Sports74 Gold: National League

This time around, it's the league without the DH. The senior circuit had its own share of heroes and zeroes who played on more artificial fields than their American League counterparts.

To some of this data, the following applies: 

The information used here was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by Retrosheet. Interested parties may contact Retrosheet at "www.retrosheet.org".

Most of the public was certain that at least one major moment in sport would happen this year. Hank Aaron hits his 715th home run April 8, breaking Babe Ruth's long-standing record. He had finished 1973 one short of 714 but ties the record in his first at-bat of the season in Cincinnati April 4. The big one comes at the Atlanta Braves' first home game of the season. The Braves wanted him to skip that road series, but no way, says Commissioner Bowie Kuhn. Aaron hits 20 homers this season, including one on his last at-bat with the Braves Oct. 2. This is also his twentieth consecutive season with 20 or more. It has to be mentioned: the pitcher of number 715 was Al Downing of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Aaron also sets a new N.L. record for runs that big night of April 8, scoring his 2,063rd as he crosses the plate on that fourth-inning shot. Another N.L. mark he sets April 28 with his 15th grand slam. On a day in the Hammer's honor, Aaron matches Ty Cobb's standard for games played, taking the field for his 3034th game July 26.

The N.L. continues its All-Star Game dominance July 23 in Pittsburgh with a 7-2 win.

The Pittsburgh Pirates win the N.L. East title with a come-from-behind victory over the Chicago Cubs Oct. 2, which puts them 1 1/2 games ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals. The Pirates are the second team to win its division after being 12 games or more under .500 sometime in the season; last year's New York Mets were the first.

All four divisions have tight races; in the West, the Dodgers finish just four games ahead of the Cincinnati Reds.

Manager Walter Alston wins his seventh and last pennant in 20 years as the Dodgers beat the Pirates 3-1 in the National League Championship Series.

With 36 round-trippers, Mike Schmidt of the Philadelphia Phillies leads the National League in home runs for the first of eight times. Schmidt also has 118 RBI and bats .282. He makes his All-Star Game debut by entering as a pinch hitter, walking in his first plate appearance, staying in as third baseman, and scoring a run after being walked again.

On June 10, during a game against the Houston Astros, Schmidt hits a ball in such a way that it would have gone on to be a homer in any park other than the Astrodome; it goes down off a speaker for a single.

Lou Brock of the Cardinals steals a record 118 bases in his last season leading the league in swiped bags. He has won the title eight times in nine years. He reaches 700 for his career June 29 and ends up with 753 at year's end. Over the course of the season, he passes Honus Wagner, Max Carey, and Eddie Collins. Only Cobb has more career stolen bases (no, Billy Hamilton doesn't count). The Sporting News names Brock Sportsman of the Year despite most other such awards going to Muhammad Ali.

Fellow Cardinal Bob Gibson gets his 3000th strikeout July 17, becoming the first pitcher since Walter Johnson to reach that number. For less than five years will he be the only one in the Big Train's company.

Another Cardinal, Bake McBride, is the Rookie of the Year. He steals 30 bases, finishing second to Brock on the team.

Gold Glove winner Steve Garvey of the Dodgers is the MVP of the season. He's also the All-Star Game MVP, going 2 for 4 with a run and an RBI.

Aaron may get the headlines, but his teammate Ralph Garr leads the N.L. in batting average with .353, and Bruce Capra, another Brave, has a league-best ERA of 2.28.

Saves leader Mike Marshall of the Dodgers wins the N.L.'s Cy Young Award, and he appears in a record 106 games.

There are many 20-game winners in the American League, but the National League has only two: Phil Niekro of the Braves and Andy Messersmith of the Dodgers. The former leads the senior circuit in innings pitched, and the latter becomes the 14th to have a 20-win season in each of the two leagues.

Johnny Bench of the Reds hits 33 home runs to bring his total to 212. His league-leading 129 RBI make his career total 745. The catcher also wins the seventh of his ten Gold Gloves.

Ray Kroc buys the San Diego Padres. In 1973, the league had rejected two different sales, one that might have resulted in relocation to Washington and one that involved Burt Bacharach being in the Padres' ownership group.

The Padres' selection as the first choice in the Amateur Draft, Bill Almon of Brown University, is the first and only Ivy League man to be an overall No. 1 pick.

This is a good year to start an MLB career on a high note. Benny Ayala of the Mets hits a home run in his first big-league at-bat Aug. 27, and John Montefusco of the San Francisco Giants does the same seven days later.

Al Oliver of the Pirates hits in 23 straight games June 25 to July 28, then 21 in succession Aug. 4 to Aug. 28. Teammate Richie Zisk also has a 20-game hit streak Aug. 6-28, and he hits for the cycle June 9. On the same day as Oliver's second streak begins, the Phillies' Willie Montanez fails to get a hit for the first time in 24 games.

Three-homer games are achieved by George Mitterwald of the Cubs April 17, Jim Wynn of the Dodgers May 11, and Davey Lopes of the Dodgers Aug. 20. The latter follows his Wrigley Field feat four days later by stealing five bases against the Cardinals at home.

The only player to score five runs in a game this season is Bill Madlock of the Cubs, who gets two hits in three at-bats April 17, reaching on error in the other and walking twice. Madlock's opponents in that high-scoring Wrigley Field game? The Pirates.

Having been drafted by the Padres, been brought straight to the major-league club, and been passed over for Rookie of the Year honors in '73, Dave Winfield plays his first full season with San Diego, hitting 20 homers and stealing 9 bases.

Pete Rose of the Reds scores a league-best 110 runs and sets a single-season record for plate appearances with 771. He also does not miss a game this year and will not for the next three.

Miked up for a TV broadcast June 1, Tommy Lasorda calls a home run hit by his Dodgers' Ron Cey from his third-base coach's box.

Former Padres manager Preston Gomez gets the keys to the Astros' dugout from Leo Durocher sometime before the season, having been a coach in '73 and gone 16-5 as pilot. He'll be in Houston's skipper role for 289 games.

Besides Juan Marichal, bought by the A.L.'s Boston Red Sox in December of '73, another Giants legend is on a different team starting this season: Willie McCovey had been traded to the Padres Nov. 25, 1973.

After the season, the Mets' Tug McGraw goes to the Phillies in a six-player December trade.

Atlanta's WSB radio wins a Peabody Award for this year's "Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dream."

With increased attendance, the N.L. does its part to bring the major-league figure close to reaching 30 million as it had in '73, but thanks to a larger A.L. decrease, it misses by 6,039.

The Pirates' Mario Mendoza, in his first season, bats .221, but that's in 163 at-bats. It is years before he establishes the Mendoza Line.

As the Padres open their season April 9, Ray Kroc tells anyone who will listen the following over the P.A. system: "Ladies and gentlemen, I suffer with you." He Later on, he continues, "I've never seen such stupid baseball playing in my life." In between those comments, he addresses a situation on the field thusly: "Get that streaker out of here!"

C. Arnholt Smith ran an operation worthy of Kroc's scorn. It even included personality tests that had too much bearing on which players made the team. Under Smith, John McNamara started as Padres manager, but after a few years he proved not to be a big enough Mac for Kroc.

Cutoff throws from the outfield are a problem for the Padres. During a San Diego game April 30, Winfield throws the ball from center toward home. Derrel Thomas, playing second, decides he'll get out of the way but does not in fact get out of the way, try as he might. The ball hits him in the rear. After the game, in which the Padres beat the Montreal Expos 2-1, Winfield tells the press: "I finally hit the cutoff man."

One home game against the Astros is "Short Order Cooks Night" at the Padres' ballpark. The visitors' Doug Rader -- having said Kroc was grilling his team as if he were "dealing with a bunch of short-order cooks," which incensed actual short-order cooks -- brings the lineup card to the umpire in his capacity as captain and while wearing a chef's hat and apron. He serves it up on a skillet. No more hard feelings from the cooks in attendance.

During spring training in Arizona, Jose Cardenal, who mainly plays right field for the Cubs, is reportedly deprived of sleep after trying to catch a cricket in his room, and he drops out of the day's preseason game.

At the commencement of a Pirates home game May 1, Dock Ellis hits Rose, Joe Morgan, and Dan Driessen. He walks Tony Perez for the Reds' first run and is not allowed to finish pitching to Bench.

May 12 at Riverfront Stadium is a day the Astros' Bob Watson gets a treatment to remember, with an entry in the inaugural Baseball Hall of SHAME book coming in 11 years. Watson falls after colliding with the wall in left field, and some fans drop "beer, ice and other debris" on him. He doesn't move because he's concerned about glass in his right eye. The spectators' words hurt while teammate Cesar Cedeno helps Watson. The left fielder goes to the same hospital where three of the Cincinnati cranks are getting stitches, "apparently from beating their heads on the cops' [security guards] nightsticks."

Cesar Geronimo of the Reds is on the receiving end of Gibson's 3000th strikeout July 17. Almost six years later, another will join the club at his expense, that being Nolan Ryan (who will have joined the Astros).

Twenty-five innings come and go Sept. 11-12, in a game that takes until 3:15 in the morning to play. In that last inning, by which time easily more than 90 percent of the Wednesday crowd has gone to bed, Mets pitcher Hank Webb attempts a pickoff, but the throw is way off. McBride touches second and third with the ball still live (it's not a balk because of what Retrosheet will call "a recent rule change") and scores thanks to another error by catcher Ron Hodges. The Cardinals retire the Mets in order and win 4-3.

During practice one day, veteran Pirates left fielder Willie Stargell tells Miguel Dilone, a 19-year-old outfielder, that he'll race him from first base to second for $100. The fast runner shows what he can do, but the slow runner says he wants his cash. Stargell, something of a trickster, points out that he didn't use language suggesting Dilone would be paid for winning.

Next: future stars on the farm and an incredible-but-true story coming full circle. Extra innings start April 12.

[EDIT 3/27/2024 10:19 p.m. EDT: Adjusted font size.]

[EDIT 5/24/2024 7:36 a.m. EDT: Corrected a mistake in the attendance item.]

Sports74 Gold: American League

So much has been collected about baseball that I decided to split the baseball section into three installments. This first one concerns the junior circuit.

To some of this data, the following applies:
The information used here was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by Retrosheet. Interested parties may contact Retrosheet at "www.retrosheet.org".

The Oakland A's win their third World Series championship in a row despite their lack of .300 hitters and the resignation of manager Dick Williams. The Los Angeles Dodgers are on the losing side of this series, winning one game; the '73 New York Mets and '72 Cincinnati Reds each won three games against the A's. Rollie Fingers is the MVP of this Fall Classic.

Nolan Ryan pitches his third no-hitter Sept. 28; it is a 4-0 victory against the Minnesota Twins at Anaheim Stadium. Ryan's 367 strikeouts are his second-best mark for a season; he had a record 383 the year before. He now has 1,572 career K's, including 1,079 in three years with the California Angels. Ryan also allows 202 walks this season, so far second only to Bob Feller's 208 in 1938. He breaks one of Feller's records when his fastball is clocked on the radar at 100.9 miles per hour.

In other no-hitters of '74, Steve Busby of the Kansas City Royals blanks the hosting Milwaukee Brewers in a 2-0 victory June 19, and Dick Bosman of the Cleveland Indians manages to silence the A's 4-0 at Cleveland Stadium July 19.

Yankee Stadium is closed for renovations, so the New York Yankees play this season and the next at Shea Stadium.

Both divisions see some tight races. The Baltimore Orioles finish two games ahead of the Yankees in the East, but only after a 28-6 run to finish. In the West, the Texas Rangers end up just five behind the A's. Oakland defeats Baltimore three games to one in the American League Championship Series to earn manager Al Dark his first and only pennant.

The A's are not confident in Dark's abilities; he takes instructions from owner Charles O. Finley by telephone. Sal Bando says Dark "couldn't manage a meat market."

Rod Carew of the Twins is the American League batting champion with a .364 average, and this is his third in a string of four times with that distinction.

RBI leader Jeff Burroughs of the Rangers (with 118) is the junior circuit's MVP. Teammate Mike Hargrove is Rookie of the Year.

Dick Allen of the Chicago White Sox, despite leading the league with 32 home runs, "retires." He will be back next season, going from the Sox to the N.L.'s Atlanta Braves Dec. 3.

The infamous 10-cent Beer Night promotion June 4 in Cleveland results in fans going onto the field, throwing things, streaking, and assaulting the visiting Rangers. The potential winning run for the Indians is on base when umpire Nestor Chylak declares the Rangers winners by forfeit. This is one of four major-league games to be forfeited in the '70s.

Oakland's Catfish Hunter wins the Cy Young Award for the A.L.; he has the best ERA in the league with 2.49, and his record is 25-12.

Harmon Killebrew plays with the Twins for one more year before spending the last season of his career with the Royals. His 13 homers in '74 bring his all-time total to 559, making him the fifth player to get to 550.

The fourth, Frank Robinson, is traded from the Angels to the Indians Sept. 12. On Oct. 3, Robinson signs a contract to manage the team in '75. It will make for a historic first that makes him a future Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient. "We needed somebody to wake up the city," says executive vice president Ted Broda.

Brooks Robinson of the Orioles wins the 15th in his string of 16 Gold Gloves.

Yankees pitcher Tommy John gets the unprecedented tendon transplant surgery that will come to bear his name Sept. 25.

Herb Washington, "designated runner," steals 29 bases in 92 games for the A's but gets picked off in Game 2 of the World Series, contributing to the team's only loss in that Fall Classic. Washington, the AAU indoor 60-meter dash champion who didn't play baseball at Michigan State, is also caught stealing twice against Baltimore in the ALCS.

Another Oakland player, Bill North, leads the junior circuit in stolen bases with 54.

Al Kaline of the Detroit Tigers plays his final season, and he finishes his career with 3007 hits (his 3000th comes Sept. 24) and 399 home runs.

Kaline is the ninth player to wind up a career of 20 years or more while never once playing with a different team.

George Brett of the Royals is starting on making that list. While Brett plays his rookie season with Kansas City, Robin Yount plays his with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Hitting a home run in his first at-bat Sept. 1 is Reggie Sanders of the Tigers, the second of three MLB players in a short span to make such a debut.

Speaking of dingers, Bobby Grich of the Orioles wallops three of them consecutively June 18.

Fergie Jenkins of the Rangers leads the major leagues in complete games with 29, which after Hunter's 30 in 1975 will be a feat unreached by any pitcher.

From April 12 to July 3, Gaylord Perry of the Indians wins 15 games in 17 starts, not being involved in the decision for two of them. He's denied a share of the A.L. record when he loses the July 8 game to the A's. Gaylord Perry fails to win again until August 15, first not being the pitcher of record in an Indians loss July 18, then losing five in a row July 26-August 9.

Perry and Jim Kaat of the White Sox each have 21 wins. Kaat will also win 20 in 1975. Perry's brother Jim, who has just returned to Cleveland, gets 17 wins.

One of Kaat's wins is June 7, when a popcorn machine fire at Comiskey Park that results in some 4,000 spectators going onto the field from the smoky stands in right is the reason for a delay of over an hour.

Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox has a batting average of .301, and this is his last time batting .300 or better. He also hits his 300th home run and finishes the season with 303. Yaz is the A.L. leader in runs scored with 93.

This year he has another future Hall of Fame teammate. The Red Sox bought Juan Marichal of the N.L.'s San Francisco Giants during the offseason Dec. 7, 1973. Marichal is released Oct. 24, but will be picked up by the senior circuit's Dodgers in '75 for his final season.

Bill Virdon is the new manager of the Yankees after Ralph Houk's resignation following the previous season. This is the first of many manager changes under George Steinbrenner. In his second year as the team's owner, Steinbrenner is suspended after the '74 season, having pleaded guilty for his illegal contributions to Richard Nixon's '72 campaign.

The Rangers fall under the heady ownership of Brad Corbett and his group May 29. Their manager is Billy Martin, who in mid-July draws a fine and suspension for directing pitchers to bean the Brewers.

Oakland catcher Ray Fosse tries to break up a fight between teammates Reggie Jackson and Billy North during a June 5 game, and he winds up with a crushed disc.

Managers with new teams in '74: Houk is with the Tigers and Dick Williams, manager of the A's in '72 and '73, now manages the Angels.

Home sweet home? The Angels lose 15 straight Anaheim Stadium games June 30-July 28. The second game of the twinbill at Anaheim July 28, despite pinch-hit homers from the Twins' Killebrew and Carew, is a 12-9 win for Ryan, who wins 22 games with a team that finishes last in the Western Division.

The league is in the second year of what the 1974 World Book Year Book calls a "three-year experiment" with the designated hitter.

Future Hall of Famer Lee MacPhail begins his ten-year service as A.L. president.

The first salary arbitration meetings are held Feb. 11. As a result of his hearing, Dave Woodson gets $29,000 in salary as he wanted and not just the $23,000 the Twins had offered.

Jackson is also one of sixteen players to win arbitration hearings, and he's to be paid $135,000, not just $100,000.

An arbitration meeting in December grants Hunter free agency, and the Yankees sign him for $750,000 a year on New Year's Eve. Up to that point, the Mets' Tom Seaver has the biggest contract, signed Feb. 21 at $172,000 per year (some sources say $172,500).

The Yankees retire the number 16 in honor of new Hall of Famer Whitey Ford Aug. 3.

The Indians' red jerseys make their debut. By '78, the team will decide it's time for a new look.

The Tigers announce that they refuse to move to Pontiac, whose Silverdome is under construction and will be finished for the NFL's Lions in 1975. Tigers owner John Fetzer says the team "belongs to the inner city of Detroit."

Outfielder Lou Piniella (with pitcher Ken Wright) was traded from the Royals to the Yankees Dec. 7, 1973. In return, Kansas City got pitcher Lindy McDaniel. Piniella bats .305 in 1974.

Since 1970, All-Star Game ballots have been prepared prior to the start of the season, and one result of this practice is Luis Aparicio's name appearing thereon in 1974. The Red Sox had released him (and Orlando Cepeda) March 26, but some fans vote for him anyway.

Getting naked in public is all the rage this year. Some attendees at a White Sox game on Opening Day, April 5, disrobe, with four being arrested and more ejected.

Also in early April, A's pitcher Vida Blue first puts on what becomes his lucky cap. Starting this Opening Day, he will wear it game in and game out until sometime in '77.

Blue isn't the only A.L. hurler with a lucky cap. The Orioles' Mike Cuellar is separated from his by the distance between Baltimore and Cleveland when he is slated to take the mound Sept. 6. He won't pitch unless he has that particular hat on, so the team gets it to him at Cleveland Stadium in the nick of time. A five-hitter follows.

Yankees infielder Graig Nettles gets a hit Sept. 7 against the Tigers but loses the hit when he's found to have a corked bat. He had socked a homer earlier that Saturday night in a 1-0 win at Shea Stadium, and it's insinuated the same bat was used for the dinger.

That's what happened in the American League. A mammoth milestone moment and a fully frustrated franchise are the highs and lows of the National League. Celebrate this golden year March 22.

[EDIT 3/2/24 7:00-7:05 p.m. EST: I was going through Green Cathedrals and discovered the White Sox fire item I'd previously missed.]

[EDIT 3/27/24 10:17 p.m. EDT: Adjusted font size.]