After splitting the first two games of the series, the A's and O's fly west to Oakland to determine who will represent the American League in the 1973 World Series. In game three, workhorse lefties Mike Cuellar (18 - 13 3.27 267 IP) and Ken Holtzman (21 - 13 2.97 297 IP) face off in an epic pitchers' duel that goes into extra innings. In game four, Jim Palmer (22 - 9 2.40 296 IP) and Vida Blue (20 - 9 3.28 263 IP) have a rematch, but neither will factor in the decision. A tremendous late-inning comeback staves off elimination in this tightly contested ballgame. With the season on the line in a decisive game five, Orioles manager Earl Weaver turns to the young righty Doyle Alexander (12 - 8 3.86 174 IP) to go up against future Hall-of-Famer Catfish Hunter (21 - 5 3.34 256 IP). Both of these teams were looking to establish a hold over American League supremacy in the early 70's. Tune in to find out who comes out on top this time around.
Audio clips from Classic Baseball on the Radio Youtube.
As always, shout out to Baseball Reference and SABR for statistics, box-scores, background information, and much, much more.
Catch you next time,
P.C.O.
