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Re: The Expos
May 1975
Pitching trouble dominated the Expos this month, with starters Blyleven, Stoneman and mopup pitcher Blair sitting out for extended periods with injury. The good news was that they didn't have to travel far, with just two away series at Houston and San Francisco planned this month. In fact, the Expos would play just ten games on the road between now and the end of June.
Despite Parc Jarry being sold out each and every night through May, the Expos generally failed to live up to expectations, and went through the month winning just eight games, and giving up more than ten runs on six occasions.
By the end of the month, Montreal had the worst record in the Major Leagues.
Again.
NL East
1. New York (34-20)
2. Phialdelphia (30-23)
3. Chicago (29-25)
4. Pittsburgh (28-27)
5. St Louis (26-29)
6. Montreal (19-36)
NL West - Los Angeles lead San Francisco by a half game
AL East - Baltimore also lead Boston by a half game
AL West - California lead Oakland by three games
Expos Leaders
ERA - Jerry Reuss (2.61)
Wins - Jerry Reuss (5)
Saves - Mac Scarce (7 - all for the Phillies)
Average - Rusty Staub (.341)
Home Runs - Toby Harrah (9)
Stolen Bases - Paul Powell (3)
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Re: The Expos
Draft Choices
3B Rob Teal (67/84) - Syracuse NY
SS Harry Chappas (64/84) - Mount Rainier MD
1B Chris Smith (49/88) - Torrance CA
P David Palmer (48/84) - Glens Falls NY
P Rick Engle (49/81) - Corbin KY
P Tom Gorman (53/76) - Portland OR
June 1975
With Bob Sheldon out for a week with injury, rookie Rob Teal was injected at the bottom of the batting order with strict orders to 'not do anything stupid'. Although his batting and on-base average were deplorable, it seemed the rookie's enthusiasm was a big factor in Montreal starting the month 5-3.
The momentum kept rolling on during the month, with Pittsburgh, San Francisco, New York and Chicago all leaving Parc Jarry without series victories. Cincinnati were swept inside their own stadium. Even though the Cubs would later come back and take all of the games against Montreal, June was a positive month overall, with the team seemingly firing on all cylinders.
The most positive thing in the eyes of the Expos fans was that they could say - with pride - "We're Number Five!"
NL East
1. New York (52-27)
2. Philadelphia (42-37)
3. Chicago (42-40)
4. St Louis (37-47)
5. Montreal (33-46)
6. Pittsburgh (34-48)
NL West - Still tight at the top, with the Giants just pipping the Dodgers
AL East - Boston lead Baltimore by 6.5 games
AL West - California lead Minnesota by 4.5 games. Oakland sit 7 behind.
Expos Leaders
ERA - Jerry Reuss (2.65)
Wins - Jerry Reuss (10)
Saves - Mac Scarce (13 - 7 for Philly)
Average - Rusty Staub (.330)
Home Runs - Dwight Evans (14)
Stolen Bases - Toby Harrah (4)
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Re: The Expos
July 1975
Don Money went off to the All-Star Game in Milwaukee but had an unhappy night along with the rest of the National League (1-6 losers).
The month was characterised by excellent home form, deplorable results on the road, and audacious trade offers - Atlanta tried to get their grubby hands on Rusty Staub for barely nothing.
What seemed to be hurting the Expos to most was their record in close games - their 12-19 record in one-run games was the worst in the National League, while they had only won 5 of 13 extra-inning games. Their home record to date (30-33) was the only losing record in their division, and certainly paled into insignificance compared with the Mets' 39-9 record inside Shea Stadium.
NL East
1. New York (65-36)
2. Philadelphia (57-42)
3. Chicago (55-51)
4. St Louis (45-60)
5. Montreal (42-61)
6. Pittsburgh (42-63)
NL West - San Francisco and Los Angeles are tied at the top
AL East - Baltimore and Boston are seperated by just a half game
AL West - Oakland and California are tied, with Minnesota just a step behind.
Expos Leaders
ERA - Steve Kline (2.93)
Wins - Jerry Reuss (10)
Saves - Mac Scarce (15)
Average - Rusty Staub (.301)
Home Runs - Dwight Evans (20)
Stolen Bases - Toby Harrah (7)
Right on the trade deadline, a deal was worked out with the Yankees. With the Expos steadily losing money and operating far above their payroll budget, it was time to take some preventative measures.
Expos Get - 3B George Brett (88/95) and $100,000
Yankees Get - LF Marvin Lane (84), 2B Tony Bernazard (50/77), SP Bill Stoneman (76) and SP Bill Travers (69/89)
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Re: The Expos
August 1975
"We're Number Six - Again!"
August was a disastrous month for the Expos, with a ten game losing streak on the road severely affecting team morale and confidence. Rumours swept through the newspapers about players demanding to be traded or released from their contract. Another bigger rumour doing the rounds - and potentially very harmful to the Expos - was the prospect of the American League admitting a team from Toronto for the following season. The consequences - sharing a nation's media, sponsorship, fan base with another team, and a Toronto team at that - could be fatal for the Expos, who were still trying to keep their heads above water.
Perhaps with this in mind, the Expos proceeded to peel off a seven game winning streak to close the month, with sweeps of the Astros and Phillies at Parc Jarry. However, they were already eliminated from contention, that day falling on August 28, due largely to the excellent form of the Mets.
NL East
1. New York (86-43)
2. Philadelphia (70-59)
3. Chicago (68-63)
4. St Louis (60-69)
5. Pittsburgh (55-77)
6. Montreal (53-79)
NL West - The Dodgers have broken the Giants' back and lead by 8
AL East - Baltimore lead Boston by 2 in a tight race
AL West - Oakland have restored the status quo and lead the Angels by 4.5 games
Expos Leaders
ERA - Steve Kline (3.18)
Wins - Jerry Reuss (13)
Saves - Mac Scare (18)
Average - Toby Harrah (.297)
Home Runs - Dwight Evans (28)
Stolen Bases - Toby Harrah (13)
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Re: The Expos
September-October 1975
The Expos would finish their seventh season mostly on the road, with just two series against the second-placed Phillies to whet the appetites of the Montreal public. It was looking more and more likely that Montreal would finish the season slightly in the red and would have to trade off the more expensive parts of their team, or reduce funding to their developmental department, which - it had to be said - was not really doing its job.
In the end, with the budget slashed by $400,000, the Expos finished with just $136,940 in the bank. In a short but terse statement, the management stated that with a move to Stade Olympique just around the corner, the fortunes of the Expos would also surely improve. However, they could not and would not continue to pay underachieving players massive money just to play for the 'Pos.
For most of the baseball universe, however, their focus was centred on the AL East where a most exciting division race was nearing its conclusion. Baltimore finished their schedule six days before the Red Sox, setting them the target of 5 wins in 6 games against the Tigers at Fenway Park to win the title. This they duly did, with one game to spare. For the first time in the divisional format, a 100-win team would miss the post-season.
NL East
1. New York (110-52)
2. Chicago (85-77)
3. Philadelphia (82-80)
4. St Louis (77-85)
5. Pittsburgh (69-93)
6. Montreal (64-98)
NL West
1. Los Angeles (99-63)
2. San Francisco (95-67)
3. Atlanta (81-81)
4. Cincinnati (74-88)
5. Houston (69-93)
6. San Diego (67-95)
AL East
1. Boston (106-56)
2. Baltimore (105-57)
3. Cleveland (87-75)
4. New York (81-81)
5. Detroit (79-83)
6. Milwaukee (45-117)
AL West
1. Oakland (97-65)
2. Califronia (89-73)
3. Minnesota (84-78)
4. Texas (78-84)
5. Chicago (68-94)
6. Kansas City (53-109)
Both of the League Championships went to a deciding fifth game, with the home side winning each encounter by a solitary run.
It would be the New York Mets that shocked the world on October 28 as they swept the Red Sox in four straight games. It is the first World Series for the 'Amazing Mets', who had previously lost it all in 1973, incidentally also to the Red Sox.
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Re: The Expos
Code:
1975 Batting Team G AVG AB H 2B 3B HR BB K SB CS R RBI SLG OBP
Powell, Paul MON 155 .218 641 140 33 2 11 70 140 8 4 91 56 .328 .296
Staub, Rusty MON 156 .285 610 174 31 2 15 66 76 2 1 74 96 .416 .357
Harrah, Toby MON 146 .285 578 165 28 5 22 94 65 20 6 117 68 .465 .388
Evans, Dwight MON 154 .312 571 178 36 6 35 100 100 3 6 111 107 .580 .414
Money, Don MON 134 .272 537 146 23 4 26 60 70 5 2 87 89 .475 .345
May, Milt MON 135 .235 515 121 20 0 18 45 72 1 0 53 71 .379 .299
Brett, George MON 109 .239 426 102 28 3 7 41 44 6 4 45 52 .369 .304
Lynn, Fred MON 139 .212 396 84 21 1 7 61 71 6 4 42 51 .323 .317
Sheldon, Bob MON 116 .227 344 78 13 5 0 16 70 0 0 26 28 .294 .268
Reuss, Jerry MON 38 .179 95 17 1 0 0 4 35 1 0 8 7 .189 .208
Blyleven, Bert MON 34 .120 92 11 0 0 0 3 41 0 0 8 2 .120 .146
Burcham, Harris MON 44 .124 89 11 1 1 1 6 20 1 0 7 5 .191 .202
Kline, Steve MON 34 .084 83 7 0 0 0 3 32 0 0 2 2 .084 .115
Gessler, Darryl MON 32 .159 82 13 2 0 0 3 22 1 0 2 6 .183 .186
Ross, Tony MON 22 .146 82 12 3 0 0 7 13 0 0 3 3 .183 .220
Dawson, Andre MON 71 .227 66 15 1 1 2 6 7 2 1 5 12 .364 .307
Teal, Rob MON 31 .127 55 7 0 0 0 3 21 0 0 3 2 .127 .172
Blair, Dennis MON 19 .122 41 5 0 0 0 0 23 0 0 3 1 .122 .122
Rhoden, Rick MON 18 .146 41 6 2 0 0 3 10 0 1 1 0 .195 .205
Frearson, Theo MON 5 .385 13 5 1 0 0 2 3 0 0 3 0 .462 .467
Kendricks, James MON 12 .125 8 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 1 .250 .222
Fleck, Devon MON 3 .000 8 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 .000 .111
Easterly, Jamie MON 0 .333 6 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 .333 .333
Anderson, Larry MON 0 .167 6 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 .167 .167
Webster, Mark MON 4 .000 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000
Adamson, Mike MON 0 .000 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 .000 .000
Sutton, John MON 0 .000 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000
Roenicke, Gary MON 1 .000 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 .000 .000
Scarce, Mac MON 0 1.000 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000 1.000
Code:
1975 Pitching Team IP ERA G GS W L SV K BB R/9
Reuss, Jerry MON 285.1 3.19 38 38 16 4 0 167 94 11.23
Blyleven, Bert MON 256.1 4.60 34 34 12 18 0 198 112 12.99
Kline, Steve MON 245.1 3.45 34 34 13 12 0 84 75 10.60
Blair, Dennis MON 126.1 6.91 21 19 4 12 0 67 108 18.52
Rhoden, Rick MON 118.1 8.06 20 18 2 13 0 60 77 18.71
Easterly, Jamie MON 80.0 5.85 62 0 6 9 4 34 52 16.54
Anderson, Larry MON 70.1 5.25 44 0 5 5 1 52 34 13.82
Frearson, Theo MON 44.1 9.74 9 5 0 5 0 30 20 20.50
Sutton, John MON 42.0 2.79 35 0 1 1 0 28 18 13.29
Scarce, Mac MON 35.0 2.31 35 0 3 4 22 22 8 6.94
Fleck, Devon MON 33.1 11.34 11 3 0 4 0 16 27 22.41
Adamson, Mike MON 23.0 5.48 11 0 0 0 0 21 16 17.61
Gorman, Tom MON 4.0 6.75 3 0 0 0 0 1 4 22.50
Sanderson, Scott MON 2.1 3.86 2 0 1 0 0 3 1 11.57
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Re: The Expos
Off-Season Activity
The Expos were recognised in the end of season awards, with a record three players scoring golden gloves - Milt May, Bob Sheldon and Dwight Evans.
Third baseman Toby Harrah had given solid service to the Expos since joining from the Senators in 1970, although never batting any higher .280. However, his request for a six-year contract worth a total of $3.6 million was cutting it a bit fine, especially considering that Montreal were walking a fiscal tightrope.
The best we could do was offer a two-season contract with a slight payrise. He shook hands and wished us the best in 1976, and eventually got his fat contract with the Texas Rangers.
The only other player on the entire roster whose contract was up was centre-fielder Paul Powell, who was far from a fan favourite at Parc Jarry. His batting average had fallen by a full .100 in just two seasons. We decided to release him without going to Arbitration.
With the loss of two players, and no signings, the knives were out in the press, with almost universal opinion believing that the Expos were headed for another 100-loss season, perhaps a 120-loss season. The important thing for now was that we were now operating under our payroll budget, with just $157,000 left over, and $136,940 in the bank.
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Re: The Expos
1976 Montreal Expos
http://www.ebaseballparks.com/images/jarry1.jpg
The final season at Parc Jarry
Line-up
2B - Bob Sheldon
1B - Rusty Staub
SS - Don Money
RF - Dwight Evans
LF - Andre Dawson
C - Milt May
3B - George Brett
CF - Fred Lynn
Bench
C - Harris Burcham
3B - Rob Teal
LF - Gary Roenicke
1B - Chris Nyman
RF - Mark Webster
C - James Kendricks
Rotation
1. Bert Blyleven
2. Steve Kline
3. Jerry Reuss
4. Dennis Blair
Bullpen
Mopup - Rick Rhoden
Closer - Mac Scarce
Setup - Jamie Easterly
Short - Larry Anderson
Short - John Sutton
Middle - Mike Adamson
Long - Scott Sanderson
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Re: The Expos
Pre-Season Predicitions
1. New York (100-62)
2. Chicago (88-74)
3. Philadelphia (85-77)
4. Montreal (77-85)
5. St Louis (75-87)
6. Pittsburgh (64-98)
AMERICAN LEAGUE - Baltimore to beat Oakland in 5 games
NATIONAL LEAGUE - New York to beat Los Angeles in 5 games
WORLD SERIES - New York to trounce Baltimore in 4 games
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Re: The Expos
April 1976
1976 was a great year to live in Montreal, with the eyes of the world soon to be trained on the city with the Olympic Games coming to town. However, not all was good out at the Olympic Park, with the stadium running behind schedule. There is some concern that the structure - with its revolutionary retractable roof design - may not be complete in time for the games. Time will tell.
On the field, the Expos started in red hot form, sweeping the Padres in the final Opening Day series to be played at the Parc Jarry. George Brett had a rotten start to the year, recording just one hit in his first 31 at-bats. He would rectify that somewhat with a walk-off home run in a 5-hour epic win at the Astrodome, which was also the Expos' first win on the road in 1976.
Pitcher Steve Kline was removed from the rotation for two weeks after a mild shoulder seperation against the Giants.
The month finished with Montreal at 12-15, and 'just' 9.5 wins out of first place, although the Mets would be very hard to beat in 1976. The star of the month would be Jamie Easterly, with the unheralded pitcher credited with four wins in relief.
NL East
1. New York (23-7)
2. Chicago (18-9)
3. Pittsburgh (14-13)
4. Montreal (12-15)
5. Philadelphia (13-17)
6. St Louis (11-16)
NL West - Cincinnati lead San Francisco by 1.5 games
AL East - Boston lead the **** Yankees by 2 games
AL West - Oakland lead California by 3.3 games
Expos Leaders
ERA - Bert Blyleven (2.72)
Wins - Jamie Easterly (4)
Saves - Mac Scarce (4)
Average - Rusty Staub (.318)
Home Runs - Dwight Evans (7)
Stolen Bases - Andre Dawson (3)
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Re: The Expos
May 1976
Bob Sheldon's season is over.
For a few days the reasons were not immediately clear, but gradually the truth came out. Bob had something of a reputation as a ladies' man around town, and was never short of company on a night on the town.
It turns out that Bob and his companion were engaging in a little pillow fight back in his house when the second-baseman was hit with a good shot from his petite mistress. Falling off balance, Sheldon put out his hand to steady his fall, and......
Broken wrist. Out for nearly a whole year.
With Arbitration coming up later in the year, it seems more likely than not that we've seen the last of Bob in an Expos uniform.
The absence of Sheldon means that Harry Chappas and Tony Ross get their opportunity in the big leagues. Quite frankly, they're not ready. And subsequently Montreal's results - although not terrible - started to head south again. The schedulers were not kind either with twelve games against the Dodgers, who are clearly the most talented team in the NL West, if not the best performing at the moment.
NL East
1. New York (38-17)
2. Chicago (32-23)
3. St Louis (26-26)
4. Pittsburgh (26-29)
5. Philadelphia (26-31)
6. Montreal (22-30)
NL West - Cincinnati lead San Francisco by 2 games
AL East - Baltimore lead New York and Boston by a game
AL West - Oakland lead California by 2 games
Expos Leaders
ERA - Jerry Reuss (2.45)
Wins - Jerry Reuss (6)
Saves - Mac Scarce (6)
Average - Dwight Evans (.324)
Home Runs - Dwight Evans (15)
Stolen Bases - Andre Dawson (7)
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Re: The Expos
Draft Choices
C Josh Strait (68/82), Tulare CA
CF Dave Henderson (58/88), Merced CA
LF Tom Romano (51/86), Syracuse NY
RP Rick Grapenthin (48/82), Linn Grove IA
RP Bob James (48/80), Glendale CA
P Frank Williams (50/82), Seattle WA
Our worst fears were realised on June 2 when it was announced that Toronto and Seattle would be joining the American League starting next season. There goes our Canadian monopoly. What do people see in Toronto anyway?
Jamie Easterly, the unheralded pitcher, is out for the rest of the season with severe elbow tendonitis. It may have eased his pain that he was credited with the W in the game that it happened, but I doubt it.
June was a mixed month of results. The National League had scheduled many of our home games to take place before the Olympics kick off, fearing that our attendances would take a severe beating if people had to choose between a sixth-placed team or the world's largest sports festival.
Therefore, with June in the bag, we only have another 20 home games to be played at Parc Jarry, before we head up the street to the (as yet uncompleted) Stade Olympique.
NL East
1. New York (53-26)
2. Chicago (51-31)
3. Philadelphia (41-41)
4. St Louis (36-43)
5. Montreal (32-47)
6. Pittsburgh (35-50)
NL West - Tenacious Cincinnati keep their one game lead over the Giants
AL East - Baltimore lead New York by 6 games
AL West - California lead the surprising Rangers by 3 games. Oakland are 3.5 games behind.
Expos Leaders
ERA - Jerry Reuss (2.81)
Wins - Jerry Reuss (7)
Saves - Mac Scarce (10)
Average - Dwight Evans (.343)
Home Runs - Dwight Evans (20)
Stolen Bases - Andre Dawson (11)
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Re: The Expos
July 1976
The first half of the month was marked by home losses to San Diego and St Louis, who each swept us and put our hopes for improvement on temporary hold.
Dwight Evans recieved an invitation to the All-Star Game in Philadelphia, but couldn't get past the first round of the Home Run Showdown which also featured former teammate Toby Harrah. Despite going 2/3 the following day, Evans couldn't lift the National League to victory, going down 6-5.
On July 17, after beating the Cardinals 5-2 on their home field, the team watched the Opening Ceremony of the Games of the XXI Olympiad.
http://www.olympic.org/upload/games/1976S_city.gif
Note the incomplete Stade Olympique. They were still installing seats on the morning of the Opening Ceremony.
http://multimedia.olympic.org/pic/gal1976s_l_03.jpg
Hallo, hallo, hallo.....what's going on here?
http://multimedia.olympic.org/pic/gal1976s_l_02.jpg
They look so happy to be there. Especially him.
The very next day, Dwight Evans and Fred Lynn, two of the rising stars of the Expos, were ruled out for the remainder of the season. Evans broke his ankle leaping for a fly ball on the Astrodome turf, while Lynn ruptured his cervical disc just twenty minutes later.
The Expos would win just one game for the rest of the month. Three in total.
NL East
1. New York (68-36)
2. Chicago (66-39)
3. Philadelphia (53-54)
4. St Louis (46-55)
5. Pittsburgh (43-64)
6. Montreal (35-66)
NL West - The Giants lead the Dodgers by just 1.5 games. Cincinnati appear to have done their dash.
AL East - Baltimore lead Boston by 7 games
AL West - California - yes that's right - lead Texas - yes, indeed - by 7.5 games. Is the Oakland dynasty coming to an end?
Expos Leaders
ERA - Steve Kline (2.98)
Wins - Jerry Reuss (9)
Saves - Mac Scarce (11)
Average - Dwight Evans (.330)
Home Runs - Dwight Evans (21)
Stolen bases - Andre Dawson (13)
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Re: The Expos
August 1976
The circus eventually left town, and left the city council and provincal government with a massive debt...I doubt they'll have it paid by the end of the decade, although the Expos would benefit by inheriting a world-class facility created at no cost to the club. Work to convert it to baseball began just hours after the Closing Ceremony was held on August 1.
The Expos, in the meanwhile, began the month with a series of disgraceful performances. The players, it seems, have given up, resulting in the following run totals for our opponents:
6, 11, 12, 14, 8, 10, 9, 14, 7, 5, 10, 7, 7, 2, 5 - all losses, a 15-game losing streak, easily the worst in the club's history.
August was also the worst month in Expos baseball, with a 4-23 record a great disappointment to fans and management alike. The fans stayed mostly loyal, even if some of them didn't wave with all of their fingers...
NL East
1. New York (87-42)
2. Chicago (85-47)
3. Philadelphia (72-62)
4. St Louis (61-71)
5. Pittsburgh (53-79)
6. Montreal (39-89)
NL West - The Giants lead the Dodgers by 1.5 games
AL East - Baltimore lead New York by 6 games
AL West - California lead Oakland by 5.5 games
Expos Leaders
ERA - Steve Kline (3.38)
Wins - Jerry Reuss (10)
Saves - Mac Scarce (13)
Average - Rusty Staub (.261)
Home Runs - Dwight Evans (21)
Stolen Bases - Andre Dawson (14)
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Re: The Expos
September-October 1976
After going 7-42 in the last two months, April seemed so long ago for long-suffering Expos fans. With Sheldon, Evans and Lynn missing from their line-up, it seemed like they were fielding four pitchers in their batting line-up, such was the quality of their farm team players.
But why were they so terrible? Quite simply, there weren't enough of them.
The natural progression for a rookie would be to spend up to four or five years crafting his trade with either Savannah, Potomac, Harrisburg or New Orleans. Dwight Evans was a good example of this - used sparingly in his first three years at the club, he was now one of the legitimate stars of the Expos, and perhaps even the league.
However, with prospects traded away over the years in order to get 'better' players, the depth of the club simply fell away. So much so that even an innocent pillowfight could elevate two Rookie League players into the starting line-up.
Things would have to change.
Meanwhile, the season dragged on and on. A day after winning their 40th game at Shea Stadium, the Expos lost their 100th at Three Rivers Stadium. It was that kind of season. The Expos even won consecuitve games - then gave up 39 runs at Parc Jarry to the Giants.
It was a measure of how far the Expos had fallen when their fans could feel somewhat satisfied to win six games in a month. The final game at Parc Jarry resulted in the Mets claiming the division title for yet another season, although Don Money had the satisfaction of scoring the final run in front of a sold-out crowd.
On the final day of the year, Jerry Reuss tore his rotator cuff. Out for all of the 1977 season! Merde! And we would have to pay him $365,000 just to live in Montreal and do nothing!
Surely better days lie ahead. Incredibly though, there was a team in the major league that was worse than Montreal!
NL East
1. New York (107-55)
2. Chicago (104-58)
3. Philadelphia (88-74)
4. St Louis (76-86)
5. Pittsburgh (66-96)
6. Montreal (46-116)
NL West
1. San Francisco (97-65)
2. Los Angeles (96-66)
3. Atlanta (82-80)
4. Houston (74-88)
5. Cincinnati (73-89)
6. San Diego (63-99)
AL East
1. Baltimore (105-57)
2. New York (92-70)
3. Boston (91-71)
4. Detroit (87-75)
5. Cleveland (81-81)
6. Milwaukee (36-126)
AL West
1. Oakland (100-62)
2. California (99-63)
3. Texas (86-76)
4. Chicago (75-87)
5. Minnesota (66-96)
6. Kansas City (54-108)
The Athletics and Mets each won their series with each to set up one of the more anticipated World Series showdowns in years. Either New York would keep their winning sequence intact, or Oakland would stamp their mark as the 'Team of the 70s'.
It wasn't the fact that they won in four games, but the absolute dominance that Oakland showed in winning each of the games - 6-2, 10-2, 5-2 and 11-0 at Shea Stadium to win their fourth title this decade.
