Hoyt Wilhelm Early years When was Wilhelm born? In 1954, Wilhelm was a key piece of the pitching staff that led the 1954 Giants to a world championship. Who were Wilhelm's parents ? I don't know. When did Wilhelm first start playing baseball? Though Wilhelm was primarily a starting pitcher in the minor leagues, Are there any notable teams he played for or against? Wilhelm made his MLB debut with the Giants on April 18, 1952 at age 29, giving up a hit and two walks while only recording one out. What were some of his wins? Pitching exclusively in relief, Wilhelm led the NL with a 2.43 ERA in his rookie year. He won 15 games and lost three. Did he win any other games ? Wilhelm finished in the top ten in Most Valuable Player Award voting that season, becoming the first relief pitcher to finish that high. Did he win any awards? The team won the World Series in a four-game sweep.
Which team was this that won the World Series ?
Which team won the World Series in a four-game sweep?
Though Wilhelm was primarily a starting pitcher in the minor leagues, he had been called up to a Giants team whose strong starting pitchers had led them to a National League (NL) pennant the year before. Giants manager Leo Durocher did not think that Wilhelm's knuckleball approach would be effective for more than a few innings at a time. He assigned Wilhelm to the team's bullpen.  Wilhelm made his MLB debut with the Giants on April 18, 1952 at age 29, giving up a hit and two walks while only recording one out. On April 23, 1952, in his third game with the New York Giants, Wilhelm batted for the first time in the majors. Facing rookie Dick Hoover of the Boston Braves, Wilhelm hit a home run over the short right-field fence at the Polo Grounds. Although he went to bat a total of 432 times in his career, he never hit another home run.  Pitching exclusively in relief, Wilhelm led the NL with a 2.43 ERA in his rookie year. He won 15 games and lost three. Wilhelm finished in the top ten in Most Valuable Player Award voting that season, becoming the first relief pitcher to finish that high. He finished second in the Rookie of the Year Award voting. Wilhelm made 69 relief appearances in 1953, his win-loss record decreased to 7-8 and he issued 77 walks against 71 strikeouts. Wilhelm was named to the NL All-Star team that year, but he did not play in the game because team manager Charlie Dressen did not think that any of the catchers could handle his knuckleball. The Giants renewed Wilhelm's contract in February 1954.  In 1954, Wilhelm was a key piece of the pitching staff that led the 1954 Giants to a world championship. He pitched 111 innings, finishing with a 12-4 record and a 2.10 ERA. During one of Wilhelm's appearances that season, catcher Ray Katt committed four passed balls in one inning to set the major league record; the record has subsequently been tied twice. When Stan Musial set a record by hitting five home runs in a doubleheader that year, Wilhelm was pitching in the second game and gave up two of the home runs. The 1954 World Series represented Wilhelm's only career postseason play. He pitched  2 1/3 innings over two games, earning a save in the third game. The team won the World Series in a four-game sweep.  Wilhelm's ERA increased to 3.93 over 59 games and 103 innings pitched in 1955, but he managed a 4-1 record. He finished the 1956 season with a 4-9 record and a 3.83 ERA in  89 1/3 innings. Sportswriter Bob Driscoll later attributed Wilhelm's difficulties in the mid-1950s to the decline in the career of Giants catcher Wes Westrum, writing that baseball was "a game of inches, and for Hoyt, Wes had been that inch in the right direction." CANNOTANSWER
The 1954 World Series represented Wilhelm's only career postseason play. He pitched  2 1/3 innings over two games,
James Hoyt Wilhelm (July 26, 1922 – August 23, 2002), nicknamed "Old Sarge", was an American Major League Baseball pitcher with the New York Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Cleveland Indians, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox, California Angels, Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, and Los Angeles Dodgers between 1952 and 1972. Wilhelm was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985.

Wilhelm grew up in North Carolina, fought in World War II, and then spent several years in the minor leagues before starting his major league career at the age of 29. He was best known for his knuckleball, which enabled him to have great longevity. He appeared occasionally as a starting pitcher, but pitched mainly as a reliever. Wilhelm won 124 games in relief, which is still the major league record. He was the first pitcher to reach 200 saves, and the first to appear in 1,000 games.

Wilhelm was nearly 30 years old when he entered the major leagues, and pitched until he was nearly 50. He retired with one of the lowest career earned run averages, 2.52, in baseball history. After retiring as a player in 1972, Wilhelm held longtime coaching jobs with the New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves. He lived in Sarasota, Florida, for many years, and died there in 2002.

Early life
Wilhelm was born in 1922, long thought to have been 1923. He was one of eleven children born to poor tenant farmers John and Ethel (née Stanley) Wilhelm in Huntersville, North Carolina. He played baseball at Cornelius High School in Cornelius, North Carolina. Knowing he could not throw fast, he began experimenting with a knuckleball after reading about pitcher Dutch Leonard. He practiced honing it with a tennis ball, hoping it was his best shot at Big League success.

Wilhelm made his professional debut with the Mooresville Moors of the Class-D North Carolina State League in 1942. He served in the United States Army in the European Theater during World War II and participated in the Battle of the Bulge, where he was wounded, earning the Purple Heart for his actions. He rose to the rank of staff sergeant while in the Army, and played his entire career with a piece of shrapnel lodged in his back as a result of the wounds he received in battle. Wilhem carried the nickname "Old Sarge" because of his service in the military.

After his release from the military, Wilhelm returned to the Moors for the 1946 season, and earned 41 wins over the 1946 and 1947 seasons. He later recalled being dropped from a Class D minor league team and having the manager tell him to forget about the knuckleball, but he persisted with it. The Boston Braves purchased Wilhelm from Mooresville in 1947, and on November 20, 1947, he was drafted by the New York Giants from the Braves in the 1947 minor league draft.

Wilhelm's first assignment in the Giants organization was in Class B with the 1948 Knoxville Smokies, for whom he registered 13 wins and 9 losses. He also spent a few games that season with the Class A Jacksonville Tars of the South Atlantic League, and returned to Jacksonville in 1949, earning a 17–12 win-loss record and a 2.66 earned run average (ERA). Wilhelm was promoted to the Class AAA Minneapolis Millers in 1950, where he was the starting pitcher in 25 of the 35 games he pitched in, registering a 15–11 record with a 4.95 ERA. His role in 1951 with the Millers was the same as the year before, primarily as a starter, but also making eleven relief appearances. His ERA came down to 3.94 in 1951, but his record fell to 11–14.

Major league career

Early years
Though Wilhelm was primarily a starting pitcher in the minor leagues, he had been called up to a Giants team whose strong starting pitchers had led them to a National League (NL) pennant the year before. Giants manager Leo Durocher did not think that Wilhelm's knuckleball approach would be effective for more than a few innings at a time. He assigned Wilhelm to the team's bullpen.

Wilhelm made his MLB debut with the Giants on April 18, 1952, at age 29, giving up a hit and two walks while only recording one out. On April 23, 1952, in his third game with the New York Giants, Wilhelm batted for the first time in the majors. Facing rookie Dick Hoover of the Boston Braves, Wilhelm hit a home run over the short right-field fence at the Polo Grounds. Although he went to bat a total of 432 times in his career, he never hit another home run.

Pitching exclusively in relief, Wilhelm led the NL with a 2.43 ERA in his rookie year. He won 15 games and lost three. Wilhelm finished 4th in the NL Most Valuable Player Award voting that season, behind rookie reliever Joe Black of the Dodgers.  Jim Konstanty had won it for the Phillies in 1950, and Ellis Kinder had finished 7th in the AL voting in 1951, so it was a time when relief pitchers were starting to receive appreciation from the sportswriters.  Wilhelm finished second in the Rookie of the Year Award voting to Joe Black. Wilhelm made 69 relief appearances in 1953, his win–loss record decreased to 7–8 and he issued 77 walks against 71 strikeouts. Wilhelm was named to the NL All-Star team that year, but he did not play in the game because team manager Charlie Dressen did not think that any of the catchers could handle his knuckleball. The Giants renewed Wilhelm's contract in February 1954.

In 1954, Wilhelm was a key piece of the pitching staff that led the 1954 Giants to a world championship. He pitched 111 innings, finishing with a 12–4 record and a 2.10 ERA. During one of Wilhelm's appearances that season, catcher Ray Katt committed four passed balls in one inning to set the major league record; the record has subsequently been tied twice. When Stan Musial set a record by hitting five home runs in a doubleheader that year, Wilhelm was pitching in the second game and gave up two of the home runs. The 1954 World Series represented Wilhelm's only career postseason play. He pitched  innings over two games, earning a save in the third game. The team won the World Series in a four-game sweep.

Wilhelm's ERA increased to 3.93 over 59 games and 103 innings pitched in 1955, but he managed a 4–1 record. He finished the 1956 season with a 4–9 record and a 3.83 ERA in  innings. Sportswriter Bob Driscoll later attributed Wilhelm's difficulties in the mid-1950s to the decline in the career of Giants catcher Wes Westrum, writing that baseball was "a game of inches, and for Hoyt, Wes had been that inch in the right direction."

Middle career
On February 26, 1957, Wilhelm was traded by the Giants to the St. Louis Cardinals for Whitey Lockman. At the time of the trade, St. Louis manager Fred Hutchinson described Wilhelm as the type of pitcher who "makes us a definite pennant threat ... He'll help us where we need help the most." In 40 games with the Cardinals that season, he earned 11 saves but finished with a 1–4 record and his highest ERA to that point in his career (4.25). The Cardinals placed him on waivers in September and he was claimed by the Cleveland Indians, who used him in two games that year.

In 1958, Cleveland manager Bobby Bragan used Wilhelm occasionally as a starter.  Although he had a 2.49 ERA, none of the Indians' catchers could handle Wilhelm's knuckleball. General manager Frank Lane, alarmed at the large number of passed balls, allowed the Baltimore Orioles to select Wilhelm off waivers on August 23, 1958. In Baltimore, Wilhelm lived near the home of third baseman Brooks Robinson and their families became close friends. On September 20 of that year, Wilhelm no-hit the eventual World Champion New York Yankees 1–0 at Memorial Stadium, in only his ninth career start. He allowed two baserunners on walks and struck out eight. The no-hitter had been threatened at one point in the ninth inning when Hank Bauer bunted along the baseline, but Robinson allowed the ball to roll and it veered foul. The no-hitter was the first in the franchise's Baltimore history; the Orioles had moved from St. Louis after the 1953 season.

Orioles catchers had difficulty catching the Wilhelm knuckleball again in 1959 and they set an MLB record with 49 passed balls. During one April game, catcher Gus Triandos had four passed balls while catching for Wilhelm and he described the game as "the roughest day I ever put in during my life." Author Bill James has written that Wilhelm and Triandos "established the principle that a knuckleball pitcher and a big, slow catcher make an awful combination." Triandos once said, "Heaven is a place where no one throws a knuckleball."

Despite the passed balls, Wilhelm won the American League ERA title with a 2.19 ERA. During the 1960 season, Orioles manager Paul Richards devised a larger mitt so his catchers could handle the knuckleball. Richards was well equipped with starting pitchers during that year. By the middle of the season, he said that eight of his pitchers could serve as starters. Wilhelm started 11 of the 41 games in which he appeared. He earned an 11–8 record, a 3.31 ERA and seven saves. He started only one game the following year, but he was an All-Star, registered 18 saves and had a 2.30 ERA.

In 1962, Wilhelm had his fourth All-Star season, finishing with a 7–10 record, a 1.94 ERA and 15 saves. On January 14, 1963, Wilhelm was traded by the Orioles with Ron Hansen, Dave Nicholson and Pete Ward to the Chicago White Sox for Luis Aparicio and Al Smith. Early in that season, White Sox manager Al López said that Wilhelm had improved his pitching staff by 40 percent. He said that Wilhelm was "worth more than a 20-game winner, and he works with so little effort that he probably can last as long as Satchel Paige." He registered 21 saves and a 2.64 ERA.

In 1964, Wilhelm finished with career highs in both saves (27) and games pitched (73). His ERA decreased to 1.99 that season; it remained less than 2.00 through the 1968 season. In 1965, Wilhelm contributed to another passed balls record when Chicago catcher J. C. Martin allowed 33 of them in one season. That total set a modern single-season baseball record for the category. Wilhelm's career-low ERA (1.31) came in 1967, when he earned an 8–3 record for the White Sox with 12 saves.

In the 1968 season, Wilhelm was getting close to breaking the all-time games pitched record belonging to Cy Young (906 games). Chicago manager Eddie Stanky began to think about using Wilhelm as a starting pitcher for game number 907. However, the White Sox fired Stanky before the record came up. Wilhelm later broke the record as a relief pitcher. He also set MLB records for consecutive errorless games by a pitcher, career victories in relief, games finished and innings pitched in relief. Despite Wilhelm's success, the White Sox, who had won at least 83 games per season in the 1960s, performed poorly. They finished 1968 with a 67–95 record.

Wilhelm was noted during this period for his mentoring of relief pitcher Wilbur Wood, who came to the 1967 White Sox in a trade. Wood sometimes threw a knuckleball upon his arrival in Chicago, but Wilhelm encouraged him to throw it full-time. By 1968, Wood won 13 games, saved 16 games and earned a 1.87 ERA. He credited Wilhelm with helping him to master the knuckleball, as the White Sox coaches did not know much about how to throw it. Between 1968 and 1970, Wood pitched in more games (241) than any other pitcher and more innings――than any other relief pitcher.

After the 1968 season, MLB expanded and an expansion draft was conducted in which the new teams could select certain players from the established teams. The White Sox left Wilhelm unprotected, possibly because they did not believe that teams would have interest in a much older pitcher.  On October 15, 1968, Wilhelm was chosen in the expansion draft by the Kansas City Royals as the 49th pick. That offseason, he was traded by the Royals to the California Angels for Ed Kirkpatrick and Dennis Paepke.

Later career
Wilhelm pitched 44 games for the 1969 California Angels and had a 2.47 ERA, ten saves, and a 5–7 record. On September 8, 1969, Wilhelm and Bob Priddy were traded to the Atlanta Braves for Clint Compton and Mickey Rivers. He finished the 1969 season by pitching in eight games for the Braves, earning four saves and recording a 0.73 ERA over  innings pitched. Wilhelm then spent most of the 1970 season with the Braves, pitching in 50 games for the team and earning ten saves.

On September 21, 1970, Wilhelm was selected off waivers by the Chicago Cubs, for whom he appeared in three games. He was traded back to the Braves for Hal Breeden on November 30, 1970. As the Cubs had acquired Wilhelm late in the season to bolster their playoff contention, the trade back to the Braves was a source of controversy. Commissioner Bowie Kuhn investigated the transaction, and in December ruled that he did not find evidence of impropriety associated with the transactions that sent Wilhelm to the Cubs and quickly back to the Braves.

Wilhelm was released by the Braves on June 29, 1971, having pitched in three games for that year's Braves. He signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 10, 1971, and appeared in nine games for the Dodgers, giving up two earned runs in  innings. He also pitched in eight games that season for the team's Class AAA minor league affiliate, the Spokane Indians. Wilhelm started six of those games and registered a 3.89 ERA.

Wilhelm pitched in 16 games for the Dodgers in 1972, registering a 4.62 ERA over 25 innings. The Dodgers released him on July 21, 1972. He never appeared in another game.

At the time of his retirement, Wilhelm had pitched in a then major league record 1,070 games. He is recognized as the first pitcher to have saved 200 games in his career, and the first pitcher to appear in 1,000 games. Wilhelm is one of the oldest players to have pitched in the major leagues; his final appearance was 16 days short of his 50th birthday.

Wilhelm retired with the lowest career earned run average of any major league hurler after 1927 (Walter Johnson) who had pitched more than 2,000 innings.

Later life

After his retirement as a player, Wilhelm managed two minor league teams in the Atlanta Braves system for single seasons. He led the 1973 Greenwood Braves of the Western Carolinas League to a 61–66 record, then had a 33–33 record with the 1975 Kingsport Braves of the Appalachian League. He also worked as a minor league pitching coach for the New York Yankees for 22 years.  As a coach, Wilhelm said that he did not teach pitchers the knuckleball, believing that people had to be born with a knack for throwing it. He sometimes worked individually with major league players who wanted to improve their knuckleballs, including Joe Niekro. The Yankees gave Wilhelm permission to work with Mickey Lolich in 1979 even though Lolich pitched for the San Diego Padres.

Wilhelm was on the ballot for the Baseball Hall of Fame for eight years before he was elected. After Wilhelm failed to garner enough votes for induction in 1983, sportswriter Jim Murray criticized the voters, saying that while Wilhelm never had the look of a baseball player, he was "the best player in history at what he does." He fell short by 13 votes in 1984. Wilhelm was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985. At his induction ceremony, he said that he had achieved all three of his initial major league goals: appearing in a World Series, being named to an All-Star team, and throwing a no-hitter.

He and his wife Peggy lived in Sarasota, Florida. They raised three children together: Patti, Pam, and Jim. Wilhelm died of heart failure in a Sarasota nursing home in 2002.

In 2013, the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award honored Wilhelm as one of 37 Baseball Hall of Fame members for his service in the United States Army during World War II.

Legacy

Wilhelm was known as a "relief ace", and his teams used him in a new way that became a trend. Rather than bringing in a relief pitcher only when the starting pitcher had begun to struggle, teams increasingly called upon their relief pitchers toward the end of any close game. Wilhelm was the first relief pitcher elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

He is also remembered as one of the most successful and "probably the most famous 'old' player in history." Although, due largely to his military service, Wilhelm did not debut in the major leagues until he was already 29 years old, he nonetheless managed to appear in 21 major league seasons. He earned the nickname "Old Folks" while he still had more than a decade left in his playing career. He was the oldest player in Major League Baseball for each of his final seven seasons.

Former teammate Moose Skowron commented on Wilhelm's key pitch, saying, "Hoyt was a good guy, and he threw the best knuckleball I ever saw. You never knew what Hoyt's pitch would do. I don't think he did either." Baseball executive Roland Hemond agreed, saying, "Wilhelm's knuckleball did more than anyone else's ... There was so much action on it."

Before Wilhelm, the knuckleball was primarily mixed in to older pitchers' repertoires at the end of their careers to offset their slowing fastballs and to reduce stress on their arms, thereby extending their careers. Wilhelm broke with tradition when he began throwing the pitch as a teenager and threw it nearly every pitch. The New York Times linked his knuckleball with that of modern pitcher R. A. Dickey, as Wilhelm taught pitcher Charlie Hough the knuckleball in 1971, and Hough taught it to Dickey while coaching with the Texas Rangers.

See also

 List of knuckleball pitchers
 List of Major League Baseball annual ERA leaders
 List of Major League Baseball no-hitters
 List of Major League Baseball leaders in games finished
 List of players with a home run in first major league at-bat

Notes

References

External links

Baseball Library

Hoyt Wilhelm Oral History Interview (1 of 2) - National Baseball Hall of Fame Digital Collection
Hoyt Wilhelm Oral History Interview (2 of 2) - National Baseball Hall of Fame Digital Collection

1922 births
2002 deaths
Major League Baseball pitchers
Baseball players from North Carolina
National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees
American League All-Stars
American League ERA champions
National League All-Stars
National League ERA champions
Atlanta Braves players
Baltimore Orioles players
California Angels players
Chicago Cubs players
Chicago White Sox players
Cleveland Indians players
Los Angeles Dodgers players
New York Giants (NL) players
St. Louis Cardinals players
Jacksonville Tars players
Knoxville Smokies players
Minneapolis Millers (baseball) players
Mooresville Moors players
Spokane Indians players
People from Huntersville, North Carolina
Sportspeople from Sarasota, Florida
Knuckleball pitchers
United States Army soldiers
United States Army personnel of World War II
Burials in Florida
Throughout the history of Major League Baseball (MLB), franchises have had various postseason and World Series droughts.

All 16 of the original Major League franchises (i.e., those in place when the first World Series was played in 1903) have won the World Series, with the longest wait for a franchise's first championship being for the Phillies ( seasons, ending in 1980). Since expansion began in 1961, six of the 14 expansion teams have never won the World Series. Furthermore, one franchise, the Cleveland Guardians, currently has a championship drought that pre-dates the expansion era. The three longest championship droughts in history were ended recently by the Red Sox ( seasons, ending in 2004), the White Sox ( seasons, ending in 2005), and the Cubs ( seasons, ending in 2016).

Only one expansion franchise (the Seattle Mariners) has never won a pennant (i.e., the league championship, the two winners of which meet in the World Series). The three longest pennant droughts in history were recently ended by the Nationals ( years, starting with the team's foundation and ending in 2019, and including the franchise's entire  years as the Montreal Expos), the Rangers ( years, starting with the team's foundation and ending in 2010) and the Cubs ( years, ending in 2016).  As the Nationals are the third franchise to be based in the city of Washington, their 2019 pennant also ended a drought of   seasons played in Washington since their last pennant, which was in 1933 (here we discount the 33 seasons during which there was no team in Washington).

As of the 2020 season, every active MLB franchise has qualified for the playoffs, especially since expansion of the playoffs in 1994 made that feat easier. The Mariners have the longest active postseason drought at  years. Long postseason droughts were ended recently by the Nationals ( years for the franchise,  seasons over  years for the city, ending in 2012), the Pirates ( years, ending in 2013), the Royals ( years, ending in 2014), and the Blue Jays ( years, ending in 2015).

This list includes only the modern World Series between the American League (AL) and the National League (NL), not the various 19th-century championship series. Those teams which have never achieved a particular accomplishment in their franchise history are listed by the date they entered the leagues.

World Series championship droughts

Longest current World Series championship droughts
No World Series was played in 1994, and counts as a drought season for those franchises.

Longest World Series championship droughts through history

The first World Series was played in 1903.  No World Series was played in 1904 or 1994. This list only shows droughts of 30 or more seasons.  Active droughts are listed in bold type.

World Series championship droughts by city/region
This list only includes cities/regions with current Major League Baseball franchises.
Years during which a city/region did not field a Major League Baseball team are not counted.

*city without Major League Baseball franchise for 4 seasons (1966–1969)

†city without Major League Baseball franchise for 7 seasons (1970–1976)

‡number doesn't indicate a title won, but rather total seasons played.

World Series in which neither team had previously won a championship

In these instances, the World Series matchup ensured that one team would win the first championship in its history.

*In these cases, each team was making its first World Series appearance.

World Series in which neither team had previously lost a championship

In these instances, the World Series matchup ensured that one team would lose the first championship in its history.

*In these cases, each team was making its first World Series appearance.

World Series in which both teams had ended pennant droughts of 20-plus seasons

World Series in which neither franchise had won a championship in 30-plus seasons

Teams that had never won the World Series are included, even if they were less than 30 seasons old at the time. Bold denotes team that won.

Numbers marked with * indicates that the number is counted from either the franchise's first year of existence or the first year of the modern World Series (1903).

World Series appearance droughts

Longest current World Series appearance droughts
No World Series was played in 1994 due to the players' strike that year.

Longest Major League pennant droughts through history
List begins with 1903, about the time the current configuration of National League and American League stabilized and also the year of the first World Series. No pennants were won in 1994 due to the players strike that year. This list only shows droughts of 20 or more seasons.  Active droughts are listed in bold type.

Major League pennant droughts by city/region
This list only includes cities/regions with current Major League Baseball franchises.
Years during which a city/region did not field a Major League Baseball team are not counted.

*city without Major League Baseball franchise for 7 seasons (1970–1976)

†number does not indicate a title won, but rather total seasons played.

League championship appearance droughts

Longest current league championship appearance droughts
No league championships were played in 1994 due to the players' strike that year.

League division champion droughts

Longest current division champion droughts
No league division champions were won in 1994 due to the players' strike that year.

* Because of the wild card postseason berth, the franchise have won two World Series championships (1997, 2003) without winning the division.
** Also the franchise without a winning record for 20 consecutive seasons (1993–2012). *** Lost in ALDS to Division Rival Houston.

Longest division championship droughts through history
List begins with 1969, the time divisional play started in Major League Baseball. This list only shows droughts of 10 or more seasons.  Active droughts are listed in bold type.

Postseason droughts

Longest current postseason droughts

* Also longest active drought in North American sports

Longest postseason droughts in the expanded-postseason era
After the postseason was expanded in 1995 to include eight teams (further expanded in 2012 to ten teams), 18 of the 30 teams qualified within the first five years, and few teams went for long droughts without at least participating in the first round of the postseason. This list only shows droughts of 15 or more seasons that occurred primarily in the expanded-postseason era.  Active droughts are listed in bold type.

See also

List of Major League Baseball franchise postseason streaks
List of Major League Baseball postseason series
List of Major League Baseball postseason teams
List of all-time Major League Baseball win-loss records
List of NBA franchise post-season droughts
List of NFL franchise post-season droughts
List of NHL franchise post-season droughts
List of MLS club post-season droughts

References

Major League Baseball playoffs and champions
Major League Baseball records
MLB, postseason droughts This article is part of a series on the history of Australian cricket; it covers the period from the 1970–71 season until 1985. Notable Australian players during this period include brothers Ian and Greg Chappell, Jeff Thomson, Dennis Lillee, Rod Marsh and Doug Walters.

Events
The key event in this period was the advent of World Series Cricket, which ran from 1977 to 1979.

Domestic cricket
Western Australia had a very strong team during this period when they won the Sheffield Shield seven times.

Sheffield Shield winners
 1970–71 – South Australia
 1971–72 – Western Australia
 1972–73 – Western Australia
 1973–74 – Victoria
 1974–75 – Western Australia
 1975–76 – South Australia
 1976–77 – Western Australia
 1977–78 – Western Australia
 1978–79 – Victoria
 1979–80 – Victoria
 1980–81 – Western Australia
 1981–82 – South Australia
 1982–83 – New South Wales
 1983–84 – Western Australia
 1984–85 – New South Wales

International tours of Australia

England 1970–71

Ray Illingworth captained the English cricket team in Australia in 1970–71, playing as England in the 1970-71 Ashes series against the Australians and as the MCC in their other matches on the tour. They had a successful tour, but an acrimonious one as Illingworth's team often argued with their own management and the Australian umpires. When they arrived the Australian selector Neil Harvey called them "rubbish". and others labelled them "Dad's Army" because of the seniority of the players, whose average age was over 30, but these experienced veterans beat the younger Australian team. They are the only touring team to play a full Test series in Australia without defeat.

New Zealand 1970–71
New Zealand took part in the V&G Knockout Cup, a limited overs competition for the Australian state teams.  New Zealand were defeated in the semi-final by Western Australia.

Rest of the World XI 1971–72

A Rest of the World cricket team captained by Gary Sobers toured Australia in the 1971–72 season and played a total of 16 matches.  The World XI played five matches against Australia but these were not ranked as Test matches.  The team played three limited overs internationals against Australia and the remaining games were first-class fixtures against each of the Australian state teams.

The World XI squad included Gary Sobers, Graeme Pollock, Clive Lloyd, Sunil Gavaskar, Zaheer Abbas, Tony Greig, Farokh Engineer, Intikhab Alam, Rohan Kanhai, Bob Taylor and Bishen Bedi

Pakistan 1972–73

The Pakistan national cricket team toured Australia in the 1972–73 season and played 3 Test matches against Australia.  Australia won the series 3–0.

New Zealand 1972–73

New Zealand took part in the Coca-Cola Knockout Cup along with the Australian state teams.  New Zealand won the competition, defeating Queensland by 38 runs in the final.

New Zealand 1973–74

The New Zealand national cricket team toured Australia in the 1973–74 season and played 3 Test matches.  Australia won the series 2–0 with one match drawn.

England 1974–75

The England national cricket team toured Australia in the 1974–75 season to play a six-match Test series against Australia for The Ashes. The tour was organised by the Marylebone Cricket Club and matches outside the Tests were played under the MCC name. Australia won the series 4–1 and regained The Ashes.

West Indies 1975–76

The West Indies cricket team toured Australia in the 1975–76 season and played 6 Test matches against Australia. Australia won the series 5–1.

Pakistan 1976–77

The Pakistan national cricket team toured Australia in the 1976–77 season and played 3 Test matches against Australia. The series was drawn 1–1.

England 1976–77
England visited Australia in the 1976–77 season to take part in a Centenary Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground to celebrate 100 years of Test cricket. By an amazing coincidence, Australia won the match by 45 runs, which was the same result as the original Test a century earlier.

India 1977–78

The India national cricket team toured Australia in the 1977–78 season to play 5 Test matches. Australia won the test series 3–2.

England 1978–79

The England cricket team toured Australia in the 1978–79 season to play a six-match Test series against Australia for The Ashes. England won the series 5–1, thereby retaining The Ashes.  

This series was often over shadowed by Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket which meant many players from both sides were absent, including Greg Chappell. Australia were more handicapped which opened the way for England and their captain Mike Brearley.

Pakistan 1978–79

The Pakistan national cricket team toured Australia in the 1978–79 season and played 2 Test matches against Australia. The series was drawn 1–1.

West Indies and England 1979–80
As part of the settlement between World Series Cricket and the Australian board, two series were hastily arranged in which Australia played three Tests against both England and the West Indies.  These series are seen by many as semi-official only: for example, The Ashes were not at stake.

Australia v West Indies

 [1st Test] at Brisbane Cricket Ground – match drawn
 [2nd Test] at Melbourne Cricket Ground – West Indies won by 10 wickets
 [3rd Test] at Adelaide Oval – West Indies won by 408 runs

Australia v England

 [1st Test] at Western Australia Cricket Association Ground – Australia won by 138 runs
 [2nd Test] at Sydney Cricket Ground – Australia won by 6 wickets
 [3rd Test] at Melbourne Cricket Ground – Australia won by 8 wickets

India 1980–81

The India national cricket team toured Australia in the 1980–81 season to play 3 Test matches. The series was drawn 1–1.

New Zealand 1980–81

The New Zealand national cricket team toured Australia in the 1980–81 season and played 3 Test matches.  Australia won the series 2–0 with one match drawn.

Pakistan 1981–82

The Pakistan national cricket team toured Australia in the 1981–82 season and played 3 Test matches against Australia. Australia won the series 2–1.

West Indies 1981–82

The West Indies cricket team toured Australia in the 1981–82 season and played 3 Test matches against Australia. The series was drawn 1–1.

England 1982–83

The England cricket team toured Australia in the 1982–83 season to play a five-match Test series against Australia for The Ashes. Australia won the series 2–1 with two matches drawn and thereby regained The Ashes.

New Zealand 1982–83

The New Zealand national cricket team toured Australia in the 1982–83 season and played a total of 21 matches, mostly One Day Internationals in the Benson & Hedges World Series Cup against Australia and England. New Zealand reached the finals of the competition but lost to Australia 2–0. A highlight of the finals series was a 21-ball half century from Lance Cairns at the Melbourne Cricket Ground containing 6 sixes. This was a world record for One Day Internationals at the time.

Sri Lanka 1982–83

The Sri Lanka national cricket team toured Australia in the 1982–83 season.  Although Sri Lanka had just acquired Test status, no Tests were played on this short tour which consisted of two first-class matches versus New South Wales and Tasmania; and a limited overs game versus Victoria.

Pakistan 1983–84

The Pakistan national cricket team toured Australia in the 1983–84 season and played 5 Test matches against Australia. Australia won the series 2–0.

West Indies 1983–84

The West Indies team took part in the Benson & Hedges World Series Cup, a limited overs tournament also involving Australia and Pakistan.  West Indies won the competition, beating Australia in the final.

England 1984–85
The England team made a short visit to Australia in February 1985 following a tour of India. The England team, captained by David Gower, played three limited overs matches in Australia: 
 14 Feb – versus Sydney Metropolitan at Village Green, Sydney
 19 Feb – versus Victoria at Eastern Oval, Ballarat (ListA match)
 28 Feb – versus New South Wales Second XI at Manly Oval, Sydney

West Indies 1984–85

The West Indies cricket team toured Australia in the 1984–85 season and played 5 Test matches against Australia.  West Indies won the series 3–1 with one match drawn. The West Indies won the first three Tests quite easily against a very weak Australian team. Then captain Kim Hughes lost the captaincy due to his and the Australian's poor form after the Second Test and Allan Border took over.  The Fourth Test at Melbourne ended West Indies' then world record of 11 consecutive Test wins as Australia held out for a draw.  West Indies lost the Fifth Test by an innings at Sydney where Clive Lloyd played the last of his 110 Tests.

Sri Lanka 1984–85
The Sri Lanka team played a series of limited overs matches in the Benson and Hedges World Series Cup which also involved Australia and West Indies.  Sri Lanka was eliminated in the qualifying stage of the competition which was won by West Indies.  See : series itinerary

References

External sources
 CricketArchive – itinerary of Australian cricket

Further reading
 Bill Frindall, The Wisden Book of Test Cricket 1877–1978, Wisden, 1979
 Chris Harte, A History of Australian Cricket, Andre Deutsch, 1993
 Ray Robinson, On Top Down Under, Cassell, 1975