The Expos

[Shortstop]

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)

[Shortstop]

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)

[Shortstop]

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)

[Shortstop]

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)

[Shortstop]

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.

[Shortstop]

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

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

[Shortstop]

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.

[Shortstop]

1976 Montreal Expos

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

[Shortstop]

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

[Shortstop]

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)

[Shortstop]

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)

[Shortstop]

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)

[Shortstop]

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.


Note the incomplete Stade Olympique. They were still installing seats on the morning of the Opening Ceremony.


Hallo, hallo, hallo.....what's going on here?


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)

[Shortstop]

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)

[Shortstop]

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.