifice fly and an RBI single to the cause. The 18-2 win ties a club record for the largest margin of victory in a game. 

April 30, 1974

Nolan Ryan punches out 19 Red Sox

May 1, 1974

Dock Ellis of the Pittsburgh Pirates hits three batters during the first inning of a game against the Cincinnati Reds

May 1, 1974

Tom Seaver strikes out 16 Dodgers and gives up only three hits in over twelve innings, but the Mets lose in the 14th, 2 – 1.

May 3, 1974

1974 – Astros get an assist from part of the Astrodome crowd as they drop the Cardinals, 4-1. Two female fans run nude through the outfield during the seventh-inning stretch. The distracted Cards give up three runs in the bottom half of the frame. A two-run single by Doug Rader is the key hit. Claude Osteen goes the distance. 

May 6, 1974

A’s pitcher Paul Lindblad’s major league streak of 385 consecutive errorless games ends when he makes an errant pick-off throw in the first inning of a 6-3 loss to the Orioles. The southpaw will make only six errors during his 14 years in the major leagues, a span that covers over 1200 innings on the mound.

May 7, 1974

Tom Griffin one-hits the Pirates, 2-1, outdueling Dock Ellis for the victory. Milt May triples home Bob Watson with the winning run. 

May 7, 1974

1974 – Doug Rader’s three-run homer in the 12th lifts the Astros over Pittsburgh, 8-6.  Rookie Dave Parker, substituting for an ejected Richie Zisk, had slammed a solo homer in the top of the inning to give the Pirates a lead before Rader’s blast off Jim Sadowski settles the issue. 

May 12, 1974

1974 – Cincinnati fans hurl beer, ice, cups and insults at an injured Bob Watson after the left-fielder crashes head-first into the fence. It happens in the nightcap of a doubleheader loss at Riverfront. Watson’s glasses shatter. He gets twelve stitches to his face at a local hospital.

May 15, 1974

At Riverfront Stadium, Reds pitcher Roger Nelson has his no-hitter broken up by Bobby Bonds, who clubs a two-run homer in the 8th. Chris Speier homers in the 9th for the other Giants hit and Nelson finishes with a 4 – 3 win.

May 15, 1974

5/15/1974 – The Giants skipped a batter in the eighth inning. In the sixth inning, Bobby Bonds pinch-hit for the pitcher. He stayed in the game in the ninth spot in the order and the new pitcher batted in the first spot. The next time around the order, Bonds homered and Tito Fuentes hit for the pitcher. Mike Phillips should have batted next but Garry Maddox, the number three hitter, came to the plate instead and made an out. The Reds said nothing in this case and eventually won the game, 4-3.

May 21, 1974

The Phils’ Ed Farmer, making his second National League start, strong-arms the Cardinals, 4 – 2. Both teams make four hits, but the visiting Phils do all their scoring in the 1st off John Curtis. Philadelphia now leads the NL East by 1 1/2 games.

May 22, 1974

1974 – Milt May belts a two-out pinch-hit grand slam homer off Vicente Romo in the ninth inning to topple San Diego, 5-1 . Claude Osteen and Randy Jones had dueled to a 1-1 draw for eight innings. Osteen takes the victory, allowing five hits. Osteen had once tutored Jones when the hurler was in junior high school. 

May 24, 1974

With the game scoreless in the 9th‚ the Cards put runners on first and third base with one out. Tim McCarver grounds to Cubs 1B Billy Williams who fires home to C Tom Lundstedt to snag Ted Simmons in a rundown. But as soon as Lundstedt throws to 3B Matt Alexander‚ Simmons races home to an uncovered plate. The Cards win‚ 1 – 0.

May 27, 1974

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Ken Brett no-hits the San Diego Padres until the 9th inning, settling for a two-hit, 6 – 0 shutout in the first game of the doubleheader. In the second game, Brett’s two-run pinch-triple gives Pittsburgh an 8 – 7 victory.

May 29, 1974

1974 – The visiting Mets lose to the Reds‚ 3 – 2‚ when Tony Perez clubs a 10th-inning homer off Jon Matlack.

June 4, 1974

1974 – At Cleveland Municipal Stadium, the Cleveland Indians forfeit to the Texas Rangers after numerous fans run onto the field and engage each other and the players. One factor leading to the series of incidents is the evening’s “10-cent beer night” promotion, which enabled fans to purchase an unrestricted number of concession beers in increments of six.

June 4, 1974

Cleveland Indians hold “Ten-Cent Beer Night” at Municipal Stadium

June 5, 1974

Reggie Jackson and Billy North engage in a pre-game brawl

June 6, 1974

Lee May hits the first “foamer” in team history

June 7, 1974

Game delayed by popcorn

June 7, 1974

1974 – Lee May stays hot. His solo shot in the second inning is the only run as Houston nips the Mets, 1-0. Don Wilson scatters seven hits in the shutout and delivers two of his own. 

June 10, 1974

Mike Schmidt hits what may be the longest single in major league history at Astrodome

June 11, 1974

The New York Yankees’ Mel Stottlemyre makes his 272nd consecutive start, with no relief appearances, to set an American League record. In the 4th inning‚ Stottelmyre feels a pop in his right shoulder after throwing a curve ball to Frank Robinson. It is a tear in his rotator cuff: he’ll throw just 2 more innings‚ his career over at 32. Dick Lange is the winning pitcher.

June 14, 1974

Nolan Ryan fans 19 in 13 inning start vs Red Sox

June 17, 1974

After completing the first 1000 games in franchise history with a winning percentage of .332, the Mets compile a 517-482-1 record in their next thousand contests. During the span, that includes Tom Seaver winning 12% of the team’s victories, New York wins two National League pennants and a World championship.

June 17, 1974

June 17, 1974 – Hank Aaron addresses the crowd as the Mets honor him at Shea Stadium.

June 18, 1974

6/18/1974: Game 2 was rained out after KC’s Amos Otis homered in Milwaukee off Bill Travers. The hit came in the top of the first with two out and no one on.

June 19, 1974

Steve Busby of the Kansas City Royals fires his second career no-hitter

June 19, 1974

6/19/1974: Giant Ed Goodson hit a home run in the third inning off Bob Gibson at St. Louis with Garry Maddox on first and no one out. Unfortunately, he passed Maddox between first and second. Goodson was credited with a single and a run batted in.

June 20, 1974

1974 – In a Pacific Coast League game at Honolulu, Hawaii tops Spokane, 7 – 4, behind Ralph Garcia. He ties a PCL record by striking out 19 Indian batters.

June 21, 1974

Atlanta Braves fire Eddie Mathews as manager, replacing him with Clyde King

June 23, 1974

1974 – Los Angeles Dodgers closer Mike Marshall completes a sweep of the Giants, winning today, 4 – 3. Marshall was the winner in yesterday’s 3 – 2 win, and also on the 21st in another 4 – 3 victory. Not till California’s Chuck McElroy, in 1996, will another pitcher sweep a series.

June 24, 1974

Steve Busby retires the first nine White Sox to set an American League record with 33 consecutive batsmen retired. The Royals lose, however, 3 – 1.

June 27, 1974

The Angels fire manager Bobby Winkles. Whitey Herzog will serve as interim boss for four games before Dick Williams assumes the reins.

June 28, 1974

Carlton Fisk is lost for the season after home plate collison

June 28, 1974

He thinks he’s in a sales convention dealing with a bunch of short-order cooks – Doug Rader and Ray Kroc

July 3, 1974

Pitching in his major league-record 13th consecutive game for the Dodgers, Mike Marshall saves Tommy John’s 4 – 1 win over the Reds in the first game of a doubleheader. Marshall will get a rest in the second game, but will pitch in a record 106 games this year.

July 4, 1974

 Toby Harrah’s 3rd-inning homer is the only hit for Texas, as Bert Blyleven and the Twins win, 3 – 1.

July 7, 1974

In the opener of a doubleheader, Don Money sets a major-league record for consecutive errorless games at 3B with 78. The Brewers beat the Twins, 8 – 5, then lose 5 – 3. Money will end the season with just five errors, breaking George Kell’s record set in 1950. Money also holds the National League record with just 10 errors, set with the Phils in 1972.

July 7, 1974

In an 11 – 2 win over the Cards, the Reds’ Darrel Chaney hits a grand slam home run. Chaney will hit 14 homers in the majors, but the radio call on the slam will end up as his front door bell chime.

July 7, 1974

The Cubs snap Buzz Capra’s nine-game winning streak when the team beats the Braves at Wrigley Field, 4-3. The 26 year-old All-Star right-hander, who established a franchise mark for consecutive victories, will finish the season with a 16-8 record, posting a major league-leading ERA of 2.28.

July 8, 1974

Oakland outfielder Claudell Washington, making his first start in the major leagues, strokes a single in the tenth inning to give the A’s a 4-3 victory over the Indians. The 19 year-old rookie’s walk-off hit spoils Gaylord Perry’s attempt to get a record-tying 16th consecutive victory this season.

July 8, 1974

Jim Mason of the New York Yankees ties a major league record by swatting four doubles in a game

July 11, 1974

San Diego Padres release Matty Alou, ending the career of the lifetime .307 hitter

July 14, 1974

The Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates split a doubleheader marked by a free-for-all which is later credited with inspiring Pittsburgh and turning its season around. The fight starts after a 4th inning beanball when Jack Billingham plunks pitcher Bruce Kison, bringing both teams onto the field. When Sparky Anderson accidentally steps on Ed Kirkpatrick’s foot, the Buc catcher shoves the Reds manager, earning him a punch from the Reds’ Andy Kosco. Pedro Borbon pins Daryl Patterson, pulling his hair out and a piece of flesh.

July 14, 1974

In a split with the Milwaukee Brewers, the Texas Rangers’ Billy Martin is the first American League manager to be removed by umpires from two games in one day. Milwaukee wins 9 – 2 in game 1, with the Rangers winning the nitecap, 5 – 4.

July 14, 1974

Bob Gallagher drives in Milt May in the bottom of the 12th for a 7-6 win over the Cubs during indoor rain storm

July 17, 1974

Milwaukee 3B Don Money commits a 1st-inning error in a 10 – 5 loss to Minnesota, ending his perfect defensive season after 86 games and 257 chances. At this point, Money holds both the National League and American League records for most consecutive chances without an error in a season.

July 17, 1974

Bob Gibson fans the Reds’ Cesar Geronimo to become the second hurler after Walter Johnson to strike out 3,000 batters

July 19, 1974

Dick Bosman of the Cleveland Indians hurls a no-hitter

July 20, 1974

Trailing the A’s, 9-8, in the bottom of the ninth, the Indians get runners to second and third with nobody out. Rollie Fingers retires George Hendrick and Charlie Spikes, but with first base still open, manager Alvin Dark elects to pitch to John Ellis, who promptly lines a single to center to win the game.

July 23, 1974

Dodger first baseman Steve Garvey, a write-in All-Star starter, singles and doubles to help the National League beat the Junior circuit, 7-2.

July 23, 1974

In a surprise statement released after the All-Star Game played in Pittsburgh, Hank Aaron, who had indicated on many occasions that he had no interest in the position, publicly declares he would accept a Braves’ offer to manage the team “simply because there are no black managers in baseball.” The superstar’s comments create an awkward situation the next day when Atlanta announces the organization has hired Clyde King to replace Eddie Mathews, dismissed three days ago.

July 24, 1974

Whitey Lockman becomes the team’s director of player development and will be replaced as the Cubs manager by third base coach Jim Marshall. During his three-year stint in the dugout, the Lowell, North Carolina native compiled a 157-162 (.492) record.

July 25, 1974

1974 – At Riverfront Stadium, Tony Perez caps a five-run Reds rally in the 9th by hitting a two out, two-strike home run. The Reds rally to top the Giants, 14 – 13.

July 25, 1974

In his managerial debut with the club, Clyde King guides the Braves to a 1-0 extra-inning victory over San Diego. The former Giant skipper, who replaced the recently dismissed Eddie Matthews, will finish the season with a 38-25 record, but the team fires the Goldsboro, NC native next year in August with his club mired in fifth place in the NL West.

July 25, 1974

In the second game of a Cleveland Stadium twi-night doubleheader, Buddy Bell launches a ninth-inning two-run home run to tie the score at 3, enabling the Indians to beat Baltimore in 13 innings, 5-4. With their 8-7 victory in the opener, the Tribe ends the day a half-game out of first place in the tight four-team race in the American League East.

July 26, 1974

Cesar Cedeno socks two home runs

July 28, 1974

1974 – The Reds whip the Padres, 14 – 1, at Riverfront Stadium.

July 29, 1974

Detroit hits four home runs in the 1st inning in an 8 – 2 win over the Indians

July 30, 1974

Jim Bibby of the Texas Rangers pitches a no-hitter against the World Champion Oakland A’s

July 30, 1974

 1974 – Don Wilson collects his 100th victory as an Astro, toppling the Reds, 8-4 . The righthander fans nine in eight innings of work. Lee May drives in three while Cesar Cedeno and Cliff Johnson support with solo homers. 

July 31, 1974

During a 7 – 4 loss to the Expos, the Cubs’ Bill Bonham strikes out four batters in the 2nd inning, tying the major league record.

July 31, 1974

At Houston, the Reds’ Don Gullett twirls a 2-hit, 4 – 0, shutout over the Astros. Roger Metzger has both Astro hits.

July 31, 1974

Ron Cey drives in eight runs to lead the host Dodgers to a 15 – 4 victory over the Padres.

August 1, 1974

With the Cards (54-50) toppling the Pirates, 5 – 2, in 11 innings, the Phils beat the visiting Expos to remain tied for 1st in the NL East. Del Unser’s three-run homer is the big blow in support of Wayne Twitchell’s 6th win in nine decisions. Ron Fairly has a homer, his 11th, for the Expos.

August 1, 1974

Detroit’s Woodie Fryman stops Milwaukee, 2 – 0, giving up just one hit, a 7th-inning single to Bobby Mitchell.

August 1, 1974

Ron Leflore debuts

August 5, 1974

1974 – In the top of the 9th inning at Dodger Stadium, during an ABC Monday Night telecast of the Reds-Dodger game, Alex Stein, 19, and his tiny Whippet, Ashley, dash onto the field and begin lofting spectacular Frisbee tosses. The crowd roars and the two are caught on NBC cameras, initiating a Frisbee craze. Stein, who snuck his dog into the stadium, is arrested when he leaves the field.

August 5, 1974

1974 – Greg Gross raps five singles to lead the Astros over San Francisco, 7-2. In fact, it might have been Singles Night since 18 of Houston’s 19 hits are the one-base variety. Pitcher Don Wilson has the double and two singles to help himself. Milt May drives in three.

August 6, 1974

1974 – Bob Watson homers, triples and drives in four to pace a 13-4 clubbing in San Francisco. Besides Watson, Greg Gross, Milt May and Doug Rader notch three hits apiece. Mike Cosgrove pitches 4-1/3rd innings of relief for the win. 

August 7, 1974

As part of a youth movement, the Tigers release 1B Norm Cash and sell OF Jim Northrup to Montreal.

August 8, 1974

1974 – The Royals-Twins game is briefly interrupted by President Nixon’s resignation speech. The speech is broadcast after it begins and the next inning is delayed until the conclusion of the speech. The Twins prevail over the host Royals‚ 3 – 2, in 14 innings, when Tony Oliva’s sacrifice fly drives home Rod Carew. Bill Campbell pitches 7 innings of relief for the win.

August 10, 1974

 Jorge Lebron, the youngest professional player ever, makes his debut for the Phillies’ farm club Auburn. The fourteen-year-old shortstop plays three games before returning to Puerto Rico to finish junior high school.

August 11, 1974

New York Yankee greats Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford are inducted into the Hall of Fame

August 12, 1974

Nolan Ryan fans 19 batters in the California Angels’ 4 – 2 win over the Boston Red Sox

August 12, 1974

Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford head a group of 6 inductees at Cooperstown.

August 12, 1974

En route to a 4-2 victory over Boston, Angels’ right-hander Nolan Ryan strikes out a major league record 19 batters. It will be the second of three 19-K performances for the fireballer this season.

August 17, 1974

Cleveland Indians purchase former National League batting champion Rico Carty from the Mexican League

August 19, 1974

1974 – Reds 2B Joe Morgan drives in seven runs as Cincinnati rolls over Philadelphia, 15 – 2. Morgan has a grand slam and a three-run homer, then leaves after three innings when the Reds build a 14 – 0 lead.

August 20, 1974

Nolan Ryan fans 19 Tigers in an 11-inning loss

August 20, 1974

Davey Lopes racks up 3 Homeruns and 15 Total Bases in 18-8 rout of the Cubs

August 21, 1974

1974 – Red Sox pitcher Roger Moret earns a new contract from Tom Yawkey today by tossing a one-hitter against the visiting White Sox, to win, 4 – 0. Dick Allen’s 7th inning single is the lone hit as Moret strikes out 12.

August 22, 1974

Alfredo Edmead of Class-A Salem (Va.) is killed when he collides with a teammate during a game against Rocky Mount

August 22, 1974

Before a crowd of 35,866, the largest in 18 years at Fenway Park, the Red Sox turn back the A’s, 3 – 0. Luis Tiant wins his 20th for Boston this year. Boston (70-54) now leads the American League East by seven games.

August 22, 1974

Salem (Carolina League) OF Alfredo Edmead is killed in a collision with a teammate during a game with Rocky Mount. The cause of death is given as a massive skull fracture.

August 24, 1974

Davey Lopes steals fives bases, tying a National League record established in 1904 by Giants first baseman Dan McGann

August 24, 1974

Luis Tiant and Juan Marchial receive the Roberto Clemente Award

August 24, 1974

Dave Roberts one-hits the Phillies, 1-0, in the quickest game in club history

August 25, 1974

1974 – Don Wilson and Mike Cosgrove blank the Phillies, 5-0, scattering six hits. It’s Houston’s third straight shutout. Before the game, Janice Graham Johnson is hit in the face by a batting practice home run leading to a lawsuit against HSA, the Astros and the Phillies. It’s settled five years later and is the reason game tickets now warns fans to stay alert to balls flying into the crowd. 

August 27, 1974

New York’s Benny Ayala homers in his first major league at bat as the Mets top the Astros, 4 – 2.

August 27, 1974

Hal McRae ties the major league record with six extra-base hits – 5 doubles and a home run – as the Royals split a doubleheader with the Indians.

August 28, 1974

The Pirates move 1 1/2 games in front of the Cardinals by winning their 6th straight game, a 3 – 1 win at San Francisco. Ed Kirkpatrick’s 2-out double in the 11th wins it.

August 28, 1974

The Orioles lose to the Rangers, 4 – 2, dropping their record to 65-65, eight games behind the front-running Red Sox.

August 28, 1974

1976 – Dave Concepcion hits a 2-run single in the bottom of the 9th and the Reds tip the Phillies, 8 – 7.

August 28, 1974

Cliff Johnson slams his fifth pinch-hit homer of the year

August 30, 1974

Dave Nelson of the Texas Rangers steals second, third base, and home plate in the same inning

August 30, 1974

Keith Hernandez shines in his debut but Cards fall

August 31, 1974

In a Class A minor league contest, Mavericks’ manager Frank Peters rotates his starting nine allowing each player to take a different position on the field for every inning. The innovative strategy works as Portland posts an 8-7 victory over the Tri-Cities Ports, their Northwest League opponents.

August 31, 1974

Johnny Bench drives in seven runs with a bases-loaded double and grand slam to lead the Reds to a 10 – 3 win over Montreal.

September 1, 1974

During a 5 – 3 win over the Tigers‚ the A’s 1B Gene Tenace goes through the entire game without a fielding chance – only the 4th time this century that has occurred at that position. In the same game‚ Detroit’s Reggie Sanders homers in his first major league at-bat.

September 1, 1974

Lou Brock steals 4 bases in an 8 – 1 win over the Giants. This gives him 98 steals for the year.

September 1, 1974

The Major League Scouting Bureau is instituted as a way to cut costs by centralizing scouting. Membership is not mandatory until 1984‚ and only 17 of 24 teams initially agree to the $118‚000 fee for joining. All American League clubs except the Chicago White Sox and (eventually) the Toronto Blue Jays join; in the National League‚ the Chicago Cubs‚ Montreal Expos‚ Pittsburgh Pirates‚ Atlanta Braves‚ Houston Astros and the Cincinnati Reds join. Milwaukee Brewers GM Jim Wilson is put in charge.

September 1, 1974

With Carlton Fisk out through the end of the season‚ the Red Sox purchase C Tim McCarver from the Cardinals. McCarver will play just 11 games this year and 12 next spring in Boston before being reunited with Steve Carlton in Philadelphia.

September 2, 1974

A controversial call against the Reds helps the Astros win, 4 – 3. Johnny Bench’s single in the 7th scores one run and the second baserunner, Joe Morgan, is called out, negating the tying run, though replays seem to show him safe. The Cincinnati City Council will pass a resolution stating their shock and dismay at the “atrocious call.”

September 2, 1974

Boston pitchers Luis Tiant and Bill Lee each allow just one run in a Labor Day doubleheader, yet both lose games to Baltimore. Ross Grimsley and Mike Cuellar toss twin 1 – 0 shutouts.

September 3, 1974

The Giants’ John Montefusco making his major league debut, homers in his first official time at bat, off Charlie Hough, and pitches nine innings of relief to earn a 9 – 5 victory over the Dodgers.

September 4, 1974

Don Wilson is taken out after eight innings of no-hit ball

September 5, 1974

1974 – Milwaukee hands Boston its 7th straight loss as rookie Gorman Thomas hits a 2-run shot in the 9th inning. It is Thomas’s first game of the year for Milwaukee after hitting 51 homers for Sacramento (Pacific Coast League) this year. Billy Champion (10-3) picks up the win for the 5th-place Brewers.

September 6, 1974

Behind the complete-game pitching performances by Dave McNally and Mike Cuellar, the Orioles sweep a twin bill, blanking Cleveland twice, 2-0 and 1-0. The victories are the fourth and fifth consecutive shutouts thrown by the Birds, who establish an American League mark by hurling 54 straight scoreless frames.

September 7, 1974

Playing on a badly-sprained ankle, Joe Morgan belts a 2-run homer off Mike Marshall to give the Reds a 7 – 5 win over the Dodgers. Before his homer, Morgan had missed a pitch and fallen down, prompting Sparky Anderson to try and remove him. The Reds win today after trailing, 5 – 0.

September 7, 1974

In a game with the Tigers, Graig Nettles loses a single when it is discovered he is using a corked bat. The Yankees win 1 – 0 on Nettles’s earlier home run.

September 7, 1974

During a 3 – 1 win over the Chicago White Sox, California’s Nolan Ryan has a fastball clocked at 100.8 miles per hour – the fastest pitch ever recorded.

September 7, 1974

Graig Nettles will be suspended for ten days after stuffing his bat with six super balls

September 9, 1974

1974 – At Fenway Park, the Yankees beat the Red Sox, 6 – 3, for their first win in Boston since July 31st of last year. The Yankees have won two of 24 games at Fenway since 1972.

September 10, 1974

Cubs pinch hitters Carmen Fanzone and Jim Tyrone each clout homers against the Pirates, but the Bucs win, 12 – 4.

September 10, 1974

Former batting champion Alex Johnson, purchased by the Yankees from the Texas Rangers yesterday, arrives in Boston during the Red Sox-Yankee game. With the score tied 1 – 1 in the 12th, Johnson socks a pinch-homer to win it for New York, 2 – 1.

September 10, 1974

Cool Papa Bell after Lou Brock broke the single-season stolen base record in 1974

September 11, 1974

The Phils top the Pirates, 5 – 3, to cut Pittsburgh’s National League East lead to 2 1/2 games. A line drive by Willie Montanez fractures the hand of Pirates’ pitcher Dock Ellis, who will miss the rest of the season. Ellis is 12-9.

September 11, 1974

At Shea Stadium, the Mets lose a 25-inning night game to the St. Louis Cardinals, 4 – 3. Ken Reitz’s two-strike, two-out home run ties the game in the 9th. Two Mets’ errors lead to the Cardinals’ winning run, starting with an errant pickoff throw from Hank Webb that allows Bake McBride to score all the way from first. The Mets go to the plate 103 times, the only time the century mark has been reached in a major league game; the Cards are not far behind with 99 plate appearances. A record 175 official at-bats are recorded, with a major-league record 45 runners stranded. The seven-hour, four minute marathon is the longest game played to a decision in major league history. Only a thousand fans are on hand when the game ends at 3:13 a.m.

September 12, 1974

Cardinals beat Mets in 25 innings on Webb throwing error

September 12, 1974

Detroit P John Hiller picks up his 17th win in relief, an American League record, as he beats Milwaukee, 9 – 7.

September 12, 1974

Mike Schmidt hits an eighth inning three-run bomb, his 36th home run and final one this season, off Jerry Reuss in Philadelphia’s 6-4 comeback victory over the Pirates at Veterans Stadium. The 24 year-old third baseman becomes the first Phillies player to lead the league in home runs since Chuck Klein hit 28 round-trippers in 1933.

September 12, 1974

The Reds sweep a pair from the Braves and the two teams combine for a major-league record three grand slams. Cesar Geronimo hits one in the 2nd inning of game 1, as does the Braves’ Darrell Evans. The Braves hang on for a 9 – 6 win, then take game two by a 6 – 2 score. Johnny Bench hits the 3rd grand slam of the day in game 2. Bench will finish the year with 129 RBIs to top the National League, and his 315 total bases will lead the league. He is the only catcher in major league history to lead a league in TB (Bench caught 137 games, played 3B in 36 games and 1B in 5).

September 13, 1974

In Atlanta, Johnny Bench drives in all six runs as the Reds win, 6 – 2.

September 13, 1974

The Phillies set a National League record by using 27 players during a 17-inning, 7 – 3, loss to the Cardinals. The Cards had set the record two days earlier.

September 13, 1974

With 16 games remaining, the enigmatic Dick Allen of the White Sox announces he is quitting the team. His 32 home runs, the last of which was hit August 16th, will still be enough to lead the American League.

September 14, 1974

In Los Angeles, the Reds defeat the Dodgers, 4 – 2, to pull to within 1 1/2 games of the National League West lead. That’s as close as they’ll come as they lose six of their next eight games.

September 14, 1974

Graig Nettles and brother Jim Nettles homer in the same game for a second time

September 15, 1974

Gaylord Perry wins his 20th and will be the last Indian pitcher in the twentieth century to win twenty games.

September 15, 1974

On a bright, sunny day at Fenway Park, Rico Petrocelli is struck behind the left ear, below the helmet, when he loses Jim Slaton’s pitch due to the blinding glare off the outfield bleachers. The beaning, which causes inner ear damage, results in the third baseman missing the rest of the season and will hasten his early retirement prior to the start of the 1977 season at the age of 33.

September 17, 1974

1974 – St. Louis beats Pittsburgh, 2 – 1, in 13 innings. It is the 6th straight win for the Cardinals and the 6th straight loss for the Pirates, turning the Bucs’ 3 1/2 game lead in the National League East to a 2 1/2 game margin for the Cards.

September 22, 1974

Pitcher Tom Griffin delivers a pinch-hit single in the 14th to edge the Braves, 3-2. The Astros score only when necessary – plating runs in the bottom of the ninth and the bottom of the tenth before winning it later. Ken Forsch picks up the victory. 

September 23, 1974

1974 – The Pirates move to within a half game of first place by defeating St. Louis, 1 – 0, in 10 innings. Jim Rooker is the winner over Lynn McGlothen.

September 24, 1974

Al Kaline of the Detroit Tigers collects the 3,000th hit of his career

September 24, 1974

Clarence Jones of the Kintetsu Buffaloes hits his 38th home run to become the first American to win a Japanese home run title, topping the Pacific League in roundtrippers. Sadaharu Oh will lead the Central League with 49 homers. Jones will lead the league again with 36 homers in 1976.

September 25, 1974

Tommy John of the Los Angeles Dodgers undergoes history-making surgery on his left arm

September 25, 1974

Pittsburgh regains first place by edging the Cardinals, 13 – 12, in 11 innings at Busch Stadium. Pittsburgh scores four times in the 9th to take a 12 – 9 lead, but St. Louis also scores three times to tie it.

September 27, 1974

1974 – Baltimore breaks a scoreless tie with the Brewers in the 17th inning to pull out a 1 – 0 win. Grant Jackson wins the decision over Tom Murphy. Jim Colborn and Jim Palmer combine to pitch 25 shutout innings in the contest, but neither pitcher factors in the decision.

September 28, 1974

Nolan Ryan of the California Angels pitches his third career no-hitter

September 28, 1974

Don Wilson hurls a two-hit shutout against the Braves in what would become the final start of his career

September 29, 1974

Lou Brock steals his 118th and last base on the final day of the season.

October 1, 1974

Tom Seaver becomes first to strikeout 200 7 straight seasons

October 1, 1974

Mike Marshall establishes pitching appearance record with 106

October 2, 1974

Al Kaline announces his retirement

October 2, 1974

Hank Aaron, in his final at-bat for the Braves after spending 21 seasons with the team, homers off right-hander Rawly Eastwick in the 13-0 rout of Cincinnati at Atlanta Stadium. The Hammer’s last National League plate appearance yields his 3600th career hit, which is the Brewer-bound outfielder’s career 736th round-tripper.

October 2, 1974

On the last day of the season in front of a crowd of a few hundred fans, Billy Martin elects not to use a designated hitter, allowing starting pitcher Ferguson Jenkins to bat for himself. Although Fergie, en route to his 25th win of the season, gets a hit in the Texas 2-1 victory over the Twins at Metropolitan Stadium, the Rangers manager’s refusal to use a DH prevents the position from being employed for the entire game, according to the rules.

October 3, 1974

Frank Robinson becomes the first black manager in major league history

October 12, 1974

Oakland slugger Reggie Jackson connects for a home run off Andy Messersmith, and pitcher Ken Holtzman scores the second run in the 5th inning on a suicide squeeze. Oakland wins the World Series opener, 3 – 2, as the Dodgers strand 12 baserunners.

October 13, 1974

The Dodgers take game 2 of 1974 Series behind Don Sutton

October 13, 1974

Hall of Famer Sam Rice dies at the age of 84

October 14, 1974

Reggie Jackson gives syndicated columnist Murray Olderman, far left, an earful after Jackson was displeased with his story in Sport magazine

October 15, 1974

In Game 3 of the World Series, Al Downing is the surprise starter for the Dodgers, but Catfish Hunter pitches Oakland to a 3 – 2 win.

October 16, 1974

1974 – Pitcher Ken Holtzman, who hasn’t batted in the regular season because of the designated hitter rule, belts a 3rd-inning home run off Andy Messersmith in Game 4 and gets the 5 – 2 victory. Rollie Fingers holds the Dodgers in relief and Oakland takes a 3-1 Series lead. Holtzman remains the last pitcher in American League history to hit a home run at home.

October 17, 1974

The Oakland Athletics defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 3 – 2, to win their third straight World Series

October 22, 1974

Giants and Yankees swap popular outfielders – Bonds and Murcer

October 23, 1974

Chicago Cubs trade longtime star Billy Williams to the Oakland A’s

October 24, 1974

1974 – Astros purchase outfielder Jose Cruz from the Cardinals. Unable to crack the St. Louis lineup, the 27-year-old stars for the next 13 seasons in Houston. The best Astro player in the 1980s, Cruz has six seasons hitting over .300 and leads the team in RBIs seven times. 

October 25, 1974

Fergie Jenkins traded by Cubs

October 29, 1974

Astros deal Bob Gallagher to the Mets for infielder Ken Boswell. Gallagher bats .230 as a reserve outfielder for two years in Houston. Boswell becomes a spot starter and pinch-hitter deluxe over the next three seasons.

October 30, 1974

The writers select A’s hurler Catfish Hunter as the recipient of the American League’s Cy Young Award. The 25-game winner, due to a contract dispute with owner Charlie Finley, will be declared one of baseball’s first free-agents and will become the game’s highest-paid pitcher in baseball at the end of December when he signs a five-year contract with the Yankees for $3.75 million.

November 2, 1974

Hank Aaron’s career with the Atlanta Braves comes to an end

November 2, 1974

Japanese slugger Sadaharu Oh, left background, watches Hank Aaron

November 6, 1974

Sam Rice reveals in letter after death he did make the catch in 1925 world series

November 6, 1974

1974 – Mike Marshall of the Los Angeles Dodgers becomes the first relief pitcher to win the Cy Young Award. Ironman Marshall set major league records with 106 appearances and 208 innings pitched in relief.

November 13, 1974

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Steve Garvey is selected National League MVP

November 20, 1974

Texas Rangers right fielder Jeff Burroughs wins the American League MVP Award

November 24, 1974

Johnny Weekly dies at age 37 in Walnut Creek, CA in an auto accident

November 25, 1974

1974 – Mike Hargrove of the Texas Rangers takes American League Rookie of the Year honors.

November 26, 1974

Catfish Hunter claims his contract has been violated by the A’s for failing to pay $50,000 into a long term annuity fund

November 27, 1974

Commissioner Bowie Kuhn suspends New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner for two years as a result of Steinbrenner’s conviction for illegal campaign contributions to Richard Nixon and others.

November 27, 1974

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Bake McBride wins the National League Rookie of the Year Award.

December 2, 1974

The Boston Red Sox trade outfielder Tommy Harper to the California Angels for infielder Bob Heise.

December 2, 1974

At the Major League Winter Meetings in New Orleans, LA, the Rules Committee institutes several changes; among the changes is one permitting the use of cowhide, rather than just horsehide, in the manufacture of baseballs.

December 2, 1974

Pat Ownes unshakes Jim Campbells hand to cancel a trade of future Gold Glove Catcher Bob Boone for Bill Freeham

December 3, 1974

The Chicago White Sox obtain catcher Jim Essian from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for controversial slugger Dick Allen

December 3, 1974

In a six-player deal, the New York Mets trade relief ace and Shea Stadium favorite Tug McGraw and two players to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for outfielder Del Unser, catcher John Stearns and a pitching prospect.

December 3, 1974

First baseman Lee May and outfielder Jay Schlueter are traded to Baltimore for infielders Enos Cabell and Rob Andrews

December 4, 1974

Montreal Expos send OF Ken Singleton and P Mike Torrez to the Orioles for P Dave McNally, OF Rich Coggins, and minor league pitcher Bill Kirkpatrick

December 9, 1974

1974 – Bobby Tolan, traded by Cincinnati for P Clay Kirby on November 9, 1973, finally signs a 1974 contract with the Padres, leading to a withdrawal of the grievance initiated by the Players’ Association on his behalf.

December 11, 1974

Two baseball greats whose careers ended tragically, Roy Campanella and the late Roberto Clemente, each of whom already occupies baseball’s Hall of Fame, are named today with twelve others to the Black Athlete’s Hall of Fame. The formal induction ceremony will come on March 13th of next year.

December 15, 1974

Arbitrator Peter Seitz rules in favors of Cy Young Award winner Catfish Hunter making him an unrestricted free agent.

December 18, 1974

Hall of Famer Harry Hooper dies at the age of 87

December 19, 1974

The race to sign newly-minted free agent Catfish Hunter begins Yankee and Red Sox representatives are the first arrivals

December 24, 1974

1974 – St. Louis Cardinals speedster Lou Brock is named Sportsman of the Year by The Sporting News. He finishes ahead of such sports luminaries as tennis great Jimmy Connors, golfer Johnny Miller, and Dodgers ironman reliever Mike Marshall.

December 26, 1974

1974 – The Little League is officially open to girls as U.S. President Gerald Ford signs legislation amending the charter of the organization. Little League had sought changes in their charter after a series of lawsuits challenged its boys-only rule.

December 31, 1974

New York Yankees announce the signing of free agent pitcher Jim “Catfish” Hunter