Vida Blue, displaying the form that won him both the Cy Young and MVP awards last season, allowed only two hits and pitched the Athletics to a 2-0 victory over the Rangers. Blue retired the first 17 batters before Rich Hand, his mound opponent, beat out a surprise bunt in the sixth inning. Pinch-hitter Toby Harrah singled for the other hit in the ninth. Hand, who pitched 7 1/3 innings, also yielded only two hits but was the victim of a mental boner by Ted Ford in the third inning and two errors, one that he committed himself, in the eighth.

Blue walked in the third inning and took second on a sacrifice. When Joe Rudi flied to Ford, the Rangers' left fielder thought it was the final out of the inning and trotted toward the infield with the ball as Blue tagged up and raced home. Rudi was credited with a sacrifice fly. In the eighth, a single by Ted Kubiak, errors by Hand and Dave Nelson and another sacrifice fly by Rudi added the other tally. [The Sporting News]



Oakland Athletics 2, Texas Rangers 0
Game Played on Monday, July      31, 1972 (Day game) at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Rangers      0  0  0    0  0  0    0  0  0  -   0  2  2
A's          0  0  1    0  0  0    0  1  x  -   2  2  0


Rangers              AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      A's                  AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Nelson 3b             4   0   0   0     0   0   .238      Campaneris ss         2   0   0   0     0   1   .242
Maddox rf             4   0   0   0     0   1   .244      Rudi lf               1   0   0   2     1   0   .310
Ford lf               3   0   0   0     0   0   .239      Jackson cf            4   0   0   0     0   1   .254
Billings c            3   0   0   0     0   2   .275      Mincher 1b            3   0   0   0     0   2   .221
Howard 1b             3   0   0   0     0   0   .230        Tenace ph           0   0   0   0     0   0   .196
Lovitto cf            3   0   0   0     0   0   .215        Hegan ph,1b         1   0   0   0     0   0   .279
Harris 2b             3   0   0   0     0   0   .000      Bando 3b              2   0   0   0     1   0   .248
Mason ss              2   0   0   0     0   1   .231      Duncan c              3   0   1   0     0   1   .243
  Harrah ph           1   0   1   0     0   0   .274      Mangual rf            3   0   0   0     0   1   .264
Hand p                2   0   1   0     0   1   .188        Voss rf             0   0   0   0     0   0   .189
  Lindblad p          0   0   0   0     0   0   .273      Kubiak 2b             3   1   1   0     0   1   .211
  Cox p               0   0   0   0     0   0   .000      Blue p                2   1   0   0     1   1   .077
  Biittner ph         1   0   0   0     0   0   .311

Totals               29   0   2   0     0   5             Totals               24   2   2   2     3   8

Time of Game: 1:52   Attendance: 19,423
Left on Base: Rangers 2, A's 5
DP: Rangers 1, A's 0
Errors: Nelson, Hand
Sacrifice Hits: Campaneris 2 (15)
Sacrifice Flies: Rudi 2 (4)
GIDP: Mangual (6)


Rangers                IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Hand L(8-7)             7.1   2   2   1   3   8   0  29   2.33
Lindblad                0.1   0   0   0   0   0   0   1   1.40
Cox                     0.1   0   0   0   0   0   0   1   4.40
Totals                  8     2   2   1   3   8   0  31

A's                    IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Blue W(4-5)             9     2   0   0   0   5   0  29   2.83
Totals                  9     2   0   0   0   5   0  29

Umpires: HP - Art Frantz, 1B - Merle Anthony, 2B - George Maloney, 3B - Larry Napp


RANGERS 1ST: Nelson flied out to center; Maddox was called out
on strikes; Ford flied out to right; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Rangers 0, Athletics 0.

ATHLETICS 1ST: Campaneris struck out; Rudi walked; Jackson lined
to right; Mincher struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Rangers 0,
Athletics 0.

RANGERS 2ND: Billings struck out; Howard grounded out (shortstop
to first); Lovitto grounded out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 0 H,
0 E, 0 LOB.  Rangers 0, Athletics 0.

ATHLETICS 2ND: Bando flied out to left; Duncan singled to
center; Mangual flied out to right; Kubiak was called out on
strikes; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Rangers 0, Athletics 0.

RANGERS 3RD: Harris flied to right in foul territory; Mason
grounded out (second to first); Hand struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E,
0 LOB.  Rangers 0, Athletics 0.

ATHLETICS 3RD: Blue walked; Campaneris out on a sacrifice bunt
(pitcher to second) [Blue to second]; Rudi hit a sacrifice fly
to left [Blue scored]; Jackson was called out on strikes; 1 R, 0
H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Rangers 0, Athletics 1.

RANGERS 4TH: Nelson flied out to right; Maddox grounded out
(second to first); Ford grounded out (pitcher to first); 0 R, 0
H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Rangers 0, Athletics 1.

ATHLETICS 4TH: Mincher grounded out (shortstop to first); Bando
reached on an error by Nelson; Duncan struck out; Mangual struck
out; 0 R, 0 H, 1 E, 1 LOB.  Rangers 0, Athletics 1.

RANGERS 5TH: Billings grounded out (shortstop to first); Howard
made an out to second; Lovitto flied out to center; 0 R, 0 H, 0
E, 0 LOB.  Rangers 0, Athletics 1.

ATHLETICS 5TH: Kubiak grounded out (shortstop to first); Blue
struck out; Campaneris grounded out (third to first); 0 R, 0 H,
0 E, 0 LOB.  Rangers 0, Athletics 1.

RANGERS 6TH: Harris grounded out (third to first); Mason struck
out; Hand singled to third; Nelson popped to first in foul
territory; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Rangers 0, Athletics 1.

ATHLETICS 6TH: Rudi flied out to center; Jackson made an out to
second; Mincher was called out on strikes; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
 Rangers 0, Athletics 1.

RANGERS 7TH: Maddox flied out to center; Ford flied out to
right; Billings was called out on strikes; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
 Rangers 0, Athletics 1.

ATHLETICS 7TH: Bando walked; Duncan lined to third; Mangual
grounded into a double play (shortstop to first) [Bando out at
second]; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Rangers 0, Athletics 1.

RANGERS 8TH: VOSS REPLACED MANGUAL (PLAYING RF); Howard grounded
out (shortstop to first); Lovitto popped to first in foul
territory; Harris made an out to second; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Rangers 0, Athletics 1.

ATHLETICS 8TH: Kubiak singled to third; Blue reached on an error
by Hand [Kubiak to second]; Campaneris reached on a fielder's
choice on a sacrifice bunt [Blue to second, Kubiak to third];
Rudi hit a sacrifice fly to right [Campaneris to second, Blue to
third, Kubiak scored (unearned)]; LINDBLAD REPLACED HAND
(PITCHING); Jackson grounded out (first unassisted); TENACE
BATTED FOR MINCHER; COX REPLACED LINDBLAD (PITCHING); HEGAN
BATTED FOR TENACE; Hegan flied out to right; 1 R (0 ER), 1 H, 1
E, 2 LOB.  Rangers 0, Athletics 2.

RANGERS 9TH: HEGAN STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING 1B); HARRAH BATTED
FOR MASON; Harrah singled to left; BIITTNER BATTED FOR COX;
Biittner forced Harrah (first to shortstop); Nelson made an out
to first [Biittner to second]; Maddox popped to first in foul
territory; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Rangers 0, Athletics 2.