1972 strike

The 1972 Baseball Strike was the first strike in Major League Baseball history. The strike occurred from April 1 to April 13, 1972. It was called by the Major League Baseball Players Association and its leader, Executive Director Marvin Miller.

Baseball resumed when the owners and players agreed on a $500,000 increase in pension fund payments, as well as the introduction of salary arbitration. The 86 games that were missed over the 13-day period were never played because the league refused to pay the players for the time they were on strike. As a result, some teams only played 153 games, 9 fewer than normal, and the Detroit Tigers were proclaimed AL East champions even though they held only a half-game lead over the Boston Red Sox, who had played one fewer game, when the regular season ended.

Further Reading

• Matthew Silverman: "Strike One: Spring Training 1972", in Chip Greene, ed.: Mustaches and Mayhem, Charlie O's Three-Time Champions: The Oakland Athletics 1972-74, SABR, Phoenix, AZ, 2015, pp. 109-113. ISBN 978-1-943816-07-1