History of the World Series – 1972 The last edition of the Kansas City A’s, the 1967 team, was a typically overmatched aggregation and finished with 99 losses. But a check of that club’s roster shows not a ragtag collection of over-the-hill athletes, but a valuable collection of promising Athletics. Jim (Catfish) Hunter was 21…
Johnny Bench, with runners on second and third base in Game 3 of the World Series, strikes out looking with a full count when a trick play dupes him. The Cincinnati slugger, believing he being given an intentional walk after the A’s manager visits the mound and catcher Gene Tenace returns to his position to call for a wide ball 4, is fooled when the A’s backstop quickly crouches behind home to catch a called strike three from Rollie Fingers.
On October 15, 1972, Before a record Cincinnati crowd of 53,224, at Riverfront Joe Rudi makes a game-saving catch of Denis Menke’s drive to help the Oakland A’s defeat the Cincinnati Reds in Game Two of the World Series. Rudi’s leaping grab against the left field wall preserves a 2-1 victory for Catfish…