Swingin' A's
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Swingin' A's
The Swingin' A's is a nickname for the Oakland Athletics baseball team that dominated the American League from 1970 to 1975 and is widely recognized as being among the best in baseball history. The team won five consecutive American League West Division titles, three American League pennants, and three World Series titles. They were the first team to win three consecutive World Series championships in two decades; no team other than the New York Yankees have completed a three-peat, and no team repeated as champion three times until 2000. While the team did not record the most appearances in a World Series in the decade of the 1970s (as the Cincinnati Reds went to four), the Athletics won more titles overall without losing once; of the six teams who made multiple appearances in the Series of the 1970s, the Athletics and the Pittsburgh Pirates were the only ones to not lose once. The Athletics were also the first team in the League Championship Series era (since 1969) to reach it in fi ...
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Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team plays its home games at the Oakland Coliseum. Throughout their history, the Athletics have won nine World Series championships. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the team was founded in Philadelphia in 1901 as the Philadelphia Athletics. They won three World Series championships in 1910, 1911, and 1913, and back-to-back titles in 1929 and 1930. The team's owner and manager for its first 50 years was Connie Mack and Hall of Fame players included Chief Bender, Frank "Home Run" Baker, Jimmie Foxx, and Lefty Grove. The team left Philadelphia for Kansas City in 1955 and became the Kansas City Athletics before moving to Oakland in 1968. Nicknamed the " Swingin' A's", they won three consecutive World Series in 19 ...
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Bert Campaneris
Dagoberto Campaneris Blanco (born March 9, 1942), nicknamed "Bert" or "Campy", is a Cuban American former professional baseball shortstop, who played Major League Baseball (MLB) for four American League (AL) teams, primarily the Kansas City / Oakland Athletics. One of the mainstays of the Athletics' championship teams of 1972 to 1974, he holds the A's franchise records for career games played (1795), hits (1882), and at bats (7180). Campaneris led the AL in stolen bases six times between 1965 and 1972 and retired with the seventh-most steals in MLB history (649). Defensively, he led the league in putouts three times; his career totals at shortstop place him among the all-time MLB leaders in games played (5th, 2097) and double plays (7th, 1186), at that position. Campaneris is the cousin of former MLB player Jose Cardenal. Professional career A small player at and , Cuban-born Campaneris was a key figure on the A's of the 1960s and 1970s. In his debut with Kansas City on Ju ...
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Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox' home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox" name was chosen by the team owner, John I. Taylor, , following the lead of previous teams that had been known as the "Boston Red Stockings," including the Boston Braves (now the Atlanta Braves). The team has won nine World Series championships, tied for the third-most of any MLB team, and has played in 13 World Series. Their most recent World Series appearance and win was in . In addition, they won the American League pennant, but were not able to defend their 1903 World Series championship when the New York Giants refused to participate in the 1904 World Series. The Red Sox were a dominant team in the new league, defeating the Pittsburgh Pira ...
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Dick Williams
Richard Hirschfeld Williams (May 7, 1929 – July 7, 2011) 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 to 1969 and from 1971 to 1988, he led teams to three American League pennants, one National League pennant, and two World Series triumphs. He is one of nine managers to win pennants in both major leagues, and joined Bill McKechnie in becoming only the second manager to lead three franchises to the Series. He and Lou Piniella are the only managers in history to lead four teams to seasons of 90 or more wins. Williams was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008 following his election by the Veterans Committee. Biography Playing career Williams was born on May 7, 1929, in St. Louis, Missouri, and lived there until age 13, when his family moved to Pasadena, California. He attended Pasadena High School, and then enrolled in Pasa ...
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John McNamara (baseball)
John Francis McNamara (June 4, 1932July 28, 2020) was an American professional baseball player, manager and coach. After spending over 15 years in the minor leagues as a catcher and player-manager, McNamara helmed six Major League Baseball (MLB) teams for all or parts of 19 seasons between 1969 and 1996. He directed the 1986 Boston Red Sox to the American League pennant, and was named his league's "Manager of the Year" by both the BBWAA and ''The Sporting News''. However, the Red Sox were defeated by the New York Mets in seven games in the 1986 World Series when they failed to hold a two-run, two-out, two-strike lead in Game 6, and a three-run advantage in Game 7. Early life and playing career McNamara was born in Sacramento, the fourth of five children of John and Josephine McNamara. His father, an Irish immigrant who was a railroad worker, died in 1944; his mother worked at the California Department of Motor Vehicles. McNamara attended Christian Brothers High School, ...
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Hank Bauer
Henry Albert Bauer (July 31, 1922 – February 9, 2007) was an American right fielder and manager in Major League Baseball. He played with the New York Yankees (–) and Kansas City Athletics (–); he batted and threw right-handed. He served as the manager of the Athletics in both Kansas City (–62) and in Oakland (), as well as the Baltimore Orioles (–68), guiding the Orioles to the World Series title in 1966, a four-game sweep over the heavily favored Los Angeles Dodgers. This represented the first World Series title in the franchise's history. Early years Born in East St. Louis, Illinois, as the youngest of nine children, Bauer was the son of an Austrian immigrant, a bartender who had earlier lost his leg in an aluminum mill. With little money coming into the home, Bauer was forced to wear clothes made out of old feed sacks, helping shape his hard-nosed approach to life. (It was said that his care-worn face "looked like a clenched fist".) While playing baseball and baske ...
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Joe Rudi
Joseph Oden Rudi (born September 7, 1946) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left fielder between and , most prominently as an integral member of the Oakland Athletics dynasty that won three consecutive World Series championships between 1972 and 1974. A three-time All-Star, Rudi excelled as an offensive and as a defensive player, winning three Gold Glove Awards and was the 1972 American League leader in hits with 181. He also played for the California Angels and the Boston Red Sox. In 2022, Rudi was inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame. Playing career Rudi was born in Modesto, California. He graduated from Thomas Downey High School in Modesto, California. He batted a career-high .309 in 1970 and led the American League a career-high 181 hits in 1972. He finished second in American League MVP voting behind Dick Allen. That year, he helped the Athletics win the World Series and made a great game-saving catch in Game ...
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Vida Blue
Vida Rochelle Blue Jr. (born July 28, 1949) is a former American professional baseball player. He was a left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball between and , most notably as an integral member of the Oakland Athletics dynasty that won three consecutive World Series championships between 1972 and 1974. He won the American League Cy Young Award and Most Valuable Player Award in 1971. A six-time All-Star, Blue is the first of only five pitchers in major league history to start the All-Star Game for both the American League (1971) and the National League (1978); Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Roy Halladay, and Max Scherzer are the others. During his 17-year career, he pitched for the Oakland Athletics (1969–77), San Francisco Giants (1978–81; 1985–86), and Kansas City Royals (1982–83). Early life Vida Blue was born and raised in Mansfield in DeSoto Parish in northwestern Louisiana. He was the oldest of six children born to Vida Blue, Sr, a laborer in a Mansfield iron ...
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Reggie Jackson
Reginald Martinez Jackson (born May 18, 1946) is an American former professional baseball right fielder who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City / Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, and California Angels. Jackson was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1993. Jackson was nicknamed "Mr. October" for his clutch hitting in the postseason with the Athletics and the Yankees. He helped Oakland win five consecutive American League West divisional titles, three straight American League pennants and three consecutive World Series titles from 1972 to 1974. Jackson helped New York win four American League East divisional pennants, three American League pennants and back to back World Series titles, in 1977 and 1978. He also helped the California Angels win two AL West divisional titles in 1982 and 1986. Jackson hit three consecutive home runs at Yankee Stadium in the clinching game six of the 1977 World Series. ...
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Sal Bando
Salvatore Leonard Bando (born February 13, 1944) is an American former professional baseball player and general manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a third baseman from to , most prominently as the team captain for the Oakland Athletics dynasty that won three consecutive World Series championships between 1972 and 1974. A four-time All-Star player, Bando averaged 23 home runs and 90 runs batted in over an eight-year span. Although he was often overshadowed by his contemporary, Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson, Bando finished second, third, and fourth in the American League (AL) Most Valuable Player Award voting from 1971 to 1974. He ended his playing career with the Milwaukee Brewers. After his playing career, Bando served as a special assistant with the Brewers before serving as the team's General Manager from October 1991 until August 1999. He was inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2013 and, in 2022 Bando was inducted into the At ...
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Gene Tenace
Fury Gene Tenace (; born Fiore Gino Tenacci; October 10, 1946), better known as Gene Tenace, is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played as a catcher and first baseman in Major League Baseball from through , most notably as a member of the Oakland Athletics dynasty that won three consecutive World Series championships between 1972 and 1974. Tenace was drafted by the Kansas City Athletics from Valley High School in Lucasville, Ohio and played for the Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, St. Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates. He batted and threw right-handed. Tenace was one of the top catchers of his era and won the 1972 World Series Most Valuable Player Award. Gene Tenace was one of the greatest hitting catchers of all time despite his low career batting average of .241, with his career 140 WRC+ being tied with Mike Piazza for the highest all-time among catchers; he made up for his low average with a very high on-base percentage of .388 while p ...
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Ken Holtzman
Kenneth Dale Holtzman (born November 3, 1945) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher from through , most notably as a member of the Chicago Cubs for whom he pitched two no-hitters and, with the Oakland Athletics dynasty that won three consecutive World Series championships between 1972 to 1974. A two-time All-Star, Holtzman was a 20-game-winner for the Athletics in 1973. He also played for the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees. Holtzman was the first Cubs pitcher in the live-ball era to throw two no-hitters; the next Cubs pitcher to do so was Jake Arrieta some three and a half decades later. In 2007, Holtzman managed the Petach Tikva Pioneers in the Israel Baseball League. Early and personal life Holtzman was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He graduated from University City High School in St. Louis in 1963. Holtzman's skill was very noticeable in his teenage years. In the summer of 1964, ...
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