The Series took a day off
after the Oakland
games and returned on a pretty blustery Tuesday night in NY. Shea Stadium had
been mostly restored from the post-game celebration/destruction from the NL
playoffs and the team fortified its security with 1,000 National Guardsmen. But
Shea was never the best of fields: back then, in fact, instead of the infield
dirt being slightly below the grass like at every other field in some places it
was higher and more than a few times a grounder that struck the dirt at the
edge would bounce back towards the grass like it hit a curb. Such was life in
NY in those days. But both teams were happy to be out of the Oakland sun and a cleaner game awaited. This
is a great action shot - a shout-out to Night Owl who likes these things – and shows
Bert Campaneris being ruled safe at second as Felix Millan holds up the ball
and Bud Harrelson circles behind. There was only one instance in the game in
which Campy was declared safely into second: a stolen base in the eighth that
would prove pivotal. It’s nice when one can pinpoint these shots.
Oakland and the Mets each had their aces going that night:
Catfish Hunter and Tom Seaver. Seaver gave up a few hits through the first five
– a Joe Rudi double; and singles by Campy and Vic Davalillo – but he also
struck out the side twice and finished the fifth with eight K’s and shutout
ball. But Catfish, being Catfish, kept things interesting. In the bottom of the
first Wayne Garrett – seemingly coming out of his hitting funk – hit his second
solo homer to lead off an inning in two games. After Millan and Rusty Staub
singled, a pitch in the dirt to Cleon Jones allowed Millan to score. After
Jones struck out Catfish messed up a comebacker by John Milner and there were
two on with two in. But Catfish got Jerry Grote on a strikeout and then got
help from Rudi, who saved two runs by grabbing a Don Hahn shot to left. After a
couple relatively quiet innings, Hahn led off the fourth with another liner to
left that Rudi couldn’t reach and that bounced into the stands for a ground-rule
double. After a couple outs an intentional walk to Garrett – that’s a prop by Oakland –
and a single by Millan loaded the bases but Staub grounded out to end the
threat. After a single and some scary fly-outs in the fifth the score was Mets
2-0.
In the top of the sixth
Seaver channeled a little Catfish in a bad way. After Rudi hit one to the warning
track in center, Bando did the same thing but his fell in for a double. A
strikeout later Tenace doubled to left, scoring Bando. After a groundout and a
quick bottom of the inning the A’s came back in the seventh with three
successive pinch hitters but Seaver got them all. So Catfish was gone and in
came Darold Knowles for his third game of the Series. He threw shutout ball and
in the top of the eighth Campy got things rolling with a single. After the
steal from the photo he scored on a Rudi single to right. Tie game. Knowles had
a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom and in the ninth Oakland threatened again: new pitcher Ray
Sadecki got Davalillo on a grounder; at least he thought he did before Millan
flubbed it – he was having a tough run at second – and Pat Bourque then
singled. Two on and Sadecki was gone. In came Tug McGraw who got three straight
outs. In the Mets’ half Staub lined another ground rule double – he off Paul
Lindblad - on two outs but Milner popped up. Again the A’s challenged in the
tenth when Bando hit a one-out single to left and then got to second when
Millan erred on the relay. A Reggie grounder got him to third and an
intentional walk to Tenace had runners at the cornerd. McGraw got Davalillo to
fly to right to end the inning. In the bottom after two quick outs Harrelson
singled to right and up came Willie Mays to pinch hit for McGraw. In Willie’s
last appearance in a game there was no rally-starter but just a grounder to
short that got Harrelson. Harry Parker came in to pitch the eleventh and this
time Oakland
broke through: Ted Kubiak walked and after Angel Mangual struck out the ball
got past Jerry Grote for a passed ball. Angel took off for first but he was
still out because a batter is only allowed to do that if the base is unoccupied.
But Kubiak stole second and scored when Campy singled him in the next at bat.
The run was unearned because of the passed ball and Campy got nailed in a
rundown but the damage was done. After a Garrett single off Lindblad to open the
bottom half, Rollie Fingers came in and got three quick outs and a save. Oakland won 3-2 in the
first time in forty years that two consecutive Series games went extra innings.
Lindlad got the win, Parker the loss, and Seaver got 12 K’s in his eight
innings. He had two excellent post-season games in ’73 and they were both in
losses. That must have been pretty frustrating.
This was another game in
which the Oakland
top three hitters did pretty much all the damage. The NY guys did also. Willie’s
name looks a bit non-resplendent down there at the bottom, especially
considering it was his swan song. Again I include the pitching line:
Pitching
|
IP
|
H
|
R
|
ER
|
BB
|
SO
|
ERA
|
Hunter
|
6.0
|
7
|
2
|
2
|
3
|
5
|
3.00
|
Knowles
|
2.0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
-
|
Lindblad
|
2.0
|
3
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
-
|
Fingers
|
1.0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
-
|
0
|
-
|
11.0
|
10
|
2
|
2
|
5
|
5
|
1.64
|
|
Seaver
|
8.0
|
7
|
2
|
2
|
1
|
12
|
2.25
|
Sadecki
|
-
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
-
|
0
|
-
|
McGraw
|
2.0
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
-
|
Parker
|
1.0
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
-
|
11.0
|
10
|
3
|
2
|
3
|
14
|
1.64
|
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