1975 Oakland A's: What Should Have Been

[motnahp]

For the second time in 6 days, an Oakland hurler tossed a one-hit shutout. This time, Dick Bosman pulled the trick, allowing only a Thurman Munson single in the 5th. Bosman walked 4 and struck out 2. Oakland bats pounded the Yankee pitching for 18 hits in the 10-0 drubbing. Claudell Washington, in the 6th spot, went 4-5 with a double and 2 RBI. Joe Rudi and Ray Fosse each drove in three. Reggie Jackson was 3-4 with one RBI. Now, it's on to Boston to battle the East-leading Red Sox.

THUR AUG 28

OAK_____10___18___0
NYY______0____1___0

[motnahp]

Bill "Spaceman" lee baffled the A's, throwing a 2-hit shutout against them. Lee struck out 5 and walked 3. Fred Lynn had a 2-run homer for Boston. Kenny Holtzman allowed 3 runs in 7 innings, as the A's dropped the opener 5-0. The A's signed utility infielder Dal Maxvill to a minor league contract.

FRI AUG 29

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BOS_____5__11___0

[motnahp]

Rick Wise (14-9) shut out the A's for 8 innings and Boston beat Oakland again, 6-3. Denny Doyle hit a 3-run homer off losing pitcher Vida Blue (15-9) in the bottom of the 2nd to give Boston the early lead. Blue allowed all 6 runs in only 5 innings. The A's staged a comeback in the 9th, scoring 3 times. Reggie Jackson flew out to left field with the bases loaded to end the game.

SAT AUG 30

OAK_____3___6___0
BOS_____6___9___1

[motnahp]

The A's took the final game of the series behind Catfish Hunter (18-10), 5-2. Billy Williams smacked his team-leading 20th homer, a 3-run shot in the top of the 1st off Reggie Cleveland (11-7).

SUN AUG 31

OAK_____5___11___0
BOS_____2____8___0

[motnahp]

The A's were 18-13 in an exhausting August. They picked up OF Cesar Tovar for some bench depth. Here are the standings at the end of August. Only one race in contention, the NL East.

[motnahp]

Back in action following a holiday/let's watch some football break.

Sal Bando singled in pinch-runner Matt Alexander with the eventual winning run in the top of the 9th as the A's edged the Angels 2-1. Gene Tenace opened the 9th with a double. Tenace also provided a solo homer. Dick Bosman (7-4) went 8 innings for the win and Rollie Fingers pitched the 9th and earned his 16th save. Frank Tanana (19-14) took the loss for California.

MON SEP 1

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CAL_____2___4___1

[motnahp]

Oakland's Reggie Jackson entered the MLB record books, belting 4 home runs in the A's 16-6 win over the Angels. Reggie connected for a solo homer in the top of the 1st off Angel starter Ed Figueroa. In the top of the 3rd, Jackson connected for a 3-run shot, also off Figueroa. After striking out in the 5th, Jackson swatted yet another solo homer off Figueroa in the 7th. This blast tied the score at 5-5, as Jackson had accounted for all of the Oakland runs with homers. Facing reliever Jim Brewer in the top of the 8th with the A's ahead 6-5, Jackson made history with his second 3-run homer of the game. Oakland led 9-5, before unloading their bench and unloading on the Angels with 7 runs in the 9th. Jackson also batted in the 9th, but was walked on 4 pitches. Several Oakland players made their season debuts in this game: Cesar Tovar started and went 0-3 with a walk and run scored. OF Charlie Chant was 0-1 with a run scored. IF Billy Grabarkewitz went 1-1 with a 2-run double. OF Don Hopkins replaced Reggie in the bottom of the 9th for defense. IF Dal Maxvill walked in one plate appearance. OF Denny Walling was announced as a pinch hitter, but was lifted following a pitching change. Pitcher Craig Mitchell pitched the 9th, allowing one run, one walk, and two hits. Ken Holtzman (17-9) went 7 innings for the win.

TUE SEP 2

OAK_____16___18___0
CAL______6___10___1

[motnahp]

Following an off-day and a rainout, the A's bats continued to sizzle in a 16-1 pounding of the Rangers in Oakland. Gene Tenace was 3-4 with a grand slam. Joe Rudi was 2-3 with a 3-run homer. Ray Fosse smacked a 2-run homer, and Sal Bando went 3-5 with 2 RBI. Vida Blue (16-9), Mike Norris, and Paul Lindblad held the Rangers down, and Oakland manager motnahp was again able to work several bench players and youngsters into the game. The series continues with a single game on Saturday, followed by a doubleheader on Sunday.

FRI SEP 5

TEX_____1___8___0
OAK____16__16___0

[motnahp]

Claudell Washington's 2-out, bases-loaded single scored Matt Alexander with the winning run in the bottom of the 9th as the A's nipped Texas 2-1 in a matchup of aces. Oakland's Catfish Hunter (19-10) outdueled Gaylord Perry (16-17) as the A's won their 5th straight.

SAT SEP 6

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OAK_____2___8___0

[motnahp]

Cesar Tovar's double with 2 out in the bottom of the 11th scored Tommy Harper with the game-winner as the A's again edged the Rangers, 3-2. Rollie Fingers (9-2) allowed the tying run in the top of the 9th, but earned the win with scoreless innings in the 10th and 11th. For the 2nd time in a week, the A's denied an opposing starter their 20th win. Fergie Jenkins (19-15) took the loss today. Last Monday, the A's denied California's Frank Tanana win number 20 (Tanana picked up #20 Friday with a shutout of Kansas City).

SUN SEP 7 (1)

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OAK_____3___9____0

[motnahp]

The A's swept the doubleheader and picked up their 7th straight win, downing Texas 4-2. Ken Holtzman (18-9) bested Jim Umbarger (13-7). Gene Tenace was the only player on either team with more than one hit. Geno went 2-4, including an RBI triple.

The A's will now welcome Kansas City to town for a 3-game series.

SUN SEP 7 (2)

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OAK____4___5___1

[motnahp]

The A's train kept rolling with a 5-3 win over the Royals. Stan Bahnsen (9-6) started and went 7 2/3 innings, allowing only one run. Gene Tenace smacked a 2-run homer, Tommy Harper had a pinch-hit RBI double, and Claudell Washington was 2-3. Dennis Leonard (12-12) took the loss for Kansas City.

Cincinnati clinched the NL West today. The A's are on the verge of clinching, with a magic number of 2.

MON SEP 8

KC_____3___10___0
OAK____5____8___0

[motnahp]

The Oakland A's clinched the American League West today, winning their 9th straight game, 3-2 over the Royals. Texas' 5-4 loss earlier in the day at Minnesota had reduced the magic number to one. The A's, facing a 20 MPH wind blowing in off the bay, played small ball today, getting two-out RBI singles from Claudell Washington and Reggie Jackson in the 5th inning to erase an early 1-0 Kansas City lead. Vida Blue (17-9) went 8 innings, and Glenn Abbott came on in the 9th and recorded his 4th save.

TUE SEP 9

KC____2___10___1
OAK___3____9___0

[motnahp]

Kansas City snapped the A's winning streak behind a complete-game effort from Steve BUsby (15-17), 5-3. Catfish Hunter (19-11) failed in his first attempt at 20 wins, allowing 9 hits and all 5 earned runs in 7-plus innings. Tommy Harper continued his hot hitting, going 4-4 with a pair of doubles and an RBI, in place of the resting Joe Rudi. Harper is on the verge of replacing DH Billy Williams in the every day lineup. Williams entered July with a .280 batting average, but has fallen to .254. Harper, acquired from California on August 13th, joined the A's with a .261 average. He's raised his season mark to .290, including several clutch hits.

WED SEP 10

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OAK____3___13___0

Rain in Minnesota washed out the Thursday game. The A's will play a doubleheader at the Met on Friday, followed by single games on Saturday and Sunday.

[motnahp]

The Twins ran all over the A's in the opening game of a doubleheader, 4-1. Minnesota took advantage of catchers Larry Haney and Ray Fosse, stealing 7 bases in 8 attempts. Bert Blyleven (18-14) was outstanding, allowing only 6 hits, while striking out 6 and walking no one. Oakland manager motnahp rested many of the starters, including North, Washington, Tenace, Williams, and Campaneris. Tommy Harper was 2-4 at the plate, while regulars Reggie Jackson, Joe Rudi, and Sal Bando were a combined 0-10. Dick Bosman (7-5) pitched well, but was charged with the loss.

FRI SEP 12 (1)

OAK_____1___6___0
MIN_____4___8___1

[motnahp]

The A's bounced back to take the nightcap of the doubleheader, 4-3 in 11 innings. Claudell Washington singled in Phil Garner with the game-winner in the top of the 11th. Rollie Fingers (10-2) pitched 3 scoreless innings in relief for the win. Twins' reliever Vic Albury (9-10) took the loss. Starting pitchers Ken Holtzman and Dave Goltz were both vying for their 19th victories. Holtzman went 8 innings and Goltz pitched into the 10th. Washington was 4-6 on the day, Tommy Harper was 2-6, and Bill North was 3-5. The A's struggled on the bases, going 0 for 3 in stolen base attempts, as North was caught twice and Harper once. They were thrown out by Minnesota catcher and former Kansas City and Oakland Athletic Phil Roof, who also went 2-3 at the plate, including a double.

FRI SEP 12 (2)

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MIN_____3____9___0

[motnahp]

Gene Tenace's 2-out, 2-run homer in the top of the 9th put the A's ahead to stay, as they defeated the Twins, 7-6. Oakland led 5-0 after 6 1/2 innings, and looked to be comfortably cruising to an easy win behind Vida Blue's stellar pitching. Blue began throwing beach balls in the 7th, however, allowing 4 runs and being pulled for Glenn Abbott (7-3) before recording an out. Abbott allowed the Twins to score two more in the 8th, as Minnesota took a 6-5 lead. Tenace's heroics made a winner of Abbott, while Minnesota's Jim Hughes (14-17) was charged with the loss. Paul Lindblad pitched a 1-2-3 9th inning for his 6th save. Tenace was 3-5 on the day. Claudell Washington was 2-5. Tommy Harper continued to excel, going 2-5 and raising his season average to .299. Catfish Hunter tries again for his 20th win tomorrow. "Cat" has won at least 21 games each of the last four years.

SAT SEP 13

OAK_____7___9___0
MIN_____6__12___3

[motnahp]

Minnesota outlasted Oakland 9-8 in a wild one. Steve Braun drove home Jerry Terrell with the game-winner in the last of the 9th. Minnesota battered a shaky Catfish Hunter, scoring 6 times in the 3rd inning, capped by an Eric Soderholm grand slam. Minnesota led 7-0 after 3 innings, but the A's chipped away and Catfish settled down. The A's cut the deficit to 7-5 in the 6th on a two-run double by Claudell Washington. Hunter ended up with a no-decision, being pulled after 7 innings. Reliever Jim Todd pitched a scoreless 8th, before the A's took the lead 8-7 in their half of the 9th. Following a Cesar Tovar walk, Reggie Jackson tripled to cut the Minnesota lead to 7-6. Joe Rudi followed with his 15th homer of the season and second of the game to give the A's an 8-7 lead. The A's bullpen and defense, however, could not hold the lead in the 9th. With one out, Todd walked Tom Kelly, then allowed a single to Terrell. Paul Lindblad relieved Todd. After Carew flew out, Tony Oliva lined a ball to Reggie Jackson in right. Reggie misplayed the liner for an error and Kelly came around to score. Runners were then at 2nd and 3rd before Braun singled.

SUN SEP 14

OAK_____8___13___1
MIN_____9___11___0

Oakland's scheduled game at Texas on Monday was rained out. They will play yet another doubleheader in Arlington on Tuesday.

[motnahp]

Jeff Burroughs broke a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the 8th inning with his 17th homer, as the Rangers edged the A's, 2-1. Jim Umbarger (14-8) went the distance for the winning Texans, while Dick Bosman (7-6) took the loss.

TUE SEP 16 (1)

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TEX_____2___8___0

[motnahp]

Kenny Holtzman (19-9) inched toward the 20-win mark, going 7 1/3 innings for the victory. Rollie Fingers finished up for his 17th save, as the A's slipped by the Rangers in the 2nd game of the doubleheader, 3-2. All the A's runs came courtesy of Phil Garner's 3-run homer in the top of the 3rd inning. The A's now travel to Chicago for a 2-game series against the White Sox.

TUE SEP 16 (2)

OAK_____3___5___0
TEX_____2___7___0