The 1974 Oakland Athletics season involved the A's winning their fourth consecutive

American League West The American League West is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. The division has five teams as of the 2013 season, but had four teams from 1994 to 2012, and had as many as seven teams before the 1994 realignment. Although its teams curr ...

title with a record of 90 wins and 72 losses. In the playoffs, the A's defeated the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

in the ALCS for their third straight AL pennant, and in the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

, the first ever played entirely on the West Coast, defeated the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

in five games to take their third consecutive World Series championship. Paid attendance for the season was 845,693. In early 1974, owner

Charlie Finley Charles Oscar Finley (February 22, 1918 – February 19, 1996), nicknamed Charlie O or Charley O, was an American businessman who owned Major League Baseball's Oakland Athletics. Finley purchased the franchise while it was located in Kansas C ...

tried to sell the team with an asking price of $15 million.

Offseason

* November 3, 1973: Horacio Piña was traded by the Athletics to the Chicago Cubs for Bob Locker. * December 12, 1973: Rico Carty was released by the Athletics. * February 22, 1974: Reggie Jackson won an arbitration case for a $135,000 salary for the season, nearly doubling his previous year's $70,000.

Regular season

* June 5, 1974: Outfielders

Billy North William Alex North (born May 15, 1948) is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball. From 1971 to 1981, he played for the Chicago Cubs (1971–72), Oakland Athletics (1973–78), Los Angeles Dodgers (1978) and San Francisco Giants (1979– ...

and Reggie Jackson engaged in a clubhouse fight at Detroit's Tiger Stadium Jackson injured his shoulder, and catcher

Ray Fosse Raymond Earl Fosse (April 4, 1947 – October 13, 2021) was an American professional baseball player and television sports color commentator. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a catcher from 1967 to 1979, most prominently as an All-Sta ...

, attempting to separate the combatants, suffered a crushed disk in his neck, costing him three months on the disabled list.

The pinch runner

In 1974, "Hurricane" Herb Washington was tapped by Oakland owner

to become the A's "designated runner." Despite having no professional baseball experience, and having last played baseball in

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

, Washington was signed to a major league contract prior to the season. His major league debut was on April 4, 1974, against the Texas Rangers. Appearing as a pinch runner for Joe Rudi in game two of the

1974 World Series The 1974 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1974 season. The 71st edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion (and two-time defending World ...

, Washington was picked off first base in a crucial ninth-inning situation by Dodgers' reliever Mike Marshall.

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Opening Day starters

* Sal Bando *

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 ...

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 / ...

* Reggie Jackson * Ángel Mangual *

* Joe Rudi *

Gene Tenace Fury Gene Tenace (; born Fiore Gino Tenacci; October 10, 1946), better known as Gene Tenace, is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played as a catcher and first baseman in Major League Baseball from through , most n ...

Manny Trillo Jesús Manuel Marcano Trillo (born December 25, 1950), also nicknamed "Indio", is a Venezuelan former professional baseball second baseman, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics (–), Chicago Cubs (–, –), Phil ...

Notable transactions

* May 10, 1974: Dal Maxvill was signed as a free agent by the Athletics. * June 5, 1974: Rick Lysander was drafted by the Athletics in the 19th round of the 1974 Major League Baseball Draft. * August 19, 1974: Pat Bourque was traded by the Athletics to the Minnesota Twins for Jim Holt.Pat Bourque page at Baseball Reference
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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''

Pitching

Starting pitchers

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

Other pitchers

''Note: G = Games pitched; 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; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''

Postseason

ALCS

The Athletics defeated the

, 3 games to 1.

1974 World Series

Summary

Awards and honors

* Rollie Fingers, World Series Most Valuable Player Award *

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 ...

, P, American League Cy Young Award

All-Stars

1974 Major League Baseball All-Star Game The 1974 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 45th playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League (AL) and National League (NL), the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 23 ...

, shortstop, starter * Reggie Jackson, outfield, starter * Sal Bando, reserve * Rollie Fingers, reserve *

, reserve * Joe Rudi, reserve

Farm system

References

External links

1974 Oakland Athletics team page at Baseball Reference1974 Oakland Athletics team page at www.baseball-almanac.com
{{Oakland Athletics Oakland Athletics seasons Oakland Athletics season American League West champion seasons American League champion seasons World Series champion seasons Oakland