1974 World Series

Lore & Background

Rollie Fingers pitched in three of the four Oakland victories, posting a win and two saves, and was honored with the World Series Most Valuable Player Award. Oakland became the first team to win three consecutive Series since the New York Yankees won five straight (1949–1953); the win secured the Athletics' status as one of the truly dominant teams of the 1970s. (The other 'team of the decade,' the Cincinnati Reds, won consecutive World Series in 1975 and 1976, after falling short in 1970 and 1972.) Since 1974, only the Yankees have won three consecutive titles, having done so in 1998, '99, and 2000. This was the first all-California World Series, the first World Series since 1956 to feature two teams from the same state, and the first with an official World Series logo; these two teams met again fourteen years later, but with a different result with the underdog Dodgers defeating the heavily favored Athletics in five games.

In Their Own Story

The Coliseum lights hummed to life over a October night in 1974, and the East Bay crowd swelled past the concrete bowl like a tide. You could smell the cold fog rolling in off the bay, the kind of fog that made the outfield wall look like it was floating in grey nothing. A kid in a faded A's cap pressed his face against the railing in the upper deck, watching Catfish Hunter walk to the mound, his long limbs unfolding like a heron. The Dodgers' batter stepped in, and the whole stadium held its breath in that particular Oakland way—quiet, intense, almost reverent. Hunter delivered. The ball snapped through the zone. The kid in the cap didn't cheer yet. He waited. He always waited. Because in 1974, you learned that the A's didn't need to rush. They just needed the next out, and the next, and the next, until the Dodgers simply weren't there anymore. And then—only then—the roar came, a sound that shook the fog off the roof and rolled out over the bay like thunder over water.

Reader's Guide

Game 1: Reggie Jackson put the A's on the board first with a homer in the top of the second off Andy Messersmith. The A's added another run in the fifth when starting pitcher Ken Holtzman doubled, went to third on a Messersmith wild pitch, and scored on a Bert Campaneris suicide squeeze bunt. The Dodgers crept back with a run in their half of the fifth when Davey Lopes reached on an error by Campaneris, then scored on a Bill Buckner single misplayed by Jackson. The A's scored their final run in the eighth when Campaneris singled, was sacrificed to second, and scored on a throwing error by Ron Cey. In the bottom of the ninth, Jimmy Wynn hit a homer, but Catfish Hunter relieved Rollie Fingers and struck out Joe Ferguson for the final out. Fingers got the win with 4+1⁄3 innings of relief. Final score: Athletics 3, Dodgers 2.

Game 2: Don Sutton pitched superbly, shutting out the A's on four hits through eight innings. The Dodgers scored first in the second on a walk, singles by Bill Russell and Steve Yeager, and a two-run homer by Joe Ferguson in the sixth made it 3–0. The A's threatened in the eighth but a double play ended the rally. In the ninth, the A's scored two runs on a hit-by-pitch, a double by Jackson, and a single by Joe Rudi. Mike Marshall then relieved Sutton and struck out Gene Tenace. Herb Washington pinch-ran for Rudi and was picked off first by Marshall. Marshall retired Ángel Mangual for the final out. Final score: Dodgers 3, Athletics 2.

Game 3: Catfish Hunter shut out the Dodgers on four hits through seven innings. The A's scored two runs in the third on an error by catcher Joe Ferguson and an RBI single by Joe Rudi, and added another run in the fourth on a Campaneris RBI single. The Dodgers got their only runs on homers by Bill Buckner in the eighth and Willie Crawford in the ninth. Rollie Fingers was not awarded the save because in 1974, tougher criteria were adopted for saves. Final score: Athletics 3, Dodgers 2.

Game 4: The A's struck first on a solo homer by Ken Holtzman in the third. The Dodgers came back in the fourth on a two-run triple by Bill Russell. Holtzman settled in, surrendering no runs before yielding to Rollie Fingers in the eighth. The A's took control with four runs in the sixth off Andy Messersmith, keyed by a walk, a wild pickoff throw, a single by Sal Bando, and a two-run single by Jim Holt. Fingers pitched the final

Did You Know?

• Rollie Fingers was named World Series MVP after pitching in three of the four Oakland victories, with a win and two saves.
• This was the first all-California World Series and the first World Series since 1956 to feature two teams from the same state.
• Herb Washington, a track star with no baseball experience, appeared as a pinch runner in Game 2 and was promptly picked off first base by Mike Marshall.
• The 1974 World Series was the first with an official World Series logo.