Oakland Athletics: Three Straight World Series Titles

The Oakland Athletics won three straight World Series from 1972 to 1974, becoming one of MLB’s rare dynasties.

The Oakland Athletics achieved something between 1972 and 1974 that has remained exceptionally rare in Major League Baseball. They won three consecutive World Series.

Oakland defeated the Cincinnati Reds in 1972, the New York Mets in 1973 and the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1974. Only the New York Yankees have also won at least three World Series in succession.

It was not one dominant season followed by two fading title defences. The Athletics repeatedly changed the way they won.

Gene Tenace emerged when Reggie Jackson could not play in the 1972 World Series. Jackson then became the American League’s leading power hitter and World Series MVP a year later. By 1974, Catfish Hunter and Rollie Fingers were at the heart of a side experienced enough to handle another October.

Oakland also won five consecutive American League West titles from 1971 to 1975. The three championships formed the centrepiece of a sustained period at the top of the American League.

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Three seasons and three championships

Oakland’s regular-season record declined slightly across the three championship years, but their postseason results never did.

They won 93 games in the strike-shortened 1972 campaign, 94 in 1973 and 90 in 1974. Each season ended with the same result: the Athletics holding the World Series trophy.

The sequence also showed Oakland’s ability to survive close postseason series. Their first two championships required seven World Series games. In 1974, they needed only five, although three of their four victories against Los Angeles came by a single run.

The first title arrived without Reggie Jackson

Oakland entered 1972 with evidence that they were close to becoming champions.

The Athletics had won the AL West in 1971 before the Baltimore Orioles swept them in the American League Championship Series. A year later, Dick Williams’ team returned stronger.

Oakland finished 93–62 and won the AL West by 5½ games over the Chicago White Sox. They then faced the Detroit Tigers for a place in the World Series.

The ALCS went to a deciding fifth game.

That victory came at a cost. Jackson seriously injured his hamstring while successfully stealing home during a double steal. Oakland won 2–1, but their leading power hitter could not play in the World Series.

The Athletics therefore entered their meeting with Cincinnati without one of their most dangerous bats.

The opposition was formidable. The Cincinnati Reds side that developed into the Big Red Machine had won 95 games in 1972 and featured several of the players who would later drive their own championship run.

Oakland found an unexpected answer in Tenace.

Tenace hit two home runs in his first two World Series at-bats during Oakland’s 3–2 victory in Game 1. He finished the series batting.348 with four home runs and nine RBIs. His performance earned him the World Series MVP award.

The series became increasingly tense.

Oakland won the first two games in Cincinnati but could not pull away. The Reds eventually forced Game 7 after an 8–1 victory in Game 6.

Tenace and Sal Bando produced run-scoring doubles in the sixth inning of the decider. Cincinnati reduced the deficit, but Fingers closed the ninth to complete a 3–2 victory.

Oakland had their first World Series championship since the franchise’s Philadelphia era, and the city had its first major professional sports championship.

Jackson takes centre stage in 1973

Winning once established Oakland as champions. Retaining the title proved they could respond when opponents adjusted.

The 1973 Athletics finished 94–68 and secured a third consecutive AL West crown.

Their starting pitching gave them a formidable base. Hunter went 21–5, Vida Blue 20–9 and Ken Holtzman 21–13. All three reached 20 victories.

Jackson supplied the power.

He batted.293 during the regular season and led the American League with 32 home runs, 117 RBIs and 99 runs. Those numbers earned him the AL Most Valuable Player award.

Oakland again needed all five games in the ALCS, this time overcoming Baltimore 3–2.

The New York Mets awaited in the World Series.

The series was anything but straightforward. New York won an extraordinary Game 2 in 12 innings and later took Games 4 and 5 to move within one victory of the championship.

Oakland faced elimination.

Hunter helped them respond in Game 6, while Jackson contributed two RBI doubles in a 3–1 victory. That sent the championship to another seventh game.

This time, Oakland struck early.

Bert Campaneris and Jackson each hit a two-run home run in the third inning. The Athletics eventually won 5–2 to retain their title.

Jackson finished the series batting.310 with six RBIs and collected World Series MVP honours.

The player who had watched the previous year’s World Series on crutches had become the defining hitter of Oakland’s second championship.

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Williams leaves after a second title

Oakland’s success did not mean the organisation operated without tension.

The Athletics developed a reputation for strong personalities. Players could clash with each other, while owner Charlie Finley’s management regularly created friction of its own.

One of the most significant changes came immediately after the 1973 title.

Williams resigned as manager despite guiding Oakland to consecutive championships. Alvin Dark took charge for 1974.

The change could have disrupted a team attempting something historic.

Instead, the Athletics won again.

That continuity came from the quality and experience of a core that included Jackson, Hunter, Fingers, Blue, Holtzman, Bando, Joe Rudi, Campaneris and Tenace.

Oakland did not depend on one superstar carrying every part of the team. Their strength came from having different players capable of deciding different types of games.

Hunter leads the push for a third title

The 1974 regular season looked less dominant on paper.

Oakland finished 90–72, six games ahead of the Texas Rangers in the AL West. Their record was the weakest of their three championship seasons, but it still delivered a fourth consecutive division title.

Hunter produced the outstanding individual season.

He finished 25–12 with an American League-leading 2.49 earned-run average. His performance earned him the AL Cy Young Award.

Oakland also retained power throughout their batting order.

Jackson hit 29 home runs, Tenace 26, Rudi 22 and Bando 22. At the other end of their attack, Bill North stole 54 bases, and Campaneris added 34.

The Athletics eliminated Baltimore 3–1 in the ALCS and advanced to face the Dodgers.

It became the first all-California World Series.

Los Angeles had won 102 regular-season games compared with Oakland’s 90, but the gap did not translate into the World Series.

The Athletics won Game 1 by 3–2. Los Angeles responded with a 3–2 victory of their own, but Oakland then took control.

Hunter worked into the eighth inning as the Athletics won Game 3 by 3–2. A four-run sixth inning helped them take Game 4 by 5–2.

One more victory would complete the three-year run.

Rudi and Fingers finish the job

Game 5 at the Oakland Coliseum was level at 2–2 entering the bottom of the seventh inning.

Rudi changed it with one swing.

His home run gave Oakland a 3–2 advantage. Fingers then protected the lead through the final two innings.

Von Joshua grounded back to Fingers for the final out on 17 October 1974. Oakland had beaten Los Angeles four games to one and completed a third consecutive World Series championship.

Fingers received the World Series MVP award after appearing in four games. He recorded a victory and two saves while allowing two runs across 9⅓ innings.

His role represented something important about these Athletics.

Oakland had exceptional starting pitching, but they were also equipped to protect narrow leads. Fingers could work more than one inning when required, giving the team another way to control the later stages of postseason games.

The 1974 World Series demonstrated it clearly. All four Oakland victories finished either 3–2 or 5–2.

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A team built for different types of games

The three championships did not belong to a single formula.

Oakland had power through Jackson, Bando and Tenace. They had speed through Campaneris and North. Rudi contributed at the plate and in the field.

Their starting rotation gave them another advantage.

Hunter provided durability and high-level postseason pitching. Blue gave Oakland a powerful left-handed option, while Holtzman was another major part of the rotation.

Then came Fingers.

Across Oakland’s three championship postseasons, the future Hall of Fame reliever worked 46⅓ innings and recorded eight saves with a 1.55 ERA. In the three World Series, he appeared in 16 of Oakland’s 19 games.

Hunter was similarly influential. He went 7–1 during the 1972–74 postseasons, with Oakland repeatedly turning to him in high-pressure situations.

The Athletics therefore had several routes through October.

If their leading hitter disappeared through injury, Tenace could emerge. If a World Series went to Game 7, their pitching could carry them. When a narrow lead needed protecting, Fingers could take the ball.

That adaptability became one of the clearest features of the dynasty.

The dynasty begins to change

The three consecutive championships were not the end of Oakland’s success.

The Athletics won the AL West again in 1975, making it five successive division titles. Their attempt to reach a fourth consecutive World Series ended when the Boston Red Sox swept them in the ALCS.

By then, the championship group was beginning to change.

Hunter had already left after the 1974 season. An arbitrator declared him a free agent following a contractual dispute with Finley, and he subsequently signed with the New York Yankees.

Other major members of the side eventually departed as well.

What remained was the record they had created.

The Yankees are the only other MLB franchise to have won at least three consecutive World Series. Oakland achieved their sequence against three different National League champions and did so while changing managers before the final season.

The personalities, disputes and colourful image of the early-1970s Athletics remain part of their story. Yet their place in baseball history rests on something much simpler.

For three Octobers in succession, nobody could take the championship away from them.

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