Editing Detroit Tigers (section)

=====1972 ALCS=====
{{main|1972 American League Championship Series}}

In the 1972 American League Championship Series, Detroit faced the American League West division champion [[1972 Oakland Athletics season|Oakland Athletics]], who had become steadily competitive ever since the 1969 realignment.<ref name="1972 ALCS">{{cite web|first=Patrick|last=OKennedy|title=Playoff flashback, 1972: Oakland A's vs Detroit Tigers|url=https://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/9/30/4781516/playoff-flashback-1972-oakland-as-vs-detroit-tigers|website=Bless You Boys|date=September 30, 2013|access-date=September 23, 2018|archive-date=September 24, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180924033820/https://www.blessyouboys.com/2013/9/30/4781516/playoff-flashback-1972-oakland-as-vs-detroit-tigers|url-status=live}}</ref> In Game 1 of the ALCS in Oakland, Mickey Lolich, the hero of '68, took the hill and allowed just one run over nine innings. The Athletics' ace, [[Catfish Hunter]], matched Lolich, surrendering only a solo home run to Norm Cash, and the game went into extra innings.<ref name="1972 ALCS"/> Al Kaline hit a solo homer to break a 1–1 tie in the top of the 11th inning, only to be charged with a throwing error on [[Gonzalo Márquez]]'s game-tying single in the bottom half of the frame that allowed [[Gene Tenace]] to score the winning run.<ref name="1972 ALCS"/> [[Blue Moon Odom]] shut down Detroit 5–0 in Game 2.<ref name="1972 ALCS"/> The end of Game 2 was marred by an ugly incident in which Tigers reliever [[Lerrin LaGrow]] hit A's shortstop and leadoff hitter [[Bert Campaneris]] on the ankle with a pitch. An angered Campaneris threw the bat at LaGrow, and LaGrow ducked just in time for the bat to sail over his head. Both benches cleared, and though no punches were thrown, both LaGrow and Campaneris were suspended for the remainder of the series. It was widely believed that Martin had ordered the pitch that hit Campaneris, who had three hits, two stolen bases and two runs scored in the game.<ref name="1972 ALCS"/>

As the series shifted to Detroit, the Tigers caught their stride. Joe Coleman held the A's scoreless on seven hits in Game 3, striking out 14 batters in a 3–0 victory for the Tigers.<ref name="1972 ALCS"/><ref>{{cite web|title=1972 American League Championship Series (ALCS) Game 3, Oakland Athletics at Detroit Tigers, October 10, 1972|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/DET/DET197210100.shtml|website=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=September 23, 2018|archive-date=March 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309010748/https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/DET/DET197210100.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> Game 4 was another pitchers' duel between Hunter and Lolich, resulting again in a 1–1 tie at the end of nine innings. Oakland scored two runs in the top of the 10th and put the Tigers down to their last three outs.<ref name="1972 ALCS"/> Detroit pushed two runs across the plate to tie the game before Jim Northrup came through in the clutch again. His single off [[Dave Hamilton (baseball)|Dave Hamilton]] scored [[Gates Brown]] to give the Tigers a 4–3 win and even the series at two games apiece.<ref name="1972 ALCS"/>

A first-inning run on an RBI ground out from Bill Freehan, set up by a Gene Tenace passed ball that allowed [[Dick McAuliffe]] to reach third, gave Detroit an early lead in the deciding fifth and final game in Detroit.<ref name="1972 ALCS"/> [[Reggie Jackson]]'s steal of home in the second inning tied it up, though Jackson was injured in a collision with Freehan and had to leave the game.<ref name="1972 ALCS"/> Tenace's two-out single to left field plated [[George Hendrick]] to give Oakland a 2–1 lead in the fourth inning. The run was controversial to many Tigers fans, as Hendrick was ruled safe at first base two batters prior to the Tenace hit. Hendrick appeared to be out by two steps on a grounder to short, but umpire John Rice ruled that Norm Cash pulled his foot off first base. Replays and photos, however, show that Cash did not pull his foot.<ref name=Northrup/><ref name="1972 ALCS"/> Thanks to that play and four innings of scoreless relief from [[Vida Blue]], the A's took the AL pennant and a spot in the [[1972 World Series|World Series]].<ref name="1972 ALCS"/>