On June 29, 1972, the Oakland A’s and Atlanta Braves become the first teams to trade former MVPs for one another. Oakland sends Denny McLain to Atlanta for Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda. McLain will win just three of eight decisions with the Braves, while Cepeda will come to bat only three times with the…
On May 24, 1972, At Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, California Angels pitcher Don Rose homers on the first pitch he sees in his first major league at-bat against Oakland A’s left-hander Vida Blue. The right-hander’s third inning round-tripper, which will be his only career round-tripper and the last hit by an American League hurler for thirty…
On Opening Day in Oakland, A’s outfielder Reggie Jackson becomes the first player in fifty-eight years to wear a mustache during the regular season. The last time facial hair was worn in a major league game was in 1914 when Wally Schang had hair above his lip catching for Philadelphia Athletics.
On May 2, 1972, the long holdout of Oakland A’s pitching star Vida Blue comes to an end. Blue, who won the both the American League MVP and Cy Young awards in 1971, agrees to sign a contract for $63,000, after balking at owner Charlie Finley’s previous offers. Perhaps affected by the long layoff, the…
On April 15, 1972, Reggie Jackson of the Oakland A’s becomes the first major leaguer to sport a mustache since Wally Schang of the Philadelphia Athletics in 1914. Jackson starts a trend with the A’s, as owner Charlie Finley eventually encourages all of his players to grow mustaches. By the end of the season, the World Champion A’s will become known as the “Mustache Gang.”
On March 16, 1972, Oakland A’s holdout Vida Blue announces that he has rejected the team’s latest contract offer and will retire to work for a company that makes toilet fixtures. The “retirement” won’t last long. The “retirement” won’t last long, as Blue will eventually come to terms with Oakland and begin his season in…
On March 4, 1972, the 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. McLain, who lost a league-leading 22 games pitching for the Washington Senators in 1971, will last only five starts in Oakland before being traded to the…
On November 29, 1971, six teams are involved in a series of blockbuster trades. In a swap of star pitchers, the San Francisco Giants send Gaylord Perry to the Cleveland Indians for Sam McDowell. Perry will win the Cy Young Award in 1972 and later become the first pitcher to win the award…
Oakland Athletics pitcher Vida Blue adds the American League MVP to his list of awards for 1971, easily outpointing teammate Sal Bando, 268-182.
Dick Williams is named the Associated Press American League Manager of the Year after guiding the A’s to their first playoff appearance since the franchise faced St. Louis in the 1931 Fall Classic. The 42 year-old skipper also copped the honor for piloting the Red Sox during the team’s Impossible Dream season in 1967.
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