1972 Season

24 teams competing across 6 divisions

The 1972 Major League Baseball season was played by 24 teams. The Oakland Athletics won the World Series, defeating the Cincinnati Reds. Johnny Bench led with 40 home runs, Johnny Bench led with 125 RBI, and Pete Rose led with 198 hits. This page carries the 1972 standings, league leaders, postseason results, and a link to every team's season.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
L (Losses):
Games charged to the pitcher of record when the opposing team took a lead it never surrendered.
Win% (Winning Percentage):
Wins divided by games decided.
GB (Games Back):
How far a team trailed the division or league leader.

Data updated

🏆 Postseason

1972 Bracket
World Series OAK def. CIN (4-3)
AL Championship OAK def. DET (3-2)
NL Championship CIN def. PIT (3-2)

📂 Quick Links

📊 Full Leaders 📋 Standings ⚾ Batting 🎯 Pitching

⏳ Browse Seasons

1962 1967 1971 1972 1973 1977 1982

⚾ Batting Leaders

1972 Home Run Leaders

Top 10 — click a bar to view the player.

Batting average and OPS list qualified hitters only: 3.1 plate appearances per team game — 480 plate appearances at 155 team games. Home runs, RBI, hits, runs and stolen bases are counting totals and list every player.

Batting Average qualified

1 Billy Williams .333 2 Ralph Garr .325 3 Dusty Baker .321 4 Cesar Cedeno .320 5 Rod Carew .318

OPS qualified

1 Dick Allen 1.023 2 Billy Williams 1.005 3 Willie Stargell .930 4 Cesar Cedeno .921 5 Johnny Bench .920

Home Runs all players

1 Johnny Bench 40 2 Nate Colbert 38 3 Dick Allen 37 4 Billy Williams 37 5 Hank Aaron 34

RBI all players

1 Johnny Bench 125 2 Billy Williams 122 3 Dick Allen 113 4 Willie Stargell 112 5 Nate Colbert 111

Hits all players

1 Pete Rose 198 2 Lou Brock 193 3 Billy Williams 191 4 Joe Rudi 181 5 Ralph Garr 180

Runs all players

1 Joe Morgan 122 2 Bobby Bonds 118 3 Jim Wynn 117 4 Pete Rose 107 5 Cesar Cedeno 103

Stolen Bases all players

1 Lou Brock 63 2 Joe Morgan 58 3 Cesar Cedeno 55 4 Bert Campaneris 52 5 Dave Nelson 51
View Complete Batting Stats →

🎯 Pitching Leaders

1972 Strikeout Leaders

Top 10 — click a bar to view the player.

ERA and WHIP list qualified pitchers only: 1 inning pitched per team game — 155 innings at 155 team games. Wins, strikeouts and saves are counting totals and list every pitcher.

ERA qualified

1 Luis Tiant 1.91 2 Gaylord Perry 1.92 3 Steve Carlton 1.97 4 Gary Nolan 1.99 5 Catfish Hunter 2.04

WHIP qualified

1 Roger Nelson 0.87 2 Don Sutton 0.91 3 Catfish Hunter 0.91 4 Gaylord Perry 0.98 5 Steve Carlton 0.99

Wins all pitchers

1 Steve Carlton 27 2 Gaylord Perry 24 3 Wilbur Wood 24 4 Mickey Lolich 22 5 Stan Bahnsen 21

Strikeouts all pitchers

1 Nolan Ryan 329 2 Steve Carlton 310 3 Mickey Lolich 250 4 Tom Seaver 249 5 Gaylord Perry 234

Saves all pitchers

1 Clay Carroll 37 2 Sparky Lyle 35 3 Terry Forster 29 4 Tug McGraw 27 5 Dave Giusti 22
View Complete Pitching Stats →

📋 Standings

AL East

Detroit Tigers ★ 86-70 Boston Red Sox 85-70 Baltimore Orioles 80-74 New York Yankees 79-76 Cleveland Indians 72-84 Milwaukee Brewers 65-91

AL West

Oakland Athletics ★ 93-62 Chicago White Sox 87-67 Minnesota Twins 77-77 Kansas City Royals 76-78 California Angels 75-80 Texas Rangers 54-100

NL East

Pittsburgh Pirates ★ 96-59 Chicago Cubs 85-70 New York Mets 83-73 St. Louis Cardinals 75-81 Montreal Expos 70-86 Philadelphia Phillies 59-97

NL West

Cincinnati Reds ★ 95-59 Los Angeles Dodgers 85-70 Houston Astros 84-69 Atlanta Braves 70-84 San Francisco Giants 69-86 San Diego Padres 58-95

The 1972 season in brief

The best record in the 1972 standings belonged to the Pittsburgh Pirates, who finished 96-59. 54-100 left the Texas Rangers with the lowest winning percentage of 1972. Race by race in 1972, the Detroit Tigers (86-70) edged the Boston Red Sox (85-70) in the American League East, the Oakland Athletics ran away with the American League West at 93-62, the Cincinnati Reds owned the National League West with a 95-59 mark, the Los Angeles Dodgers next at 85-70, and the National League East was not close, the Pittsburgh Pirates finishing 96-59 to the Chicago Cubs's 85-70. In the World Series, the Oakland Athletics beat the Cincinnati Reds, 4 games to 3. The other series results were the Oakland Athletics over the Detroit Tigers in the AL Championship Series (3-2) and the Cincinnati Reds over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NL Championship Series (3-2). The home run board is topped by Johnny Bench at 40, ahead of Nate Colbert with 38. Among qualified hitters, Billy Williams had the top batting average, .333, with Ralph Garr next at .325. Billy Williams cleared the 480-plate-appearance line that 1972's 155 team games set. The ERA board, limited to qualified pitchers, starts with Luis Tiant at 1.91; Gaylord Perry followed at 1.92. For the complete tables behind these tiles, see the 1972 leaders page.

1972 MLB Season: Frequently Asked Questions

Who won the World Series in 1972?
The Oakland Athletics won the 1972 World Series, beating the Cincinnati Reds.
How many teams played in 1972?
24 teams played in the 1972 major league season.
Who led MLB in home runs in 1972?
Johnny Bench led with 40 home runs in 1972.
Who led MLB in RBI in 1972?
Johnny Bench led with 125 RBI in 1972.
Who led MLB in hits in 1972?
Pete Rose led with 198 hits in 1972.
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