Recalling Gene Tenace’s great 1972 World Series

A rainy day, still in winter, so thoughts “naturally” turn to Gene Tenace.

Great baseball memories and stories still are a nice thing. Fury “Gene” Tenace was known to me as having a decent Strat O Matic Baseball card, before taking the baseball world by storm in the 1972 World Series, when he hit 4 home runs and was named the MVP, as his Oakland Athletics won it all.

After beating the Cincinnati Reds in an excellent 7 game “W.S.”- the A’s eventually became the first non New York Yankees team to ever win 3 straight World Series titles, something still true through at least next season.

Tenace had a poor ALCS at the plate, getting just one hit, but that hit drove in the winning run in the decisive 5th game vs the Detroit Tigers.

The hit drove in Reggie Jackson, who unfortunately broke his leg on the play and missed the subsequent World Series.

In the World Series, Tenace homered in his first two World Series at bats and was on his way.

Tenace played on 4 World Series winners, drawing a key 7th game walk in the 1982 World Series for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Oh, that Jackson fellow and World Series. He was MVP in the next one in 1973 and again this time for the Yankees in 1977. Altogether, he was a major figure on 5 title teams, all starting with the 1972 title led by Gene Tenace’s World Series feats.