Baseball – 1972

Baseball in 1972

<< Previous Year | Next Year >>

January

January 12Owner 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 kill the idea.

In the secondary phase of the January draft‚ the Reds pick JC pitcher Tom Hume‚ The Braves get Sam Bowen‚ and the Red Sox‚ picking 1‚653‚ take Roy Smalley. Duane Kuiper is picked by the Indians.
January 13Former umpire‚ now housewife Bernice Gera wins her suit against baseball‚ initiated on March 15‚ 1971. The NY Court of Appeals rules in her favor. Mrs. Gera is slated to umpire in the New York-Pennsylvania League starting in June.
January 19The BBWAA elects Sandy Koufax (344 votes)‚ Yogi Berra (339)‚ and Early Wynn (301) to the Hall of Fame. Koufax makes it in his first try and‚ at 36‚ is the youngest honoree in history.

The Yankees acquire veteran Johnny Callison on a conditional basis from the Cubs. They’ll end up keeping him and completing the deal by shipping Jack Aker to the Cubs on May 17.

February

February 2The Special Veterans Committee selects former players Lefty Gomez and Ross Youngs‚ and former AL president William Harridge for the Hall of Fame.
February 8Commissioner Bowie Kuhn announces the Hall of Fame selection of Josh Gibson and Buck Leonard by the Special Committee on the Negro Leagues.
February 9Angels IF Chico Ruiz‚ age 33‚ is killed in an auto crash in San Diego.
February 25The Cardinals trade P Steve Carlton to the Phillies for P Rick Wise. Carlton will go on to win 241 games and 4 Cy Young awards for the Phils.
February 28Former pitching star Dizzy Trout dies in Chicago at the age of 56. Among is survivors is a 14-year-old son‚ Steve‚ who will begin his major-league career in 1978.
February 29Hank Aaron signs a record-breaking contract with the Braves‚ calling for $200‚000 annually for three years.

March

March 4The Texas Rangers (formerly the Washington Senators) trade 2-time Cy Young award winner Denny McLain to the A’s for 2 pitchers.
March 9Players on the White Sox vote 31-0 in favor of a strike‚ if necessary‚ during negotiations between players and owners. The dispute centers around health and pension benefits for players. This is the first of a series of landmark team votes. In two weeks the Sox will release vet pitcher Joel Horlen‚ the Sox player rep‚ and he will sign with Oakland.
March 17The Reds and Pirates play the first of a 3-game series in Caracas‚ Venezuela.
March 22In what ranks as one of New York’s best trades‚ They send 1B/OF Danny Cater to the Red Sox for relief P Sparky Lyle. In 7 years with the Yanks‚ Lyle will post a 57-40 record with 141 saves and a 2.41 ERA‚ win a Cy Young award‚ and help the team to 3 WS. The deal is completed when the Yanks toss in SS Mario Guerrero.

Nick Mileti‚ owner of the NBA Cleveland Cavaliers‚ heads a group that purchases the Cleveland Indians from Vernon Stouffer for an estimated $9 million. Stouffer had turned down an offer from George Steinbrenner to buy the team‚ but when the AL owners reject his proposal to have the Indians play some of their games in the New Orleans Superdome‚ Stouffer decides to sell the team.
March 24The Reds send P Tony Cloninger to the Cards for veteran Julian Javier.
March 30Marvin Miller‚ executive director of the Players’ Association‚ completes his canvass of players on the strike issue: 663 vote in favor of a strike‚ 10 against‚ and there are 2 abstentions.

April

April 2Mets manager Gil Hodges dies of a heart attack at West Palm Beach‚ Florida‚ 2 days shy of his 48th birthday. Yogi Berra is named manager.
April 4The Red Sox send recently acquired Mario Guerrero to KC for Tulsa pitcher Jim Willoughby.
April 5For the first time in history‚ the ML season fails to open due to a general player strike. The strike‚ announced April 1st‚ will erase 86 games from the ML schedules.

The Mets trade OF Ken Singleton‚ 1B-OF Mike Jorgensen‚ and IF Tim Foli to the Expos for OF Rusty Staub.
April 9President Richard Nixon recommends that both sides of the baseball dispute meet with J. Curtis Counts‚ director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.
April 13The end of the baseball strike is announced‚ with an abbreviated schedule to start 2 days later.
April 15Reggie Jackson sports a mustache as the A’s top the Twins 4-3 in 11 innings. Jackson is reported as the first ML player with facial hair since Wally Schang in 1914.

The Reds play their home opener 10 days after it was originally scheduled‚ and lose to the Dodgers‚ 3-1. Cincy’s only run is a homer by Denis Menke in his first at bat as a Red.

The Astros acquire P Jerry Reuss‚ a .500 pitcher for 3 years with the Cardinals‚ for Scipio Spinks and Lance Clemons.
April 16In Chicago‚ 22-year-old rookie Burt Hooton of the Cubs no-hits the Phillies 4-0. It is Hooton’s 4th ML game over 2 seasons and he has allowed just 8 hits in 30 innings. Throwing his knucklecurve‚ Hooton walks 7 and fans 7.

With a rainout yesterday‚ the Orioles and Yankees decide to open the season in Baltimore with a doubleheader. But rain wipes out the nitecap and the O’s win the rain-shortened opener before just 11‚995 fans‚ 3-1. There is one out in the bottom of the 7th when the game is called. The O’s score an unearned run in the 2nd and Brooks Robinson knocks in two more to back Pat Dobson‘s pitching. After a long rain delay‚ Doyle Alexander pitched the 7th for the O’s.

Hitting for the cycle‚ Dave Kingman drives in 6 runs to lead the Giants to a 10-6 win over the Astros. The third sacker makes out in his final at bat after clouting a 3-run homer in the 7th. Sudden Sam McDowell‚ making his NL debut‚ pitches 5 2/3 innings for the win despite allowing 3-run homers to Bob Watson and Tommy Helms.
April 18In Atlanta‚ Tommy John makes his NL debut and pitches the Dodgers to a 3-1 victory over the Braves. He scatters 4 hits in 7 innings.

Giants slugger Willie McCovey breaks his right arm in a collision with John Jeter during a win over the Padres. He will be out until June 3rd.
April 19Steve Carlton‚ facing his former teammates for the first time‚ scatters 3 hits in outdueling Bob Gibson and the Cardinals‚ 1-0. The lone run comes on a Willie Montanez triple and a single by Johnson.
April 20The Orioles manage just 2 hits off Tom Timmerman and Chuck Seelbach‚ but still beat Detroit‚ 1-0. Paul Blair‘s solo homer is the difference in Pat Dobson‘s win.
April 21The Rangers celebrate their first game in their new home‚ Arlington Stadium‚ halfway between Dallas and Fort Worth‚ by outscoring the Angels‚ 7-6.

A pinch hit double by Jim Fairey allows the unbeaten Expos to defeat the Cardinals‚ 2-1. The Cardinals strand 15 runners‚ including 3 in the 9th. At the plate‚ losing pitcher Rick Wise‚ one of the best hitting pitchers in baseball‚ leaves a record-tying 9 runners on base.
April 22The Braves smash 5 homers‚ including Aaron’s first of the year and #640 of his career‚ in defeating the Reds‚ 11-7. Williams belts 2‚ and Brown and Rico Carty one apiece.
April 23Sending 14 men to the plate‚ the Astros erupt for 10 runs in the 9th to defeat the Giants‚ 13-7. Cesar Cedeno collects 5 hits‚ including 2 in the 9th when he drives in 3 runs. May has a 3-run homer in the 9th

Greg Luzinski homers in the 9th to tie the score‚ then triples and scores in the 11th to give the Phils a 5-4 victory over the Pirates. Luzinski also doubles and scores in the 2nd.
April 25Phillies lefty Steve Carlton allows only a leadoff single to Chris Speier in beating the Giants‚ 3-0‚ for his 2nd shutout in a row. Carlton strikes out 14 to tie the club record for lefties. Juan Marichal (1-2) takes the loss.
April 27The Padres fire manager Preston Gomez and replace him with Don Zimmer.
April 28Cubs 1B Joe Pepitone‚ sidelined with a stomach ailment‚ returns to the lineup and smashes 2 three-run homers as the Cubs beat the Reds‚ 10-8. It’s the Cubs first win in 9 games and Fergie Jenkins 1st win of the year. Monday and Cardenal also homer for Chicago.
April 29Leading the Phillies 4-0‚ San Diego ace Steve Arlin loses a no hitter in 9th with 2 outs when manager Don Zimmer pulls his third baseman in close. Denny Doyle then bounces a ball over the third baseman’s head. Arlin finishes with a one-hitter‚ beating Steve Carlton. Doyle also had the only hit to defeat the Reds Gary Nolan in 1971 and the only hit in a Nolan Ryan one-hitter in 1970.

May

May 1Jim Wynn hits a grand slam and Edward hits a 3-run homer to help the Astros edge the Pirates‚ 9-8. Both homers come off Steve Blass. Jim “Sting” Ray‚ who pitches the last 2 innings‚ wins his 4th straight.
May 2Oakland’s Vida Blue ends a long holdout‚ signing a contract for $63‚000. The young southpaw had received $14‚750 in 1971 while winning the AL Cy Young and MVP awards.

The Mets Gary Gentry fires a two hitter at the Giants in winning 4-2‚ and Barry Bonds collects both hits. Both are triples.

The Reds spot the Cards a 6-0 lead‚ then score 2 in the 6th and 5 in the 7th to win‚ 7-6. Bobby Tolan‘s 3-run homer is the big blow in the 7th.
May 3For the second straight day‚ the Cubs whomp the Braves‚ 12-1. Jose Cardenal leads the attack with a triple‚ double‚ and 2 singles. Fergie Jenkins is the easy winner as Jack Billingham loses his 4th straight.
May 5The Angels acquire Bob Oliver from the Royals for Tom Murphy.
May 6Carmen Fanzone‚ playing for Ron Santo who is sidelined with a fractured wrist‚ hits 2 homers and drives home 4 runs to lead the Cubs over the Astros‚ 6-4. Juan Pizarro wins in relief.
May 10Orioles lefty Dave McNally hurls his 4th shutout of the season‚ blanking the Rangers‚ 1-0. Pete Broberg‚ who allows just two hits‚ takes the loss.
May 11The Giants trade future Hall of Famer Willie Mays to the Mets for minor league P Charlie Williams and cash.
May 12The Brewers and Twins go 21 innings before the 1 A.M. curfew halts play with the score 3-3. They’ll pick it up tomorrow. It’s not exactly like kissing your sister as they tie the ML record for intentional walks by 2 teams in an extra-inning game with 7. The Twins tie their club record by stranding 23.
May 13The Brewers score in the top of the 22nd to win 4-3‚ then lose to the Twins 4-3 in 15 innings. The two games take 9 hours and 23 minutes to complete and sets an AL record for consecutive innings played in two days.
May 14In front a Mother’s Day crowd of 35‚000‚ Willie Mays‚ makes a triumphant return to New York with the Mets‚ hitting a game-winning HR against his old teammates. He scores in the 1st on Rusty Staub‘s grand slam and his solo in the 5th snaps a 4-4 tie. The final score is 5-4.

Happy birthday‚ Tony. On his 30th birthday‚ Tony Perez knocks in all the 6 of the Reds’ runs as they sweep a pair from the Cardinals‚ winning 4-3 and 2-0. The nitecap is a stellar 3-hit‚ 12 strikeout shutout by pitcher Tom Hall.
May 16The Cubs Rick Monday hits a single and 3 consecutive HRs‚ driving in 5 runs in an 8-1 win over the Phillies. The Phils only score is a 500-foot clanger by Greg Luzinski off the Liberty Bell in CF at Veterans Stadium.

In the Reds 4-3 win over the Giants‚ Pete Rose knocks in the winning run on an attempted intentional walk. On a 3-0 count‚ Giants pitcher Ron Bryant comes close to the plate with ball four and Rose drives it on the ground and reaches base on an error.
May 17The Ranger take 18 innings to beat the Royals‚ 4-3‚ with the win helped by catcher interference. Lovitto gets 1B when C Paepke interferes with his swing. After a misplayed bunt and a walk‚ a groundout scores the winner.

Willie Mays‚ played CF for the Mets‚ coaxes a leadoff walk in the first and scores on a triple by Ted Martinez. Sliding home‚ he knocks the ball out of C John Boccabella‘s glove and into the dugout‚ allowing Martinez to score. Mets beat Montreal‚ 2-1.
May 19The Reds trade Bernie Carbo to the Cards for Joe Hague and also beat the Padres‚ 1-0‚ behind Jim McGlothlin. The win gives the Reds a 9-game winning streak.
May 20Bobby Valentine homers on the first pitch of the game and Al Downing shuts out Houston on 2 hits to give the Dodgers a 3-0 win. The game takes just 1 hour and 30 minutes-an LA club record- and moves Los Angeles into 1st place.
May 24California P Don Rose homers on the first pitch in his first ML at bat‚ and earns a 6-5 victory over the A’s and Vida Blue‚ who is making his first appearance of the season for Oakland after holding out. For Rose‚ it will be his only ML HR‚ as well as his only win. It’ll be 30 years before another AL pitcher hits a homer on his first at bat.
May 27At Pittsburgh‚ the Phils snap a 10-game losing streak by edging the Pirates 2-1‚ in 12 innings.

The Tigers use a wild pitch‚ two bunts‚ and a single to top Mel Stottlemyre and the Yankees‚ 2-1. Joe Coleman is the winner for the first place Tigers.
May 28The Brewers fire manager Dave Bristol‚ replacing him with Del Crandall. Coach Roy McMillan takes over until Crandall arrives and guides the team to a 4-1 loss to Boston.
May 30Milwaukee’s Skip Lockwood one-hits New York 3-1‚ allowing just a single to Rosendo Torres. Lockwood will be involved in 2 other one-hitters later in the season: June 26th versus Baltimore (with one inning of relief help from Ken Sanders) and August 1st versus Detroit (a 6-inning game).
May 31Giants RF Bobby Bonds makes a rare unassisted DP in the 4th inning of a 5-4 loss to the Dodgers in 10 innings. Manny Mota‘s triple drives in the winner.

The red-hot Reds beat the Astros‚ 12-4 in Houston. George Foster has a 3rd inning grand slam.

June

June 1At Houston‚ Hal McRae pinch hits a 6th inning grand slam to spark the Reds to a win‚ 10-3. The Astros had taken a 3-0 lead on homers by Cedeno and Doug Rader. Johnny Bench hits his 4th homer in 3 games in the 7th‚ and Tony Perez adds a homer in the 9th.
June 2In Philadelphia‚ the Reds win a 17-inning marathon over the Phils‚ 6-3. Both teams score in the 16th to make it 2-2‚ but Bench’s 3-run homer in the 17th finally finishes it.

Juan Marichal snaps his streak of 8 straight losses as the Giants come back to beat the Pirates‚ 7-4. Goodson‚ Kingman‚ and Bonds homer for SF.

Phil Niekro allows 3 hits-all by John Milner-to pitch the Braves to a 6-1 win over the Mets. Milner homers in the 9th for New York and Carty and Evans go deep for the Braves.

In a face off at Shea between Willie Mays and Hank Aaron‚ both with 648 career homers‚ each come up hitless as the Braves beat the Mets‚ 6-1. Aaron‚ who hit his 648th on May 31‚ will collect his next HR June 10.
June 3The Reds spot the host Phils a 5-0 lead‚ then score 3 runs in the 7th‚ and one each in the 9th‚ 9th‚ and 10th to win‚ 6-5. Julian Javier starts the Reds scoring with a 2-run homer and ends it with an RBI single. Johnny Bench also homers‚ his 7th in the last 5 games to tie an NL record.

Rusty Staub of the Mets is struck in the right hand by a George Stone pitch during a game with the Braves. Staub‚ who missed 7 games in the past 4 seasons‚ will miss 90 games this year.

Bobby Murcer and Thurman Munson crack 3-run HRs in the Yankees’ 8-run 13th inning to beat the White Sox 18-10. Murcer scores 5 runs on 4 hits.
June 4A major league record 8 shutouts are pitched in 16 ML games-5 in the AL‚ 3 in the NL. Two are recorded by the Oakland A’s‚ who sweep a pair from the Orioles by identical 2-0 scores.

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 6Shortstops are the first 2 picks in the June draft. The Padres make Dave Roberts the number one selection and the Indians pick Rick Manning number 2. Roberts will make his ML debut in 2 days. The Phils take high school pitcher Larry Christenson with the 3rd pick‚ with the Rangers taking high schooler Roy Howell 4th: they’ll wait till the 25th round to take Mike Hargrove. The Dodgers use their #1 on SS John Harbin but he will tear up his knee and be gone next year. The Rangers will have 13 from this draft to make the majors. Picking 5th‚ the Expos take Memphis high school catcher Bobby Goodman‚ but do better on the 3rd round when they take catcher Gary Carter.

Sadaharu Oh of the Yomiuri Giants (Japanese League) hits HRs 499 and 500.
June 7The Pirates outslug the Padres 12-5‚ in the 1st game of a doubleheader‚ then take the nitecap‚ 1-0‚ in 18 innings. Gene Alley draws a bases-loaded walk from Corkins‚ who rook over from Kirby in the 14th. The Bucs load the sacks after Oliver and Stargell reach on infield hits‚ and then execute a double steal. Maz then walks. Stargell drives in 5 runs in game 1.
June 8Every Expo scores‚ including Ron Hunt with 5 runs‚ as Montreal beats San Francisco 17-3.
June 10Hank Aaron hits his 14th career grand slam‚ tying Gil Hodges‘s NL record‚ as the Braves defeat the Phillies 15-3. It is career HR 649 for Aaron‚ enabling him to pass Willie Mays for 2nd place on the all-time list.
June 11In 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 HR. The Reds will go 53-25 this year on the road.

Brothers Jim and Gregg Nettles each homer in the Twins’s 5-3 win over the Indians. Winning pitcher Jim Kaat homers and Bobby Darwin hits a tie breaking HR.

Roberto Clemente homers to help the Pirates down the host Dodgers‚ 7-5. Manny Mota and Willie Davis both hit inside-the-park homers down the foul lines for LA.

Jimmy Qualls is sold by the White Sox to the Kintetau Buffaloes of the Japanese League.
June 12Before 50‚182 Oakland fans‚ the Orioles Pat Dobson tosses a 4-hitter to outduel the A’s ace Vida Blue‚ 1-0.
June 14In another tight pitching duel‚ the Orioles Dave McNally wins‚ 2-1‚ over the A’s Catfish Hunter when Bobby Grich hits a 10th inning homer. The O’s have now won 7 straight.

The Phillies send C Tim McCarver to Montreal for C John Bateman. Bateman will play 82 games in Philley in this his final season.

Jim Wynn cannons a game-winning homer in the 11th off Dick Selma to give Houston a 1-0 win over the Phils.
June 18Larry Bowa’s 9th-inning double is the Phillies’ only hit as the Astros Jerry Reuss hurls a 10-0 shutout. Tomorrow‚ Houston’s Larry Dierker will also spin a one-hitter.

By a 5-3 vote‚ the U.S. Supreme Court confirms lower court rulings in the Curt Flood case‚ upholding baseball’s exemption from antitrust laws and the legitimacy of its reserve clause. Its decision is narrowly construed‚ however‚ and leaves the way open for legislation or collective bargaining to undercut the reserve system. By the year’s end the ML owners will destroy it themselves by agreeing to salary arbitration.
June 19Larry Dierker fire’s Houston’s 2nd straight one-hitter‚ tying a ML record‚ beating the Mets‚ 3-0. He walks Mays twice but Duffy Dyer‘s single in the 3rd is the only hit. The last pair of consecutive one-hitters were Gentry and Seaver on May 13-15‚ 1970.
June 20Randy Hundley caps the scoring in the 1st inning with a grand slam as the Cubs score 7‚ all off Carrithers‚ enroute to a 15-8 pasting of the Giants. The first 3 runs come on 3 walks‚ 2 wild pitches and 3 singles. Hundley singles in another run in the 5-run 4th as the Cubs win their 7th straight.
June 21Rico Petrocelli and Carl Yastrzemski lead the Red Sox to 11-inning‚ 10-9 win over Texas. Yaz collects 5 hits and score 4 times‚ while Rico drives in 6 runs‚ 4 with a grand slam. Frank Howard is 4-for-4 for Texas. Luis Tiant wins with an inning of shutout relief.

Bob Gibson wins his 211th‚ passing Jess 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 23Following up a 2-hitter against the Pirates in his previous start‚ San Diego’s Steve Arlin allows just one hit in beating San Francisco‚ 4-1. Maddox triples in the 2nd inning for the lone hit. Nate Colbert‘s 3 run homer‚ off Sam McDowell‚ is the deciding blow.
June 24Culminating a long battle to reach pro baseball‚ Bernice Gera umpires the first game of a doubleheader between Auburn and Geneva (New York-Pennsylvania League). Several disputes take place and she ejects the Auburn manager. Gera resigns before the 2nd game‚ leaving in tears‚ saying resentment from the other umps was a factor in her decision. She will later work in the Mets PR department.
June 25The Reds take over first place in the NL 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 26Detroit’s Bill Slayback makes his ML debut a good one‚ allowing no hits for 7 innings against the Yankees. Johnny Callison‘s single in the 8th is the first hit‚ but Detroit hangs on to a 4-3 win.

Brewer Billy Conigliaro jumps his club for the comfort of a Massachusetts island retreat‚ but Milwaukee beats Baltimore‚ 3-0‚ on a combined one-hitter. Skip Lockwood gets the win with Ken Sanders relieving.
June 27Mickey Lolich is staked to 4-0 lead when the Tigers hit 3 consecutive first-inning HRs against New York’s Wade Blasingame‚ making his AL debut. Tony Taylor leads off with a walk before Aurelio Rodriguez‚ Al Kaline‚ and Willie Horton wade in with homers to finish Blasingame. Lolich‚ pitching on 2 days rest‚ notches his 12th‚ winning 5-2. Bobby Murcer‘s HR accounts for one of the Yank runs.

Continuing his slugging‚ John Mayberry belts a HR‚ double and 2 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.

Nolan Ryan (8-5) triples and scores the go-ahead run in the 7th as California beats the Twins‚ 3-1. Poor base-running in the 4th doesn’t help the Twins cause: With Killebrew on 3b and Steve Braun on 2B with no outs‚ Nettles flies out to Spencer in left field. Killebrew fakes a dash to the plate and Braun starts from 2B. A relay catches Braun at 2B and another throw nips Killebrew at 3B for a triple play.
June 29Jim 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 Lyle‚ gains his 7th win.

In a swap of former MVPs‚ the Braves send 1B Orlando Cepeda to the A’s for P Denny McLain.
June 30Joe 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 2 hits in 7 1/3 innings before leaving with a twisted ankle‚ but picks up the win. Billy Williams drives in 3 runs for the Cubs.

July

July 1Nolan Ryan allows 5 hits and strikes out 16 in pitching the Angels to a 5-3 victory over the Athletics. Ryan has an RBI single and is helped by homers from Berry and Cardenas‚ off Steve Hamilton.
July 2Minnesota’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. Katt is relieved in the 8th by 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.

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

Willie McCovey hits his 14th career grand slam to pace the Giants 9-3 win over the Dodgers. Randy Moffitt wins his first ML game and receives a congratulatory telegram from his sister Billie Jean King‚ who is playing at Wimbledon.

The Reds score 8 runs in the 8th to defeat the Dodgers‚ 12-2‚ at Riverfront Stadium. Tony Perez‘ 3-run homer is the big blow.

At Montreal‚ rookie P Bob Rauch walks 4 batters in the 9th to enable the Expos to defeat the Mets‚ 4-3. For Rauch‚ it’s his only ML decision. Mike Marshall wins for the Expos.
July 4Leron 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.

Denny McLain makes his NL debut in the 2nd 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 gets 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 NL homer and Lum’s 3-run homer in the 7th account for 4 runs.
July 5Nolan Ryan (10-5) strikes out 8 in topping the Brewers‚ 2-1. Winston Llanes‚ batting for Ryan in the 9th‚ singles off starter Stephenson for the winning run.
July 6The Twins fire manager Bill Rigney‚ promoting 33-year-old coach Frank Quilici to take his place.
July 7In the Pirates 10-2 lid lifter win over Atlanta‚ Milt May goes 5-for-5 to lead a 20-hit attack. May has 2 more hits in the nitecap‚ but the Pirates lose‚ 3-2‚ to Jim Hardin.

Back in the Expos lineup for the first time since June 27‚ Ken Singleton drives in 3 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 uniform.
July 8The Tigers lose to the White Sox 5-2 as Detroit’s John Hiller returns to the mound 18 months after suffering a heart attack.

After a 2-hour rain delay in Minnesota‚ enlivened by Mike Kekich sliding on the wet grass. Bert Blyleven and Mel Stottlemyre match scoreless innings for 10 frames. Yankee leadoff batter Bernie Allen then greets reliever Granger with a homer in the 11th. Sparky Lyle picks up a save. The Yanks win‚ 1-0.

Sandy Alomar ends a 4 hour 8 minute game with a single in the 16th to give the Angels a 4-3 win over the Red Sox. Tommy Harper accounts for all the Sox scoring with a 3-run double in the 2nd.
July 9The Angels Nolan Ryan strikes out 16 batters‚ including an AL-record 8 in a row and three on 9 pitches in the 2nd inning‚ as he stops the Red Sox on one hit. Yastrzemski’s one-out single in the 1st is only hit: Ryan then racks up his 8 K’s and retires the last 26 consecutive batters. Sonny Siebert loses the 3-0 battle. For Ryan‚ he is the 3rd pitcher to twice fan the side on 9 pitches.

The Twins lose to the Yankees‚ 9-6‚ despite Rich Reese‘s pinch grand slam. For Reese‚ it is his 3rd pinch grand slam‚ tying Ron Northey‘ ML record.
July 10Phillies GM Paul Owens takes over as field manager after firing Frank Lucchesi.
July 11Cub Billy Williams goes 8-for-8 in a doubleheader split with the Astros. The Astros win the opener 6-5‚ and the Cubs take the nightcap 9-5. Williams is 5-for-5 in the 2nd game to raise his average to .328. He’ll go 3-for-5 and 4-for-5 in his next two games as he will go on a 22-for-38 tear.

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 12The A’s catcher Dave Duncan is 5-for-5‚ including a HR‚ but the Red Sox win‚ 7-6. Duncan’s counterpart Carlton Fisk is 3-for-3‚ with a homer and 2 walks. Bill Lee wins in relief.
July 14In a ML first‚ the plate umpire and the catcher in a game are brothers. Bill Haller is the ump and Tom Haller is the Tigers catcher during a game with the Royals. Kansas City wins 1-0.

The Twins cap a 3-run rally in the 9th‚ scoring the winning run when Harmon Killebrew draws a bases loaded walk from Red Sox reliever Newhauser. Boston wins‚ 7-6. Minnesota is helped by Juan Benequez’s 2nd straight three-error game‚ a record for AL shortstops. John Kennedy will take over the SS job‚ while Benequez will play the rest of his ML career mostly in the outfield and at 1B.

On “Cushion Night” in Milwaukee‚ Johnny Briggs supplies the cushion for the Brewers by driving in 6 runs on a pair of homers‚ one a grand slam. The Brewers beat California‚ 7-3.
July 18San Diego’s Steve Arlin takes a no-hitter against Philadelphia into the 9th inning before settling for a 2nd straight 2-hitter. The first hit comes when Denny Doyle hits a 2-out bloop single over the head of 3B Dave Roberts‚ playing in for a possible bunt. During the season‚ Arlin will notch three 2-hitters‚ a one-hitter‚ and a 10-inning one-hit stint‚ yet compile a 10-21 record.
July 20Detroit Tigers rookie Bill Slayback strikes out 13 batters and allows 5 hits while beating the Texas Rangers, 5-1.
July 21The Dodgers release P Hoyt Wilhelm‚ ending his Hall of Fame career 2 days before his 49th birthday. Wilhelm appeared in 1‚070 games‚ the most of any ML pitcher. He is also the last WW2 vet to play in the majors; He survived the Battle of the Bulge‚ suffering a permanent neck wound in the action.

Billy Williams drives in 6 runs to lead the Cubs to an 11-3 win over the Astros. Williams has 4 hits‚ including a double and homer to give Bill Bonham (1-0) his only win of the year. Ken Forsch takes the loss.

The Yankees sweep the Angels‚ winning 6-0 and 3-0 over the Angels. Fritz Peterson and Mel Stottlemyre apply the whitewash.
July 24Ted Simmons, who has been playing all season without a signed contract, signs a new contract with the St. Louis Cardinals. The team claim the signing, reportedly for two years at $35,000 per years, when the Federal Pay Board exempted athletes from wage controls. Whether the owners fear a possible test case or not, six players will open the 1973 season without signing a contract and will play on renewed contracts: Stan Bahnsen, Rick Reichardt, and Mike Andrews of the Chicago White Sox; Dick Billings of the Texas Rangers; Fritz Peterson of the New York Yankees; and Jerry Kenney of the Cleveland Indians
July 25The NL wins the All-Star Game 4-3 at Atlanta behind hometown hero Hank Aaron‘s 2-run HR and Joe Morgan’s 10th-inning RBI single. It is the 7th time the classic has gone into extra innings.

Cubs GM John Holland announces that Leo Durocher has stepped down as manager in favor of Whitey Lockman. Leo contends he was not fired‚ but has “stepped aside.” The Astro will hire Durocher in late August to replace Harry Walker.
July 27Marking the debut of manager Whitey Lockman‚ Fergie Jenkins allows one hit in the Cubs 4-0 win over the Phillies. Willie Montanez‘s 4th inning double is the only hit. Reliever Jack Aker falters in the nitecap‚ and the Phils win‚ 4-1.
July 28Steve Carlton wins his 10th straight for the last place Phils‚ beating the Cubs Milt Pappas‚ 2-0. Lefty allows 4 hits and strikes out 7‚ while setting the club record for consecutive wins.

Syracuse pulls off a triple play against Charleston (IL) when confusion occurs over the infield fly rule. Charleston puts runners on 1st and 2B in the 3rd inning with no out. Frank Frontino’s sac bunt pops to 1B Frank Tepedino‚ who alertly allows the ball to drop. Tepedino throws to 3B Rich McKinney for one force‚ to SS Frank Baker for the 2nd out‚ and the relay to 2B Tom Grayson covering 1B completes the TP.
July 29The Padres take 17 innings but finally edge the Reds‚ 4-3‚ at Riverfront Stadium.

Brooks Robinson hits a 2-out HR in the 11th to give Baltimore a 4-3 win over the Indians. Duffy hit his 1st ML HR for the Tribe and John Lowenstein hit a HR in the 9th to briefly give the Indians the lead.
July 30Ralph 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 4 RBIs in the 2 games.

The Angels beat Kansas City‚ 4-3‚ when Bob Oliver hits a leadoff HR in the 11th inning against his former team. The win goes to Lloyd Allen‚ relegated to the bullpen after 5 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 31Dick Allen becomes the first player since 1950 (Hank Thompson) to hit 2 inside-the-park homers in a game. Minnesota’s Bert Blyleven is on the mound in the first and the 5th when Allen connects past Danny Darwin in CF. Chicago wins‚ 8-1 behind Stan Bahnsen‚ with Allen driving in 5 with his homers.

Royals OF Amos Otis scores the games 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. As Bob Davids notes‚ this is the only the 2nd time in the post-war years that a steal of home accounts for a games’ only run.

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 2 hits in 7 1/3 innings‚ but 2 errors and a mental boner by LF Ford allows 2 runs. With a runner on 3B‚ Ford catches Rudi’s fly and trots in thinking it is the 3rd out. It is the 2nd. Rudi added another sac fly for the other run.

August

August 1Nate Colbert ties one ML record with 5 HRs‚ and sets another with 13 RBI‚ as the Padres take a doubleheader from the Braves 9-0 and 11-7. At age 8‚ on May 2‚ 1954‚ Colbert had been at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis to witness Stan Musial hitting 5 HRs in a doubleheader.

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 the game up. The game lasts 6 innings‚ with Del Crandall‘s Brewers winning 9-0 on Skip Lockwood‘s one-hitter. Umpire Frank Umont recommends a fine of $1‚000 for both managers.
August 2The Tigers purchase P Woodie Fryman from the Phillies. Two days later the Bengals will purchase C Duke Sims from the Dodgers. Fryman‚ just 4-10 for Philadelphia‚ will go 10-3 for Detroit‚ while Sims will hit .316 for Detroit in 38 games. The two veterans will spark Detroit to the AL Eastern Division title.

Houston’s Cesar Cedeno hits for the cycle in a 10-1 win over the Reds.
August 3Cubs 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.

The Brewers beat the Tigers‚ 6-3‚ to sweep the 3 game series.
August 4The Angels beat the Royals‚ 4-3‚ in 10 innings. Vada Pinson shows the way home with 5 hits and 3 RBIs.

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

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 2 hits in beating Pat Dobson.
August 5During a 4-3 win over Cleveland‚ Detroit SS Ed Brinkman commits an error; this ending his ML-record streak of 72 games and 331 total chances without a miscue.
August 6Hank Aaron hits his 660th and 661st HRs for the Braves‚ the most ever hit by one player for the same franchise. Ruth had 659 with the Yankees‚ 49 with the Red Sox and 6 with the Braves. Hank’s 2nd circuit blast comes in the 10th inning off Don Gullett to beat the Reds‚ 4-3. Phil Niekro evens his record at 10-10. Phil will go 6-0 against the Reds this year.
August 7When 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 chances to tie a ML record for an extra inning game.

Ron Allen hits 3 HRs as the Yankees beat the Dodgers 8-3 in the annual Hall of Fame game. The contest is preceded by inductions of 8 new members.

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

A horde of grasshoppers invades the field at Midland (Texas League) after the first game of a doubleheader‚ causing the postponement of the 2nd game.
August 8The Yankees and New York City sign a 30-year lease on Yankee Stadium that will keep the team in the Bronx till 2002. The City agrees to spend $24 million on renovations‚ but the actual costs will approach $100 million.

At Riverfront Stadium‚ the Reds beat the Dodgers‚ 2-1‚ in 19 innings. The Dodgers use 5 pitchers and the first 4 (John‚ Brewer‚ Richert‚ and Perranoski) strike out 22 batters to tie a NL record. The 5th‚ Pete Mikkelson‚ fans no one in the defeat to Pedro Borbon. Joe Hague‘s single drives in pinch runner Ted Uhlaender to end the marathon.
August 10Milwaukee rookie Gary Ryerson beats Jim Palmer and the Orioles‚ 1-0. Ryerson allows 10 hits in the shutout. George Scott singles in the lone run.
August 11The A’s defeat the White Sox 5-3 on Joe Rudi‘s 2-run HR in the 19th inning off Stan Bahnsen. The game had been renewed after a 3-3 tie in 17 frames yesterday.
August 12The 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 13Bengals manager Billy Martin literally picks his starting lineup out of a hat in an attempt to halt the Tigers’ 4-game losing streak. He chooses his starting 8‚ then Al Kaline picks from there. Norm Cash leads off with Eddie Brinkman batting cleanup. The ploy works as Detroit defeats Cleveland 3-2. Using a regular lineup in the nightcap‚ the Tigers lose 9-2.
August 14In Atlanta‚ Johnny Bench drives in 5 runs on a HR‚ double and single‚ to lead the Reds to a 12-2 win over the Braves.
August 17Steve Carlton (20-6) becomes the first 20-game winner as he wins his 15th straight‚ a 9-4 Phillie victory over the Reds.
August 18Mickey Lolich regains first place for the Tigers as he bests the Angels and Nolan Ryan 2-0. It is Lolich’s 19th win.

The Orioles trade C Elrod Hendricks to the Cubs for OF/1B Tommy Davis.
August 20Striking 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.

The Angels score 9 runs in the 4th inning but Detroit counters with 8 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 3-run homer. In between are 6 singles and a sac fly.
August 21Phil Niekro and the Braves beat the Phillies 2-1 in 11 innings to snap Steve Carlton‘s 15-game winning streak. After retiring 19 batters in a row‚ Carlton (20-7) puts 2 runners on in the 11th‚ before Mike Lum singles home the winner.
August 22Jim Beauchamp hits a HR and drives in all the Mets run in a 4-2 win over the Astros. Yesterday‚ Beauchamp celebrated his birthday with a pair of HRs as the Mets beat the Astros by the same score.

Pirate pitcher Nelson Briles one hits the Giants‚ and outduels Juan Marichal‚ 1-0. Ken Henderson is the Giants only base runner‚ singling in the 7th.
August 23Chicago’s Dick Allen becomes the 4th ML player (Jimmie Foxx‚ Hank Greenberg‚ and Alex Johnson are the others) to hit one into the CF bleachers in Comiskey Park when he connects off New York’s Lindy McDaniel. The 2-run homer in the 7th ices the 5-2 win for the Sox. In 1972‚ all the Chicago Wednesday games are in the afternoon‚ and Harry Caray announces them while sitting in the CF bleachers. Allen’s drive misses Caray by just a few rows.

Kansas City’s Roger Nelson shuts out the Red Sox‚ 3-0. Ben Olgivie’s single in the 8th is the only hit off Nelson.
August 25Phillie Ken Reynolds ties a dubious NL 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 26Leo Durocher‚ formerly of the Cubs‚ replaces Harry Walker as manager of the Astros. It is only the 2nd time someone has managed 2 NL teams in the same season. The first was in 1948‚ when Durocher piloted the Dodgers and the Giants.

At Wrigley Field‚ Ron Santo records his 2‚000th career hit‚ a 3-run HR off Ron Bryant. Santo’s hit‚ driving in his 1‚200th run‚ is the margin of victory as the Cub top the Giants‚ 10-9.

The Red Sox score 5 in the 9th to top Texas‚ 7-6.
August 27The Cardinals trade .314 hitter Matty Alou to the A’s for 2 players‚ Bill Voss and minor leaguer Steve Easton. The A’s will send Matty on to the Yanks in November.

The Tigers Willie Horton clouts an 11th-inning 2-run HR to beat Minnesota 5-3 in the opener of 2. In the nightcap‚ Joe Coleman pitches 11 shutout innings against Minnesota before Aurelio Rodriguez‘s HR gives him the 1-0 win. This is the 3rd win in a row for the Tigers on 11th-inning homers. Rodriguez hit one to start the streak.
August 29During a 3-0 win over St. Louis‚ San Francisco’s Jim Barr retires the first 20 batters to face him. Six days earlier‚ Barr had gotten out the last 21 men to face him. This gives Barr a ML record of 41 consecutive batsmen retired.

In game 1 of a twinbill‚ Yankee Bobby Murcer hits for the cycle against Texas‚ with his HR tying the game at 6 apiece in the 9th.The Yanks win‚ 7-6‚ in the 11th‚ on Callison’s RBI single Murcer is the first Yankee to cycle since Mantle in 1957: The next will be Tony Fernandez in 1995. Murcer adds a HR in the nitecap‚ but the Rangers score 4 runs off reliever Klimkowski in the 7th and win 7-4.

At Fenway‚ Luis Tiant pitches his 3rd straight shutout‚ beat the White Sox‚ 3-0. Reggie Smith hits 2 run scoring doubles off starter Tom Bradley for Boston.
August 30In 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 the Pirates against San Diego.
August 31Another insurance purchase for the Tigers: they buy slugging 1B/OF Frank Howard from Texas

September

September 1Rod 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 Darwin drives them all in on 4 hits‚ including 2 homers.

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

The Reds edge the Expos‚ 1-0‚ in 12 innings on Johnny Bench‘s single. Ross Grimsley and Clay Carroll combine on the shut out.
September 2Milt Pappas of the Cubs hurls a no-hit game in beating the Padres 8–0. Pappas has a perfect game until PH Larry Stahl walks with 2 outs in the 9th inning. Pappas and C Randy Hundley both said of the pitches to Stahl, “They were so close I don’t know how Stahl could take them, but they were balls.” Pappas later commented on the plate umpire Bruce Froemming, “He had a chance to become famous as the umpire in the twelfth perfect game in baseball history, but he blew it” [Froemming will later call Dennis Martinez’s perfect game in 1991]. Pappas retires former Cub Garry Jestadt to finish the game.

Rookie Dave Downs of the Phils stops the Braves‚ 3-0‚ in his first ML start.
September 3Steve Carlton shuts out the Braves 8-0 for his 8th whitewash of the season. This is the most for a Phillies’ pitcher since Alexander in 1917.

Hal McRae‘s 2-run pinch homer in the 9th gives the Reds a 4-3 win over the visiting Expos.
September 4The Yankees split with the Orioles‚ losing 43 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 3-run homer in the first game‚ off Fritz Peterson‚ is the big blow while the Yankees take the night cap behind the three hits‚ including a homer‚ of Bobby Murcer.

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.

Luis Tiant (10-4) pitches his 4th straight shutout‚ beating the Brewers‚ 2-0‚ in the opener. Yaz’s 2-run HR accounts for the scoring. The Red Sox lose the nitecap‚ 6-2‚ as 4 former Hubmen do the damage. O’Brien and Lahoud homer‚ Boomer Scott has 3 hits and Brett is the winner.
September 5Felix Milan is 5-for-5 in the Braves’ 5-3 win over the Astros.
September 6Behind 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 7Tommy Harper and Rico Petrocelli club 3-run homers to poser the Red Sox to a 10-4 win over the Yankees and move into first place in the AL East ahead of the Tigers. Siebert adds a homer as he wins his 12th game.

The Astros score 4 times in the 13th‚ on homers by Watson and Metzger‚ to defeat the Giants‚ 5-1. Don Wilson goes all the way for the win.
September 8In 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 HR in the 1st inning of game 2‚ but the Cards turn around‚ using a pair of homers in the 13th to win‚ 9-4.

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‚ 1906-11. Billy Williams 2-run HR in the 6th ties it at 3-3‚ and a pair of doubles in the 8th wins it.

After 4 straight shutouts‚ Luis Tiant is finally scored upon‚ but the Red Sox ace still beats the Yankees‚ 4-2. Tiant completed 40 straight shutout innings before the Yanks scored in the 5th.

Mickey Lolich wins his 20th game of the year as Detroit tips the Orioles‚ 4-3. The Tigers jump on Jim Palmer (18-8) for 3 runs in the 1st inning. Seelbach pitches the last 3 1/3 innings of shutout ball for the save.
September 9Gaylord Perry‚ who twice won 20+ games with the Giants‚ becomes the first pitcher in 48 years to win 20 in both leagues as he defeats the Red Sox‚ 2-1‚ in 10 innings. Cleveland 3B Nettles homers with one out in the 10th off Gary Peters. The last hurler to win 20 in each league was Carl Mays‚ who did it with the Yankees‚ in 1921‚ and the Reds‚ in 1924.
September 10A round-robin tournament‚ replacing the Junior WS‚ begins‚ with Hawaii defeating a team of Caribbean all-stars 6-2. The series proves to be a financial and artistic failure.
September 11Dick Allen’s club record 34th HR gives the White Sox their only 2 runs as they beat KC‚ 2-1. Hovely’s HR in the 9th is the Royals only score.
September 13Frank 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 fourbagger off his favorite pitcher. He had hit one with the Rangers on July 18th‚ and 11 with the Senators 1965-1971.

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 14The Padres stake Steve Arlin to a 5-0 lead in the 3rd‚ but the Astros score 6 in their half of the frame and go on to win‚ 10-6. For Arlin it is his 20th loss of the year‚ topping his ML high 19 losses in 1971.
September 15Steve 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. Carlton scatters 10 hits while striking out 4.

In a record-setting effort‚ the Reds and Padres combine for 28 strikeouts for a 9 inning game‚ the Padres winning 1-0‚ on Cito Gaston’s 4th inning homer. Winning P Fred Norman strikes out 15‚ while Don Gullett fans 11 Pads. Pedro Borbon notches the other 2. Norman (9-9) notches his last win of the season and will finish as the only pitcher in history with fewer than 10 wins in a season with 6 shutouts (Ewell Blackwell was close in 1946 with 5 shutouts in 9 wins; in one win‚ he was ahead 2-0 when he was relieved after 8 1/3 IP).
September 16Expo P Balor Moore extends his scoreless-inning streak to 25 before serving up a 7th-inning 3-run HR to lose to the Phillies 3-1. The HR is the first for Phils rookie Mike Schmidt.

At Wrigley, Glenn Beckert sets a dubious, since tied (by Todd Helton in 1998), ML and NL record by stranding 12 base runners in a game. In spite of this, his Cubs beat the Mets, 18–5. The Cubs jump first, knocking out Tom Seaver in just 2 1/3 innings. After Seaver loads the bases on walks in the 3rd, P Burt Hooton homers. Chicago garners 15 walks, with Ellie Hendricks walking 5 straight times, a NL record.

Joe Coleman wins his 17th game and Dick McAuliffe clouts 2 HRs and drives in 4 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.

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 19In a 15-inning contest with Chicago‚ the A’s set an extra-inning record by using 30 players‚ including 6 second baseman and 10 pinch hitters. Together the two clubs use 51 players‚ another record. Oakland still loses‚ 8-7.

The Twins Cesar Tovar hits for the cycle as Minnesota beats Texas‚ 5-3.
September 20The Braves score all their runs in the 2nd inning in routing the Astros 13-6. Dusty Baker has 3 at bats in the inning, doubling to lead off, hitting a 3-run HR, then grounding out to end the inning with the bases full

At Anaheim, Royals pitcher Steve Busby loses a grand slam when 1B ump John Rice signals that he had called time before the gopher pitch. John Mayberry had already hit a grand slam in the inning. Busby (2-0) wins, 9-2, pitching his second complete game following his debut win on September 8.

Sadaharu Oh of the Yomiuri Giants hits a HR to set a new Japanese record of 7 HRs in 7 consecutive games. Dale Long in 1956 hit in 8 straight‚ and several players have hit in 6.
September 21The Pirates clinch the NL East title with a 6-2 victory over the Mets.

The AL East is 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 3 runs.
September 22The Reds clinch the NL West crown with a 4-3 win over the Astros in Houston. Jerry Reuss‚ relieving Dierker in the 1st‚ allows only two hits in 7 1/3 innings‚ but both are homers. Rose and Bench do the dinging.
September 24In the nitecap of a twinbill sweep over the Indians‚ Sparky Lyle sets an AL record and tying the ML mark by saving his 35th game. The Yanks win‚ 8-3‚ after gaining a 5-4 win in the opener when they score 2 unearned runs on 5 Indian errors in the 11th. Munson steals 2B by kicking the ball out of Frank Duffy‘s glove and going to 3B 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 5.

Tom Seaver wins his 19th‚ beating the Phils and Steve Carlton‚ 2-1 on an unearned run. Agee for the Mets and Robinson for the Quakers both homer.
September 26The Pirates Steve Blass wins his 19th‚ defeating the Phillies‚ 5-1. Billy Champion‚ relieving in the 2nd‚ takes his 11th straight defeat.
September 27A’s relief star Darold Knowles breaks his thumb‚ costing him a chance to pitch in the WS. Knowles finishes the season with a 5-1 record‚ 11 saves‚ and a 1.36 ERA.

Trailing 5-1‚ the Tigers score 3 in the 8th and 2 in the 9th to beat the Yankees and Sparky Lyle.

The Dodgers Don Sutton shuts out San Diego‚ 2-0‚ handing Steve Arlin his NL-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 ML‚ and his 3rd in a row.
September 28Steve Carlton becomes the 2nd pitcher in NL history to top 300 strikeouts in a season as he K’s 11 in a 2-1 win over the Pirates. Carlton gives up an unearned run and drives in the tying run.
September 29Tom Seaver allows 2 singles to win his 20th as the Mets edge the Pirates‚ 1-0. The Mets score in the 9th off starter Nels Briles.
September 30During a 5-0 win over the Mets‚ the Pirates’ Roberto Clemente doubles off Jon Matlack in the 4th inning for his 3‚000th-and final-career hit in regular-season play. Dock Ellis allows 1 hit in 6 innings for the win.

The Tigers take their 3rd in a row from Milwaukee as John Hiller throws a 5-hitter. Aurelio Rodriguez‘s 3-run HR 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

October 1Reds pitchers Don Gullett and Clay Carroll combine on a 2-hitter as the Reds beat the Dodgers‚ 1-0. The first hit is a single by Bill Russell off Gullett in the 8th.

Dick Bosman scatters 3 hits to beat the White Sox‚ 1-0‚ ending the Rangers 15-game losing streak. Wilbur Wood (24-17)‚ making his 49th start of the year‚ takes the loss. The 49 starts ties him for the 2nd highest in the 20th century. Wood will make 48 starts next year for the highest 2-year total in the 20th century.

Despite having to leave the game in the 5th after being hit on the cheek with a batted ball‚ Milt Pappas records his 11th straight win for the Cubs. Decker and Aker complete the 3-0 shutout over the visiting Cards. The win clinches 2nd place in the NL East.
October 2Bill Stoneman of Montreal pitches his 2nd no-hitter‚ beating the Mets 7-0. The temperature at Jarry Park is 53 degrees as 7‚184 watch the doubleheader split.

The Red Sox fall a half game behind Detroit‚ losing 4-1 to Mickey Lolich before 51‚518 at Tiger Stadium. Trailing 1-0 in the 3rd‚ Carl Yastrzemski hits a triple with 2 on‚ but Luis Aparicio stumbles twice and scrambles back to 3B‚ where Yaz is tagged out.

Buddy Bradford clubs a pinch grand slam in the 8th inning to pull the White Sox into a 6-4 victory over the Twins. Bradford will end the year with 2 homers and 8 RBIs.
October 3Pitcher Roric Harrison hits his only homer of the year‚ off Ray Lamb‚ as Baltimore beats Cleveland 4-3 in the 2nd game of a doubleheader. With the DH rule on the horizon‚ it will be the last HR hit by an AL pitcher until interleague play. Cleveland wins the opener‚ 6-5‚ in 10 innings Tom McCraw has 4 hits‚ including a HR‚ for the Tribe.

The Tigers clinch the AL East as Woodie Fryman beats Luis Tiant 3-1 for his 10th win. Chuck Seelbach picks up his 14th save and Al Kaline singles in the winning run for Detroit. Luis Tiant hits a single in the game; not until Clemens singles in 1996 will another Sox pitcher get a hit in the same game he pitches. Fryman also singles‚ off Tiant; not till interleague play in 1997 will another Tiger pitcher get a base hit.

After hitting a pinch RBI single in the 9th to beat the Twins‚ 5-4‚ White Sox reliever Terry Forster steals 2B. Forster‚ later described by David Letterman as “a fat tub of goo‚” is the last AL pitcher before interleague play to steal a base. Forster finished the year at .526 (10 for 19) and will finish his 16-year career with a .397 lifetime average.

Steve Carlton wins his 27th game for the last-place Phillies‚ (59-97)‚ as they pound out 6 HRs in an 11-1 win over Chicago. Carlton’s total is the highest by a Phillies pitcher in 20 years. Don Money and Greg Luzinski hit back to back homers twice.

Tom Seaver of the New York Mets wins his 21st beating the Montreal Expos, 5-2, in the first game of a doubleheader. Steve Renko (1-10) takes the loss despite striking out seven consecutive hitters. The Mets also win the second game in 12 innings, 4-3.
October 4Ted Williams manages his final game as the Rangers lose to the Royals 4-0. Williams will be replaced by Whitey Herzog. It is the last game for the Royals manager Bob Lemon and the last game played at KC’s Municipal Stadium.

Milwaukee’s Jim Lonborg completes a successful comeback year with his 14th win‚ a 3-hit 1-0 victory over the 4th place Yankees.

Nolan Ryan fails in his quest to win 20 as the Angels fall to the AL West winners‚ Oakland‚ 2-1. Ryan strikes out 10 to finish the year with 329 strikeouts‚ 4th on the all-time list behind Koufax‚ Waddell‚ and Feller.
October 5Yutaka Fukumoto of the Hankyu Braves sets a Japanese single-season record of 113 stolen bases in a 130-game season.
October 7Oakland defeats Detroit in the opening game of the AL Championship Series. The Tigers take a 2-1 lead in the 11th inning‚ but the A’s come back with 2 runs in the bottom of the frame. The winning run is scored on Al Kaline‘s throwing error.

The Pirates score 3 in the first and top the Reds 5-1 in the NLCS opener as Joe Morgan and Al Oliver smash homers.
October 8During his club’s 5-0 win in the 2nd game of the ALCS‚ Oakland’s Bert Campaneris fires his bat at Detroit P Lerrin LaGrow. Campy‚ who had been hit by a pitch‚ is fined and suspended for the rest of the series. LaGrow is also thrown out of the game‚ but Detroit manages just 3 hits against Blue Moon Odom.

Cincinnati opens the game with 5 straight hits against Bob Moose and wins 5-3 to even the NLCS.
October 9The Pirates edge the Reds 3-2 as Manny Sanguillen homers and drives in the winning run in the 8th. Pittsburgh comes within one game of clinching the LCS.
October 10Ross Grimsley of the Reds allows but 2 hits-a single and a HR by Roberto Clemente-to even the series with a 7-1 victory.

The Tigers bounce back behind Joe Coleman’s 14 strikeouts to beat Oakland 3-0. Bill Freehan‘s HR supplies the firepower.
October 11The Pirates lead the Reds 3-2 in the bottom of the 9th inning of the final game of the NL series. Johnny Bench homers to tie the game‚ and 2 singles and a Bob Moose wild pitch later‚ the Reds are NL champs.

The Tigers even the AL series with a 10th-inning 3-run rally to beat the A’s 4-3. Jim Northrup bats in the game winner after Dave Hamilton walks home the tying run.
October 12Oakland takes the AL flag with a 2-1 win in the 5th game of the LCS. The A’s Reggie Jackson steals home‚ but pulls a hamstring in the process‚ sidelining him for the WS.
October 13Commissioner Kuhn announces that Bert Campaneris will be allowed to play in the WS.
October 14Catcher Gene Tenace becomes the first player ever to homer in each of his first 2 WS at bats‚ leading the A’s to a 3-2 opening-game win over the Reds.
October 15The A’s win 2-1 as Joe Rudi clouts a HR and makes a game-saving catch in the 9th to back up Catfish Hunter‘s pitching before an afternoon crowd of 53‚224‚ a record for Cincinnati. The A’s take a 2-game advantage as the Series moves to Oakland.
October 17Rain and hail in Oakland postpone the 3rd game of the Series.
October 18With the rainout yesterday‚ game 5 is quickly re-scheduled for this afternoon. With runners at 2B and 3B and a 3-2 count‚ the A’s fake an intentional walk and strike out Johnny Bench looking. Blue Moon Odom strikes out 11‚ but Cincinnati’s Jack Billingham is the winner 1-0.
October 19The A’s score twice in the bottom of the 9th on 4 straight singles-3 by pinch hitters to win the 4th game 3-2.
October 20Pete Rose begins the scoring with a first-pitch HR off Catfish Hunter‚ and ends it with a 9th-inning RBI single‚ as the Reds stay alive with a 5-4 triumph.

The Cubs trade P Tom Phoebus to the Braves for INF Tony LaRussa. LaRussa will play just one game for the Cubs‚ scoring the winning run as a pinch runner in next year’s Opener.
October 21The Reds send the Series to its 7th game with an 8-1 victory‚ the only game of the Series decided by more than one run. Bench has a HR and Bobby Tolan and Cesar Geronimo each drive in 2 runs.
October 22The A’s win their first World Championship in 42 years with a 3-2 victory in game 7. Gene Tenace has 2 RBI in the game. Tenace‚ who had only 5 HRs in the regular season has 4 in the WS‚ is named MVP.
October 24Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson dies of heart disease at age 53. Robinson had become the first black ML player of this century with the 1947 Dodgers.

Three longtime infielders are released by their respective clubs: Bill Mazeroski (Pirates)‚ Maury Wills (Dodgers)‚ and Julian Javier (Reds).
October 25In a fairly even swap of talent‚ the Pirates trade P Gene Garber to the Royals for pitcher Jim Rooker. However‚ after a year Garber will move back to the NL.
October 27The Yankees ship Danny Walton to the Twins for C Rick Dempsey. Walton spent the 1972 season in the minors‚ while young Dempsey had cups of coffee with the Twins the past 4 seasons.
October 31Gaylord Perry wins the AL Cy Young award by a 64-58 margin over Chicago’s Wilbur Wood. Perry won 24 games for the 5th-place Indians.

The Phillies trade IF Don Money and 2 others to the Brewers for 4 pitchers‚ including Jim Lonborg and Ken Brett.

November

November 2Steve Carlton caps off a remarkable season with a unanimous NL Cy Young Award.

The Mets trade pitchers Gary Gentry and Danny Frisella to the Braves for 2B Felix Milan and P George Stone‚ both of whom will contribute significantly to the Mets 1973 pennant.

Former Boston SS Freddy Parent dies at the age of 96. Parent had been the last surviving player from the first modern WS between Boston and Pittsburgh in 1903.
November 8The Cards bring Tim McCarver back to St. Louis‚ sending Jorge Roque to Montreal in exchange.
November 15The White Sox Dick Allen wins the AL MVP Award by an overwhelming margin over Joe Rudi of the A’s. Allen led the league in HRs (37)‚ RBI (113)‚ walks (99)‚ and slugging (.603).
November 21Boston’s Carlton Fisk is the unanimous choice for AL Rookie of the Year‚ the first time this has happened. The catcher hit 22 HRs and led the AL East with a .293 average. Jon Matlack of the Mets is named the NL Rookie of the Year.

The Cubs trade Billy North to the A’s for P Bob Locker.
November 22Johnny Bench wins the NL MVP with 263 votes to 211 for runner-up Billy Williams. It is Bench’s 2nd award in 3 years.
November 24The Yankees acquire veteran Matty Alou from the A’s for Rob Gardner and Rich McKinney. It is the 2nd time the Yankees have traded Gardner to the A’s for an Alou. Last year it was Felipe.
November 25TSN announces the Gold Glove Award winners. Pirates OF Roberto Clemente wins his 12th straight‚ and Dodgers 1B Wes Parker his 6th in a row. Neither will play in 1973.
November 27In a great trade for New York‚ the Indians swap 3B Graig Nettles and C Gerry Moses with the Yankees for C John Ellis‚ INF Jerry Kenney‚ and OFs Charlie Spikes and Rusty Torres.
November 28The Dodgers trade OF Frank Robinson‚ P Bill Singer‚ and 3 others to the Angels for P Andy Messersmith and 3B Ken McMullen.
November 30Twelve transactions‚ involving 36 players‚ take place. Among those sent to new clubs are OF Larry Hisle (to the Twins)‚ 2B Dave Johnson (Braves)‚ OF Del Unser (Phils)‚ Oscar Gamble (Indians)‚ Cesar Tovar (Phils) and OF Hal McRae and P Wayne Simpson (Royals).

December

December 10The major leagues adopt the save as an official statistic. 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 3 effective innings and preserves the lead.

The AL votes unanimously to adopt the designated-hitter rule for a 3-year experimental basis. The DH will replace the pitcher in the lineup unless otherwise noted before the start of the game. In the December 1975 meeting the AL will vote to permanently adopt the DH. The NL declines to go along with the AL.
December 31A plane carrying Roberto Clemente to Nicaragua on a mercy mission for earthquake victims crashes into the Atlantic Ocean. Clemente‚ who batted .317 in 18 seasons with the Pirates‚ is presumed dead at age 38.