The 1972

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

won the

American League East The American League East is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. MLB consists of an East, Central, and West division for each of its two 15-team leagues, the American League (AL) and National League (NL). This division was created before ...

division championship with a record of 86–70 (.551), finishing one-half game ahead of the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

. They played one more game than the Red Sox due to a scheduling quirk caused by the

1972 Major League Baseball strike The 1972 Major League Baseball strike was the first players' strike in Major League Baseball history. The strike occurred from April 1 to 13, 1972. Baseball resumed when the owners and players agreed on a $500,000 increase in pension fund paym ...

—a game which turned out to allow them to win the division. They lost the

1972 American League Championship Series The 1972 American League Championship Series was held October 7–12, and matched the Oakland Athletics () and Detroit Tigers () for the right to go to the 1972 World Series. The first two games were played at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseu ...

to the

Oakland A's The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

three games to two.

Offseason

* January 12: Tigers owner

John Fetzer John Earl Fetzer (March 25, 1901 – February 20, 1991) was a radio and television executive who was best known as the owner of the Detroit Tigers from 1961 through 1983. Under his ownership, the 1968 Tigers won the World Series. Biography Bo ...

announced plans to build a $126 million domed stadium on the Detroit riverfront. Lawsuits‚ a failed bond issue‚ and the construction of the

Pontiac Silverdome The Pontiac Silverdome (also known simply as the Silverdome) was a stadium in Pontiac, Michigan. It opened in 1975 and sat on 199 acres (51 ha) of land. When the stadium opened, it featured a fiberglass fabric roof held up by air pressure, ...

eventually killed the idea. * April 5: The Major League Baseball season was delayed due to a players' strike. A total of 86 games were lost to the strike.

Notable transactions

* March 24, 1972:

César Gutiérrez César Dario Gutiérrez oo-te-er'-rez(January 26, 1943 – January 22, 2005), also nicknamed "Cocoa", was a Venezuelan professional baseball player. He played as a shortstop in Major League Baseball for the San Francisco Giants in the 1967 and ...

was purchased from the Tigers by the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in ...

Regular season

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Season summary

After having a losing record in 1970, the Tigers were reinvigorated in

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses ( February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events J ...

and 1972 by their fiery manager,

Billy Martin Alfred Manuel Martin Jr. (May 16, 1928 – December 25, 1989), commonly called "Billy", was an American Major League Baseball second baseman and manager who, in addition to leading other teams, was five times the manager of the New York Yan ...

. The 1972 Tigers were an aging team whose best hitters (

Al Kaline Albert William Kaline ( ; December 19, 1934 – April 6, 2020), nicknamed "Mr. Tiger", was an American professional baseball right fielder who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers. For most of his career, Kali ...

and

Norm Cash Norman Dalton Cash (November 10, 1933 – October 11, 1986) was an American Major League Baseball first baseman who spent almost his entire career with the Detroit Tigers. A power hitter, his 377 career home runs were the fourth most by an America ...

) were both 37 years old. Together with the late-season acquisition of 38-year-old slugger Frank Howard, this led to a group of Tigers batters who were past their prime, and the team finished the year with an anemic .237 batting average—seventh in the AL. Light-hitting

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system u ...

Aurelio Rodríguez Aurelio Rodríguez Ituarte, Jr. (December 28, 1947 – September 23, 2000), sometimes known by the nickname "Chi Chi", was a Mexican professional baseball player, who spent the bulk of his Major League career with the Detroit Tigers. Known ...

led the team with 142 hits, and the 37-year-olds Kaline and Cash led the way in batting average (Kaline hit .313),

RBIs A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...

(Cash had 61), and

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s (Cash had 22). The strength of the 1972 team was pitching. The team's ace,

Mickey Lolich Michael Stephen Lolich (born September 12, 1940) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher from 1963 until 1979, almost entirely for the Detroit Tigers. A three-time All-St ...

, won 22 games, struck out 250 batters (2nd best in the AL), and had a 2.50 ERA. Joe Coleman had 19 wins and 222 strikeouts, and the early August acquisition of Woodie Fryman proved to be a key element in a tight pennant race. Between August 1 and 17, the Tigers went 5–12, and three of the team's wins were by Fryman. Excluding Fryman's wins, the Tigers were 2–12 in the first half of August. In the final two months of the season, Fryman had a 10–3 record with a 2.06 ERA ( Adjusted ERA+ of 154). Defense also played an important role in the team's success. Rodríguez led AL third basemen with 150 putouts and 348 assists, and

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...

Ed Brinkman won the

Gold Glove award The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in bo ...

and led AL shortstops with a .990

fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, di ...

(33 points above the league average). Brinkman set a record going 72 games and 331

total chances In baseball statistics, total chances (TC), also called ''chances offered'', represents the number of plays in which a defensive player has participated. It is the sum of putouts plus assists plus errors. ''Chances accepted'' refers to the total ...

without an

error An error (from the Latin ''error'', meaning "wandering") is an action which is inaccurate or incorrect. In some usages, an error is synonymous with a mistake. The etymology derives from the Latin term 'errare', meaning 'to stray'. In statistics ...

from late May through early August. Despite a .205 batting average, Brinkman won the "Tiger of the Year" award from the Detroit baseball writers and finished ninth in the American League MVP voting. The 1972 Tigers outscored their opponents 558 to 514. The pennant race came down to the final series, a matchup between the first place Red Sox and the second place Tigers. The Tigers won two of three games and finished a half game ahead of the Red Sox. (Because of cancellation of games missed during the early-season strike, the Tigers were scheduled for one game more than the Red Sox.) Detroit's attendance total of 1,892,386 was tops among the twelve American League teams and second in the majors behind the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major lea ...

Season highlights

* April 15: On

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...

in Detroit, the Tigers beat the Red Sox, 3–2.

got the win, and Ed Brinkman hit a two-run home run for the Tigers. * April 20: The Tigers lost to the Orioles, 1–0, despite a two-hitter by Detroit pitchers Tom Timmermann and Chuck Seelbach. Paul Blair hit a solo home run for the game's only score. * April 25: Mickey Lolich held the Rangers to four hits, as the Tigers won, 4–1. Second baseman Tony Taylor hit a two-run triple in the second inning. * April 28: Tom Timmermann held the White Sox to three hits and no runs, as the Tigers won, 12–0. Ed Brinkman went 3-for-4 with two doubles and four RBIs, and

went 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs. Having scored more than eight runs for the first time of the season, the Tigers would not do so again until August 12. * April 29: The Tigers beat the White Sox, 6–1, as Mickey Lolich struck out nine batters for his third win.

Mickey Stanley Mitchell Jack "Mickey" Stanley (born July 20, 1942) is an American former professional baseball player. A native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Stanley signed with the Detroit Tigers organization in 1960. After four years in the Tigers' minor league ...

Bill Freehan William Ashley Freehan (November 29, 1941 – August 19, 2021) was an American catcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire 15-year career with the Detroit Tigers. The premier catcher in the American League for several years from the 19 ...

, and Willie Horton all hit home runs. * May 17:

Tom Haller Thomas Frank Haller (June 23, 1937 – November 26, 2004) was an American professional baseball player, coach, and executive. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1961 to 1972, most notably as a member of the San Francisco Gi ...

hit a three-run home run in a 6–1 Detroit victory over Baltimore. Mickey Lolich held the Orioles to four hits and struck out seven for his seventh win. * May 21: Mickey Lolich shut out the Indians, 5–0, and struck out seven for his eighth win. Mickey Stanley hit a two-run triple to break a scoreless tie in the sixth inning, and Norm Cash added a home run. * May 27: Surprise hitting star Ed Brinkman had an RBI single and scored the game's only other run, as Detroit beat the Yankees, 2–1. Joe Coleman got the win to extend his record to 7–2. * June 16: Joe Coleman struck out ten as the Tigers beat the Angels, 3–0. Mickey Stanley and

Dick McAuliffe Richard John McAuliffe (November 29, 1939 – May 13, 2016) was an American professional baseball shortstop / second baseman, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers (1960–73) and Boston Red Sox (1974–75). He was ...

both hit home runs. * June 18: Norm Cash and Jim Northrup hit solo home runs to help Mickey Lolich win his eleventh game. Lolich struck out eight and pitched a complete game shutout, 2–0, over the Angels. * June 24: The Tigers beat the Orioles, 2–1, in 12 innings. The game was a pitching duel between Joe Coleman and

Mike Cuellar Miguel Ángel Cuellar Santana (; May 8, 1937 – April 2, 2010) was a Cuban professional baseball player. He played for 15 seasons in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher in 1959 and from 1964 through 1977, most prominently as a me ...

. Coleman struck out eleven and held the Orioles to four hits through eleven innings. Ed Brinkman hit a

sacrifice fly In baseball, a sacrifice fly (sometimes abbreviated to sac fly) is defined by Rule 9.08(d): "Score a sacrifice fly when, before two are out, the batter hits a ball in flight handled by an outfielder or an infielder running in the outfield in fair o ...

in the 12th inning, and Norm Cash scored the winning run. Future Tiger

Doyle Alexander Doyle Lafayette Alexander (born September 4, 1950) is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves, San Francisco Giants, Toronto Blue J ...

took the loss for Baltimore. * June 26: Pitcher

Bill Slayback William Grover Slayback (February 21, 1948 – March 25, 2015) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He appeared in 42 games, 17 as a starter for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Playing career After playing for Califo ...

made his major league debut for the Tigers and allowed no hits through seven innings against the Yankees.

Johnny Callison John Wesley Callison (March 12, 1939 – October 12, 2006) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 16 seasons and is best known for the 10 years he spent with the Philadelphia Phillies as a right ...

broke up the no-hitter with a single in the eighth inning, but the Tigers hung on to win, 4–3. * June 27:

‚

‚ and Willie Horton hit back-to-back-to-back home runs in the first-inning. Mickey Lolich, pitching on two days' rest, won his 12th game, 5–2. * July 1: The Tigers beat the Orioles, 2–0, in a pitching duel between

Dave McNally David Arthur McNally (October 31, 1942 – December 1, 2002) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher from 1962 through 1975, most notably as a member of the Baltimore Orioles d ...

and Mickey Lolich. Al Kaline won the game with a home run off McNally. * July 6: Joe Coleman won his tenth game and shut out the Royals, 7–0. Ed Brinkman hit an RBI single and walked with the bases loaded for a second RBI, and Bill Freehan hit a two-run double in the sixth inning. * July 8: Eighteen months after suffering a heart attack, Detroit reliever

John Hiller John Frederick Hiller (born April 8, 1943) is a Canadian former baseball relief pitcher who played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers between 1965 and 1980. A native of Toronto, he joined the Tigers in 1965 and w ...

returned to the mound in a 5–2 loss to the White Sox. * July 16: Bill Slayback pitched a five-hit shutout as the Tigers beat the Royals, 2–0. Norm Cash and Aurelio Rodríguez both hit home runs. * July 20: Slayback struck out 13 batters and allowed 5 hits in a 5–1 victory over the Rangers. * July 21: Mickey Lolich won his 17th game, a 3–1 victory over the Rangers. Dick McAuliffe and Norm Cash homered for Detroit. * July 22: The Tigers beat the Rangers, 6–2, as Joe Coleman won his 12th game. At the All-Star break, Lolich had 17 wins, and Coleman had 12. * July 25: Mickey Lolich held the National League to one hit and no runs in the fourth and fifth innings of the

All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that purports to showcase the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or d ...

. Bill Freehan caught the first five innings and scored in the third inning. When Lolich and Freehan left the game at the end of the fifth inning, the American League was ahead, 1–0. * July 31: The Tigers beat the Red Sox, 5–2, as Mickey Lolich won his 18th game, and Aurelio Rodríguez and Bill Freehan hit home runs. After a tremendous start, Lolich won only one game between July 31 and September 6. * August 1: The Tigers lost to the Brewers, 9–0, in a six-inning game called due to rain. As rain threatened to end the game before it became official, Detroit manager

employed stall tactics, and umpire Frank Umont recommended a $1,000 fine for Martin. * August 4: The Tigers claimed catcher

Duke Sims Duane B. "Duke" Sims (born June 5, 1941) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played eleven seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1964 to 1974 for the Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Dodgers, Detroit Tigers, New York Yanke ...

off waivers from the Dodgers. Over the last two months of the season, Sims hit .316 with four home runs and 19 RBIs and played in four of five games of the

. * August 5: Detroit shortstop Ed Brinkman committed an error, ending his major league record streak of 72 games and 331 total chances without an error. * August 9: The Tigers beat the Yankees, 6–0, behind the shutout pitching of newly acquired starter Woodie Fryman. Fryman held the Yankees to six hits in nine innings. Aurelio Rodríguez went 3-for-5 with 3 RBIs, and

Gates Brown William James "Gates" Brown (May 2, 1939 – September 27, 2013) was an American Major League Baseball left fielder who spent his entire career with the Detroit Tigers (1963–1975). He batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Early life Brown ...

went 2-for-2 with two RBIs. * August 13: The Tigers beat the Indians, 3–2, behind the second straight strong pitching performance by Woodie Fryman. With the Tigers in a skid through the first half of August, manager Billy Martin picked his starting lineup out of a hat in an attempt to halt the Tigers' skid. As a result of Martin's unusual tactic, Norm Cash hit in the leadoff spot, and shortstop Ed Brinkman hit in the cleanup spot. * August 17: Woodie Fryman pitched his third straight complete game victory since joining the Tigers at the beginning of August. * August 18: The Tigers beat the Angels, 2–0, as Mickey Lolich won his 19th game. It was Lolich's only win in the month of August.

Nolan Ryan Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr. (born January 31, 1947), nicknamed "the Ryan Express", is an American former professional baseball pitcher and sports executive. Over a record 27-year playing career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanning four decades, Ryan ...

was the losing pitcher for the Angels. * August 20: The Tigers beat the Angels, 11–9. After the Angels scored nine runs in the fourth inning, Detroit scored eight runs in the sixth inning. Aurelio Rodríguez had a double and a three-run home run in the Tigers' big inning. * August 27: Joe Coleman pitched an eleven-inning complete game shutout, as the Tigers beat the Twins, 1–0. Aurelio Rodríguez hit a home run in the 11th inning for the win. This was the third consecutive game in which the Tigers won with 11th-inning home runs. Rodriguez hit one to start the streak, and Willie Horton hit one in the middle game. * August 31: The Tigers acquired 36-year-old slugger Frank Howard from the Texas Rangers. Howard had seven RBIs in 14 games for the Tigers in 1972. * September 6: In a matchup between the AL's best starting pitchers, Mickey Lolich got his 20th win over Jim Palmer and the Orioles, 4–3. Lolich had failed in five prior starts to win his 20th. * September 8: Woodie Fryman continued his hot pitching, holding the Orioles to two hits and one run, while striking out eight batters. The Tigers won, 2–1. Gates Brown hit a first-inning home run off

Pat Dobson Patrick Edward Dobson, Jr. (February 12, 1942 – November 22, 2006) was an American right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Detroit Tigers (1967–69), San Diego Padres (1970), Baltimore Orioles (1971–72), Atla ...

, and Ed Brinkman added a run-scoring double in the seventh. * September 12: The Tigers beat the Orioles, 3–2, as Woodie Fryman won his sixth game since joining the team in August. * September 16: The Tigers beat the Brewers, 2–1, as Woodie Fryman won his seventh game. Ed Brinkman had the game-winning RBI with a single in the fourth inning. * September 20: Woodie Fryman won his eighth game as the Tigers beat the Indians, 4–1. * September 21–24: The Tigers and the Red Sox split a four-game series as the two teams battled for the lead in the American League East. In the opener, the Tigers won, 10–3, to move the Tigers into a tie for the lead in the AL East. Joe Coleman struck out 10 and had three RBIs. * September 27: Trailing 5–1 to the Yankees‚ the Tigers scored three runs in the eighth inning and two more in the ninth to beat the Yankees and keep their pennant hopes alive. * September 28: The Tigers lost to the Yankees, 3–2. Roy White hit a home run in the 12th inning to win it for New York. * September 29 – October 1: The Tigers swept the Brewers in a three-game series in Detroit, to keep the Tigers in a tight pennant race with the Red Sox. In the first game, the Tigers scored 12 runs, as Ed Brinkman hit a three-run home run in the first inning, and Al Kaline went 4-for-5 with a home run, a double, two runs, and two RBIs. In the third game, John Hiller pitched a complete game five-hitter against for his first win since suffering a heart attack in 1970. * October 2: The Tigers and Red Sox started a three-game series in Detroit with Boston ahead by a half game. In the first game, Mickey Lolich struck out 15 Red Sox batters. Detroit won, 4–1, in front of a crowd of 51,518 at Tiger Stadium. Al Kaline and Aurelio Rodríguez both hit home runs, and the Tigers moved ahead of the Red Sox by a half game. * October 3: The Tigers clinched the American League East championship as they beat the Red Sox, 3–1, in front of another sell-out crowd at Tiger Stadium. Woodie Fryman got the win, compiling a 10–3 record after joining the Tigers in early August. Boston's only run was unearned on a fielding error by Dick McAuliffe. In the bottom of the seventh inning, Al Kaline hit an RBI single to tie the score, 1–1. Bill "Spaceman" Lee pitched in relief of

Luis Tiant Luis Clemente Tiant Vega () (born November 23, 1940) is a Cuban former Major League Baseball (MLB) right-handed starting pitcher. He pitched in MLB for 19 years, primarily for the Cleveland Indians and the Boston Red Sox. Tiant compiled a 22 ...

, and Al Kaline scored on a fielding error by

Carl Yastrzemski Carl Michael Yastrzemski ( ; nicknamed "Yaz"; born August 22, 1939) is an American former Major League Baseball player. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989. Yastrzemski played his entire 23-year Major League career with the Bost ...

. Rookie Chuck Seelbach pitched a 1–2–3 ninth inning for the save. The game ended on a fly ball hit by future Tiger

Ben Oglivie Benjamin Ambrosio Oglivie Palmer (born February 11, 1949) is a Panamanian former professional baseball left fielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox (1971–1973), Detroit Tigers (1974–1977), and Milwaukee Brew ...

that was caught by Al Kaline in right field. * October 4: In the final game of the regular season, Joe Coleman had a chance to win his 20th game, but the Red Sox beat the Tigers, 4–1.

Notable transactions

* June 6, 1972: Jerry Manuel was drafted by the Tigers in the 1st round (20th pick) of the

1972 Major League Baseball Draft First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1972 Major League Baseball draft. ''*'' Did not sign Other notable selections ''*'' Did not sign Background The Montreal Expos had perhaps their best draft in franc ...

. * August 2, 1972: Woodie Fryman was claimed by the Tigers off waivers from the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

. * August 31, 1972: Frank Howard was purchased by the Tigers from the Texas Rangers.

Roster

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

''Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in''

Other batters

''Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in'' ''Note: pitchers' batting statistics not included''

Pitching

Starting pitchers

''Note: G = Games; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''

Other pitchers

''Note: G = Games; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''

Relief pitchers

''Note: G = Games pitched; W= Wins; L= Losses; SV = Saves; GF = Games finished; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''

Awards and honors

* Ed Brinkman,

Rawlings Gold Glove Award The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in bo ...

for shortstop

All-Stars

1972 Major League Baseball All-Star Game The 1972 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, the 43rd such game, was played on July 25, 1972. The all-stars from the American League and the National League faced each other at Atlanta Stadium, home of the Atlanta Braves. The National League ca ...

, starter, catcher * Joe Coleman, reserve *

, reserve *

, reserve

League top ten finishers

Ed Brinkman * Led AL shortstops in fielding percentage (.990) * Led MLB in games played (156) Joe Coleman * #3 in AL in sacrifice hits (15) * #5 in AL in strikeouts per 9 innings pitched (7.14) * #4 in AL in home runs allowed (23) * #2 in AL in bases on balls allowed (110) Woodie Fryman * Led AL in winning percentage (.769) Fred Holdsworth * Youngest player in AL (20)

* 4th oldest player in AL (37)

* Led the AL in home runs allowed (29) * #2 in the AL in strikeouts (250) * #3 in the AL in wins (22) * #3 in AL in innings pitched (327-1/3) * #2 in MLB in games started (41) * #2 in the AL in complete games (23) * #2 in MLB in hits allowed (282) * #2 in AL in strikeout to walk ratio (3.38) * #3 in MLB in hit batsmen (11) * #3 in AL in batters faced (1321)

* Led AL third basemen in putouts (150) * Led AL third basemen in assists (348) * #4 in AL in game played (153) * #3 in AL in at bats (601) * #3 in AL in outs (484) Chuck Seelbach * #7 in AL in games as pitcher (61)

* #2 in AL in sacrifice flies (8)

Players ranking among top 100 all time at position

The following members of the 1972 Tigers have been ranked among the Top 100 of all time at their position in The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract in 2001: *

: 12th best catcher of all time *

: 20th best first baseman of all time *

: 22nd best second baseman of all time *

: 91st best third baseman of all time * Willie Horton: 55th best left fielder of all time *

: 11th best right fielder of all time *

: 72nd best pitcher of all time

Postseason

American League Championship Series

The Tigers lost to the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The t ...

in the

, losing three games to two. The A's were 93–62 in the regular season and went on to beat the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

in the

1972 World Series The 1972 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1972 season. The 69th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League champion Oakland Athletics and the National League ...

Game 1

October 7, 1972, at Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Game 1 was a pitching duel with 20-game winners,

(22–14) and

Catfish Hunter James Augustus Hunter (April 8, 1946 – September 9, 1999), nicknamed "Catfish", was a professional baseball player in Major League Baseball (MLB). From to , he was a pitcher for the Kansas City/Oakland Athletics and New York Yankees. Hunter wa ...

(21–7).

hit a solo home run in the second inning to put the Tigers ahead, but the A's struck back in the third inning as

Bert Campaneris Dagoberto Campaneris Blanco (born March 9, 1942), nicknamed "Bert" or "Campy", is a Cuban American former professional baseball shortstop, who played Major League Baseball (MLB) for four American League (AL) teams, primarily the Kansas City / ...

walked, moved to third on a single, and scored on a sacrifice fly by

Joe Rudi Joseph Oden Rudi (born September 7, 1946) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left fielder between and , most prominently as an integral member of the Oakland Athletics dynasty that won thr ...

. The score remained tied, 1–1, through ten innings. In the top of the 11th inning,

hit a solo home run off

Rollie Fingers Roland Glen Fingers (born August 25, 1946) is an American former right-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for three teams between 1968 and 1985, when his effectiveness helped to redefine the value of relievers within baseba ...

to put Detroit ahead. After

Sal Bando Salvatore Leonard Bando (born February 13, 1944) is an American former professional baseball player and general manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a third baseman from to , most prominently as the team captain for the Oakland Athleti ...

and Mike Epstein singled to open the bottom of the 11th, Chuck Seelbach came on in relief of Lolich who had pitched 10 innings.

Gonzalo Márquez Gonzalo Enrique Márquez Moya (March 31, 1940 – December 19, 1984) was a Venezuelan professional baseball player. He played as a first baseman in Major League Baseball for the Oakland Athletics (1972–73) and Chicago Cubs (1973–74). Althoug ...

singled to right, driving in two runs to give the A's the win in Game 1.

Game 2

October 8, 1972, at Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Game 2 was a lopsided 5–0 win for the A's, as

Blue Moon Odom Johnny Lee "Blue Moon" Odom (born May 29, 1945) is an American former professional baseball player. He played as a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball from through , most notably as a member of the Oakland Athletics dynasty that won ...

(15–6) pitched a complete game shutout and held the Tigers to three hits. Woodie Fryman (10–3), who had been virtually unhittable in August and September, gave up four runs in 4-1/3 innings.

singled in the first inning, stole second and third on successive pitches, and then scored on a single by

. Campaneris singled again in the third inning, and singled and scored again in the firth inning. When Campaneris came to bat in the seventh inning,

Lerrin LaGrow Lerrin Harris LaGrow (born July 8, 1948) is an American former professional baseball pitcher, who played 10 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Detroit Tigers (), (–), St. Louis Cardinals (), Chicago White Sox (–), Los Angeles Dod ...

's first pitch hit Campaneris in the ankle. Campaneris staggered for a moment, glared at LaGrow and then flung his bat toward the mound. The bat spiraled at LaGrow five feet off the ground, but LaGrow ducked, and the bat narrowly missed LaGrow, landing a few feet behind the mound. A bench-clearing brawl ensued, and Tigers manager

had to be restrained by umpires and teammates to prevent him from going after Campaneris. Both LaGrow and Campaneris were suspended for the rest of the ALCS.

Game 3

October 10, 1972, at Tiger Stadium The Series moved to

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

for the final three games. In Game 3, Joe Coleman (19–14) pitched a complete game shutout and set an ALCS record by striking out 14 A's batters. The Tigers won, 3–0, as Ike Brown hit a single in the 4th inning that drove in

and

. Freehan also hit a home run in the 8th inning to complete the scoring.

Ken Holtzman Kenneth Dale Holtzman (born November 3, 1945) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher from through , most notably as a member of the Chicago Cubs for whom he pitch ...

(19–11) was the losing pitcher for the A's.

Game 4

October 11, 1972, at Tiger Stadium Game 4 was the most exciting game of the Series and was rated by

The Sporting News The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...

as one of the five greatest games ever played at Tiger Stadium. The game featured a rematch of Game 1 –

for Detroit and

for Oakland. Detroit took the lead in the 3rd inning on a solo home run by

, and Lolich held the A's scoreless through six innings. The A's tied the game, 1–1, on a Mike Epstein home run in the 7th inning, and the game went into extra innings with the score tied, 1–1. In the top of the 10th inning, Chuck Seelbach replaced Lolich and gave up two runs. With the Tigers on the verge of elimination, the Tigers staged a dramatic comeback in the bottom of the 10th inning.

and

opened the inning with singles, and

walked to load the bases with nobody out.

bounced a double play ball to third, but Sal Bando's throw to second baseman Gene Tenace was dropped, allowing McAuliffe to score.

walked, and Kaline scored to tie the game at 3–3. Jim Northrup ended it with a walk-off game-winning single, as

scored the winning run.

Game 5

October 12, 1972, at Tiger Stadium The decisive Game 5 was another pitching duel between

and Woodie Fryman. Both teams combined for only nine hits, and the only extra-base hit was a double by Odom. The Tigers scored first in the bottom of the first inning, as

singled, moved to second on a walk, moved to third on a passed ball, and scored on a groundball by

. The A's tied in the top of the second inning, as

Reggie Jackson Reginald Martinez Jackson (born May 18, 1946) is an American former professional baseball right fielder who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City / Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, and Cali ...

walked, stole second base, advanced to third on a fly ball, and then stole home. In the fourth inning, George Hendrick reached base on a controversial throwing error (umpire John Rice ruled that first baseman Norm Cash had pulled his foot off the bag but replays showed otherwise). He advanced to second on a bunt, and scored on a Gene Tenace single to left field. Neither team scored a run after the top of the fourth, and the A's won the game, 2–1. In the 9th inning,

singled, but pinch hitter

hit into a fielder's choice and Tony Taylor hit a fly ball to center for the final out. Odom and

Vida Blue Vida Rochelle Blue Jr. (born July 28, 1949) is a former American professional baseball player. He was a left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball between and , most notably as an integral member of the Oakland Athletics dynasty that won thr ...

combined to hold the Tigers to five hits. Despite allowing only one earned run, Fryman took the loss.

Postseason player stats

Batting

''Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in''

Pitching

''Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''

Farm system

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Montgomery, Bristol

References

*
Detroit Tigers 1972 Regular Season Statistics at Baseball Reference

1972 ALCS Statistics, Box Scores and Play by Play

External links

BaseballLibrary.com Game by Game Summary of 1972 Tigers season
{{Detroit Tigers Detroit Tigers seasons Detroit Tigers season American League East champion seasons Detroit Tiger 1972 in Detroit

Offseason

Notable transactions

Regular season

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Season summary

Season highlights

Notable transactions

Roster

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

Other batters

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Other pitchers

Relief pitchers

Awards and honors

All-Stars

League top ten finishers

Players ranking among top 100 all time at position

Postseason

American League Championship Series

Game 1

Game 2

Game 3

Game 4

Game 5

Postseason player stats

Batting

Pitching

Farm system

See also

References

External links