YEAR IN REVIEW : 1973 National League

Off the field...

NASA launched the Skylab Space Station, a science and engineering laboratory, into orbit aboard a Saturn V rocket on May 14th. Three crews of three astronauts each visited the station on missions lasting twenty-eight, fifty-nine and eighty-four days. Many UV astronomy experiments and detailed X-ray studies of the Sun were executed before the station fell from orbit in July of 1979.

Vice President Spiro Agnew came under investigation by the U.S. attorney in Baltimore for allegedly receiving payoffs from engineers seeking contracts when Agnew the governor of Maryland. Although he maintained his innocence, Agnew eventually resigned from office on October 10, 1973, and pleaded no contest, to a single charge that he had failed to report $29,500 of income received in 1967. Following his resignation, Agnew was fined $10,000 and placed on three years' probation.

The United States completed its withdrawal from Vietnam in accordance with the Paris Peace Accords. Under its terms, there would be a ceasefire, U.S. troops would agree to leave the country and all prisoners of war would be released. Two years later, the Communists achieved total victory in Vietnam.

In the American League...

The American Leagues' two premiere catchers Carlton Fisk, of the Boston Red Sox, and Thurman Munson, of the New York Yankees squared off after the Bombers captain barreled into Fisk while trying to score from third on a missed bunt by teammate Gene Michael. The fight was fueled both the legendary rivalry between the two teams and the genuine dislike between the two players. Although the winner of the brawl remained undetermined, the winner of the game went to the Red Sox 3-2.

Frank Robinson, of the California Angels, homered against the Texas Rangers at Arlington Stadium giving him at least one career home run in all thirty-two Major League ballparks.

Fellow Angel Nolan Ryan set a Major League record on his last pitch of the year after striking out the Minnesota Twins' Rich Reese for his three-hundred eighty-third K of the season. The Anaheim crowd gave Ryan a five minute standing ovation and the veteran ace returned the gesture with a 5-4 decision for his twenty-first win of the season.

In the National League...

On August 17th, Willie Mays hit his six-hundred sixtieth (and final) home run off of the Cincinnati Reds' Don Gullett. Unfortunately the New York Mets fell 2-1, remaining seven and a half games back in last place. Somehow, Yogi Berra and his "Miracle" Mets managed to climb back to the top and won the National League East pennant on October 1st despite having no .300 hitters and no pitchers with more than nineteen wins.

Phil Neikro became the first Atlanta Braves pitcher ever to toss a no-hitter after dominating the San Diego Padres for a 9-0 triumph while walking three batters and fanning four. Two days later the Braves signed his younger brother, Joe from the Detroit Tigers reuniting the brothers for the first time in the majors.

Wilbur Wood attempted to set a record while starting both games of a doubleheader between his Chicago White Sox and the New York Yankees, but it backfired completely as "the Iron Man wannabe" was taken for a 12-2 and 7-0 loss.

Around the League...

A group of seventeen investors led by Ohio Shipbuilder George Steinbrenner purchased the New York Yankees from the Columbia Broadcasting Company (CBS) for a reported $10 million dollars. The television giant was forced to take a $4 million dollar loss in the deal while Steinbrenner went on to become the owner of one of the largest market teams in all professional sports.

At a joint meeting of all twenty-four Major League owners, a unanimous decision was made to allow the use of the "Designated Hitter" in the American League for a three season probationary period. The experiment marked the first time since 1901 that the National and American Leagues played under different rules. The concept of interleague play was also submitted for committee review.

Both players and owners agreed to what was coined as the "10 and 5 rule" in which a player with a decade of experience in the majors and five-years with their present team could veto a trade. The league minimum salary was also raised to $15,000 and all salary disputes were to be from then on arbitrated. These amendments prevented an impending strike and allowed the start of the spring training season.

Eleven weeks after his untimely death in a plane crash, Pittsburgh Pirate legend Roberto Clemente was voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame during a special election that superceded the five-year waiting period. Clemente was on a humanitarian mission that was taking supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua when the aircraft he was flying in went down off the coast of Puerto Rico. "The Great One" as he was called, represented the first Latin American to be inducted into Cooperstown after receiving 93% of the four-hundred twenty-four ballots cast and his lifetime batting average of .317 is still the highest of any right-hander since World War II.

Baseball Almanac Top Quote

"In my heart, I am a sad man. Just to hear you (Shea Stadium fans) cheer like this for me and not be able to do anything about it makes me a very sad man. This is my farewell." - Willie Mays (September 25, 1973)

1973 National League Player Review

1972 | 1973 Hitting Statistics League Leaders | 1974

Base on Balls Darrell Evans Atlanta 124 Top 25
Batting Average Pete Rose Cincinnati .338 Top 25
Doubles Willie Stargell Pittsburgh 43 Top 25
Hits Pete Rose Cincinnati 230 Top 25
Home Runs Willie Stargell Pittsburgh 44 Top 25
On Base Percentage Ken Singleton Montreal .429 Top 25
RBI Willie Stargell Pittsburgh 119 Top 25
Runs Bobby Bonds San Francisco 131 Top 25
Slugging Average Willie Stargell Pittsburgh .646 Top 25
Stolen Bases Lou Brock St. Louis 70 Top 25
Total Bases Bobby Bonds San Francisco 341 Top 25
Triples Roger Metzger Houston 14 Top 25
1973 N.L. History | 1973 A.L. History | Year-by-Year History

1973 National League Pitcher Review

1972 | 1973 Pitching Statistics League Leaders | 1974

Complete Games Steve Carlton Philadelphia 18 Top 25
Tom Seaver New York
ERA Tom Seaver New York 2.08 Top 25
Games Mike Marshall Los Angeles 92 Top 25
Saves Mike Marshall Los Angeles 31 Top 25
Shutouts Jack Billingham Cincinnati 7 Top 25
Strikeouts Tom Seaver New York 251 Top 25
Winning Percentage Tommy John Los Angeles .696 Top 25
Wins Ron Bryant San Francisco 24 Top 25
1973 N.L. History | 1973 A.L. History | Year-by-Year History

1973 National League Team Standings

1973 All-Star Game | 1973 Team Standings | 1973 World Series

New York Mets 82 79 .509 0
St. Louis Cardinals 81 81 .500
Pittsburgh Pirates 80 82 .494
Montreal Expos 79 83 .488
Chicago Cubs 77 84 .478 5
Philadelphia Phillies 71 91 .438 11½
Cincinnati Reds 99 63 .611 0
Los Angeles Dodgers 95 66 .590
San Francisco Giants 88 74 .543 11
Houston Astros 82 80 .506 17
Atlanta Braves 76 85 .472 22½
San Diego Padres 60 102 .370 39
Final National League Team Standings in 1973

1973 National League Team Review

Hitting Statistics League Leaderboard

Base on Balls Montreal 695
Batting Average Atlanta .266
Doubles Pittsburgh 257
Hits Atlanta 1,497
Home Runs Atlanta 206
On Base Percentage Atlanta .341
Runs Atlanta 799
Slugging Average Atlanta .427
Stolen Bases Cincinnati 148
Triples San Francisco 52

1973 National League Team Review

Pitching Statistics League Leaderboard

Complete Games Philadelphia 49
ERA Los Angeles 3.01
Fewest Hits Allowed Los Angeles 1,270
Fewest Home Runs Allowed St. Louis 105
Fewest Walks Allowed Chicago 438
Saves Pittsburgh 44
San Francisco
Shutouts Cincinnati 17
Strikeouts New York 1,027
baseball almanac flat baseball

baseball almanac fast facts

Trivia Alert: Most fans know that Frank Robinson was the first black manager, but did you know that the first black person to EVER manage a game was technically Ernie Banks? On May 8, 1973, Whitey Lockman, who was the Chicago Cubs skipper, was ejected during the third inning leaving Ernie Banks at the helm for the remaining six innings.

Did you know that on August 17, 1973, Willie Mays hit his final career home run (#660) against the Reds Don Gullett? On September 25, 1973, Mays bid farewell (see quote at top of page) to the playing field in front of a sellout crowd at Shea Stadium.

On August 5, 1973, the New York Mets lost a game to the St. Louis Cardinals and were in last place in the National League East. On September 21, 1973, the Mets defeated the Pirates 10-2 and took over first place in the second coming of the Miracle Mets.