Riverfront Stadium , also known as Cinergy Field from 1996 to 2002, was a multi-purpose stadium in Cincinnati , Ohio. It was the home of the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1970 through 2002 and the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL) from 1970 to 1999 . Located on the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati , the stadium was best known as the home of " The Big Red Machine ", as the Reds were often called in the 1970s.
149-524: Construction began on February 1, 1968, and was completed at a cost of less than $ 50 million. Riverfront's grand opening was held on June 30, 1970, an 8–2 Reds loss to the Atlanta Braves . Braves right fielder Hank Aaron hit the first home run in Riverfront's history, a two-run shot in the first inning which also served as the stadium's first runs batted in. Two weeks later on July 14, 1970, Riverfront hosted
298-484: A 20-win increase over the prior year's 62–99 finish. Bob Kennedy was fired at the end of the season. Expansion brought optimism to Athletics fans after AL owners (unlike their counterparts in the National League) decided to realign their league strictly based on geography. Despite finishing in sixth place and only two games above .500 in 1968, Oakland actually had the best record of the four established teams to join
447-609: A 3–0 series lead, seemingly on the verge of a sweep, but the Mets rallied in Game 4 and Game 5. Despite the Mets' resilience, the Braves eventually won the series in Game 6 with Andruw Jones securing a dramatic walk-off walk, earning their 5th National League pennant of the decade. In 2022, the Braves and Mets , both finished with 101 wins. The National League East title and a first-round bye came down to
596-636: A 5–1 record in playoff games played in Riverfront Stadium, with victories over the Buffalo Bills (twice), San Diego Chargers , Seattle Seahawks , and Houston Oilers . Their only home playoff loss came to the New York Jets . For most of the Bengals' tenure at the stadium, the field contained only the basic markings required for play. Until the late 1990s, there wasn't a logo at midfield or any writing in
745-427: A big-league city in its own right. Not surprisingly, only 306,763 paying customers showed up to watch the A's in 1979, the team's worst attendance since leaving Philadelphia. After three dismal seasons on the field and at the gate, the commissioner's office seriously considered selling the team out from under Finley and moving it to New Orleans. Rather than acquiesce, Finley hired Berkeley native Billy Martin to manage
894-563: A bond issue for a brand new baseball stadium (the eventual Royals Stadium, now Kauffman Stadium ) to be completed in 1973 . The Athletics' Oakland tenure opened with a 3–1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on April 10, 1968, and their first game in Oakland was on April 17, a 4–1 loss to the Orioles. They played their home games at the recently opened Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum , the home of
1043-541: A crucial three-game series at Truist Park from September 30 to October 2. The Mets entered with a slight lead but faltered as the Braves swept the series. Atlanta claimed the NL East division title and first-round bye, by winning the season series against the Mets. In addition to having strong fan support in the Metro Atlanta area and the state of Georgia, the Braves are often referred to as " America's Team " in reference to
1192-540: A deal with the New York Yankees to acquire Babe Ruth in 1935. Ruth was appointed team vice president with promises of profit shares and managerial prospects. Initially, Ruth seemed to provide a spark on opening day, but his declining skills became evident. Ruth's inability to run and poor fielding led to internal strife, and it became clear that his titles were symbolic. Ruth retired on June 1, 1935, shortly after hitting his last three home runs. The Braves finished
1341-540: A down-payment. Turner quickly gained a reputation as a quirky, hands-on baseball owner. On May 11, 1977, Turner appointed himself manager , but because MLB passed a rule in the 1950s barring managers from holding a financial stake in their teams, Turner was ordered to relinquish that position after one game (the Braves lost 2–1 to the Pittsburgh Pirates to bring their losing streak to 17 games). The Braves didn't enjoy much success between 1978 and 1990, however, in
1490-515: A dynasty team. As happened with the end of the A's first dynasty in the early 1900s, the collapse was swift, sudden and total. The next three years were as bad as the worst days in Philadelphia or Kansas City, with the A's finishing last twice and next-to-last once. In 1977 , for instance—only three years after winning the World Series and two years after playing for the pennant—the A's finished with
1639-412: A false affidavit saying he was injured after the reserve second baseman committed two consecutive errors in the 12th inning of the A's Game Two loss to the Mets. When Williams, Andrews' teammates, and virtually the entire viewing public rallied to Andrews' defense, Kuhn forced Finley to back down. However, there was nothing that said the A's had to play Andrews. Andrews entered Game 4 in the eighth inning as
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#17328551291451788-456: A football seating configuration. The AstroTurf panels covering the tracks could be seen in left field during Reds games. The site Riverfront Stadium sat on originally included the 2nd Street tenement , birthplace and boyhood home of cowboy singer and actor Roy Rogers , who joked that he was born "somewhere between second base and center field." Riverfront Stadium's scoreboard was designed by American Sign and Indicator , but in its last years
1937-525: A four-game sweep of the San Diego Padres . The park received positive reviews. Woody Studenmund of the Hardball Times called the park a "gem" saying that he was impressed with "the compact beauty of the stadium and its exciting approach to combining baseball, business and social activities." J.J. Cooper of Baseball America praised the "excellent sight lines for pretty much every seat." Since 2019,
2086-697: A heated rivalry with the New York Mets. The player's strike cut short the 1994 season just before the division championships, but the Braves rebounded in 1995, defeating the Cleveland Indians to win the World Series . With this World Series victory, the Braves became the first team in Major League Baseball to win world championships in three different cities. The Braves reached the World Series in 1996 and 1999 but were defeated both times by
2235-587: A home run to left-center field off left-hander Al Downing of the Los Angeles Dodgers . Aaron spent most of his career as a Milwaukee and Atlanta Brave before being traded to the Milwaukee Brewers on November 2, 1974. In 1976, the team was purchased by media magnate Ted Turner , owner of superstation WTBS , as a means to keep the team (and one of his main programming staples) in Atlanta. Turner used
2384-402: A laughing Native American with a mohawk and a feather from 1956 to 1965. The modern logo, introduced in 1987, includes the cursive word "Braves" with a tomahawk below it. Uniform changes occurred in 1987, with the team adopting uniforms reminiscent of their 1950s classic look. For the 2023 season, the Braves had four uniform combinations, including the classic white home and gray road uniforms,
2533-426: A lifetime National League player, agreed to become a full-time DH for the first time in his career. The 2007 season was a disappointing season for the A's as they suffered from injuries to several key players Rich Harden , Huston Street , Eric Chavez , and Mike Piazza . For the first time since the 1998 season, the A's finished with a losing record. The Athletics signed international free agent Michael Inoa to
2682-736: A member club of the National League (NL) East Division . The Braves were founded in Boston , Massachusetts, in 1871, as the Boston Red Stockings . The club was known by various names until the franchise settled on the Boston Braves in 1912. The Braves are the oldest continuously operating professional sports franchise in North America . After 81 seasons and one World Series title in Boston,
2831-412: A navy blue road jersey for alternate games, and two alternate uniforms for home games - a Friday night red uniform and a City Connect uniform worn on Saturdays, paying tribute to Hank Aaron. The City Connect uniform features "The A" across the chest, accompanied by a cap with the "A" logo and 1974 uniform colors. Over the 120 years since the inception of the World Series (119 total World Series played),
2980-480: A new stadium. Because of Wolff's background, rumors that he wanted to move the team to San Jose surfaced periodically upon his purchase of the team. However, any such plans were always complicated by the claims of the cross-bay San Francisco Giants that they own the territorial rights to San Jose and Santa Clara County . In 2005 , many pundits picked the Athletics to finish last as a result of Beane's dismantling of
3129-451: A pinch-hitter to a standing ovation from sympathetic Mets fans. He promptly grounded out, and Finley ordered him benched for the remainder of the Series. Andrews never played another major league game. As it was, the incident allowed the Mets, a team that went but 82–79 during the regular season, to stretch the Series to the full seven games against a far superior team. Williams was so disgusted by
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#17328551291453278-570: A place in Cincinnati's century-long baseball tradition as the home of one of the best teams in baseball history. The Reds had only won three pennants in their final 39 years at Crosley Field (1939, 1940, 1961) but made the World Series in Riverfront's first year (1970) and a total of four times in the stadium's first seven years, with the Reds winning back-to-back championships in 1975 and 1976 . The World Series would return in 1990 , with Cincinnati winning
3427-400: A single season (1982), a total which has not been approached since. On May 1, 1991, Henderson broke one of baseball's most famous records when he stole the 939th base of his career, one more than Brock. Regular season dominance led to some success in the post-season. The Athletics' lone World Series championship of the era was a four-game sweep of the cross-bay rival San Francisco Giants in
3576-448: A spring training game that year). This was only the 11th unassisted triple play in the history of Major League Baseball. The general manager of the Athletics, Billy Beane , has become notable due to Michael Lewis 's portrayal of Beane's novel approach to business decisions and scouting, referred to as Moneyball , both the title of the book, and hence the school of baseball business management. The Athletics organization began redefining
3725-602: A strong minor league system while almost always refusing to pay the going rate to keep star players on the team once they become free agents. Perhaps as a result, at the turn of the 21st century, the A's were a team that usually finished at or near the top of the AL West Division, but could not advance beyond the first round of the playoffs. The Athletics made the playoffs for four straight years, from 2000 to 2003, but lost their first round (best three-out-of-five) series in each case, 3 games to 2. In two of those years (2001 against
3874-428: A time when most other teams wore all-white uniforms at home and all-grey ones on the road. Similar to more colorful amateur softball uniforms, they were considered a radical departure for their time. Furthermore, in conjunction with a Moustache Day promotion, Finley offered $ 300 to any player who grew a moustache by Father's Day, at a time when every other team forbade facial hair. When Father's Day arrived, every member of
4023-548: A trio of young starting pitchers: right-hander Tim Hudson and left-handers Mark Mulder and Barry Zito . Between 1999 and 2006, the so-called "Big Three" helped the Athletics to emerge into a perennial powerhouse in the American League West, combining for a collective record of 261–131. They gave the Athletics a 1–2–3 punch to add to talented infielders and potent hitters, such as first baseman Jason Giambi , shortstop Miguel Tejada , and third baseman Eric Chavez . Giambi
4172-488: Is retired for all of baseball with the exception of Jackie Robinson Day , have also been retired. Six of the eleven numbers (Cox, Jones, Jones, Smoltz, Maddux and Glavine) were on the Braves at the same time. Of the eleven Braves whose numbers have been retired, all who are eligible for the National Baseball Hall of Fame have been elected with the exceptions of Dale Murphy and Andruw Jones. The color and design of
4321-403: The 1970 Major League Baseball All-Star Game . This game is best remembered for the often-replayed collision at home plate between Reds star Pete Rose and catcher Ray Fosse of the Cleveland Indians . In September 1996, Riverfront Stadium was renamed "Cinergy Field" in a sponsorship deal with Greater Cincinnati energy company Cinergy . In 2001 , to make room for Great American Ball Park ,
4470-679: The 1978 season and the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans for 1979 . Though the American League owners appeared to favor the Denver deal, it fell through when the city of Oakland and Alameda County refused to release the A's from their lease. At the time, the Oakland Raiders were threatening to move to Los Angeles, and city and county officials were not willing to lose Oakland's status as
4619-650: The 1982 season , led by manager Joe Torre , the Braves secured their first divisional title since 1969. The team was led by standout performances from key players like Dale Murphy , Bob Horner , Chris Chambliss , Phil Niekro , and Gene Garber . The Braves were swept in the NLCS in three games by the Cardinals . Murphy won the Most Valuable Player award for the National League in 1982 and 1983. From 1991 to 2005,
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4768-510: The 1989 World Series . Unfortunately for the A's, their sweep of the Giants was overshadowed by the Loma Prieta earthquake that occurred at the start of Game 3 before a national television audience. This forced the remaining games to be delayed for ten days. When play resumed, the atmosphere was dominated more by a sense of relief than celebration by baseball fans. Heavily favored Athletics teams lost
4917-545: The 2006 American League Championship Series . Beane cited a disconnect between him and his players as well as a general unhappiness among the team as the reason for his sudden departure. Macha was replaced by bench coach and former major league catcher Bob Geren . Following the 2006 season, the A's also lost ace Barry Zito to the Giants due to free agency. They also lost their DH and MVP candidate Frank Thomas to free agency but filled his role with Mike Piazza for 2007. Piazza,
5066-631: The AFL 's Oakland Raiders , with whom they shared the stadium. The Athletics drew national attention when, on May 8, 1968, Jim "Catfish" Hunter pitched a perfect game (the American League's first during the regular season since 1922) against the Minnesota Twins . The Athletics, under the leadership of manager Bob Kennedy , ended the 1968 campaign with an 82–80 record, their first winning record since 1952 (in Philadelphia ). The team's output also represented
5215-523: The AL West , which also contained the two expansion teams. The Athletics began the 1969 season under the leadership of Hank Bauer . On July 20, 1969, future ace Vida Blue made his major league debut with a start against the California Angels . The Athletics' on-field performance continued to improve; led by Reggie Jackson 's 47 home runs, the A's finished the season with a record of 88–74. However, this
5364-655: The Braves won the NLCS in dramatic fashion against the Pirates but fell short in the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays . In 1993, the Braves strengthened their pitching staff with the addition of Cy Young Award winner Greg Maddux in free agency. Despite posting a franchise-best 104 wins, they lost in the NLCS to the Philadelphia Phillies . The team moved to the Eastern Division in 1994, sparking
5513-564: The COVID-19 pandemic . Although their first major confrontation occurred when the Mets swept the Braves in the 1969 NLCS , the rivalry did not become especially heated until the 1994 season when division realignment put both the Mets and the Braves in the National League East division. The Braves faced the Mets in the 1999 National League Championship Series . The Braves initially took
5662-610: The Colorado Rockies . On January 6, 2009, Jason Giambi signed a one-year, $ 4.6 million contract with a 2nd year option. Giambi said he was glad to be back as he put on his old number 16. Also signed were infielders Orlando Cabrera of the Chicago White Sox and Nomar Garciaparra of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The first half of the season the team played relatively poor, but finished the second half strong, yet still posting
5811-489: The Indians , turned out to be the Braves' last hurrah in Boston. On March 13, 1953, Perini announced he was moving the club to Milwaukee . Perini cited advent of television and the lack of enthusiasm for the Braves in Boston as the key factors in deciding to move the franchise. The Milwaukee Braves' move to Wisconsin for the 1953 season was an immediate success, as they drew a National League-record 1.8 million fans and finished
5960-474: The NFL relocated to Las Vegas in 2020. The Oakland Athletics had an overall win–loss record of 4,614–4,387–1 (.513) during their 56 years in Oakland. Seventeen former Oakland Athletics players were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame with Dennis Eckersley , Rollie Fingers , Rickey Henderson , and Dick Williams depicted with an Oakland Athletics cap. Almost as soon as the ink dried on his purchase of
6109-673: The Oakland A's ) were an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California . The Oakland Athletics competed in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division from 1968 until 2024. The team played its home games at the Oakland Coliseum throughout their entire time in Oakland. The franchise's nine World Series championships, fifteen pennants, and seventeen division titles are
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6258-653: The Super Bowl ( XVI ) while playing at Riverfront Stadium, and the first of three in team history overall. Riverfront Stadium hosted the 1988 AFC Championship Game, as the Bengals beat the Buffalo Bills 21–10 to advance to their second Super Bowl appearance . During the Bengals' tenure, they defeated every visiting franchise at least once, enjoying perfect records against the Arizona Cardinals (4-0), New York Giants (4-0), and Philadelphia Eagles (3-0). They posted
6407-598: The World Series on October 11, 1967, Finley announced his choice of Oakland over Seattle as the team's new home. A week later on October 18 in Chicago, AL owners at last gave him permission to move the Athletics to Oakland for the 1968 season. According to some reports, Cronin promised Finley that he could move the team after the 1967 season as an incentive to sign the new lease with Municipal Stadium. The move came in spite of approval by voters in Jackson County, Missouri of
6556-522: The seating capacity at Cinergy Field was reduced to 39,000. There was a huge in-play wall in center field visible after the renovations, to serve as the batter's eye . The stadium was demolished by implosion on December 29, 2002. Riverfront was a multi-purpose, circular "cookie-cutter" stadium , one of many built in the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s as communities sought to save money by having their football and baseball teams share
6705-480: The team won the pennant, behind the pitching of Spahn and Johnny Sain . The remainder of the rotation was so thin that in September, Boston Post writer Gerald Hern wrote this poem about the pair: The poem received such a wide audience that the sentiment, usually now paraphrased as " Spahn and Sain and pray for rain ", entered the baseball vocabulary. The 1948 World Series , which the Braves lost in six games to
6854-490: The " Miracle Mets ." They would post only two winning seasons between 1970 and 1981. Fans in Atlanta had to be satisfied with the achievements of Hank Aaron , who by the end of the 1973 season, had hit 713 home runs, one short of Ruth's record. On April 4, opening day of the next season , he hit No. 714 in Cincinnati , and on April 8, in front of his home fans and a national television audience, he finally beat Ruth's mark with
7003-590: The 1870 season. Manager Harry Wright and players moved to Boston , forming the Boston Red Stockings , a charter team in the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (NAPBBP). Led by the Wright brothers, Ross Barnes, and Al Spalding , they dominated the National Association, winning four of five championships. The original Boston Red Stockings team and its successors can lay claim to being
7152-560: The 1974 Series (under Alvin Dark ), pitcher Catfish Hunter filed a grievance, claiming that the team had violated its contract with Hunter by failing to make timely payment on an insurance policy during the 1974 season as called for. On December 13, 1974, arbitrator Peter Seitz ruled in Hunter's favor. As a result, Hunter became a free agent, and signed a contract with the Yankees for the 1975 season. Despite
7301-408: The 1981 A's would have gone wire-to-wire. However, an injury-riddled team significantly regressed in 1982, falling to 68–94. Although Martin was not blamed for the debacle, growing concern about his off-field behavior resulted in his firing after the season. During the 15 years of Haas' ownership, the Athletics became one of baseball's most successful teams at the gate, drawing 2,900,217 in 1990, still
7450-777: The 1986 season, Tony La Russa was hired as the Athletics' manager, a post he held until the end of 1995. In 1987, La Russa's first full year as manager, the team finished at 81–81, its best record in seven seasons. Beginning in 1988, the Athletics won the AL pennant three years in a row. Reminiscent of their Philadelphia predecessors, this A's team finished with the best record of any team in the major leagues during all 3 years, winning 104 (1988), 99 (1989), and 103 (1990) games, featuring such stars as McGwire, Canseco, Weiss, Rickey Henderson, Carney Lansford , Dave Stewart , and Dennis Eckersley . During this time, Rickey Henderson shattered Lou Brock 's modern major league record by stealing 130 bases in
7599-482: The A's had a radio network stretching all the way to Hawaii, leading one fan to joke, " Honolulu ? How about here? " In 1979, the A's did not sign a radio contract until the night before opening day. The A's near-invisibility prompted Oakland and Alameda County to sue Finley and the A's for breach of contract in 1979. Finley nearly sold the team to buyers who would have moved them to Mile High Stadium in Denver for
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#17328551291457748-448: The A's on-field success did not translate into success at the box office during the Finley era in Oakland. Average home attendance from 1968 to 1980 was 777,000 per season, with 1,075,518 in 1975 being the highest attendance for a Finley-owned team. In marked contrast, during the first year of Haas' ownership, the Athletics drew 1,304,052—in a season shortened by a player strike. Were it not for
7897-505: The A's or his insurance empire, Finley had to sell the team. He agreed in principle to sell to businessman Marvin Davis , who would have moved the Athletics to Denver. However, just before Finley and Davis were due to sign a definitive agreement, the Raiders announced their move to Los Angeles. Oakland and Alameda County officials let it be known that they would not allow any prospective owner to break
8046-452: The A's teams of the 1970s played well enough to win their division (which was usually known as the "American League Least" during this time). They then defeated teams that had won more games during the regular season with good pitching, good defense, and clutch hitting. Finley called this team the "Swingin' A's". Players such as Reggie Jackson , Sal Bando , Joe Rudi , Bert Campaneris , Catfish Hunter , Rollie Fingers , and Vida Blue formed
8195-512: The A's were considered the underdog against the highly favored Minnesota Twins . The A's swept the series 3–0 however, despite having to start on the road and losing second baseman Mark Ellis , who sustained a broken finger after getting hit by a pitch in the second game. Their victory was short-lived though, as the A's were swept 4–0 by the Detroit Tigers . Manager Ken Macha was fired by Billy Beane on October 16, four days after their loss in
8344-458: The Athletics in 1960, Finley began shopping the Athletics to other cities despite his promises that the A's would remain in Kansas City . Soon after the lease-burning stunt, it was discovered that what actually burned was a blank boilerplate commercial lease available at any stationery store. The actual lease was still in force—including the escape clause. Finley later admitted that the whole thing
8493-454: The Athletics won an American League record 20 games in a row, from August 13 to September 4, 2002. The last three games were won in dramatic fashion, each victory coming in the bottom of the ninth inning. Win number 20 was notable because the A's, with Tim Hudson pitching, jumped to an 11–0 lead against the AL-cellar dwelling Kansas City Royals , only to slowly give up 11 unanswered runs to lose
8642-562: The Athletics—had long been afloat. He also threatened to move the A's to a "cow pasture" in Peculiar, Missouri , complete with temporary grandstands. Not surprisingly, attendance tailed off. The city rejected Finley's offer of a two-year lease agreement; finally, American League President Joe Cronin persuaded Finley to sign a four-year lease with Municipal Stadium in February 1964. During
8791-455: The Atlanta Braves began playing at Truist Park , replacing Turner Field as their home stadium. Following an MLB investigation into international signing rule violations, general manager John Coppolella resigned and faced a baseball ban. Alex Anthopoulos took over as the new general manager. The team's chairman, Terry McGuirk , apologized for the scandal and expressed confidence in Anthopoulos' integrity. A new on field mascot named Blooper
8940-413: The Atlanta Braves enjoyed a remarkable era of success in baseball, marked by a record-setting 14 consecutive division titles, five National League pennants, and a World Series championship in 1995. Bobby Cox returned as manager in 1990, leading the team's turnaround after finishing the previous season with the worst record in baseball. Notable developments included the drafting of Chipper Jones in 1990 and
9089-456: The Bearcats during the 1990 season, when Nippert Stadium was undergoing renovations. The Bearcats finished with a 12–13 all-time record at Riverfront. When the Bengals moved to Paul Brown Stadium in 2000 , the Reds were left as Riverfront Stadium’s only tenant. Prior to the 2001 baseball season, the stadium was remodeled into a baseball-only configuration, and the artificial turf surface being replaced with natural grass. To allow room for
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#17328551291459238-420: The Bearcats' opponents were the University of Maryland , University of Kentucky , University of Louisville , Boston College , West Virginia University , Penn State University , whose 1985 game took place with the Nittany Lions number one in the coaches' poll, and the University of Miami three times, twice while the Hurricanes were the defending national champions. It would be a temporary full-time home for
9387-413: The Bengals. When Paul Brown Stadium (now Paycor Stadium) opened in 2000, the Jungle theme was incorporated into the stadium design. Between 1970 and 1990 Riverfront Stadium hosted 25 University of Cincinnati football games to accommodate higher-caliber visiting teams and local rivals which would overwhelm demand in their usual on-campus home, Nippert Stadium (which then could only hold 28,000). Among
9536-539: The Big Three, trading Tim Hudson to the Atlanta Braves and Mark Mulder to the St. Louis Cardinals . To many, the trades appeared bizarre, in that the two pitchers were seen to be at or near the top of their game; however, the decision was perfectly in line with Beane's business model as outlined in Moneyball . The Mulder trade, to many experts' surprise, turned into a steal for the Athletics, as little-known starter Dan Haren ended up pitching far better for Oakland than Mulder did for St. Louis. Also during this time,
9685-422: The Big Three. At first, the experts appeared vindicated, as the A's were mired in last place on May 31 with a 19–32 (.373) win–loss record. After that the team began to gel, playing at a .622 clip for the remainder of the season, eventually finishing 88–74 (.543), seven games behind the newly renamed Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and for many weeks seriously contending for the AL West crown. Pitcher Huston Street
9834-421: The Blue Jays, Frank Thomas re-signed with the A's, having been released by the Jays after a slow start. On July 8, the A's were involved in a blockbuster trade, dealing Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin to the Chicago Cubs for Sean Gallagher , Josh Donaldson, Eric Patterson , and Matt Murton . Then on July 17, the A's traded Joe Blanton to the Philadelphia Phillies for three minor leaguers. An 18–37 record for
9983-461: The Boston Braves experienced a remarkable turnaround in what would become one of the most memorable seasons in baseball history. Starting with a dismal 4–18 record, the Braves found themselves in last place, trailing the league-leading New York Giants by 15 games after losing a doubleheader to the Brooklyn Robins on July 4. However, the team rebounded with an incredible hot streak, going 41–12 from July 6 to September 5. On August 3, Joseph Lannin
10132-506: The Braves announced ongoing talks about the chop but insisted the team name would remain unchanged. The debate over the tomahawk chop continued into 2021. While some Native American leaders, like Richard Sneed , the Principal Chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians , expressed personal indifference or tolerance, acknowledging it as an acknowledgment of Native American strength, others vehemently opposed it. Sneed emphasized larger issues facing Native American communities and questioned
10281-403: The Braves as a major programming draw for his fledgling cable network, making the Braves the first franchise to have a nationwide audience and fan base. WTBS marketed the team as "The Atlanta Braves: America's Team ", a nickname that still sticks in some areas of the country, especially the South . The financially strapped Turner used money already paid to the team for their broadcast rights as
10430-584: The Braves franchise has won a total of four World Series Championships. The Braves are the only franchise to have won a World Series in three different cities. The Atlanta Braves home ballpark has been Truist Park since 2017. Truist Park is located approximately 10 miles (16 km) northwest of downtown Atlanta in the unincorporated community of Cumberland , in Cobb County , Georgia . The team played its home games at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium from 1966 to 1996, and at Turner Field from 1997 to 2016. The Braves opened Truist Park on April 14, 2017, with
10579-488: The Braves have played spring training games at CoolToday Park in North Port, Florida . The ballpark opened on March 24, 2019, with the Braves' 4–2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays . The Braves left Champion Stadium , their previous Spring Training home near Orlando to reduce travel times and to get closer to other teams' facilities. CoolToday Park also serves as the Braves' year round rehabilitation facility. (*) – There were no fans allowed in any MLB stadium in 2020 due to
10728-607: The Braves return to the postseason for the first time since 2005. The team secured the NL Wild Card but fell to the San Francisco Giants in the National League Division Series in four closely contested games, marking the conclusion of Bobby Cox's managerial career. The following season the Braves suffered a historic September collapse to miss the postseason. The club bounced back in 2012 and returned to
10877-550: The Braves to a Chicago-based group led by William Bartholomay. Bartholomay intended to move the team to Atlanta in 1965, but legal hurdles kept them in Milwaukee for an extra season. After arriving in Atlanta in 1966, the Braves found success in 1969, with the onset of divisional play by winning the first National League West Division title. In the National League Championship Series the Braves were swept by
11026-425: The Braves' public relations director defended it as a "proud expression of unification and family." The controversy resurfaced in 2019 when Cherokee Nation member and St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Ryan Helsley found the chop insulting, prompting the Braves to modify their in-game experience. During the off-season, discussions ensued with Native American representatives, and amid pressure in 2020 to change their name,
11175-533: The Coliseum lease, forcing Davis to call off the deal. Forced to turn to local buyers, Finley sold the A's to San Francisco clothing manufacturer Walter A. Haas, Jr. , president of Levi Strauss & Co. prior to the 1981 season. It would not be the last time that the Raiders directly affected the A's future; Denver would eventually get an MLB team in 1993 when the Colorado Rockies began play. Despite winning three World Series and two other AL West Division titles,
11324-416: The Coliseum underwent an $ 83 million facelift that altered the Coliseum significantly. Walter Haas died in that same year, and the team was sold to San Francisco Bay Area real estate developers Steve Schott (third cousin to one-time Cincinnati Reds' owner Marge Schott ), silent partner David Etheridge and Ken Hofmann , prior to the 1996 season. Once again, the Athletics' star players were traded or sold, as
11473-520: The Commissioner's blessing. Despite Finley's reputation as a master promoter, the A's had never drawn well since moving to Oakland, even during the World Series years. In the three years after the veterans from the championship years left, attendance dropped so low that the Coliseum became known as the "Oakland Mausoleum". At one point during the late 1970s, crowds could be counted in the hundreds. The low point came in 1979 , when an April 17 game against
11622-450: The Fourth of July. They were in last place as late as July 18, but were close to the pack, moving into fourth on July 21 and second place on August 12. The Braves entered the 1914 World Series led by captain and National League Most Valuable Player , Johnny Evers . The Boston club were slight underdogs against Connie Mack 's Philadelphia A's . However, they swept the Athletics and won
11771-641: The Haren and Swisher trades, respectively, also performed well for the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats . It is worth pointing out that Haren, Swisher, and Kotsay have all played well in their new teams. Kotsay himself had a game-winning RBI as a pinch-hitter, against his former team on May 16 in Game 1 of an interleague series between the A's and Braves. In the 2009 offseason, the A's traded promising young star OF Carlos González , closer Huston Street and starting pitcher Greg Smith for Matt Holliday of
11920-512: The Mariners drew an announced crowd of 653. However, A's officials claimed the actual attendance was 550, while first baseman Dave Revering thought the crowd was closer to 200. What is beyond dispute is that it was the smallest "crowd" in the West Coast portion of A's history. The Coliseum's upkeep also went downhill. The franchise's rapid deterioration so soon after being the most powerful team in
12069-579: The NL Division Series 3–1. The Braves again faced the Dodgers in the 2021 NLCS , and won in six games to take Atlanta's first National League pennant since 1999 . The Braves advanced to the World Series. They defeated the Houston Astros in six games to win their fourth World Series title. The Braves logos have evolved over the years, featuring a Native American warrior from 1945 to 1955, followed by
12218-633: The New York Yankees. In 1996, Time Warner acquired Ted Turner's Turner Broadcasting System, including the Braves. Despite their continued success with a ninth consecutive division title in 2000, the Braves faced postseason disappointment with a sweep by the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLDS . The team won division titles from 2002 to 2004 but experienced early exits in the NLDS each year. In December 2005, Time Warner, put
12367-460: The Philadelphia days in the team office; Finley had scarcely acknowledged the team's past. While the team colors remained green, gold, and white, the bright Kelly green was replaced with a more subdued forest green. After a 23-year hiatus, the elephant was restored as the club mascot in 1988. The script "Athletics", which had adorned home and road jerseys from 1954 to 1960, was returned to home jerseys in 1987. The Haases gave Martin complete control of
12516-527: The Reds' final two seasons in the stadium, ongoing construction on Great American was plainly visible just beyond the outfield walls while the team played their games. The stadium's final game was played on September 22, 2002, as the Reds lost 4–3 to the Philadelphia Phillies before a crowd of 40,964. Reds third baseman Aaron Boone hit the final home run in Riverfront's history in the loss, an eighth-inning solo home run off Phillies reliever Dan Plesac . The stadium
12665-651: The World Series in both 1988 , to the Los Angeles Dodgers , and in 1990 , to the Cincinnati Reds . The latter was a shocking four-game sweep reminiscent of the A's loss to the Boston Braves 76 years earlier. The team began declining, winning the AL West championship in 1992 (but losing to Toronto in the ALCS), then finishing last in 1993. In 1995, the Raiders returned to Oakland after spending 12 years in Los Angeles; with this,
12814-581: The Yankees and 2003 against the Red Sox), the Athletics won the first two games of the series, only to lose the next three straight. In 2001, Oakland became the first team to lose a best-of-five series after winning both of the first two games on the road. In 2004, the A's missed the playoffs altogether, losing the final series of the season—and the divisional title—to the Anaheim Angels by one game. This period in Oakland history featured splendid performances from
12963-415: The affair that he resigned after the Series. Finley retaliated by vetoing Williams' attempt to become manager of the Yankees. Finley claimed that since Williams still owed Oakland the last year of his contract, he could not manage anywhere else. Finley relented later in 1974 and allowed Williams to take over as manager of the California Angels . After the Athletics' victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in
13112-723: The ailing Chicago White Sox to Seattle. Finley then would move the A's to Chicago, closer to his home in LaPorte, Indiana ; and take the White Sox' place at Comiskey Park . The scheme fell through when White Sox owner John Allyn sold the team to another colorful owner, Bill Veeck , who was not interested in leaving Chicago. As the 1976 season got underway, the basic rules of player contracts were changing. Seitz had ruled that baseball's reserve clause only bound players for one season after their contract expired. Thus, all players not signed to multi-year contracts would be eligible for free agency at
13261-498: The baseball operation with the title of "player development director", effectively making him his own general manager. The A's lost in the American League Championship Series after winning the "first half" AL West Division title of the strike-interrupted 1981 season. The club finished with the second-best overall record in baseball, and the best record in the American League. Had the season not been split in half,
13410-476: The club moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin , in 1953. With a roster of star players such as Hank Aaron , Eddie Mathews , and Warren Spahn , the Milwaukee Braves won the World Series in 1957. Despite the team's success, fan attendance declined. The club's owners moved the team to Atlanta, Georgia , in 1966. The Braves did not find much success in Atlanta until 1991. From 1991 to 2005, the Braves were one of
13559-503: The club record for single season attendance, as well as on the field. Average annual home attendance during those years (excluding the strike years of 1981 and 1994) was over 1.9 million. Under the Haas ownership, the minor league system was rebuilt, which bore fruit later that decade as José Canseco (1986), Mark McGwire (1987), and Walt Weiss (1988) were chosen as AL Rookies of the Year . During
13708-482: The club up for sale, leading to negotiations with Liberty Media. After over a year of talks, a deal was reached in February 2007 for Liberty Media to acquire the Braves for $ 450 million, a magazine publishing company, and $ 980 million in cash. The sale, valued at approximately $ 1.48 billion, was contingent on approval from 75 percent of MLB owners and Commissioner Bud Selig. Bobby Cox's final year as manager in 2010 saw
13857-471: The construction of Great American Ball Park (which was being built largely over the grounds the stadium already sat on), a large section of the left and center field stands was removed and the distance to the fences was shortened by 5 feet (1.5 m). A 40-foot (12 m) wall was built in deep center field to prevent easy home runs. The new Great American Ball Park and old Riverfront Stadium were 26 inches apart at their closest point during this time. In
14006-507: The division crown in 1971 . The A's would win 101 games (their first 100-win season since finishing 107–45 in 1931 ). However, they lost to the Baltimore Orioles in the American League Championship Series . In 1972, the A's won their first league pennant since 1931 and faced the Cincinnati Reds in the World Series . That year, the A's began wearing solid green or solid gold jerseys, with contrasting white pants, at
14155-505: The end of the 1976 season. The balance of power had shifted from the owners to the players for the first time since the days of the Federal League. Like Mack had done twice before, Finley reacted by trading star players and attempting to sell others. On June 15, 1976 , Finley sold left fielder Rudi and relief pitcher Fingers to Boston for $ 1 million each, and pitcher Blue to the New York Yankees for $ 1.5 million. Three days later, Kuhn voided
14304-555: The end zone, which had long become standard in NFL stadiums. During the 1988 season as the Bengals were making another Super Bowl run, Riverfront Stadium was nicknamed the Jungle as the Bengals went a perfect 10-0 at home during the regular season and in the playoffs. With the new stadium nickname, the fans and team adopted the Guns N' Roses song " Welcome to the Jungle " as the unofficial theme song for
14453-419: The fast surface and virtually dirtless infield (see photo) rewarded range and quickness by both outfielders and infielders, like shortstop Dave Concepción who used the turf to bounce many of his long throws to first. Catcher Johnny Bench and first baseman Tony Pérez played here. The artificial turf covered not only the normal grass area of the ballpark but also most of the normally dirt-covered portion of
14602-515: The first two of a four-game sweep of the Oakland Athletics at Riverfront. Baseball purists disliked Riverfront's artificial turf , but Reds' Manager Sparky Anderson and General Manager Bob Howsam took advantage of it by encouraging speed and line drive hitting that could produce doubles, triples and high-bouncing infield hits. Players who combined power and speed like Joe Morgan , Pete Rose and Ken Griffey, Sr. thrived there. On defense,
14751-519: The first two, caused a lot of anger among fans and the media. The A's were considered to be a "rebuilding" team and were expected to be among the bottom-feeders of MLB in the 2008 season. However, the A's performed well into late May, and even held first place in the AL West for a good amount of time, but a 2–7 roadtrip in mid-May allowed the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to take first place. On April 24, just weeks after playing against them while on
14900-813: The focus on the chop. The Eastern Cherokee Band of Indians and the Braves initiated efforts to incorporate Cherokee language and culture into the team's activities, stadium, and merchandise, aiming for greater cultural sensitivity despite differing opinions within the Native American community. The Braves have retired eleven numbers in the history of the franchise, including most recently Andruw Jones ' number 25 in 2023, Chipper Jones ' number 10 in 2013, John Smoltz 's number 29 in 2012, Bobby Cox 's number 6 in 2011, Tom Glavine 's number 47 in 2010, and Greg Maddux 's number 31 in 2009. Additionally, Hank Aaron 's 44, Dale Murphy 's 3, Phil Niekro 's 35, Eddie Mathews ' 41, Warren Spahn 's 21 and Jackie Robinson 's 42, which
15049-458: The formidable New York Yankees. Despite a strong start in the World Series rematch the following season , the Braves ultimately lost the last three games and the World Series. The 1959 season ended in a tie with the Los Angeles Dodgers, which defeated the Braves in a playoff. The ensuing years saw fluctuating success, including the Braves finishing fifth in 1963, their first time in the "second division." In 1962, team owner Louis Perini sold
15198-635: The game led some fans to nickname them "the Triple-A's". For most of Finley's ownership, the A's rarely had radio or television contracts, rendering them all but invisible in the Bay Area even during the World Series era. For the first month of the 1978 season, the A's broadcast their games on KALX , a 10-watt college radio station run by the University of California, Berkeley . KALX was practically unlistenable more than 10 miles (16 km) from Oakland. At that time,
15347-593: The hiring of general manager John Schuerholz from the Kansas City Royals. The Braves' remarkable journey began in 1991 , known as the "Worst to First" season. Overcoming a shaky start, the Braves bounced back led by young pitchers Tom Glavine and John Smoltz . The team secured the NL pennant in a memorable playoff race, ultimately losing a closely contested World Series to the Minnesota Twins. The following year,
15496-650: The infield; the infield area boundary where dirt would normally be was denoted with a white lined arc. Only the pitcher's mound, the home plate area (in two circled areas), and cutouts around first, second and third bases had dirt surfaces (which were covered in five-sided diamond shaped areas). This was the first stadium in the majors with this "sliding pit" configuration. Most of the new stadiums with artificial turf that would follow ( Veterans Stadium , Royals Stadium , Louisiana Superdome , Olympic Stadium (Montreal) , Exhibition Stadium , Kingdome , Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome , B.C. Place , SkyDome ) installed sliding pits as
15645-556: The largest bonus in team and international free agent history. The 2008 off-season started with controversy, as the A's traded ace pitcher Dan Haren to the Arizona Diamondbacks for prospects. This would be followed by trades of outfielder Nick Swisher , who was considered to be a fan-favorite, to the Chicago White Sox , and another fan-favorite Mark Kotsay (also outfielder) to the Atlanta Braves . The trades, especially
15794-460: The lead. Then, Scott Hatteberg , enduring criticism as Jason Giambi's replacement, hit a pinch-hit home run off Royals closer Jason Grimsley in the bottom of the 9th inning to win 12–11. The streak was snapped two nights later in Minneapolis, the A's losing 6–0 to the Minnesota Twins . The Major League record for consecutive games without a loss is 26, set by the NL's New York Giants in 1916. There
15943-522: The loss of Hunter, the A's repeated as AL West champions in 1975, but lost the ALCS to Boston in a 3-game sweep. In 1975 , fed up with poor attendance in Oakland during the team's championship years, Finley thought of moving yet again. When Seattle filed a lawsuit against Major League Baseball over the move of the Seattle Pilots to Milwaukee, Finley and others came up with an elaborate shuffle which would move
16092-624: The minors. Finley's tendency for micromanaging his team actually dated to the team's stay in Kansas City. Among the more notable incidents during this time was a near-mutiny in 1967; Finley responded by releasing the A's best hitter, Ken Harrelson , who promptly signed with the Red Sox and helped lead them to the pennant . The Athletics' victory over the New York Mets in the 1973 Series was marred by Finley's antics. Finley forced Mike Andrews to sign
16241-628: The months of July and August (including a 10-game losing streak) dropped the A's into third place, where they would finish the season. They ended 2008 with a disappointing 75–86 record. Several players were acquired in the offseason trades (pitchers Dana Eveland and Greg Smith from the Dan Haren trade, outfielder Ryan Sweeney from the Swisher trade and reliever Joey Devine from the Mark Kotsay trade). Carlos González and Gio González (no relation) from
16390-537: The most memorable football game at Riverfront Stadium was the 1981 AFC Championship Game on January 10, 1982. The game became known as the Freezer Bowl and was won by the Bengals over the San Diego Chargers , 27–7. The air temperature during the game was −9 °F (−23 °C) and the wind chill was −37 °F (−38 °C), the coldest in NFL history. The win earned the Bengals their first of two trips to
16539-583: The most successful teams in baseball, winning an unprecedented 14 consecutive division titles, making an MLB record eight consecutive National League Championship Series appearances, and producing one of the greatest pitching rotations in the history of baseball including Hall of Famers Greg Maddux , John Smoltz , and Tom Glavine . The Braves are one of the two remaining National League charter franchises that debuted in 1876. The club has won an MLB record 23 divisional titles, 18 National League pennants , and four World Series championships. The Braves are
16688-478: The new owners' goal was to cut payroll drastically. Many landed with the St. Louis Cardinals , including McGwire, Eckersley, and manager La Russa. In a turn of events eerily reminiscent of the A's Roger Maris trade 38 years before, Mark McGwire celebrated his first full season with the Cardinals by setting a new major league home run record. The Schott-Hofmann ownership allocated resources to building and maintaining
16837-503: The nucleus of these teams. The players often said in later years that they played so well as a team because almost to a man, they hated Finley with a passion. For instance, Finley threatened to pack Jackson off to the minors in 1969 after Jackson hit 47 homers; Commissioner Bowie Kuhn had to intervene in their contract dispute. Kuhn intervened again after Blue won the AL Cy Young Award in 1971 and Finley threatened to send him to
16986-616: The oldest continuously playing franchise in American professional sports. The club was known as the Boston Red Caps when they played the first National League game in 1876 , winning against the Philadelphia Athletics . Despite a weaker roster in the league's first year, they rebounded to secure the 1877 and 1878 pennants. Managed by Frank Selee , they were a dominant force in the 19th century, winning eight pennants. By 1898
17135-455: The only Major League Baseball franchise to have won the World Series in three different home cities. At the end of the 2024 season, the Braves' overall win–loss record is 11,114–10,949–154 (.504). Since moving to Atlanta in 1966, the Braves have an overall win–loss record of 4,850–4,461–8 (.521) through the end of 2024. The Cincinnati Red Stockings , formed in 1869, were the first openly all-professional baseball team but disbanded after
17284-569: The original layout, and the existing artificial turf fields in San Francisco , Houston , Pittsburgh , and St. Louis would change to the cut-out configuration within the next few years after Riverfront's opening. Riverfront hosted the MLB All-Star Game twice: first on July 14, 1970, with President Richard Nixon in attendance (51,838 total attendance), and again on July 12, 1988 (55,837 attendance). Despite Cincinnati's love of baseball, it
17433-519: The postseason in Chipper Jones' final season. The Braves won 94 games in 2012, but that wasn't enough to win the NL East, so they faced the St. Louis Cardinals in the inaugural Wild Card Game . Chipper Jones last game was a memorable one: the Braves lost the one game playoff 6–3, but the game would be remembered for a controversial infield fly call that helped end a Braves rally in the 8th inning. In 2017,
17582-532: The president of the Red Sox, offered Fenway Park to the Braves free of charge for the remainder of the season since their usual home, the South End Grounds , was too small. On September 7 and 8, they defeated the Giants in two out of three games, propelling them into first place. Despite being in last place as late as July 18, the Braves secured the pennant, becoming the only team under the old eight-team league format to achieve this after being in last place on
17731-407: The red color from their stockings due to infection concerns. The club underwent various nickname changes until becoming the Braves before the 1912 season . The president of the club, John M. Ward named the club after the owner, James Gaffney . Gaffney was called one of the "braves" of New York City's political machine, Tammany Hall , which used a Native American chief as their symbol. In 1914,
17880-962: The retired numbers on commemorative markers and other in-stadium signage reflect the primary uniform design at the time the player was on the team. Earl Averill Dave Bancroft Dan Brouthers John Clarkson * Jimmy Collins Hugh Duffy * Johnny Evers Burleigh Grimes Billy Hamilton Billy Herman Rogers Hornsby Joe Kelley King Kelly Ernie Lombardi Rabbit Maranville * Rube Marquard Tommy McCarthy * Bill McKechnie Joe Medwick Kid Nichols * Jim O'Rourke Charley Radbourn Babe Ruth Frank Selee * Al Simmons George Sisler Billy Southworth Casey Stengel Ed Walsh Lloyd Waner Paul Waner Deacon White Vic Willis * George Wright * Harry Wright Cy Young Eddie Mathews * Red Schoendienst Enos Slaughter Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as
18029-604: The same facility. Riverfront, Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia , Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis , Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta , Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh , Shea Stadium in New York and Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C., all opened within a few years of each other and were largely indistinguishable from one another; in particular, it
18178-411: The season second in the league. Manager Charlie Grimm was named NL Manager of the Year . Throughout the 1950s, the Braves were a National League power; driven by sluggers Eddie Mathews and Hank Aaron , the team won two pennants and finished second twice between 1956 and 1959. In 1957 , Aaron's MVP season led the Braves to their first pennant in nine years, then a World Series victory against
18327-584: The season with a dismal 38–115 record, marking the franchise's worst season. Fuchs lost control of the team in August 1935, leading to a rebranding attempt as the Boston Bees, but it did little to alter the team's fortune. Construction magnate Lou Perini took over, eventually restoring the Braves' name. Despite World War II causing a brief setback, the team, led by pitcher Warren Spahn , enjoyed impressive seasons in 1946 and 1947 under Perini's ownership. In 1948,
18476-647: The second-most in the AL after the New York Yankees . The team is currently known simply as the Athletics . Despite the team's success in Oakland, issues with the Oakland Coliseum throughout the decades led to the team trying to replace the aging venue multiple times, but after they were not able to find locations in East Bay and San Jose , the team left Oakland after the 2024 season, temporarily moving to West Sacramento before moving to Las Vegas . The move from Oakland
18625-521: The sixth-lowest payroll in baseball in 2002, the Oakland Athletics won an American League best 103 games. They spent $ 41 million that season, while the Yankees, who also won 103 games, spent $ 126 million. The Athletics have continually succeeded at winning, and defying market economics, keeping their payroll near the bottom of the league. For example, after the 2004 season, in which the A's placed second in their division, Beane shocked many by breaking up
18774-539: The strike, the A's were on a pace to draw over 2.2 million in 1981. This lent credence to the theory that Bay Area residents stayed away from the Coliseum because they did not want to give their money to Finley. Haas set about changing the team's image. He ditched Charlie O. as the team mascot and restored the traditional team name of "Athletics" as soon as he closed on the purchase, with the ownership group formally known as "The Oakland Athletics Baseball Company". He also installed pictures of Connie Mack and other greats from
18923-432: The syndicate that bought the club. However, the death of pitching legend in 1925 left Fuchs in control. Despite Fuchs' commitment to success, the team faced challenges overcoming the damage from previous years. It wasn't until 1933 and 1934, under manager Bill McKechnie , that the Braves became competitive, but it did little to help the club's finances. In an effort to boost fan attendance and finances, Fuchs orchestrated
19072-592: The team collected a bonus. The 1972 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds was termed "The Hairs vs. the Big Squares", as the Reds wore more traditional uniforms and required their players to be clean-shaven and short-haired. A contemporaneous book about the team was called Mustache Gang . The A's seven-game victory over the heavily favored Reds gave the team its first World Series Championship since 1930 . They defended their title in 1973 and 1974 . Unlike Mack's champions, who thoroughly dominated their opposition,
19221-494: The team was known as the Beaneaters and they won 102 games, with stars like Hugh Duffy , Tommy McCarthy , and "Slidin'" Billy Hamilton . In 1901, the American League was introduced, causing many Beaneaters players including stars Duffy and Jimmy Collins to leave for clubs of the rival league. The team struggled, having only one winning season from 1900 to 1913 and losing 100 games five times. In 1907, they temporarily dropped
19370-621: The team were the "Louisville Sluggers" and "Kentucky Colonels", which would have allowed the team to keep the letters "KC" on their uniforms.) The owners turned it down by a 9–1 margin on January 16, with Finley being the only one voting in favor. Six weeks later, by the same 9–1 margin, the AL owners denied Finley's request to move the team to Oakland . These requests came as no surprise, as impending moves to these cities, as well as to Atlanta , Milwaukee , New Orleans , San Diego , and Seattle —all of which Finley had considered as new homes for
19519-638: The team's games being broadcast nationally on TBS from the 1970s until 2007, giving the team a nationwide fan base. The Braves boast heavy support within the Southeastern United States particularly in states such as Mississippi , Alabama , South Carolina , North Carolina , Tennessee and Florida . In 1991, fans of the Atlanta Braves popularized the "tomahawk chop" during games. The use of foam tomahawks drew criticism from Native American groups, deeming it demeaning. Despite protests,
19668-494: The transactions in the "best interests of baseball". Amid the turmoil, the A's still finished second in the AL West, 2.5 games behind the Royals. After the 1976 season, most of the Athletics' veteran players did become eligible for free agency, and predictably almost all left. More than 40 years and 3,000 miles (4,800 km) after Connie Mack's last dynasty, one of baseball's most storied franchises suffered yet another dismemberment of
19817-459: The way that major league baseball teams evaluate player talent. They began filling their system with players who did not possess traditionally valued baseball "tools" of throwing, fielding, hitting, hitting for power and running. Instead, they drafted for unconventional statistical prowess: on-base percentage for hitters (rather than batting average) and strikeout/walk ratios for pitchers (rather than velocity). These undervalued stats came cheaply. With
19966-520: The world championship. Inspired by their success, owner Gaffney constructed a modern park, Braves Field , which opened in August 1915 and was the largest park in the majors at the time, boasting 40,000 seats and convenient public transportation access. From 1917 to 1933, the Boston Braves struggled. After a series of different owners, Emil Fuchs bought the team in 1923. Fuchs brought his longtime friend, pitching great Christy Mathewson , as part of
20115-413: The worst record in the American League, and the second-worst record in baseball. They even trailed the expansion Seattle Mariners (though by only 1 ⁄ 2 game, as one game with the Minnesota Twins was canceled by weather and never made up). At the end of the 1977 season, Finley attempted to trade Blue to the Reds for a player of lesser stature and cash, but Kuhn vetoed the deal, claiming that it
20264-406: The young team, led by new young stars Rickey Henderson , Mike Norris , Tony Armas , and Dwayne Murphy . Martin made believers of his young charges, "Billyball" was used to market the team, and the Athletics finished second in 1980 . However, during that same season Finley's wife sought a divorce, and would not accept a stake in the A's in a property settlement. With most of his money tied up in
20413-496: Was a publicity stunt, and he had no intention of amending the lease. In 1961 and 1962, Finley talked to people in Dallas–Fort Worth and a four-man group appeared before American League owners, but no formal motion was put forward to move the team to Texas. In January 1964 , he signed an agreement on to move the A's to Louisville , promising to change the team's name to the "Kentucky Athletics". (Other names suggested for
20562-606: Was a tie game embedded in that streak (ties were not uncommon in the days before stadium lights) and the record for consecutive wins with no ties is 22, held by the Cleveland Indians in 2017. On March 30, 2005 , the Athletics were sold to a group fronted by real estate developer Lewis Wolff , although the majority owner is John J. Fisher , son of The Gap, Inc. 's founder. Wolff, though a Los Angeles businessman, had successfully developed many real estate projects in and around San Jose . The previous ownership had retained Wolff to help them find an adequate parcel on which to construct
20711-540: Was demolished by implosion on December 29, 2002. Part of the former Riverfront Stadium site is now occupied by Great American Ball Park (which would open the following April) and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center , along with several mixed-use developments and parking facilities. A small portion of the site is now occupied by the Reds' Hall of Fame and Museum and Main Street, which
20860-484: Was extended when the new park was built and when the old park was demolished. Bold indicates the winner of each game. †= Team's stadium under construction or refurbishment at time 1 = A team used the stadium when their permanent stadium was unable to be used as a result of damage. Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area . The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as
21009-536: Was introduced at a fan event before the 2017 season. Under Anthopoulos, the Braves made the playoffs in six of his first seven seasons. In 2020 the Braves reach the National League Championship Series , but ultimately lost to the Dodgers after leading 3–1. In the 2021 season, the Braves won the National League East with an 88–73 record. In the postseason, they quickly defeated the Milwaukee Brewers in
21158-464: Was maintained by Trans-Lux . That scoreboard would be upgraded in the 1980s with the addition of an adjacent Sony JumboTron . The playing field was originally illuminated by 1,648 thousand-watt GTE Sylvania Metalarc lamps. The Reds moved to Riverfront Stadium midway through the 1970 season, after spending over 86 years at the intersection of Findlay Street and Western Avenue – the last 57½ of those years at Crosley Field . Riverfront quickly earned
21307-550: Was named American League MVP in 2000, and Tejada won an MVP Award of his own in 2002, a year which also saw Zito win 23 games and the Cy Young Award . On May 29, 2000, Randy Velarde achieved an unassisted triple play against the Yankees. In the sixth, second baseman Velarde caught Shane Spencer 's line drive, tagged Jorge Posada running from first to second, and stepped on second before Tino Martinez could return. (Velarde had also pulled off an unassisted triple play during
21456-457: Was often confused with fellow Ohio River cookie-cutter Three Rivers Stadium by sportscasters because of the two stadium's similar names and similar designs. One feature of Riverfront that distinguished it from other cookie-cutters was that the field level seats for baseball were divided in half directly behind home plate, with the third-base side stands wheeled to left field and the ones on the first-base side remaining stationary for conversion to
21605-527: Was only good enough for second place behind the Minnesota Twins , and was not good enough for Finley, who had been expecting his team to win the division title. Hank Bauer was fired (and replaced with John McNamara ) near the end of the season. The team's record stood at 80–69 at the time of his firing. McNamara himself would be fired following an 89–73 finish in 1970 . He was replaced by former Boston Red Sox manager Dick Williams . The Athletics, following two consecutive second-place finishes, finally claimed
21754-546: Was tantamount to a fire sale similar to the sales he voided a year earlier. He also claimed that adding Blue to the Reds' already formidable pitching staff would make a mockery of the National League West race. Later, Finley sent Doug Bair to the Reds in a deal that Kuhn deemed a true trade. At the same time, Blue was traded across the bay to the San Francisco Giants in a multi-player trade that likewise received
21903-673: Was the franchise's third relocation after Philadelphia and Kansas City . The move also marked the end of professional major league sports in Oakland, as the California Golden Seals of the NHL , who had played at the next door Oakland Arena , relocated to Cleveland in 1976, the Golden State Warriors of the NBA , who also played at Oakland Arena, moved across the bay to San Francisco in 2019 and their former co-tenant Oakland Raiders of
22052-444: Was the prospect of a professional football team that finally moved the city to end 20 years of discussion and build a new stadium on the downtown riverfront. After playing for two seasons at Nippert Stadium on the University of Cincinnati campus, the Bengals built on the Reds' success in the stadium's first year when they recorded their first winning season and playoff appearance in 1970 , just their third year of existence. Perhaps
22201-571: Was voted the AL Rookie of the Year in 2005, the second year in a row an Athletic won that award, shortstop Bobby Crosby having won in 2004. For the fifth straight season, third baseman Eric Chavez won the AL Gold Glove Award at that position. The 2006 season brought the A's back to the postseason after a three-year absence. After finishing the season at 93–69, four games ahead of the Angels ,
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