1975 American League Championship Series


The 1975 American League Championship Series was a semifinal matchup in Major League Baseball's 1975 postseason between the Boston Red Sox and the three-time defending World Series champion [1975 1975 Oakland Athletics season|Oakland Athletics season|Oakland Athletics] for the right to advance to the World Series. The Red Sox swept the series in three games to win their first AL pennant in eight years, which ended Oakland's pursuit of a fourth consecutive World Series title.

Background

During the regular season, the Red Sox posted a record to win their first American League East division title, while the "Swingin' A's" went to take the American League West for the fifth consecutive season.
The Red Sox had experienced players such as Carl Yastrzemski, Carlton Fisk, and Dwight Evans, and two sensational rookies - Fred Lynn and Jim Rice. Lynn took most of the headlines by playing a flawless center field, hitting.331 with 21 home runs and 105 RBIs, and was the first major league player to win the MVP and Rookie of the Year awards in the same season. Despite suffering a broken wrist in late September, Rice finished with a.309 average, 22 homers, and 102 RBIs.

Game summaries

Game 1

Boston starter Luis Tiant allowed just one run on three hits to defeat the Athletics, 7–1, in the ALCS opener. Tiant struck out eight and walked three in a complete game effort, retiring the side in order in four innings. Juan Beníquez went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored, Fred Lynn ended 1-for-4 with two RBIs, and Carlton Fisk went 1-for-4 with two runs scored for the Red Sox. Oakland starter Ken Holtzman was saddled with the loss by yielding five hits and four runs with four strikeouts and a walk in innings of work.

Game 2

Carl Yastrzemski hit a two-run home run to lead the Red Sox past the Athletics, 6–3, in Game 2. Boston starter Reggie Cleveland was solid through five innings, allowing three runs on five hits with two strikeouts and one walk. Rico Petrocelli also homered, Carlton Fisk went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored, and Fred Lynn went 2-for-4 with one RBI for the Red Sox. Athletics starter Vida Blue lasted three innings and gave up just three runs on six hits. The win went to Roger Moret, who tossed one scoreless inning of relief, and Dick Drago worked the final three innings to close out the contest. Rollie Fingers took the loss, allowing three runs on five hits over four innings. Reggie Jackson hit a two-run homer and Sal Bando went 4-for-4 with two doubles and a run for the Athletics.

Game 3

After three consecutive championships, the Athletics' dynasty came to an end, as the Red Sox took the third game, 5-3, to sweep the series, their first series win since 1918. Boston starter Rick Wise allowed three runs on six hits in innings of work. Both Denny Doyle and Carlton Fisk collected two hits with one run and an RBI, and Rick Burleson went 2-for-4 with one run scored to pace the Red Sox. On just two days' rest, Ken Holtzman started for Oakland and was tagged for four runs on seven hits in just innings to take his second loss in the series. Dick Drago earned the save for pitching innings of shutout ball for Boston while Carl Yastrzemski made two great defensive plays in left field and collected two hits. Sal Bando went 2-for-4 with two RBIs while Reggie Jackson went 2-for-4 with one RBI for the Athletics.
This game, and Game 3 of the National League Championship Series, were the first LCS games ever played at night; both were regionally televised by NBC.

Composite box

1975 ALCS : Boston Red Sox over Oakland A's

Series Statistics

Boston Red Sox

Batting

Note: GP=Games played; AB=At bats; R=Runs; H=Hits; 2B=Doubles; 3B=Triples; HR=Home runs; RBI=Runs batted in; BB=Walks; AVG=Batting average; OBP=On base percentage; SLG=Slugging percentage
PlayerGPABRH2B3BHRRBIBBAVGOBPSLGReference
Juan Beníquez3122310010.250.250.333
Rick Burleson392220011.444.500.667
Cecil Cooper3100420010.400.400.600
Denny Doyle3113300020.273.250.273
Dwight Evans3101110001.100.182.200
Carlton Fisk3124510020.417.417.500
Fred Lynn3111410030.364.364.455
Rico Petrocelli3121200120.167.167.417
Carl Yastrzemski3114510121.455.500.818

Pitching

Note: G=Games Played; GS=Games Started; IP=Innings Pitched; H=Hits; BB=Walks; R=Runs; ER=Earned Runs; SO=Strikeouts; W=Wins; L=Losses; SV=Saves; ERA=Earned Run Average
PlayerGGSIPHBBRERSOWLSVERAReference
Reggie Cleveland115713320005.40
Dick Drago20210020020.00
Roger Moret101110001000.00
Luis Tiant119331081000.00
Rick Wise11633221002.45

Oakland Athletics

Batting

Note: GP=Games played; AB=At bats; R=Runs; H=Hits; 2B=Doubles; 3B=Triples; HR=Home runs; RBI=Runs batted in; BB=Walks; AVG=Batting average; OBP=On base percentage; SLG=Slugging percentage
PlayerGPABRH2B3BHRRBIBBAVGOBPSLGReference
Sal Bando3121620020.500.500.667
Bert Campaneris3111000001.000.083.000
Ray Fosse120000000.000.000.000
Phil Garner350000000.000.000.000
Tommy Harper100000001─1.000─
Jim Holt330110000.333.333.667
Don Hopkins110000000.000.000.000
Reggie Jackson3121500130.417.417.667
Bill North3100000012.000.167.000
Joe Rudi3121320000.250.250.417
Gene Tenace390000003.000.250.000
César Tovar222100001.500.667.500
Claudell Washington3121310010.250.250.333
Billy Williams370000001.000.125.000

Pitching

Note: G=Games Played; GS=Games Started; IP=Innings Pitched; H=Hits; BB=Walks; R=Runs; ER=Earned Runs; SO=Strikeouts; W=Wins; L=Losses; SV=Saves; ERA=Earned Run Average
PlayerGGSIPHBBRERSOWLSVERAReference
Glenn Abbott101000000000.00
Vida Blue113603320009.00
Dick Bosman10000000000.00
Rollie Fingers104513330106.75
Ken Holtzman22111218570204.09
Paul Lindblad20513100001.93
Jim Todd301301000000.00

Aftermath

On June 15, 1976, Oakland Athletics owner Charlie Finley, with the dawn of free agency looming and looking to tear his dynasty apart, sold Rollie Fingers and Joe Rudi to the Red Sox and Vida Blue to the Yankees over the course of twelve days. In the words of Sports Illustrated writer Ron Fimrite, it was "the biggest sale of human flesh in the history of sports." The deals would first be frozen, then overturned by MLB commissioner Bowie Kuhn, citing the his "best interests of baseball" powers. Ultimately, Finley got nothing as most of his players left for free agency that summer.
After the 1976 season, the A's lost Gene Tenace, Rollie Fingers, Sal Bando, Joe Rudi, Don Baylor and Bert Campaneris to free agency. This, combined with the loss of Catfish Hunter two years earlier and the trade of Reggie Jackson and Ken Holtzman to the Baltimore Orioles for Mike Torrez, Paul Mitchell and Don Baylor, stripped the team of almost all of the talent from the 1972-1974 World Series-winning teams. The final nail in the coffin was the trade of pitcher Vida Blue to the San Francisco Giants for seven players and $300,000 just before the start of the 1978 season. The A's did not make the postseason again until 1981, which was the year after Finley sold the team for $12 million.
After his trade to Baltimore in 1976, Jackson had not signed a contract and threatened to sit out the season; he reported to the Orioles four weeks later, and made his first plate appearance on May 2, nearly four weeks after the start of the season. Orioles' ace pitcher Jim Palmer later wrote on Jackson's lone season in Baltimore, "I would say Reggie Jackson was arrogant. But the word arrogant isn't arrogant enough." Jackson later signed the largest free-agent contract at the time with the New York Yankees after the season and helped lead New York to back-to-back championships in 1977 and 1978; Catfish Hunter was also on these Yankees teams.
This was the first of four Athletics-Red Sox playoff match-ups. The Red Sox won in 1975 and 2003, while the Athletics swept the Red Sox in 1988 and 1990.