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.

Reader's Guide

The 1974 Los Angeles Dodgers were the second (after the runner-up 1962 squad) Dodgers team to win at least 100 games since moving west from Brooklyn; they won the National League West division after a season long battle by four games over the Cincinnati Reds, then defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates three games to one in the National League Championship Series. The Oakland Athletics won the American League West division by five games over the Texas Rangers, then defeated the Baltimore Orioles three games to one in the American League Championship Series. The Oakland Athletics, at the height of their dynasty as the 'Swingin' A's', had consistently matched their on-field heroics with locker-room meltdowns and intra-squad theatrics for the American League. After yet another banner year (Catfish Hunter won 25 games, Reggie Jackson knocked in 105 runs, and Billy North stole 54 bases), the team seemed to be winning more attention for its dysfunctional communication patterns than for its superior lineup. Hunter was threatening to file for free agency in 1975 if owner Charles O. Finley didn't come through with back pay Hunter claimed he had coming. Traumatized former second baseman Mike Andrews was considering legal action for the shabby treatment he received in the previous year's World Series. Teammates Rollie Fingers and Blue Moon Odom had gotten into a fistfight. And the Series-winning manager of the previous year, Dick Williams was long gone, having had one personality clash too many with the Athletics front office. Despite all the melodrama, the Athletics won the pennant for the third straight year, the first time a team had done so since the 1960-64 New York Yankees. They had dispatched the Baltimore Orioles in a four-game ALCS. Notwithstanding the off-field troubles, between the lines they were fundamentally sound, had strong pitching, and combined speed and power. Los Angeles won 102 games, boasted the best team ERA (2.97) in the National League, and led their league in runs scored (798). Steve Garvey hit .312, Jimmy Wynn knocked in 108 runs, Bill Buckner hit .314 in one of the best years of his career, Davey Lopes stole 59 bases, Andy Messersmith won twenty games, and Don Sutton won nineteen games. Walter Alston was in his 21st year as manager of the club.

Did You Know?

• Rollie Fingers won the World Series MVP with a win and two saves in three appearances.
• Herb Washington, a track star with no baseball experience, was the only 'designated runner' to appear in a World Series; he was picked off first base in Game 2.