Originally Posted by
Jim3k
I hadn't yet moved to the East Bay in 1973 and never was (until now) aware of the Mets fans' anguish over losing that series to the A's. When I went to look, I found that it arose in the second game from Augie Donatelli's call at the plate where catcher Ray Fosse made (or missed) a tag at the plate which would have been the go-ahead run in the top of the tenth. The replays (not terrible, but not today's quality) aren't definitive and Donatelli was on the ground awaiting the expected slide, in good position. Had the runner, Ken Harrelson, slid, he might have clearly ducked the tag. He did not slide and Donatelli swears he saw Fosse's brush tag. [Much later, the A's would commit the same blunder in a 2001 playoff game, when Jeremy Giambi, wouldn't slide and was tagged out, giving the game to the Yankees.]
Donatelli may have missed it. But the play occurred in a twelve inning game which the Mets won 10-7. They also had the rest of the series remaining, including a 3-2 advantage when they headed to Oakland for the final two games.
I don't have a lot of sympathy for any claim that Donatelli cost the Mets that WS.