After falling short in the 1971 ALCS at the hands of the late-'60s/early-'70s Orioles dynasty, the A's emerged in '72 from a tough series against the Tigers. After Sept. 11, Detroit never led the AL East by more than 1 1/2 games.

It was stellar pitching performances from Catfish Hunter (two earned runs allowed in 15 1/3 innings over two starts) and Blue Moon Odom (one unearned run allowed in 14 innings over two starts, both victories) that paced Oakland in the five-game series.

Mickey Lolich gave up three earned runs for Detroit in two starts (19 innings). Each club won one extra-innings affair (Oakland took Game 1 in 11 innings, and Detroit took the dramatic Game 4 with three runs in the 10th).

Path to the ALCS: The Tigers (86-70) won the AL East by 1/2 game. The A's (93-62) won the AL West by 5 1/2 games. 

Managers: Dick Williams, OAK; Billy Martin, DET