A Moment in Time: Aaron, Mays and Clemente in 1972

For part of the 50's and all of the 60's, National League fans delighted in watching three graceful all-Star outfielders compete: Willie Mays of the Giants, Henry Aaron of the Braves, and Roberto Clemente of the Pirates.

In 1972, each man was still considered a huge superstar, but each was beginning to age. Clemente was 37, Aaron 38, and Mays 41. What did the sportswriters of the day predict for them as the curtain was about to rise on the 1972 baseball season?

I dusted off my copy of Baseball Stars of 1972, edited by Ray Robinson, a paperback compilation of player profiles by sports beat writers. The book from my childhood is sprinkled with great slices of baseball history from the 1971 season: Vida Blue had just completed a stellar rookie season going 24-8 with a 1.82 ERA for the AL champion Oakland A's. However, Mickey Lolich quietly ended up with more victories when his Detroit Tiger manager, Billy Martin, had abused him to the tune of 376 innings pitched, most in the AL since Ed Walsh in 1912. There's also the funny tale of Joe Torre of the St. Louis Cardinals cutting out cocktails, beer, and cottage fried potatoes to lose 25 pounds and aid his transition from catcher to 3B, where he played when he won the 1971 NL batting title with a .362 average.

However, 1972 presents a poignant time to focus on what the writers were saying about Hank, Roberto and Willie, particularly given the tragic death that would befall Clemente at the end of the year.

Profile of Henry Aaron

Al Hirshberg in Baseball Stars of 1972 comments that few people had expected Aaron or anyone else to approach Ruth's home run record. However, Aaron, at age 37, hit his career high 47 homers in 1971 and suddenly he was within reach. At that point, he had a career total of 639 only 7 behind Mays who he was expected to pass in early 1972. Hirshberg states, "While Aaron seemed to have little better chance than Mays to break Ruth's record before the 1971 season, when it ended he was in perfect position to do so." In early 1971, when Aaron hit his 600^th round tripper, he is quoted as saying, "I'd like to be remembered as a good all-round hitter, not just somebody who hit a lot of home runs."

Profile of Willie Mays

Ray Robinson presents Mays as the aging superstar, pointing out that he hit only 18 home runs in 1971. He noted that Mays surprised everyone in a league championship series game against Pittsburgh when he bunted Tito Fuentes to third in the sixth inning. "The way I've been hitting," said Willie, "with no outs, I wanted to advance Tito to third."

Profile of Roberto Clemente

Larry Bortstein comments that "Possibly no individual ever has sparked his team to the extent Roberto did the Pirates, first in their National League playoff with the Giants, then in the World Series with the Orioles." He hit .333 against the Giants and .414 against the Orioles, with two homers. Bill Mazeroski, his Pirate teammate is quoted as saying, "He's the total ballplayer. There have been only three real superstars in baseball during this generation-Willie Mays, Henry Aaron, and Clemente. And they talk about all the homers the others have hit. Well, Roberto had to play in Forbes Field all those years with the deepest center field in the major leagues."

How They Fared in 1972

Henry Aaron, age 38, hit .265 with a .390 OBP, .514 SLG and 34 HR. Two years later, he broke Babe Ruth's career home run record slugging his 715^th homer off Al Downing of the Dodgers.

Willie Mays would be traded to the New York Mets in 1972 and his combined stats with both clubs at age 41 would be .250 with a .400 OBP and .402 SLG with 8 HR in 88 games. He would hang on and retire after one more trip to the World Series in 1973.

Roberto Clemente, at age 37, hit .312 with a .356 OBP and .479 SLG and played his final game in the National League Championship series vs. the Reds. He died in a plane crash on Dec. 31, 1972 while on a humanitarian mission.

For one final year, in 1972, baseball fans would have a chance to see these three great stars in action and they were worth every penny of the admission price. I was only nine years old at the time, but I will always remember the grace and brilliance of each of these superstars who I got to see at the tail end of their great careers.

Sources:

Ray Robinson, editor, Baseball Stars of 1972, Pyramid Books, 1972.

Baseballreference.com