The 1974 Oakland Athletics (90-72) won their third-straight American League Pennant with new manager Alvin Dark—who was only hired the week before the season’s start. They beat the powerful Orioles in only four games, including the clincher in Baltimore, a 2-1 affair where they only had one hit – a Reggie Jackson RBI double. The scene was set for (the first) all-California World Series – coined the I-5 Series – versus the Los Angeles Dodgers (102-60).
For the A’s, this series was again not without controversy, including a locker room fight, a player-owner dispute, and Dodger press comments that made the A’s come to life.