#Shortstops: Phantoms of the Fall Classic
As it turns out, many of them end up in Cooperstown.
Long before the days of mobile ticketing, the Oakland Athletics were primed and ready to host World Series games at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in 1971, having already designed and printed tickets for a potential Fall Classic matchup in the Bay Area.
But these tickets wouldn’t be taken at any gates. After winning 101 games and capturing the AL West division title, the A’s were swept in the ALCS by the Baltimore Orioles in three games. The Orioles and Pirates would meet in the World Series instead, with Pittsburgh capturing the title.
But they would, in fact, get it done the next year. And the next year. And the year after that. Oakland captured three consecutive World Series titles from 1972-74, becoming the only franchise other than the Yankees to win three straight World Series titles.
Thus, for the next three years, it would be rings rather than phantom tickets that would represent the A’s in the Hall of Fame’s collection.
Janey Murray was the digital content specialist at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
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