Super Sub 11/11/12

Hey baseball fans!

I'm back with another post! Today's post is about one of the most underrated World Series stars of all time. He was named World Series MVP of 1972, just because a star on his team was injured. If you don't know who it is by now, his name is Gene Tenace.

Gene Tenace was not a star, but he seemed to hit in the clutch every time his team needed him, especially during the 1972 playoffs, of which he played for the Oakland A's. Going back to his entire career, he batted .241, with 201 homers and 674 RBIs as a catcher with the A's, Padres, Cardinals, and Pirates. He only made it to one All-Star Game, 1975, in his career from 1969-1983. He was a four-time World Series Champion, from 1972-1974 with Oakland, and in 1982 with St. Louis. That's basically all you need to know about Tenace's overall career, but let me tell you what he did during the 1972 playoffs.

In Game Five of the 1972 ALCS against Detroit, Reggie Jackson stole home (believe it or not) in the top of the second to tie the game at one, but tore his hamstring in the process, preventing him from playing in the World Series. In the top of the fourth, Jackson's lineup (but not fielding) replacement, Tenace, hit the go-ahead single that eventually clinched the pennant for Oakland.

In the Game One of the World Series that year against the Reds, Gene hit two homers in his first two World Series at-bats, becoming the first person to do so. He collected all three Oakland RBIs in a 3-2 win. In Game Four, Gene hit another homer in another 3-2 Oakland win, giving the A's a commanding three games to one lead over the Reds. However, Cincinnati won the next two games, with Tenace hitting his fourth homer of the series in Game Five, setting up a seventh game. The A's won that game with the help of Tenace, who scored the go-ahead run on a double by Sal Bando. Like I said before, Tenace won the MVP of the Series, going 8 for 23, with four homers and nine RBIs. Funny, it took him 82 games to hit five homers during the regular season!