1975 Oakland A’s: The Last October For A Great Dynasty

The Oakland A’s were the preeminent power in Major League Baseball in the first half of the 1970s. They won five straight AL West titles, three consecutive pennants, and three straight World Series. The “three-peat” of 1972-74 is one of just four times in MLB history that such a feat has been accomplished, and the only time it’s been done by a franchise not named the New York Yankees. It was an amazing run, and the 1975 Oakland A’s marked the organization’s last run into October before coming apart.

A CRACK IN THE ARMOR

A crack in the dynasty—a big one—took place in the offseason between 1974 and 1975. The great Catfish Hunter, the ace of the rotation, filed a lawsuit against owner Charlie Finley regarding the failure to pay into a contractually promised annuity fund. Catfish won his case, his contract was voided, and he became a free agent. He signed with the New York Yankees.

PLENTY OF TALENT REMAINS

It was a big loss, but Oakland was still a balanced team, ranking second in the American League in both runs scored and ERA in 1975. The key players offensively were catcher Gene Tenace, who hit 29 home runs and whose plate discipline led him to draw 106 walks—he was doing it the Moneyball way long before Billy Beane showed up in the Bay Area.

First baseman Joe Rudi hit 21 home runs, and the A’s had steady veterans on the left side of the infield in third baseman Sal Bando and shortstop Bert Campaneris. There was speed in the outfield, with 20-year-old Claudell Washington hitting .308 and centerfielder Bill North posting a .373 OBP.

All of these players were solid contributors, but in the pantheon of the Oakland A’s in the early 1970s, no star shone brighter than that of Reggie Jackson. The right fielder had another big year in 1975, with 36 home runs and 104 RBIs.

The pitching staff had some great arms, but it was top-heavy. Vida Blue won 22 games with a 3.01 ERA, and Ken Holtzman won 18 and had a 3.14 ERA. The top reliever was one of the best of his time, Rollie Fingers, and his famous handlebar mustache. Fingers did whatever Oakland needed—he pitched 126 innings, won 10 games, saved 24 more, and had a 2.98 ERA.

Blue, Holtzman, and Fingers shouldered the load and made sure the A’s had the pitching to stay ahead of a talented and rising young Kansas City Royals team in the AL West. Prior to 1994, the Royals–along with the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins–were in the West, there was just two divisions per league and only the first-place team qualified for the postseason.

VETERAN SAVVY HOLDS OFF RISING TALENT

Oakland played well early and was 29-20, though Kansas City was a half-game better on June 3, as the teams were the best two in the American League. The A’s then won 13 of 17, setting up a four-game weekend series at home with the Royals.

Reggie set the tone on Friday with a two-run double in the bottom of the first. Journeyman starter Stan Bahnsen pitched well, going into the eighth inning, and Fingers ultimately closed out the 3-1 win. The bats went quiet on Saturday afternoon, losing 4-1. That set up a Sunday doubleheader to conclude the series.

Oakland led the opener 5-2 in the ninth inning, when a series of relievers—including Fingers—were unable to hold the lead, and the Royals scored three times to tie it. Kansas City then got an RBI single from young third baseman George Brett in the top of the 12th and was all set to get what, for a young team, would be a big win on the road—or at least as big as any win can be in June.

But the A’s showed veteran savvy. Tenace drew a walk. Jackson singled, but the A’s also got down to their final out. Bando then hit a double that brought in both runs and won the game 7-6. Oakland then took the nightcap of the doubleheader 8-1, behind three hits from Washington and a complete game from another journeyman pitcher, Dick Bosman.

With that momentum out of that series, the A’s won 13 of the next 19 going into the All-Star break and built an 8½-game lead in the AL West.

The lead nudged out to double digits over the latter part of July. Oakland began the month of August by going to Kansas City and losing two of three. The lead was still comfortable, but that began a stretch where the A’s lost nine of 15, and the Royals closed back to within 5½.

Jousting continued in that vein over the next couple of weeks. Oakland would threaten to blow it open. Kansas City would hang in. And the A’s division lead stood at an even five games when the Royals came to town for a three-game series starting on September 8. It was a chance for Oakland to jam the knife in.

Monday night’s opener was tied 2-2 in the sixth inning, when Washington homered. Three consecutive singles produced two more runs. Tenace homered. The game was broken open, and it ended 8-2 behind a five-hitter from Holtzman.

Tuesday night was an old-fashioned pitcher’s duel. It was so old-fashioned that Fingers pitched six innings in relief. In the bottom of the 14th, it was still tied 1-1, there were two outs and no one aboard. Campaneris hit a ground ball to short that should have ended the inning. But an error kept the A’s alive. Campy stole second and scored the winning run on a base hit by North.

The series in hand, Oakland had done what they needed to do, but the veterans had momentum and weren’t letting up. Bando hit a three-run blast in the third inning on Wednesday night to get the ball rolling. North finished with three hits. Blue went the distance in an 8-1 rout.

With the sweep, the A’s had effectively finished the race. It never got closer than five, and that wasn’t until early in the final week of the season. Oakland sealed the deal on Wednesday, blowing out the White Sox 13-2. When Rollie got Ken Henderson to fly out to Washington, a fifth straight AL West flag was coming to Oakland.

THE END OF AN ERA

The A’s final record was 98-64, the best in the American League and the second-best in all of baseball, trailing only Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine. It seemed as though Oakland and Cincinnati were on a collision course to play in the World Series.

But the time for Oakland to let go of at least some of their dynasty was coming. They faced the Boston Red Sox in the American League Championship Series, and while the games were good, the A’s lost three straight (the LCS was best-of-five up until 1985).

The Red Sox would go on to play a classic World Series against the Cincinnati Reds, but Oakland’s defeat did deprive baseball in one sense—the Big Red Machine of Cincinnati was the emerging new dynasty, ready to win back-to-back championships. There would have been something historically appropriate about seeing them start that by ending the old dynasty that was the Oakland A’s.

Oakland’s dynasty would come to a complete halt in 1976, as Kansas City finally overtook them in the AL West. The era of free agency that began in ’76 was cruel, as the team broke up completely. But the A’s of 1971-75 were one of the best in the modern era.