Impossible Dream???

[bigpapi]

August 17,18,19 v Baltimore Orioles (62-55)

August 17-Boog Powell homered and drove in 3 runs, and the Oriole bullpen pitched 4 2/3 shutout innings as Baltimore nipped Boston 5-4. (80-41)
W-Jan Dukes (6-5) L-Cecil Upshaw (3-2) S-Bill Landis (15)

August 18-Don Baylor went 2-3 with 2 RBI and Dock Ellis allowed just 1 earned run in 6 innings giving Boston a 7-6 win over the O's. (81-41)
W-Dock Ellis (18-5) L-Wayne Garland (6-5) S-Sparky Lyle (37)

August 19-Billy Conigliaro went 2-4 with 3 RBI and Billy Grabarkewitz hit a 2 run HR as Boston beat up on the Orioles 11-2. (82-41)
W-Denny McClain (14-4) L-Dave Roberts (9-8) S-Ron Guidry (1)

August 20,21,22 v Milwaukee Brewers (44-79)

August 20-Ted Simmons went 3-6 with 5 RBI, Larry Bowa added 4 hits, 4 runs and 2 RBI, and Don Baylor hit a 3 run HR as Boston obliterated the Brewers 16-1. (83-41)
W-Roger Moret (16-6) L-Dennis Leonard (7-13)

August 21-Ted Simmons hit a bases clearing double, completing a comeback from a 3-0 defecit, giving Boston a 4-3 lead they would not give up. (84-41)
W-Reggie Cleveland (9-2) L-Derek Maus (8-15) S-Sparky Lyle (38)

August 22-Boston completed the sweep, as they jumped on the back of Reggie Smith who homered twice and accounted for all 3 RBI's as Boston beat Milwaukee 3-2. (85-41)
W-Bill Lee (10-9) L-Brian Mogford (3-11)

Around the MLB:

The Texas Rangers released 2B Bill Mazeroski. Texas had signed Mazeroski to a 3 year deal in the offseason, but he was outplayed by Tom Ragland, lost his job and eventually was relegated to pinch hitting duty. Mazeroski is currently playing in the Mexican Leagues, hitting .395 with 1 HR and 10 RBI.

Willie Mays of the San Fransisco Giants recorded his 3500th hit.

Ending August for the Sox is 3 more at home against the Brewers followed by 3 on the road against the Oakland A's.

[bigpapi]

Complete Team Batting Stats Through August 31-(team leaders in bold)

1972 Batting             Team    G   AVG    AB    H  2B  3B  HR   BB    K   SB  CS    R  RBI   SLG   OBP
Baylor, Don               BOS  130  .284   539  153  22   3  31   54   68   10   4   88  121  .508  .356
Smith, Reggie             BOS  126  .285   512  146  33   3  31   91   75   10   6  116   94  .543  .394
Bowa, Larry               BOS  131  .307   498  153  21   6   1   32   33   18  16   66   54  .380  .355
Petrocelli, Rico          BOS  122  .322   487  157  26   2  30   57   67    2   1   84  107  .569  .393
Harrah, Toby              BOS  122  .293   482  141  20   0  17   82   50   26  13   89   62  .440  .394
Simmons, Ted              BOS  105  .245   392   96  18   4  11   42   27    0   0   44   69  .395  .317
Conigliaro, Tony          BOS   77  .286   297   85  16   4  17   52   57    0   1   66   51  .539  .396
Shamsky, Art              BOS   85  .299   224   67  11   3  13   33   33    0   0   36   49  .549  .389
Conigliaro, Billy         BOS   42  .265   166   44  12   1   4   19   34    0   0   19   26  .422  .342
Grabarkewitz, Billy       BOS   47  .237   114   27   6   0   4   12   34    6   2   20    7  .395  .310
French, Jim               BOS   28  .215    93   20   2   0   0   17   10    0   0   14    9  .237  .336
McLain, Denny             BOS   26  .127    63    8   0   0   0    2   31    0   0    3    2  .127  .154
Lee, Bill                 BOS   28  .129    62    8   1   0   0    2   20    0   0    2    5  .145  .156
Ellis, Dock               BOS   27  .228    57   13   0   0   0    9   20    0   0   10    7  .228  .328
Moret, Roger              BOS   25  .042    48    2   1   0   0    5   18    0   0    3    2  .063  .130
Cleveland, Reggie         BOS   25  .133    45    6   1   0   0    5   16    0   0    2    5  .156  .216
Muser, Tony               BOS   27  .360    25    9   3   0   0    3    3    0   0    3    6  .480  .433
Rico, Fred                BOS   25  .320    25    8   0   0   0    0    3    0   0    3    0  .320  .320
Sutherland, Gary          BOS   10  .286     7    2   1   0   0    1    0    0   0    2    0  .429  .375
Guidry, Ron               BOS   10  .143     7    1   0   0   0    0    5    0   0    1    2  .143  .125
Garber, Gene              BOS   46  .000     5    0   0   0   0    0    1    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
Upshaw, Cecil             BOS   40  .000     5    0   0   0   0    0    3    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
Fingers, Rollie           BOS   56  .250     4    1   0   0   0    0    1    0   0    1    0  .250  .250
York, Jim                 BOS   34  .000     2    0   0   0   0    0    2    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
Lyle, Sparky              BOS   53  .000     0    0   0   0   0    1    0    0   0    0    0  .000 1.000

Complete Team Pitching Stats Through August 31-(team leaders in bold)

1972 Pitching            Team     IP   ERA    G  GS   W   L  SV    K   BB   R/9
Lyle, Sparky              BOS   53.1  1.86   53   0   4   2  40   35    9  8.27
Fingers, Rollie           BOS   72.1  2.99   56   0   6   6   1   51   17 11.20
Garber, Gene              BOS   60.0  3.00   46   0   3   1   0   43   11 10.20
Moret, Roger              BOS  159.2  3.04   25  25  17   6   0  102   62 10.88
Ellis, Dock               BOS  183.2  3.09   27  27  19   5   0  122   47 10.83
Brett, Ken                BOS   14.0  3.21   10   0   0   0   0    9    6 12.86
Guidry, Ron               BOS   27.1  3.62   10   2   2   1   1   19    6 12.51
Lee, Bill                 BOS  202.0  4.01   28  28  11   9   0   96   38 11.72
McLain, Denny             BOS  175.1  4.21   26  26  15   4   0  120   57 12.68
Upshaw, Cecil             BOS   53.0  4.25   40   0   3   2   2   37   16 11.89
York, Jim                 BOS   46.0  4.50   34   0   3   1   0   30   14 12.72
Cleveland, Reggie         BOS  143.0  4.78   25  23   9   2   0   71   43 12.21

Up next are League Standings Through August 31!

[bigpapi]

American League Standings Through August 31-

[bigpapi]

National League Standings Through August 31-

[bigpapi]

August 25,26,27 v Milwaukee Brewers (44-82)

August 25-Reggie Smith reached the 30 HR plateau for a 5th straight year, hitting a 3 run HR, and Rico Petrocelli hit his 29th as Boston beat the Brewers 8-5. (86-41)
W-Dock Ellis (19-5) L-Tim Dawson (5-12)

August 26-Rico Petrocelli went 5-6 with a HR and 5 RBI, and Reggie Smith went 4-5 with a HR, 3 RBI and 5 runs scored as Boston scored 2 touchdowns and kicked 2 field goals in a 20-3 thrashing of Milwaukee. (87-41)
W-Denny McClain (15-4) L-Dennis Leonard (7-14)

August 27-Don Baylor hit a 2 run HR, as Boston completed the sweep, despite only 3 hits in a 3-2 win over the Brewers. (88-41)
W-Roger Moret (17-6) L-Brian Mogford (3-12) S-Sparky Lyle (39)

August 29,30,31 at Oakland A's (63-66)

August 29-Every Sox starter except Toby Harrah drove in a run, lead by Don Baylor, who homered and drove in 4 as Boston beat up the A's 14-2. (89-41)
W-Ron Guidry (2-1) L-Jerry Stephenson (3-7)

August 30-Ted Simmons hit a solo HR, and Bill Lee outdueled Jim Nash as Boston beat Oakland 3-2. (90-41)
W-Bill Lee (11-9) L-Jim Nash (4-12) S-Sparky Lyle (40)

August 31-Ted Kubiak drove in the winning run off Gene Garber in the bottom of the 9th inning, helping the A's avoid the sweep, winning 4-3. (90-42)
W-Steve Mingori (4-2) L-Gene Garber (1-1)

MLB Milestones:

Bert Campaneris of the Oakland A's stole his 400th base
Boog Powell of the Baltimore Orioles drove in his 1000th run

Leading off September for the Sox is 3 at home against the Minnesota Twins followed by 3 in Fenway against the New York Yankees!

[bigpapi]

September 1,2,3 v Minnesota Twins (61-68)

September 1-Reggie Smith went 5-5 with a HR and 3 RBI, and Denny McClain struck out 10 in 7 innings helping Boston to a 5-2 win over the Twins. (91-42)
W-Denny McClain (16-4) L-Jim McAndrew (11-7) S-Sparky Lyle (41)

September 2-Roger Moret scattered 8 hits over 7 shutout innings, and Rico Petrocelli went 4-4 with a HR and 3 RBI giving Boston an 8-0 win over Minnesota. (92-42)
W-Roger Moret (18-6) L-Dave Boswell (9-11)

September 3-Ron Guidry helped his own cause, hitting a bases clearing double, as well as pitching 1 run ball over 7 innings as Boston completed the sweep of the Twins, winning 7-3. (93-42)
W-Ron Guidry (3-1) L-Dick Woodson (3-4)

September 4,5,6 v New York Yankees (72-60)

September 4-Frank Howard went 3-4 with a HR and 7 RBI, and Roy Whitw went 4-4 with 4 runs scored as New York blitzed the Sox 13-7. (93-43)
W-Sonny Seibert (5-3) L-Ken Brett (0-1)

September 5-Tony Conigliaro and Don Baylor each went 2-4 with 2 run HR's, and Dock Ellis allowed 2 runs in 8 innings, winning his 20th game for a 2nd straight year, leading Boston to a 4-2 win. (94-43)
W-Dock Ellis (20-5) L-Jim Bouton (11-9) S-Sparky Lyle (42)

September 6-Ted Simmons went 3-3 with 2 RBI, and Denny McClain hit a 2 run single helping his cause as Boston beat New York 9-3. (95-43)
W-Denny McClain (17-4) L-Al Downing (8-12)

MLB Milestones:

Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds hit for the cycle
Willie Davis of the Los Angeles Dodgers scored his 1000th run

MLB Injuries:
Bill Freehan (DET) 5 months (Torn Ankle Ligament)
Jim Qualls (KC) 3 months (Broken Ankle)

Up next for Boston is a home and home series with the Yanks, the first three in the Bronx, followed by a 3 game set in Fenway.

[bigpapi]

September 10,11,12 at New York Yankees (75-63)

September 10-Reggie Smith had 2 hits and an RBI, and Roger Moret pitched 7 innings of 1 run ball as Boston outlasted the Yankees 2-1 in 11 innings. (96-43)
W-Cecil Upshaw (4-2) L-Jack Aker (4-4) S-Sparky Lyle (43)

September 11-Art Shamsky hit a solo HR, his 14th of the year, and rookie Ron Guidry continued his impressive run, pitching 8 1/3 innings of 2 run ball helping Boston beat the Yanks 4-2. (97-43)
W-Ron Guidry (4-1) L-Mel Stottlemyre (16-10) S-Sparky Lyle (44)

September 12-Al Yates hit a pinch hit 2 run HR, and Mike Hegan drove in the winning run in the bottom of the 9th inning, helping New York avoid the sweep, winning 4-3. (97-44)
W-Ron Klimkowski (8-1) L-Gene Garber (1-2)

September 16,17,18 v New York Yankees (76-65)

September 16-Tony Soliata went 3-3 with a HR and 5 RBI, as the Yankees roughed up the Sox 8-6. (97-45)
W-Mike McCormick (4-4) L-Reggie Cleveland (9-3)

September 17-Toby Harrah hit a 2 run single off Steve Kline in the bottom of the 13th inning, giving Boston a 5-4 win over New York, and their 4th straight American League Eastern Championship!!!. (98-45)
W-Rollie Fingers (7-6) L-Steve Kline (1-4) Boxscore below:

New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox
September 17, 1972

                     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 +  R  H  E
       Yankees (NYY) 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 1  4 11  2
       Red Sox (BOS) 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2  5 10  0

NEW YORK             ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
J. Davanon (SS)       2  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .258
 B. Hansen (P)        1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .241
 F. Baker (P)         4  1  0  0  0  1  0  0    .154
T. Munson (C)         7  3  0  0  0  0  1  0    .312
R. White (RF)         3  2  0  2  1  1  0  0    .345
 A. Yates (P)         1  0  1  0  0  0  0  0    .332
F. Howard (LF)        5  0  1  1  0  0  1  0    .236
T. Solaita (1B)       3  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .235
 C. Sanchez (P)       3  1  0  0  0  0  1  0    .375
B. Grich (2B)         2  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .264
 J. Pepitone (P)      1  1  0  0  0  1  0  0    .311
 J. Sipin (P)         3  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .400
S. Whitaker (CF)      4  1  1  1  0  1  3  0    .237
P. Schaal (3B)        4  1  1  0  0  0  1  0    .248
A. Downing (P)        2  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .146
 M. Hegan (P)         1  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .143
 G. Jones (P)         0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .250
 R. Klimkowski (P)    0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
 J. Kenney (P)        1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .111
 S. Siebert (P)       0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .391
 J. Lyttle (P)        1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .196
 J. Aker (P)          0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
 J. Morales (P)       1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
 S. Kline (P)         0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .105
TOTALS               49 11  4  4  1  4 11  0

   2B:  T. Munson (19)
   HR:  R. White (18)
   CS:  T. Munson

        NEW YORK   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
      A. Downing  6.0  4  1  0  2  2  5  96   5.10
        G. Jones  1.0  2  1  0  1  1  0  25   2.65
   R. Klimkowski  1.0  0  0  0  0  0  0  10   2.91
      S. Siebert  3.0  1  2  0  0  0  0  58   4.22
         J. Aker  2.0  1  0  0  0  0  1  33   2.29
        S. Kline  0.1  2  1  0  2  2  0  13   2.80
          TOTALS 13.1 10  5  0  5  5  6 235

BOSTON               ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
R. Smith (1B)         5  2  1  1  0  0  1  0    .294
T. Harrah (2B)        6  2  0  0  0  3  0  0    .284
T. Conigliaro (RF)    6  0  0  0  0  0  2  0    .288
D. Baylor (LF)        5  0  1  0  0  0  0  0    .289
R. Petrocelli (3B)    5  1  0  1  0  0  1  0    .322
B. Conigliaro (CF)    5  0  1  1  0  0  1  0    .266
L. Bowa (SS)          5  1  0  0  0  0  1  0    .300
T. Simmons (C)        6  3  0  1  0  2  0  0    .250
D. McLain (P)         1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .132
 G. Brett (P)         1  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .500
 C. Upshaw (P)        0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
 T. Muser (P)         0  0  1  0  0  0  0  0    .385
 S. Lyle (P)          0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
 D. Evans (P)         1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
 R. Fingers (P)       0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .250
 B. Grabarkewitz (P)  0  0  1  1  0  0  0  0    .245
TOTALS               46 10  5  5  0  5  6  0

   3B:  R. Smith (6)
   HBP:  R. Petrocelli
   CS:  T. Harrah, R. Smith

          BOSTON   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
       D. McLain  7.0  6  2  1  3  3  6 119   4.08
       C. Upshaw  2.0  1  1  0  0  0  2  33   3.88
         S. Lyle  2.0  2  0  0  0  0  1  22   1.66
      R. Fingers  3.0  2  1  0  1  1  2  45   3.00
          TOTALS 14.0 11  4  1  4  4 11 219

     WP: R. Fingers (7-6)
     LP: S. Kline (1-4)

     Temperature: 65F
     Wind: 5 MPH (out to center)
     Attendance: 33,379
     Time: 5:12

September 18-Running out a lineup that was as followed: SS Billy Grabarkewitz, 3B George Brett, RF Dwight Evans, CF Billy Conigliaro, LF Ben Ogilvie,2B Ray Knight, 1B Jeff Burroughs, and C Ernie Whitt, the Sox gave the Yankees all they could handle as Grabarkewitz and Whitt each homered, and Roger Moret won his 19th game as the Boston JV beat the Yankees 4-2. (99-45)
W-Roger Moret (19-6) L-Joe Moeller (9-8) S-Sparky Lyle (45)

MLB Milestones:
Johnny Callison of the California Angels hit his 300th homerun

MLB Injuries:
Tommy John (CHW) 3 months (Ruptured Disc in Back)
Denny Doyle (PHI) 9 months (Broken Wrist)

Next for the Sox is 3 games in Detroit against the Tigers followed by 3 more at home against the New York Yankees.

[bigpapi]

September 19,20,21 at Detroit Tigers (74-73)

September 19-Trailing 4-0 entering the 8th inning, Tony Conigliaro and Don Baylor went back to back, and Baylor hit a 2nd HR in the 9th completing the comeback as Boston beat the Tigers 5-4. (100-45)
W-Cecil Upshaw (5-2) L-Don Leshnock (6-15) S-Sparky Lyle (46)

September 20-Bill Lee pitched 7 shutout innings, and the Sox hit 5 homeruns helping Boston blast the Tigers 9-0. (101-45)
W-Bill Lee (12-9) L-Juan Pizarro (8-13)

September 21-Ben Ogilive went 4-5 with 4 RBI, Tony Muser went 4-5 with 4 runs scored and 4 RBI, and George Brett went 3-6 with 2 triples and 3 RBI asthe Sox minor league roster beat up on the Tigers, 11-2, completing the sweep. (102-45)
W-Dock Ellis (21-5) L-Mike Krukow (3-8)

September 22,23,24 v New York Yankees (78-69)

September 22-Don Baylor went 2-4 with a grand slam, his 38th HR of the year, and Ted Simmons hit a 3 run shot as Boston outslugged the Yankees 10-5. (103-45)
W-Denny McClain (18-4) L-Joe Moeller (9-9)

September 23-The Yankees, trailing 3-1, scored single runs in the 4th, 6th and 9th innings completing the comeback, beating Boston 4-3. (103-46)
W-Ron Klimkowski (9-1) L-Rollie Fingers (7-7) S-Jack Aker (23)

September 24-Reggie Smith (34), Rico Petrocelli (33) Tony Conigliaro (22) and Art Shamsky (15) each hit 2 run homeruns as Boston took two of three from New York, winning 9-4. (104-46)
W-Ron Guidry (5-1) L-Jim Bouton (11-10)

MLB Injury News:
Don Drysdale (LA) 2 months (Broken Ankle)
Ron Cey (LA) 4 months (Broken Hip)
Steve Whitaker (NY) 3 months (Broken Leg)
Dave Boswell (MIN) 9 months (Torn ACL)
Bert Campaneris (OAK) 2 months (Torn Elbow Ligament)
Sal Bando (OAK) 7 weeks (Dislocated Hip)
Richie Zisk (SD) 3 months (Broken Tibia)

MLB Milestones:

Billy Williams of the Chicago Cubs recorded his 2000th hit

MLB Retirements:
One of the all time greats decided to hang up his cleats after 21 seasons, all with one team. New York Yankees CF Mickey Mantle decided to call it quits after going through a season in which he recorded just 46 AB's, with no homeruns. Mantle is 4th on the All-Time homerun list with 591. He his .298 for his career to go along with 2698 hits, 408 doubles, and 173 steals. Mantle's resume also included 3 MVP's (1956, '57, '62), 16 All-Star Games (1952,'53,'54,'55,'56,'57,'58,'59,'60,'61,'62,'63,'64,'65,'67,'68), and one Gold Glove (1962).

Ending September and into October for Boston is 3 more against the Yankees, this time in New York followed by 3 in Detroit against the Tigers.

[bigpapi]

September 28,29,30 at New York Yankees (81-72)

September 28-Backup C Joe Azcue went 3-4 with an RBI and Tony Soliata had a 2 run single, and Jim Bouton pitched a complete game shutout, allowing just 3 hits as the Yankees blanked Boston 6-0. (104-47)
W-Jim Bouton (12-10) L-Bill Lee (12-10)

Injury News: We lost Bill Lee for the rest of the year with an elbow injury. He will be examined by the team physician tomorrow to determine the severity of the injury.

September 29-Thurmon Munson went 2-5 with 2 RBI, and Bob Hansen went 4-5 with an RBI as New York beat Boston 7-3. (104-48)
W-Al Downing (9-13) L-Dock Ellis (21-6) S-Larry Gowell (1)

September 30-Bobby Grich went 2-4 with a grand slam HR, and the Yankees beat up on Denny McClain, completing the sweep of Boston, winning 6-5. (104-49)
W-Ron Klimkowski (10-1) L-Rollie Fingers (7-8)

October 1,2,3 at Detroit Tigers (76-80)

October 1-Ron Woods hit a 3 run HR in the bottom of the 8th inning, as the Tigers came back from a 3-0 deficit to win 6-4. (104-50)
W-Ken Forsch (5-2) L-Gene Garber (1-3) S-Fred Gladding (14)

October 2-Don Baylor hit homeruns 39 and 40, driving in 3, and Tony C. added a 2 run HR as Boston ended their 4 game losing streak, winning 7-6. (105-50)
W-Ron Guidry (6-1) L-Mike Krukow (3-10) S-Sparky Lyle (47)

October 3-The Sox hit 5 homeruns, including 2 by Reggie Smith, numbers 35 and 36, as the Sox took two of three from Detroit, winning easily, 11-3. (106-50)
W-Reggie Cleveland (10-3) L-Mickey Lolich (13-13)

Ending the regular season for Boston is 3 more games in Detroit against the Tigers followed by 3 in New York to finish against the Yankees.

[bigpapi]

October 4,5,6 at Detroit Tigers (77-82)

October 4-19 year old phenom George Brett hit a 2 out, 2 run HR in the top of the 9th, capping a 3 run comeback as Boston beat the Tigers 5-4. (107-50)
W-Rollie Fingers (8-8) L-Fred Gladding (4-4) S-Sparky Lyle (48)

October 5-Donn Clendenon hit a pinch hit 2 run single in the bottom of the 8th helping the Tigers overcome a 6-1 deficit en route to a 7-6 win. (107-51)
W-Don Leshnock (7-15) L-Gene Garber (1-4) S-Fred Gladding (15)

October 6-Billy Conigliaro hit his 6th HR of the year, a solo shot, and Denny McClain won his 19th game of the year in the 4-3 Sox win, (108-51)
W-Denny McClain (19-4) L-Dave Lemanzcyk (0-1) S-Cecil Upshaw (3)

October 7,8,9 at New York Yankees (86-73)

October 7-Bobby Grich went 2-4 with 3 RBI, and Joe Moeller pitched 6 solid innings as the Yanks nipped Boston 7-6. (108-52)
W-Joe Moeller (11-9) L-Ron Guidry (6-2) S-Jack Aker (25)

October 8-Billy Conigliaro hit a pinch hit RBI single off Ron Klimkowski in the top of the 9th inning, giving Boston a 4-3 win over New York. (109-52)
W-Gene Garber (2-4) L-Gary Jones (9-2) S-Cecil Upshaw (4)

October 9-Frank Howard went 4-5 with an RBI and Ron Hansen went 4-5 with 4 runs scored as the Yankees won the season finale against Boston easily, 10-4. (109-53)
W-Jim Bouton (14-10) L-Dock Ellis (21-7)

MLB Injury News:

Boston closer Sparky Lyle will miss the ALCS against the Chicago White Sox with elbow tendonitis. Cecil Upshaw will assume the role of closer until he returns.

Up next will be end of the year stats, standings, league leaders, and previews of the AL and NL Championship Series!

[bigpapi]

Final Team Batting Stats-(team leaders in bold)

1972 Batting             Team    G   AVG    AB    H  2B  3B  HR   BB    K   SB  CS    R  RBI   SLG   OBP
Baylor, Don               BOS  157  .296   646  191  26   3  43   64   75   11   4  108  153  .545  .365
Smith, Reggie             BOS  152  .286   615  176  37   6  36  110   86   11   7  137  108  .541  .395
Bowa, Larry               BOS  158  .296   591  175  28   9   1   44   40   19  18   81   64  .379  .349
Harrah, Toby              BOS  149  .298   590  176  26   1  20   99   64   29  15  107   76  .447  .397
Petrocelli, Rico          BOS  147  .316   586  185  30   2  34   65   85    2   1   96  118  .548  .384
Simmons, Ted              BOS  132  .254   488  124  21   4  14   52   34    0   0   58   87  .400  .324
Conigliaro, Tony          BOS  102  .291   399  116  25   5  24   58   73    0   1   85   66  .559  .385
Shamsky, Art              BOS  104  .301   292   88  15   5  17   38   44    1   0   50   59  .562  .382
Conigliaro, Billy         BOS   62  .266   218   58  15   1   6   26   42    0   0   26   34  .427  .348
Grabarkewitz, Billy       BOS   67  .261   161   42   7   1   5   24   40   12   2   31   14  .410  .355
French, Jim               BOS   30  .206    97   20   2   0   0   18   10    0   0   15    9  .227  .330
McLain, Denny             BOS   32  .145    76   11   0   0   0    2   35    0   0    4    4  .145  .167
Ellis, Dock               BOS   33  .217    69   15   0   0   0   10   26    0   0   11    8  .217  .313
Lee, Bill                 BOS   32  .134    67    9   1   0   0    2   21    0   0    2    5  .149  .159
Moret, Roger              BOS   31  .048    63    3   2   0   0    5   23    0   0    4    2  .079  .116
Cleveland, Reggie         BOS   31  .137    51    7   1   0   0    5   18    0   0    2    5  .157  .211
Muser, Tony               BOS   38  .465    43   20   4   0   0    7    3    0   0    9   10  .558  .538
Brett, George             BOS   15  .370    27   10   1   2   1    1    1    0   0    5    6  .667  .414
Rico, Fred                BOS   26  .308    26    8   0   0   0    0    3    0   0    3    0  .308  .308
Guidry, Ron               BOS   16  .136    22    3   1   0   0    1    9    0   0    1    6  .182  .167
Evans, Dwight             BOS    8  .000    18    0   0   0   0    3    6    0   0    0    1  .000  .136
Oglivie, Ben              BOS    5  .412    17    7   0   0   0    0    2    0   0    0    6  .412  .368
Whitt, Ernie              BOS    3  .167    12    2   1   0   1    0    0    0   0    1    1  .500  .167
Knight, Ray               BOS    3  .167    12    2   0   0   0    1    3    0   0    2    0  .167  .231
Sutherland, Gary          BOS   11  .300    10    3   1   0   0    1    0    0   0    2    0  .400  .364
Burroughs, Jeff           BOS    3  .200     5    1   0   0   0    1    0    0   0    0    1  .200  .333
Upshaw, Cecil             BOS   51  .000     5    0   0   0   0    0    3    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
Garber, Gene              BOS   58  .000     5    0   0   0   0    0    1    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
Fingers, Rollie           BOS   68  .250     4    1   0   0   0    0    1    0   0    1    0  .250  .250
Phelps, Ken               BOS    2  .500     2    1   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    0  .500  .500
York, Jim                 BOS   43  .000     2    0   0   0   0    0    2    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
Brett, Ken                BOS   12  .000     1    0   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
Lyle, Sparky              BOS   63  .000     0    0   0   0   0    1    0    0   0    0    0  .000 1.000

Final Team Pitching Stats-(team leaders in bold)

1972 Pitching            Team     IP   ERA    G  GS   W   L  SV    K   BB   R/9
Lyle, Sparky              BOS   63.2  1.55   63   0   4   2  48   45   13  8.62
Moret, Roger              BOS  200.2  2.83   31  31  19   6   0  121   73 10.99
Fingers, Rollie           BOS   87.1  2.99   68   0   8   8   1   64   23 11.13
Upshaw, Cecil             BOS   68.0  3.44   51   0   5   2   4   50   19 11.25
Ellis, Dock               BOS  215.1  3.47   33  33  21   7   0  140   62 11.41
Lee, Bill                 BOS  223.0  4.08   32  32  12  10   0  111   43 11.87
York, Jim                 BOS   58.2  4.14   43   0   3   1   0   43   20 12.12
McLain, Denny             BOS  215.1  4.18   32  32  19   4   0  164   69 12.29
Garber, Gene              BOS   75.1  4.18   58   0   4   4   0   52   16 11.71
Guidry, Ron               BOS   67.0  4.43   16   8   6   2   1   51   14 12.49
Cleveland, Reggie         BOS  166.0  4.72   31  25  10   3   0   93   49 12.42
Brett, Ken                BOS   18.2  5.30   12   0   0   1   0   12   11 16.39
Gossage, Rich             BOS    1.0  9.00    1   0   0   0   0    0    0 27.00

Offensive MVP: Look no farther than Don Baylor. He had his coming out year, hitting .296 with 43 HR's and a whopping 153 RBI. He also scored 108 runs and stole 11 bases. He is locked up through 1976, so he should be giving the Sox plenty of offense for years.

Pitching MVP:Dock Ellis had his 2nd straight 20 win season, posting a 21-7 mark with a 3.47 ERA in 215 1/3 innings. He is a steadying force at the head of the rotation.

Offensive Disapointment: Has to be Ted Simmons. Came on strong at the end of the year, but went from .287 19-98, down to .254 15-87. He also grounded into 23 double plays on the year. Has to improve next season.

Pitching Disappointment: Stops at Bill Lee. Lee had a career record of 63-12 coming into the season, he then posted a 12-10 record with a career worst 4.08 ERA. He did complete 7 games this year which was a career high, but he has to get back to where he was in "71.

Up next are final League Standings!

[bigpapi]

Final American League Standings-

[bigpapi]

Final National League Standings-

[bigpapi]

1972 American League Championship Series
Boston Red Sox (109-53) V Chicago White Sox (109-53)

Boston Red Sox
Lineup:
C-Ted Simmons .254 14-87
1B-Reggie Smith .286 36-108
2B-Toby Harrah .298 20-76 29 steals
3B-Rico Petrocelli .316 34-118
SS-Larry Bowa .296 1-64 19 steals
LF-Don Baylor .296 43-153
CF-Art Shamsky .301 17-59
RF-Tony Conigliaro .291 24-66

Billy Conigliaro .266 6-34

Pitching:
Dock Ellis 21-7 3.47
Roger Moret 19-6 2.83
Denny McClain 19-4 4.18
Cecil Upshaw 5-2 3.44 5 saves
Rollie Fingers 8-8 2.99

Injuries:
SP Bill Lee 12-10 4.08 (Out for Postseason)
CL Sparky Lyle 4-2 1.55 48 saves (Will miss ALCS)

Chicago White Sox
Lineup:
C-Jim Pagliaroni .234 15-73
1B-Ossie Blanco .272 7-42
2B-Bobby Knoop .250 4-42
3B-Bill Melton .344 36-140
SS-Rich Morales .222 0-31
LF-Carlos May .310 13-79
CF-Tommy Agee .322 26-99
RF-Jim Northrup .310 30-107

Tommy Harper .261 13-45

Pitching:
Gary Peters 20-9 3.26
Wilbur Wood 14-12 3.59
Mike Caldwell 21-1 3.48
Dennis Higgins 3-5 4.13 24 saves
Cy Acosta 9-10 3.11

Injuries:
SP Tommy John 16-3 3.17 (Will miss postseason)

1972 National League Championship Series
Los Angeles Dodgers (101-61) v. New York Mets (89-73)

Los Angeles Dodgers
Lineup:
C-Duke Sims .242 22-73
1B-Steve Garvey .312 36-127
2B-Jim Lefebvre .289 23-81
3B-Bob Bailey .251 9-42
SS-Leo Cardenas .165 3-8
LF-Carl Yastrzemski .281 8-62
CF-Willie Davis .247 14-54
RF-Ron Fairly .270 21-72

Jay Johnstone .292 5-27

Pitching:
Don Sutton 17-10 2.99
Claude Osteen 16-4 2.67
Tom Kelley 11-12 3.52 w/LA and CLE
Ron Perranoski 3-5 2.50 16 saves
Bob Miller 12-4 1.75

Injuries:
3B Ron Cey .279 33-94 (Out for Postseason)
SS Chico Salmon .251 4-30 (Out for Postseason)

New York Mets
Lineup:
C-Tom Haller .277 9-48
1B-Ed Kranepool .318 26-100
2B-Mike Andrews .246 6-42
3B-Ken Poulsen .266 1-16
SS-Sonny Jackson .270 1-36
LF-Ron Swoboda .273 8-23
CF-Amos Otis .324 23-103
RF-Rocky Colavito .240 11-44

Cleon Jones .225 4-23

Pitching:
Tom Seaver 18-13 3.75
Tug McGraw 16-10 4.11
Gary Gentry 16-8 2.83
Danny Frisella 4-0 1.54 21 saves
Ed Sprague 5-11 3.17 11 saves

Injuries:
OF Ken Singleton .261 15-72 (Out for Postseason)
SP Hank Fischer 9-12 3.43 (Out for Postseason)

Playoff reviews are next!

[bigpapi]

National League Championship Series

Game One: The Mets jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a double by Ed Kranepool, and extended that lead to 7-0 after two on a 2 run double by Amos Otis and a 2 run HR by Rocky Colavito. Two more runs in the third gave the Mets a 9-0 lead, the Dodgers would scratch out a pair of runs, but it wasn't enough. Mets 9-2. (New York leads Series 1-0)

Game Two: Once again, the Mets struck first on an RBI groundout by Ed Kranepool in the 1st inning. The score would remain 1-0 until the 6th when Kranepool would hit into a double play, scoring another Met run, putting them up 2-0. The scoring would end in the 7th as Don Wert singled in Cleon Jones to put New York ahead 3-0. Tug McGraw pitched a complete game, 3 hit shutout in the win. Mets 3-0 (New York leads Series 2-0)

Game Three:The Dodgers drew first blood as Bob Bailey hit a solo HR in the 3rd inning, putting LA up 1-0. In the fifth, Bailey drove in the 2nd Dodger run, as he singled in Jim Lefebvre. The Mets pulled within one in the top of the 7th as Amos Otis hit a solo HR, but Steve Garvey put the game out of reach with a 2 run HR in the bottom of the inning, to keep the Dodgers hopes alive. Dodgers 4-2. (New York leads Series 2-1)

Game Four: The Dodgers took a 3-0 lead after 6 innings on an inside the park HR by Steve Garvey, and RBI's by Ron Fairly and Jim Lefevbre. That lead stuck until the top of the 8th when the ageless Rocky Colavito hit a game tying, 3 run HR off Don Sutton. The score remained tied until the 12th, when Colavito again came up big with an RBI single, giving New York a 4-3 lead and putting them on the brink of the World Series. However, with two outs in the bottom of the inning, Willie Davis tied the score with a single off Jack Fisher with two outs. New York could not score in their half of the 13th, and Steve Garvey came to bat with two outs in the bottom of the frame and hit a ball that curled around the pole in RF off Ralph Terry to give the Dodgers a 5-4 win and tie the series at 2 games apiece. Dodgers 5-4 (Series tied at 2)

Game Five: The Dodgers jumped on Mets ace Tom Seaver early with 3 straight doubles in the first inning, giving LA a 3-0 lead after 1. The Mets then came back and scored 4 of their own on 2 RBI singles and a 2 run error by RF Ron Fairly putting New York up 4-3 after 3 innings. The Mets extended their lead to 5-3 on an RBI single by Sonny Jackson in the 6th. The score would remain there until the bottom of the 8th, when Bob Bailey drove in a run with an RBI double. The bottom of the 9th was eventful as the Dodgers had 2 on with one out and Ron Fairly up against Danny Frisella. Fairly hit a ground ball to Sonny Jackson who threw it to Mike Andrews at 2nd, who relayed to first, completing the double play and putting the Mets into their first ever World Series! Tug McGraw was named NLCS MVP after his 3 hit masterpiece in Game Two. Mets 5-4 (New York wins Series 3-2)

Up next will be the ALCS!