GreatSport

Soon following a cautious study of baseball in the 1970s for my e-book and world wide web web site, I was amazed at how significantly of of the games stars seemed to time and time as soon as once more come up significant in the post-season. Confident, there had been males like Bucky Dent and Gene Tenace, who rose from obscurity to carry a huge moment or to even take much more than a series. Yet it was significantly of of the sports superstars who seemed to consistently stand out on the main stage. These are the males who had been at their Top with something on the line:

Pete Rose – Charlie Hustle hit.318 with ten doubles and 5 property runs in 43 post-season games in the 1970s. In 5 NLCS he hit a scorching.378, which consists of 9-20 (.450) against Pittsburgh in 1972, and six-14 (.429) vs Philadelphia in 1976. In 1973 against the Mets, Pete went 8-21 (.381) such as homers in every single of Cincinnatis 2-1 wins; a shot off Tom Seaver in the 8th to tie Game 2 and a game winner in the 12th of Game 4. While Rose hit a pedestrian .264 overall in 4 Globe Series in the decade, he captured MVP honors in the 1975 Fall Classic against Boston. In that series he went ten-27 (.370) and had a game-tying RBI single in Cincinnatis Game 7 win.

George Brett – From 1976-78 Bretts Royals could not overtake the Yankees in 3 straight ALCS. What is terrific is that New York somehow managed to overcome Brett, who scored 13 runs and drove house ten in the course of the 14 contests in shellacking the Yankee staff for a .375 batting common, with 4 triples and 4 home runs. No game higher epitomized Bretts plight than Game 3 of the 1978 ALCS, While George became the second player to hit 3 household runs in a single League Championship Series game. All 3 longballs either put KC ahead or tied the score, yet the Yanks took the game six-5. Bretts heroics continued in the 1980s and he finished his career as 1 of the games most outstanding post-season players, hitting.337 with 8 doubles, 5 triples, ten property runs, 23 RBI, and 30 runs scored additional than 43 games.

Thurman Munson – How did the Yankee captain respond to his very initial post-season opportunity for the Yankees in 1976? The typical season MVP hit.435 in the ALCS against KC, going ten for 23. He followed that up in the Globe Series in a losing lead to against the Reds with 9 hits and a.529 popular. The Soon right after year Munson hit .320 in a six game Globe Series victory far more than Los Angeles, neutralizing LAs running game by throwing out 4 of six base stealers. Then in 1978, in Game 3 of the ALCS, with the Yankees trailing Kansas City 5-4, Thurman blasted a 460 foot 2-run homer in the 8th to give New York a game lead and series lead they would not relinquish. In 30 post season games, Munson hit .357 with 9 doubles, 3 residence runs, and 22 RBI.

Catfish Hunter – A 5-time Globe Champion, Hunter pitched in six ALCS and six Globe Series for Oakland and New York in the course of the 70s. He went 9-six with a 3.26 ERA overall in 22 post-season games. Catfish enjoyed his Leading post-seasons with Oakland, going 7-2, which consists of 4-0 in Globe Series contests. Hunter went 2-0 in the 1972 Globe Series, such as a 3-2 victory in Game 7. In 1973 he notched a 5-hit shutout to close out Baltimore in a deciding Game 5 of the 1973 ALCS, and then outdueled Tom Seaver 3-1 in a doable elimination game against New York in Game six of the Globe Series. His Leading rated post-season efficiency as a Yankee was a complete game 5-hit 4-1 victory in the 1976 ALCS opener.

Steve Garvey – Like Munson did 2 years later, in 1974 Garvey lived up to an MVP season with a torrid League Championship Series and Globe Series. Steve led LA to the Fall Classic by hitting .389 with 2 home runs in a 4-game NLCS victory much more than Pittsburgh, and then hit .381 in a 5 game WS loss to Oakland. Garvey added 9 more hits and a .375 popular in a 1977 Globe Series loss to New York. Garvey took much more than the 1978 NLCS against Philadelphia with 2 homers and a triple in the opening game, en route to a 4 HR, 7 RBI, .389 series. Though his Dodgers would not lock up a Globe Championship till 1981, in the 70s Steve hit .339 in 29 post-season games with 40 hits, 7 HR, 20 runs scored and 16 RBI.

Jim Palmer – The decades Greatest pitcher in wins had a 5-2 post season record in the 1970s, with 3 complete game victories and a 2.75 ERA in 12 begins. Palmer pitched Baltimores pennant clinching game in 3 straight seasons from 1969-71. He went the distance in the 1970 ALCS clincher, permitting only 1 run While fanning 12. He then opened the 1970 Globe Series permitting only 5 hits to Cincinnati far more than 8 2/3 for a 4-3 win. In 1973 Palmer tossed a 5-hit complete game shutout with 12 strikeouts to open the ALCS against eventual Globe Champion Oakland.

Johnny Bench – With the Reds facing elimination in Game 5 of the 1972 NLCS, Bench tied the game in the 9th with a household run off Pittsburghs Dave Guisti, prior to Cincinnati went on to win. In 1976 Bench rebounded from an off-year in the regular season to hit .333 in a 3-game NLCS sweep of Philadelphia. In the 1976 Globe Series against the Yankees, Bench took MVP honors, Most effective the Reds to however an additional sweep by hitting .533 on 8 hits which consists of a double, triple and 2 house runs in 4 games. Bench hit an very successful .26six in 45 post-season games with ten homers, 8 doubles, 3 triples, 20 RBI and 27 runs scored.

Rollie Fingers – Fingers was an iron man by modern day relief pitching standards. Pitching in an era ideal away proceeding the 3 out save specialist, Fingers tossed much more than 52 frames for Oakland in 27 post-season games. That integrated six outings of 3 frames or substantially additional. In the 1973 Globe Series he appeared in six games, yielding only 1 run in 13 2/3, and took Globe Series MVP Honors in 1974 with a win and 2 saves. In total, Fingers had a 2.24 post-season ERA with 3 wins and 8 saves extra than 27 games, with a 1.35 ERA in 16 appearances in 3 Globe Series.

Reggie Jackson – Very possibly the Ideal clutch hitter in the games history, Mr.October lived up to his nickname with outstanding heroics for Oakland and New York in the course of the decade. Jackson played in 7 ALCS and was a 5-time Globe Champion, taking property 2 Globe Series MVPs. Reggie played in 53 post-season games and hit .305 with ten doubles, 14 HR and 38 RBI. He hit 9 HR and batted .360 in 24 Globe Series games. Most noted for his 3 HR game and 5 HR,.450 series to close out LA in 1977, Jackson had at least 2 other series equally impressive. In 1973 he designed very a couple of fine catches in Best field and filled in admirably in center for the injured Bill North. With Oakland down 3 games to 2, he walloped 2 RBI doubles in Game six and then a knockout blow 2-run HR in the Game 7 clincher. And in 1978, Jackson hit .391 with 2 HR and matched his 1977 total with 8 RBI

Joe Gersbeck is the author of 1970s Baseball: A History and Analysis of the Decades Top Seasons, Teams and Players.

Check out his world-wide-web internet site at http://www.70sbaseball.com