Baseball History Podcast

Fury Gene Tenace was born October 10, 1946 in Russellton, Pennsylvania.  His actual birth name is Fiore Gino Tennaci.

Tenace was an underappreciated talent whose magnificent performance in the 1972 World Series displayed to the world his valuable but rarely spotlighted abilities.  He reached 20 Home Runs in five of his seven seasons as a regular but throughout his career, his low batting averages were focused on.  Missed was the fact that, after becoming an everyday player, he had an on-base average of .400 five times and over .390 three times.

Welcome to the Baseball History Podcast: Featuring This Week in Baseball History, baseball dictionary and a tour of baseball cities.  I’m your game announcer Bob Wright.

This is game 43 of the 2010 baseball season

In the first inning let’s take a look at This Week in Baseball History for the 3 week of October.

October 22

1972 The A’s win their first championship in 42 years as they defeat the Reds 3-2 in Game 7 of the Fall Classic. World Series MVP Gene Tenace, who had only hit five home runs in the regular season, connects for four round trippers in the seven games against Cincinnati.

Fury Gene Tenace was born October 10, 1946 in Russellton, Pennsylvania.  His actual birth name is Fiore Gino Tennaci.

Tenace was an underappreciated talent whose magnificent performance in the 1972 World Series displayed to the world his valuable but rarely spotlighted abilities.  He reached 20 Home Runs in five of his seven seasons as a regular but throughout his career, his low batting averages were focused on.  Missed was the fact that, after becoming an everyday player, he had an on-base average of .400 five times and over .390 three times.

Tenace was selected in baseball’s first entry draft in 1965 by the then Kansas City Athletics.  He made his major league debut for the A’s on May 29, 1969 after they moved to Oakland.  He finished the 1969 season with a .158 batting average and 1 home run, appearing in just 38 games as a third-string catcher.

He continued to play the next two years as the third-string catcher before serving as the backup in 1971.  Tenace entered the 1972 season as the backup catcher but was given a chance to show his abilities by being made the team’s regular catcher in the postseason.

Tenace took full advantage of this opportunity, excelling in the playoffs and World Series.  In the League Championship Series against the Detroit Tigers, he drove in the clinching run in Oakland’s 2-1 victory in game 5; it was his only hit of the series.

He put himself in the spotlight once again in game 1 of the 1972 World Series when the Athletics faced the Cincinnati Reds.  He became the first player to homer in his first two World Series at bats and drove in all three runs in the A’s 3-2 victory.

In game 4, the A’s were losing 2-1, with their only run to that point coming on Tenace’s solo Home Run.  A ninth-inning one-out rally consisting of four singles won the game against Cincinnati; Tenace’s single was the second one of the rally

He hit a three-run home run in the A’s game 5 loss.  In game 7, he was once again the hero, driving in two runs in a 3-2 victory.  In total, he went 8 for 23 in the Series, with 4 home runs and nine Runs Batted In, to earn the World Series Most Valuable Player Award.

Tenace’s heroics helped him earn a full-time job in Oakland’s lineup.  He served as the team’s starting first baseman for 2 seasons, while still serving as the backup catcher.  He had his roles reversed in 1975, starting at catcher while backing up first base.

As a regular starter for the A’s, Tenace had a low batting average but a fair amount of power, hitting 20 home runs in 4 consecutive years, finishing among the top 10 home run hitters in the American League each year.  He further made up for his lack of a high batting average by sporting a tremendous batting eye.  He drew over 100 walks in a season three times for Oakland, and led the American League in walks in 1974, making up for a career-low .211 average that year.

Statistically, his best year with Oakland was in 1975, when he hit a career-best 29 home runs and drove in 83 runs, drew 106 walks, and started in his only All-Star Game.

He reached 20 Home Runs in five of his seven seasons as a regular, with a high of 29 in 1975.  After becoming an everyday player in 1973, he did not have an on-base average below .370 until his final year; his On Base Percentage was above .400 five times and over .390 an additional three times.  Six times he drew more than 100 bases on balls, and he led his league twice.

But like most of the A’s stars, he escaped via the free-agent route, signing with the Padres after the 1976 season.  He actually had some of his best seasons from then on, but San Diego owner Ray Kroc had little understanding of the fine points of baseball and saw only that he had made a millionaire of a man who hit .233 and .223 in his first two seasons with the Padres.

In 4 years as a starter with the Padres, his power numbers dropped in part due to the cavernous dimensions of San Diego Stadium, only reaching 20 home runs once; but his batting eye remained, recording 3 more seasons of 100 walks, with a career best of 125 in 1977.  He recorded an on base percentage of over .390 in each of his years in San Diego, and finished 3rd in the National League in that department in 3 consecutive years.

Tenace was traded following the 1980 season, going to St. Louis in an 11-player deal.

Tenace spent his last three seasons as a utility man playing primarily against left-handed pitchers.   He got into one final World Series in 1982.  The Cardinals won, giving him four World Series rings, but he never hit another World Series home run after 1972.

He played his final season as a pinch-hitter for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1983, and retired after being released the following year in spring training.  He retired with a .241 average and 201 home runs, but had a fine on-base percentage of .388, among the best for players during his era

Tenace became a coach after retiring as a player.  He was part of Toronto’s World Series-winning teams in 1992 and 1993, giving him 6 rings in 6 World Series appearances as a player and a coach.

As a coach, Tenace advocates a more aggressive approach to hitting.  Under his guidance, hitters spend less time working the count and more time preparing to hit.  He stresses the mental part of hitting, such as the mental preparation for what a pitcher will do, rather than just the physical aspect.  Under Tenace, the philosophy of hitting can be described as “Grip It And Rip It” and more of an old school approach to hitting.

In this inning we’ll open up the Baseball Dictionary

Under the letter: S

Slide Step

A move by the pitcher whose front leg steps quickly down the mound toward home plate rather lifts as in the normal delivery, designed to delay a baserunner attempting to steal.  The move reduces base stealing, but makes for a less effective pitch to the plate.

For those of you that want to stick around, here’s an

Extra Inning

Catching up on a few comments:

This comment was left on the BHP website by Brian H:

Greetings! I enjoy your podcast and listen every week. I was a little surprised when listening to the Joe Gordon episode not to hear any mention of Portland OR or the U of Oregon.  Check this article out if you have a minute.

I did, and in the article it states:

Gordon played for Oregon during the 1934 and 1935 seasons, and his .358 career batting average ties for fourth all-time in the record books. During the 1934 and 1935 seasons, the Ducks combined for a 30-14 record and two Pacific Coast Conference Northern Division championships.

And this comment left on the website from The Brush Back Pitch about the Dave Dravecky game:

Really enjoyed this particular episode.  I remember Dravecky and his courage quite well.

If you would like to a part of Baseball History Podcast, submit your written contribution for the tour segment.  I will only be doing the tour when one is sent in by a listener.  You can do the segment on any stadium or team; past or present; Minor League, Major League, Negro League or any league outside of the US.  Write about 1 page in a conversational tone, send it to me, I will record it, and you will get the credit.

You can email me at baseballhistory@gmail.com.

You can follow me on Twitter; I’m BaseballHistory.

Look for the new BHP web site at Baseball History Podcast at baseballhistorypodcast.com.

Well, that’s it for today’s game of Baseball History Podcast.  I’ll see you later at the ballpark.