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The 1972 World Series matched the American League champion Oakland Athletics against the National League champion Cincinnati Reds, with the Athletics winning in seven games. These two teams would meet again in the fall classic 19 years later in 1990. Their managers would meet again in the fall classic a dozen years later in 1984, managing different teams and swapping leagues. ==Background== The A's won the American League West division by games over the Chicago White Sox, then defeated the Detroit Tigers three games to two in the American League Championship Series. The Cincinnati Reds won the National League West division by games over both the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Houston Astros. The Reds defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates three games to two in the National League Championship Series, marking the first year in which an LCS series in either league went the full five games since divisional play was introduced in 1969. The Reds, who won one fewer game than the Pirates during the regular season, became the first team in MLB history to reach the World Series without having the best record in its league. In each of the first six League Championship Series, the team with the better record advanced to the World Series. This was the Reds' second trip to the Series in three years. It was Oakland's first-ever trip to the Series, and the first for the franchise since 1931. The A's prevailed in this matchup of what were to become the two premier major league dynasties of the 1970s. Iconoclastic club owner Charlie Finley's "Swingin' A's" featured day-glo uniforms, lots of facial hair, colorful nicknames, and explosive personalities, while "The Big Red Machine" were a more traditional franchise with a more traditional look—and an everyday lineup with multiple future Hall of Famers as well as all-time hits king, Pete Rose. The Series was dubbed "The Hairs vs. the Squares". After a 41-year absence and two franchise relocations, the A's had finally made it back to the Series. They played the Series without their star right fielder Reggie Jackson, who was injured (pulled hamstring) stealing home in the final game of the ALCS against Detroit. Left-handed reliever Darold Knowles was also missing. He broke his thumb during a game played on September 27, less than three weeks before the Series opener. With Jackson out, Gene Tenace was elevated to a starter. He had hit only five home runs during the entire 1972 regular season but socked four home runs in the series, equaling the World Series mark set by Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Hank Bauer. Tenace also had nine RBI in the Series—no other Oakland player had more than one. He was voted winner of the World Series Most Valuable Player Award. In contrast, the Reds' big boppers, Johnny Bench (.270 avg., 40 HR, 125 RBI, NL MVP), Tony Pérez (.283 avg., 21 HR, 90 RBI), and Denis Menke (9 HR, 50 RBI), combined for only two homers and five RBI the entire Series. The teams were fairly equal statistically, each club totaling 46 hits with the same .209 batting average (the combined batting averages were the lowest recorded in all World Series played up to that year). The Reds out-scored the A's, 21–16, but lost each of their four games by a single run. Six of the seven games in the series were decided by one run, marking perhaps the most closely contested series in major league history. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「1972 World Series」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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