Series Wrapup

Story

After a one-year hiatus, the Pittsburgh Pirates returned to the top of the N.L. East standings in 1974, capturing their fourth division title in five seasons.  The Pirates barely edged out the St. Louis Cardinals for first place, finishing the regular season with a record of 88-74, just 1 ½ games ahead of the runner-up Cardinals.  The Philadelphia Phillies placed third in the division, eight games back, while the Montreal Expos came in fourth, 8 ½ games off the pace.

The tandem of Al Oliver and Willie Stargell led the Pittsburgh offense, which finished third in the league with 751 runs scored.  Oliver batted  .321, drove in 85 runs, scored 96 others, and collected 198 hits.  Stargell hit 25 homers, knocked in 96 runs, scored another 90, and batted .301.

However, the division’s two best players performed for other teams.  The Cardinals’ Lou Brock earned a second-place finish in the N.L. MVP voting by batting .306, scoring 105 runs, collecting 194 hits, and establishing a new single-season stolen base record by swiping 118 bags.  The Sporting News named Brock its Major League Player of the Year.

Meanwhile, Mike Schmidt had his breakout season for the third-place Phillies.  The 24-year-old third baseman batted .282, led the National League with 36 home runs and a .546 slugging average, and also placed among the leaders with 116 runs batted in, 108 runs scored, 106 bases on balls, and a .395 on-base percentage.  Unfortunately for Schmidt and the rest of the Phillies, they also had a pitching staff that finished 10th in the senior circuit with a team ERA of 3.91.

The National League’s strongest team over the course of the regular season turned out to be the Los Angeles Dodgers, who won their first N.L. West title after placing second in the division the previous four years.  Los Angeles posted a major-league best record of 102-60, en route to dethroning the Cincinnati Reds as division champions.  The Reds compiled the second-best record in all of baseball, finishing four games behind the Dodgers with a mark of 98-64.

Cincinnati’s lineup remained as strong as ever, placing a close second in the league with 776 runs scored.  Tony Perez hit 28 home runs and drove in 101 runs.  Pete Rose led the league with 110 runs scored and 45 doubles, while batting .284 and compiling an excellent .388 on-base percentage.  Joe Morgan hit 22 home runs, batted .293, scored 107 runs, stole 58 bases, and led the N.L. with a .430 on-base percentage.  Johnny Bench batted .280, hit 33 homers, scored 108 runs, and led the league with 129 runs batted in and 315 total bases.

Nevertheless, the Dodgers’ exceptional team balance enabled them to edge out Cincinnati for the division title.  Los Angeles finished first in the senior circuit with 798 runs scored, 139 home runs, and a team ERA of 2.97.  The Dodger pitching staff featured three of the National League's top starting pitchers.  Andy Messersmith compiled a record of 20-6, with a 2.59 ERA, 221 strikeouts, and 292 innings pitched.  Don Sutton finished 19-9, with a 3.23 ERA and 276 innings pitched.  Tommy John posted a mark of 13-3 and a 2.59 earned run average.

Los Angeles also had the league’s best reliever in Mike Marshall, who compiled a season of record-setting proportions.  Marshall became the first relief pitcher to win the N.L. Cy Young Award by establishing a new major league record by appearing in 106 of his team’s games.  He finished the season with 15 wins, a league-leading 21 saves, a 2.42 ERA, and 143 strikeouts in an amazing 208 innings of work.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers had a lineup that took a backseat to no one’s.  Leadoff hitter Davey Lopes scored 95 runs and stole 59 bases.  Bill Buckner batted .314 and scored 83 runs.  Ron Cey hit 18 homers, drove in 97 runs, and scored 88 others.  Jim Wynn batted .271, compiled a .387 on-base percentage, knocked in 108 runs, and led the team with 32 home runs and 104 runs scored.  Steve Garvey earned N.L. MVP honors by hitting 21 home runs, knocking in 111 runs, scoring 95 others, batting .312, and collecting 200 hits.

The Dodgers displayed their clear superiority over the Pittsburgh Pirates by defeating the Eastern Division champions in four games in the NLCS.  The Dodgers outscored their overmatched opponents by a combined margin of 20-10, with their lineup compiling a team batting average of .270, as opposed to Pittsburgh’s mark of just .194.

Los Angeles subsequently faced the Oakland Athletics in the World Series.  Although the Fall Classic remained competitive throughout, with four of the five contests ending in identical 3-2 scores, the Dodgers came up short against their American League counterparts, emerging victorious only in Game Two.  Oakland’s Rollie Fingers earned Series MVP honors by winning one game and saving two others.

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

• April 4 - Hank Aaron hit the 714th home run of his career, tying Babe Ruth's lifetime home run record.

• April 8 - Hank Aaron hit home run number 715, finally breaking Babe Ruth's career home run record.

• July 17 - Bob Gibson of the Cardinals struck out Cincinnati’s César Gerónimo to become just the second pitcher in major league history to compile 3,000 strikeouts during his career (Walter Johnson was the first).

• September 10 - Cardinal Lou Brock broke Maury Wills' major league record by stealing his 104th and 105th bases of the season.  The thefts also gave Brock a career total of 740 stolen bases, breaking Max Carey's National League record of 738.

• November 2 - The Atlanta Braves traded Hank Aaron to the Milwaukee Brewers for outfielder Dave May and a minor league pitcher.  The deal allowed Aaron to end his career in the same place it started in 1954.

• St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Bake McBride (.309 batting average and 56 RBIs) earned N.L. Rookie of the Year honors.

• Atlanta's Ralph Garr led the National League with a .353 batting average, 214 hits, and 17 triples.

• The National League posted its 11th All-Star Game victory in 12 tries by defeating the American League by a score of 7-2 in the annual Midsummer Classic.

• Pittsburgh's Richie Zisk knocked in 21 runs over a 10-game span.

• Ray Kroc purchased the San Diego Padres.

• Atlanta’s Phil Niekro and LA's Andy Messersmith led the National League in wins with 20.  Niekro also topped the circuit with 18 complete games and 302 innings pitched.

Seasons of the National League

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