1971 Oakland Athletics season
Encyclopedia
The Oakland Athletics
season involved the A's finishing first in the American League West
with a record of 101 wins and 60 losses. In their first postseason appearance of any kind since 1931
, the A's were swept in three games by the Baltimore Orioles
in the American League Championship Series
.
became the first black player in the history of the American League
to win the American League
Cy Young Award
. He was also the youngest AL player in the 20th century to win the MVP Award. During the year, Vida Blue was on the cover of Sports Illustrated
and Time Magazine.
in Baltimore, Maryland
in Baltimore, Maryland
in Oakland, California
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
season involved the A's finishing first in the American League West
American League West
The American League West is one of three divisions in Major League Baseball's American League. The division currently has four teams, but it has had as many as seven teams before the 1994 realignment. Although its teams currently only reside along the west coast and in Texas, historically the...
with a record of 101 wins and 60 losses. In their first postseason appearance of any kind since 1931
1931 Philadelphia Athletics season
The Philadelphia Athletics season involved the A's finishing first in the American League with a record of 107 wins and 45 losses. It was the team's third consecutive pennant-winning season and its third consecutive season with over 100 wins. However, in a major upset, the A's lost the 1931 World...
, the A's were swept in three games by the Baltimore Orioles
1971 Baltimore Orioles season
In , the Baltimore Orioles finished first in the American League East, with a record of 101 wins and 57 losses. As of 2010, the 1971 Orioles are the last Major League Baseball club to have four 20-game winners in a season: Jim Palmer, Dave McNally, Mike Cuellar, and Pat Dobson.- Offseason :*...
in the American League Championship Series
1971 American League Championship Series
-Game 1:Sunday, October 3, 1971 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, MarylandDave McNally, a 20-game winner for the fourth season in a row, survived a rocky start to win the opener. He trailed, 3–0, after four innings pitched, giving up three doubles and a triple. The A's had McNally tottering in the...
.
Offseason
- January 13, 1971: 1971 Major League Baseball Draft1971 Major League Baseball Draft-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1971 Major League Baseball draft.* Did not sign- Background :The June 1971 draft was a productive one, even though none of its top ten choices yielded players who would have memorable major league careers...
(January Draft) notable picks:
-
- Round 5: Rich DauerRich DauerRichard Fremont Dauer , is a former professional baseball player who played with the Baltimore Orioles primarily as an infielder from 1976-85. He played in two World Series with the Orioles....
(did not sign)
- Round 5: Rich Dauer
- Secondary Phase
- Round 1: Phil GarnerPhil GarnerPhilip Mason Garner is a former infielder in Major League Baseball for the Oakland Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Francisco Giants from 1973 to 1988...
- Round 3: Steve StaggsSteve StaggsStephen Robert Staggs is a former Major League Baseball second baseman who played for two seasons. He played 72 games for the Toronto Blue Jays during the 1977 Toronto Blue Jays season and 47 games for the Oakland Athletics during the 1978 Oakland Athletics season.-External links:...
(did not sign)- March 6, 1971: Charlie Finley persuaded American League president Joe CroninJoe CroninJoseph Edward Cronin was a Major League Baseball shortstop and manager.During a 20-year playing career, he played from 1926–45 for three different teams, primarily for the Boston Red Sox. Cronin was a major league manager from 1933–47...
to have a preseason game in which a walk was allowed on three pitches rather than four. The Athletics bested the Milwaukee Brewers by a 13-9 tally. Nineteen total walks were issued in the game, and a collective six home runs were hit.
- March 6, 1971: Charlie Finley persuaded American League president Joe Cronin
- Round 1: Phil Garner
Regular season
Vida BlueVida Blue
Vida Rochelle Blue Jr. is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. During a 17-year career, he pitched for the Oakland Athletics , San Francisco Giants , and Kansas City Royals He won the American League Cy Young award and Most Valuable Player Award in 1971...
became the first black player in the history of the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
to win the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
Cy Young Award
Cy Young Award
The Cy Young Award is an honor given annually in baseball to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball , one each for the American League and National League . The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955...
. He was also the youngest AL player in the 20th century to win the MVP Award. During the year, Vida Blue was on the cover of Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
and Time Magazine.
Opening Day starters
- 1B Tommy Davis
- 2B Mike Hegan
- 3B Sal Bando
- SS Mike Epstein
- LF Felipe Alou
- CF Reggie Jackson
- RF Rick Monday
- C Gene Tenace
- P Catfish Hunter
Notable transactions
- May 8, 1971: Frank FernándezFrank Fernández (baseball)Frank Fernández is a former Major League Baseball catcher. He signed as an amateur free agent with the New York Yankees upon graduation from Curtis High School in Staten Island in . He spent six seasons in their minor league system before debuting with the Yankees as a September call-up in...
, Don MincherDon Mincher-External links:***...
, Paul LindbladPaul LindbladPaul Aaron Lindblad was an American Major League Baseball left-handed middle-relief pitcher. During his career, he pitched primarily for the Kansas City and Oakland Athletics. At the time of his retirement in , he had recorded the seventh-most appearances of any left-hander in history.Lindblad...
, and cash were traded by the Athletics to the Washington SenatorsTexas Rangers (baseball)The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
for Darold KnowlesDarold KnowlesDarold Duane Knowles is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher, and the current pitching coach of the Florida State League's Dunedin Blue Jays...
and Mike EpsteinMike EpsteinMichael Peter Epstein , nicknamed SuperJew, is a former Major League Baseball player for the Baltimore Orioles, Washington Senators, Oakland Athletics, Texas Rangers, and California Angels from –....
. - May 26, 1971: Rob GardnerRob Gardner (baseball)Richard Frank Gardner is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He holds the distinction of having been traded twice by the New York Yankees to the Oakland Athletics for one of the Alou brothers.-Early years:...
was traded by the Athletics to the New York YankeesNew York YankeesThe New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
for Curt BlefaryCurt BlefaryCurtis Le Roy Blefary was an American left fielder in Major League Baseball who played with the Baltimore Orioles , Houston Astros , New York Yankees , Oakland Athletics and San Diego Padres...
. - June 12, 1971: Champ SummersChamp SummersJohn Junior "Champ" Summers , is a former Major League Baseball player who played primarily as an outfielder and designated hitter for six teams during his eleven year career that spanned from 1974 to 1984...
was signed by the Athletics as an amateur free agent.
Roster
| 1971 Oakland Athletics | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers |
Catchers Infielders |
Outfielders Other batters |
Manager Coaches |
||||||
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 104 | 329 | 77 | .234 | 18 | 51 | |
| 3B | 153 | 538 | 146 | .271 | 24 | 74 | |
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 94 | 287 | 82 | .286 | 4 | 30 | |
| 70 | 189 | 37 | .196 | 1 | 9 | |
| 28 | 98 | 22 | .239 | 2 | 8 | |
| 24 | 27 | 3 | .111 | 0 | 3 | |
| 4 | 9 | 1 | .111 | 0 | 1 | |
| 2 | 8 | 2 | .250 | 0 | 0 | |
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 39 | 312 | 24 | 8 | 1.82 | 301 | |
| 37 | 273.2 | 21 | 11 | 2.96 | 181 | |
| 30 | 189 | 15 | 5 | 3.81 | 100 | |
| 26 | 146.1 | 10 | 8 | 3.14 | 81 | |
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 7.2 | 0 | 0 | 2.35 | 5 | |
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48 | 4 | 6 | 17 | 2.99 | 98 | |
| 43 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 3.59 | 40 | |
| 15 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1.98 | 13 | |
| 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3.94 | 4 | |
| 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11.12 | 4 | |
Awards and honors
- Vida BlueVida BlueVida Rochelle Blue Jr. is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. During a 17-year career, he pitched for the Oakland Athletics , San Francisco Giants , and Kansas City Royals He won the American League Cy Young award and Most Valuable Player Award in 1971...
, P, American League Cy Young AwardCy Young AwardThe Cy Young Award is an honor given annually in baseball to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball , one each for the American League and National League . The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955... - Vida BlueVida BlueVida Rochelle Blue Jr. is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. During a 17-year career, he pitched for the Oakland Athletics , San Francisco Giants , and Kansas City Royals He won the American League Cy Young award and Most Valuable Player Award in 1971...
, P, American League Most Valuable Player Award. Sal Bando, second in American League MVP voting - Dick WilliamsDick WilliamsRichard Hirschfeld "Dick" Williams was an American left fielder, third baseman, manager, coach and front office consultant in Major League Baseball. Known especially as a hard-driving, sharp-tongued manager from 1967–69 and 1971–88, he led teams to three American League pennants, one National...
, Associated Press AL Manager of the Year
All-Stars
1971 Major League Baseball All-Star Game1971 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1971 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, the 42nd such game, was played on July 13, 1971. The all-stars from the American League and the National League faced each other at Tiger Stadium, home of the Detroit Tigers...
- Vida BlueVida BlueVida Rochelle Blue Jr. is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. During a 17-year career, he pitched for the Oakland Athletics , San Francisco Giants , and Kansas City Royals He won the American League Cy Young award and Most Valuable Player Award in 1971...
, pitcher, starter - Dave DuncanDave Duncan (baseball)David Edwin Duncan is an American former professional baseball player and current pitching coach for the St. Louis Cardinals...
, reserve - Reggie JacksonReggie JacksonReginald Martinez "Reggie" Jackson , nicknamed "Mr. October" for his clutch hitting in the postseason with the New York Yankees, is a former American Major League Baseball right fielder. During a 21-year baseball career, he played from 1967-1987 for four different teams. Jackson currently serves as...
, reserve
Game 1
Sunday, October 3, 1971 at Memorial StadiumMemorial Stadium (Baltimore)
Memorial Stadium was a sports stadium in Baltimore, Maryland, that formerly stood on 33rd Street on an over-sized block also bounded by Ellerslie Avenue , 36th Street , and Ednor Road...
in Baltimore, Maryland
Game 2
Monday, October 4, 1971 at Memorial StadiumMemorial Stadium (Baltimore)
Memorial Stadium was a sports stadium in Baltimore, Maryland, that formerly stood on 33rd Street on an over-sized block also bounded by Ellerslie Avenue , 36th Street , and Ednor Road...
in Baltimore, Maryland
Game 3
Tuesday, October 5, 1971 at Oakland-Alameda County ColiseumMcAfee Coliseum
O.co Coliseum is a multi-purpose stadium, located in Oakland, California, in the Coliseum Industrial area...
in Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...