| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | October 6–21, 1973[1] |
| Teams | 4 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Oakland Athletics (7th title) |
| Runners-up | New York Mets |
| Awards | |
| MVP | Reggie Jackson (OAK) |
The1973 Major League Baseball postseason was the playoff tournament ofMajor League Baseball for the1973 season. The winners of each division advance to the postseason and face each other in aLeague Championship Series to determine the pennant winners that face each other in theWorld Series.
In the American League, theBaltimore Orioles returned to the postseason for the fourth time in the past five seasons, and theOakland Athletics made their third straight appearance.
In the National League, theCincinnati Reds returned for the third time in the past four seasons, and theNew York Mets returned for the second time in the past five seasons. This was the Mets’ last postseason appearance until1986.
The playoffs began on October 6, 1973, and concluded on October 21, 1973, with the Athletics defeating the Mets in seven games in the1973 World Series. The Athletics repeated as World Series champions.
The following teams qualified for the postseason:
| League Championship Series (ALCS,NLCS) | World Series | |||||||
| East | Baltimore | 2 | ||||||
| West | Oakland | 3 | ||||||
| AL | Oakland | 4 | ||||||
| NL | NY Mets | 3 | ||||||
| East | NY Mets | 3 | ||||||
| West | Cincinnati | 2 | ||||||
*Denotes walk-off
Oakland won the series, 3–2.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 6 | Oakland Athletics – 0,Baltimore Orioles – 6 | Memorial Stadium | 2:51 | 41,279[6] |
| 2 | October 7 | Oakland Athletics – 6,Baltimore Orioles – 3 | Memorial Stadium | 2:42 | 48,425[7] |
| 3 | October 9 | Baltimore Orioles – 1,Oakland Athletics – 2(11) | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum | 2:23 | 34,367[8] |
| 4 | October 10 | Baltimore Orioles – 5,Oakland Athletics – 4 | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum | 2:31 | 27,497[9] |
| 5 | October 11 | Baltimore Orioles – 0,Oakland Athletics – 3 | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum | 2:11 | 24,265[10] |
This was the second postseason meeting between the Orioles and Athletics. They previously met in the ALCS in1971, which the Orioles won in a sweep before falling in the World Series. The Athletics defeated the Orioles in five games to advance to the World Series for the second year in a row (in the process denying a rematch of the1969 World Series between the Mets and Orioles).
Jim Palmer pitched a five-hit complete-game shutout as the Orioles took Game 1.Rollie Fingers helped secure Game 2 for the Athletics by holding off a potential rally by the O's. In Oakland, the Athletics prevailed in an ugly extra-inning Game 3 asBert Campaneris hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the eleventh. In Game 4, the Orioles came back from a 4–0 deficit late to force a fifth game. However,Catfish Hunter pitched a five-hit complete-game shutout as the Athletics won 3–0 to secure the pennant.
Both teams would meet one more time in the ALCSthe next year, which the Athletics won in four games.
New York won the series, 3–2.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 6 | New York Mets – 1,Cincinnati Reds – 2 | Riverfront Stadium | 2:00 | 53,431[11] |
| 2 | October 7 | New York Mets – 5,Cincinnati Reds – 0 | Riverfront Stadium | 2:19 | 54,041[12] |
| 3 | October 8 | Cincinnati Reds – 2,New York Mets – 9 | Shea Stadium | 2:48 | 53,967[13] |
| 4 | October 9 | Cincinnati Reds – 2,New York Mets – 1(12) | Shea Stadium | 3:07 | 50,786[14] |
| 5 | October 10 | Cincinnati Reds – 2,New York Mets – 7 | Shea Stadium | 2:40 | 50,323[15] |
This was the only NLCS between 1970 and 1980 to not feature either team fromPennsylvania.
In one of the most shocking upsets in MLB history, the 82-win Mets defeated the defending National League champions in the 99-win Reds in five games to advance to the World Series for the second time in five years.
The Reds narrowly took Game 1 thanks to a walk-off home run from catcherJohnny Bench. In Game 2,Jon Matlack pitched a two-hit complete game shutout as the Mets won 5–0 to even the series headed to Queens. Game 3 was marred by a fight that broke out in the fifth inning, beginning with a tussle between Cincinnati'sPete Rose and New York'sBud Harrelson at second base. Players from both sides joined in a brawl that lasted for several minutes and set off rowdy fan behavior atShea Stadium. Photographs of the fight, autographed by Rose and Harrelson, are now available at a number ofInternet sites. The Mets blew out the Reds in Game 3 to take a 2–1 series lead. The Reds prevailed in a long and frustrating Game 4, thanks to a solo home run from Rose in the top of the twelfth. In Game 5, the Reds tied the game at two in the top of the fifth, but the Mets would put up four unanswered runs off four hits in the bottom of the inning to take the lead for good, and put up one more in the bottom of the sixth. The 1973 Mets' 82-wins remains the lowest of any pennant winner in MLB history.
The Reds would return to the NLCS in1975, where they swept thePittsburgh Pirates en route to a World Series title.
In 2023, the Mets’ upset of the Reds in the 1973 NLCS was ranked as the fifth biggest upset in postseason history byMLB.com.[16] The Mets would win their next pennant in1986 against theHouston Astros in six games en route to a World Series title.
Oakland won the series, 4–3.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 13 | New York Mets – 1,Oakland Athletics – 2 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 2:26 | 46,021[17] |
| 2 | October 14 | New York Mets – 10,Oakland Athletics – 7(12) | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 4:13 | 49,151[18] |
| 3 | October 16 | Oakland Athletics – 3,New York Mets – 2(11) | Shea Stadium | 3:15 | 54,817[19] |
| 4 | October 17 | Oakland Athletics – 1,New York Mets – 6 | Shea Stadium | 2:41 | 54,817[20] |
| 5 | October 18 | Oakland Athletics – 0,New York Mets – 2 | Shea Stadium | 2:39 | 54,817[21] |
| 6 | October 20 | New York Mets – 1,Oakland Athletics – 3 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 2:07 | 49,333[22] |
| 7 | October 21 | New York Mets – 2,Oakland Athletics – 5 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 2:37 | 49,333[23] |
This was the thirdNew York–California matchup in the World Series (1962,1963).[24][25][26] The Athletics defeated the Mets in seven games to win their second straight World Series title and seventh overall.
Game 1 was a pitchers' duel between Oakland'sKen Holtzman and New York'sJon Matlack, which was won by the former as the Athletics prevailed by a 2–1 score. Game 2 was an offensive slugfest which went into extra innings - the game remained tied at six until the top of the twelfth, when the Mets put up four runs to take the lead for good. The Athletics put up one more run in the bottom of the twelfth, but could manage no more asGeorge Stone earned a save and helped the Mets even the series headed home to Queens. Game 3 would be another extra-innings contest, but this time the Athletics would prevail asBert Campaneris scoredTed Kubiak with a go-ahead RBI single in the top of the eleventh. Game 3 wasWillie Mays’ final postseason game. In Game 4, the Mets jumped out to a big lead early and did not relinquish it, as Matlack held the Athletics' offense to just one run scored after eight innings, evening the series at two games each.Jerry Koosman andTug McGraw helped the Mets shutout the Athletics in Game 5 to take a 3–2 series lead headed back to Oakland, now one win away from pulling off an even bigger upset than what they accomplished in1969. However, their lead would not hold.Catfish Hunter outdueled the Mets'Tom Seaver as the Athletics won Game 6 by a 3–1 score, forcing a seventh game. Game 7 was yet another pitcher's duel between Holtzman and Matlack, who were both on three-days rest, and once again Holtzman prevailed as he and closerDarold Knowles helped the Athletics win by a 5–2 score to repeat as World Series champions.
The Athletics would successfully pull off a three-peatthe next year against a fellowCalifornia rival in theLos Angeles Dodgers in five games. They would also win the World Series again in1989 against their Bay Area rivalSan Francisco Giants in a sweep, which would ultimately be their last title in Oakland, as the team would move toLas Vegas after the2024 season.
The Mets would win their next and most recent championship in1986 over theBoston Red Sox in seven games after being a strike away from elimination twice in Game 6.
NBC televised all postseason games nationally in the United States. Each team's local broadcaster also televised coverage of LCS games.
