Series Wrapup

Story

Despite finishing next-to-last in the National League in runs scored (608) and posting a record of just 82-79 during the regular season, the New York Mets ended Pittsburgh’s three-year reign as N.L. East champions in 1973.  The Mets finished 1 ½ games ahead of the runner-up St. Louis Cardinals in the decidedly-mediocre N.L. East.  The Pirates slipped to third, 2 ½ games back, the Expos finished fourth, 3 ½ games out, and the Cubs came in fifth, only five games off the pace.  Only the last-place Phillies ended the campaign more than 10 games out of the top spot, finishing 11 ½ games behind the division-winning Mets.

Rusty Staub served as the primary offensive threat in New York’s feeble lineup, which also placed 11th in the 12-team circuit with only 85 home runs.  Staub batted .279, hit 15 homers, and led the club with 76 runs batted in.  John Milner finished first on the team with 23 home runs, while Felix Milan paced the offense with a .290 batting average and 82 runs scored.  

New York’s greatest strength lay in its pitching staff, which placed third in the league with a team ERA of 3.26.  Four starters finished in double-digits in victories, with staff ace Tom Seaver leading the way.  Seaver earned his second Cy Young trophy by posting a record of 19-10, with a league-leading 2.08 earned run average in 290 innings of work.  He also led all N.L. hurlers with 251 strikeouts and 18 complete games.  

Although the Pirates failed to repeat as division champions, their lineup featured arguably the league’s best player in Willie Stargell.  The powerful left-handed slugger batted .299, scored 106 runs, and topped the circuit with 44 home runs, 119 runs batted in, 43 doubles, and a .646 slugging percentage, en route to earning a second-place finish in the N.L. MVP voting.

The man who finished just ahead of Stargell in the balloting was Pete Rose, whose Cincinnati Reds repeated as Western Division champions.  The National League’s strongest team over the course of the regular season, Cincinnati finished first in the N.L. West with a record of 99-63, 3 ½ games in front of the second-place Los Angeles Dodgers.  Although the Dodgers had the league’s best pitching staff, Cincinnati’s powerful offense relegated Los Angeles to a second-place finish in the divisional race.

Rose had a sensational year at the top of Cincinnati’s batting order, scoring 115 runs and topping the circuit with 230 hits and a .338 batting average.  He also had a considerable amount of help from teammates Tony Perez, Johnny Bench, and Joe Morgan.  Perez hit 27 homers, drove in 101 runs, and batted .314.  Bench hit 25 home runs and knocked in 104 runs.  Morgan hit 26 round-trippers, knocked in 82 runs, scored 116 others, and batted .290.  

However, the league’s most potent offense belonged to the Atlanta Braves, who finished fifth in the division, 22 ½ games off the pace.  Featuring three players who surpassed 40 home runs, Atlanta’s lineup topped the circuit with 799 runs scored.  Davey Johnson established a new record for second basemen by hitting 43 homers.  He also knocked in 99 runs.  Third baseman Darrell Evans homered 41 times, drove in 104 runs, and scored 114 others.  Hank Aaron went deep 40 times, knocked in 96 runs, and batted .301.  Unfortunately for the Braves, they also surrendered 774 runs to the opposition.

The third-place San Francisco Giants, who finished 11 games behind the Reds, proved to be another club that had a difficult time keeping opponents off the scoreboard.  Although the Giants finished third in the league with 739 runs scored, they also allowed the opposition to cross the plate 702 times.  Nevertheless, San Francisco’s batting order featured one of the senior circuit’s top players in Bobby Bonds, who had arguably the finest all-around season of his career.  Bonds hit 39 home runs, drove in 96 runs, batted .283, stole 43 bases, and led the league with 131 runs scored.

Meanwhile, the Reds not only finished second in the league with 741 runs scored, but they also placed fourth in the circuit with a team ERA of 3.40.  Cincinnati’s staff included five pitchers that won at least 11 games, with Jack Billingham and Don Gullett serving as the team’s top two starters.  Billingham led the club with 19 wins, a 3.04 ERA, seven shutouts, 16 complete games, and 293 innings pitched.  Gullett finished second on the team with 18 victories.

The Reds’ outstanding team balance deserted them in the playoffs, though, as the Mets outscored them by a combined margin of 23-8 in pulling off a shocking five-game upset.  Cincinnati batted just .186 as a team, with New York’s pitching staff posting an exceptional team ERA of 1.33.  The Mets clinched their second National League pennant with a convincing 7-2 victory in Game Five, after the two clubs scuffled earlier in the Series in Game Three.  A bench-clearing brawl erupted in the fifth inning of  that third contest when Pete Rose and Bud Harrelson exchanged words after Rose slid into the Mets’ shortstop at second base.  Rose subsequently tackled Harrelson, causing both benches to empty and later prompting New York fans to pelt Rose with garbage when he returned to his position in left field.  The incident very much exhibited the frustration the Cincinnati players felt over the course of the five games.

New York then came within one game of winning the world championship, going up 3-2 against the Oakland Athletics in the World Series, before finally falling to the A’s in seven games.

Other outstanding performers, notable events, and points of interest from around the league follow:

• April 6 - At Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, 51,695 fans watched as the Pirates retired the jersey #21 of the late Roberto Clemente.  The Pirates then defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 7–5, with a ninth-inning rally.

• July 15 - Willie McCovey hit his 400th career home run during a 12-0 Giants victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

• July 21 – Hank Aaron hit the 700th home run of his career against Ken Brett during an 8-4 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.  The milestone homer allowed Aaron to join Babe Ruth as the only players to reach the 700-homer plateau.

• July 24 – The National League won the All-Star Game 7-1 at Kansas City.

• August 17 – New York’s Willie Mays hit the 660th (and last) home run of his career off Cincinnati’s Don Gullett during a 2-1 loss to the Reds.

• October 8 – In Game Three of the National League Championship Series, the New York Mets' Rusty Staub homered in the first and second innings, helping the Mets crush the Cincinnati Reds 9–2 at New York's Shea Stadium.  The contest featured a bench-clearing brawl involving Pete Rose and Bud Harrelson.

• Willie Mays hit six home runs, drove in 25 runs, and batted just .211, in 209 at-bats in his final season.

• The Mets won the National League pennant with a .509 winning percentage – the lowest ever for a major league flag winner.

• New York's Rusty Staub led all batters in the 1973 World Series with 11 hits, a .423 batting average, and six runs batted in.

• San Francisco’s Gary Matthews (12 home runs, 74 runs scored, .300 batting average) earned N.L. Rookie of the Year honors.

• Atlanta’s Phil Niekro threw a no-hitter against San Diego on August 5.

• San Francisco’s Ron Bryant led the league with 24 wins.

• The Chicago Cubs traded Fergie Jenkins to Texas for Bill Madlock and Vic Harris.

• Willie Mays retired holding the record for most career chances by a National League outfielder (7,290).

• Bobby Bonds hit a season record 11 homers leading off a game.

• The Mets were the first team in history to win the pennant without a 20-game winner, .300 hitter, or 100-RBI man.

• Lou Brock batted .297, scored 110 runs, collected 193 hits, and led the league with 70 stolen bases.

• Montreal’s Ken Singleton hit 23 home runs, drove in 103 runs, scored 100 others, batted .302, and led the league with a .429 on-base percentage.

• Expos teammate Mike Marshall won 14 games in relief, compiled a 2.66 ERA, led the league with 31 saves, threw 179 innings, and established a new major league record by making 92 mound appearances.

Seasons of the National League

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