Jim Northrup hit a deep fly ball off Dave Hamilton to drive in the winning run. In Game 5, the starting pitchers were Blue Moon Odom of the A's and Woodie Fryman of the Tigers. In the second inning on a double steal, center fielder and cleanup hitter Reggie Jackson scored from third base, but was injured and was out for the season. After two innings, the game was 1–1. But by the fourth, it was clear runs wouldn't come easy, so when George Hendrick scored on a Gene Tenace RBI single, the Tigers knew they were in trouble. By the ninth inning, Odom and Vida Blue had combined to pitch seven scoreless innings. With the A's up 2–1, it came down to the bottom of the ninth, as the Tigers faced Blue. Norm Cash singled, but that was it as Tony Taylor flied to center for the final out. Odom got the win, Blue got the save, and the A's were a World Series team for the first time in Oakland, and won the first of three straight American League pennants. It was twelve years until Detroit returned to the postseason, when they won the 1984 World Series in five games. Since this 1972 ALCS, the Tigers and Athletics have met three times in the postseason, with Detroit winning all three: a four-game sweep in 2006, and winning a pair of decisive fifth games in Oakland in 2012 and 2013. Summary Detroit Tigers vs. Oakland Athletics Game summaries Game 1 Game 1 pitted ace pitchers Catfish Hunter for the A's and Mickey Lolich for the Tigers, and, as expected, both were brilliant. Norm Cash homered to give the Tigers a 1–0 lead in the second inning, and the A's tied it in the third on a Joe Rudi sacrifice fly. The score remained at 1–1 until the 11th,inning although the Tigers threatened in their half of the ninth. Duke Sims led off with a double off Hunter. Vida Blue came on in relief to pitch to left-handed hitting Norm Cash. Cash laid down a sacrifice bunt, but reached first when second baseman Ted Kubiak, covering first, dropped Sal Bando's throw. Sims reached third. Rollie Fingers then came in to face pinch hitter Gates Brown and got him on a foul pop fly. Jim Northrup then bounced into a 4–6–3 double play to end the threat. Al Kaline gave the