The 1970 Baltimore Orioles season involved the Orioles finishing first in the American League East with a record of 108 wins and 54 losses, 15 games ahead of the runner-up New York Yankees. The Orioles put together one of the most dominant postseason runs of all time, scoring 60 runs in just eight games as they swept the Minnesota Twins for the second straight year in the American League Championship Series and then went on to win their second World Series title over the National League champion Cincinnati Reds in five games, thanks to the glove of third baseman Brooks Robinson.
| 1970 Baltimore Orioles | ||
|---|---|---|
| World Series Champions American League Champions American League East Champions | ||
| League | American League | |
| Division | East | |
| Ballpark | Memorial Stadium | |
| City | Baltimore, Maryland | |
| Record | 108–54 (.667) | |
| Divisional place | 1st | |
| Owners | Jerold Hoffberger | |
| General managers | Harry Dalton | |
| Managers | Earl Weaver | |
| Television | WJZ-TV | |
| Radio | WBAL (AM) (Chuck Thompson, Bill O'Donnell) | |
| ||
The team was managed by Earl Weaver, and played their home games at Memorial Stadium.
Offseason edit
- December 1, 1969: Tom Shopay was drafted by the Orioles from the New York Yankees in the 1969 rule 5 draft.[1]
- January 17, 1970: Doug DeCinces was drafted by the Orioles in the 3rd round of the 1970 Major League Baseball draft (secondary phase).[2]
Regular season edit
Bouncing back from 1969 edit
Following their upset loss to the New York Mets in the 1969 World Series, the Orioles picked up where they left off in 1969. They opened the season with five wins and ran away with their second straight American League East title, beating back a challenge from the New York Yankees in June. They won 19 of their last 22 games to finish with a 108-win season, one win fewer than the previous year.
The team was mostly the same as 1969. Starting pitchers Mike Cuellar, Dave McNally, and Jim Palmer each won at least 20 games, and the veteran bullpen seldom faltered. On defense, Brooks Robinson, center fielder Paul Blair, and second baseman Davey Johnson won Gold Gloves. Offensively, first baseman Boog Powell was the AL's Most Valuable Player, leading the team with 35 home runs and 114 RBIs. Don Buford and Blair continued to get on base, and Frank Robinson (.306, 25 home runs), Brooks Robinson (94 RBIs), and Powell continued to drive them home. Elrod Hendricks led a catching platoon that produced 17 homers and 74 RBIs, and outfielder Merv Rettenmund, a product of the farm system, hit .322 with 18 home runs and 58 RBI. The Minnesota Twins were the only team in the American League to have a winning record in the regular season versus the Baltimore Orioles.[3]
Injury to Paul Blair edit
There was a sobering moment early in the season when Blair was beaned on May 31 in Anaheim, California. The California Angels' Ken Tatum threw a pitch that hit Blair in the face. Blair was seemingly on his way to a second straight strong season after having 26 home runs and 76 RBIs in 1969. He missed three weeks after the beaning, coming back to finish with 18 home runs and 65 RBIs, but he seldom produced that well over the rest of his career, and some speculated he was never the same at the plate.
The return of Moe Drabowsky edit
One personnel change from '69 to '70 was the return of Moe Drabowsky, the eminent prankster relief pitcher who had been lost to the Kansas City Royals in the expansion draft before the '69 season. Now 34 and near the end of his career, he was reacquired during the '70 season and won four of six decisions, helping fill out a veteran bullpen.
Season standings edit
| AL East | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Orioles | 108 | 54 | 0.667 | — | 59–22 | 49–32 |
| New York Yankees | 93 | 69 | 0.574 | 15 | 53–28 | 40–41 |
| Boston Red Sox | 87 | 75 | 0.537 | 21 | 52–29 | 35–46 |
| Detroit Tigers | 79 | 83 | 0.488 | 29 | 42–39 | 37–44 |
| Cleveland Indians | 76 | 86 | 0.469 | 32 | 43–38 | 33–48 |
| Washington Senators | 70 | 92 | 0.432 | 38 | 40–41 | 30–51 |
Record vs. opponents edit
Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | BAL | BOS | CAL | CWS | CLE | DET | KC | MIL | MIN | NYY | OAK | WSH | |
| Baltimore | — | 13–5 | 7–5 | 9–3 | 14–4 | 11–7 | 12–0 | 7–5 | 5–7 | 11–7 | 7–5 | 12–6 | |
| Boston | 5–13 | — | 5–7 | 8–4 | 12–6 | 9–9 | 7–5 | 5–7 | 7–5 | 10–8 | 7–5 | 12–6 | |
| California | 5–7 | 7–5 | — | 12–6 | 6–6 | 6–6 | 10–8 | 12–6 | 8–10 | 5–7 | 8–10 | 7–5 | |
| Chicago | 3–9 | 4–8 | 6–12 | — | 6–6 | 6–6 | 7–11 | 7–11 | 6–12 | 5–7 | 2–16 | 4–8 | |
| Cleveland | 4–14 | 6–12 | 6–6 | 6–6 | — | 7–11 | 8–4 | 7–5 | 6–6 | 8–10 | 7–5 | 11–7 | |
| Detroit | 7–11 | 9–9 | 6–6 | 6–6 | 11–7 | — | 6–6 | 8–4 | 4–8 | 7–11 | 6–6 | 9–9 | |
| Kansas City | 0–12 | 5–7 | 8–10 | 11–7 | 4–8 | 6–6 | — | 12–6 | 5–13 | 1–11 | 7–11 | 6–6 | |
| Milwaukee | 5–7 | 7–5 | 6–12 | 11–7 | 5–7 | 4–8 | 6–12 | — | 5–13 | 3–9–1 | 8–10 | 5–7 | |
| Minnesota | 7–5 | 5–7 | 10–8 | 12–6 | 6–6 | 8–4 | 13–5 | 13–5 | — | 5–7 | 13–5 | 6–6 | |
| New York | 7–11 | 8–10 | 7–5 | 7–5 | 10–8 | 11–7 | 11–1 | 9–3–1 | 7–5 | — | 6–6 | 10–8 | |
| Oakland | 5–7 | 5–7 | 10–8 | 16–2 | 5–7 | 6–6 | 11–7 | 10–8 | 5–13 | 6–6 | — | 10–2 | |
| Washington | 6–12 | 6–12 | 5–7 | 8–4 | 7–11 | 9–9 | 6–6 | 7–5 | 6–6 | 8–10 | 2–10 | — | |
Notable transactions edit
- June 4, 1970: Rob Andrews was drafted by the Orioles in the 10th round of the 1970 Major League Baseball draft.[4]
Roster edit
| 1970 Baltimore Orioles | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers
| Catchers Infielders | Outfielders
| Manager Coaches | ||||||
Player stats edit
| = Indicates team leader |
Batting edit
Starters by position edit
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Elrod Hendricks | 106 | 322 | 79 | .242 | 12 | 41 |
| 1B | Boog Powell | 154 | 527 | 156 | .297 | 35 | 114 |
| 2B | Davey Johnson | 149 | 530 | 149 | .281 | 10 | 53 |
| 3B | Brooks Robinson | 158 | 608 | 168 | .276 | 18 | 94 |
| SS | Mark Belanger | 145 | 459 | 100 | .218 | 1 | 36 |
| LF | Don Buford | 144 | 504 | 137 | .272 | 17 | 66 |
| CF | Paul Blair | 133 | 480 | 128 | .267 | 18 | 65 |
| RF | Frank Robinson | 132 | 471 | 144 | .306 | 25 | 78 |
Other batters edit
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merv Rettenmund | 106 | 338 | 109 | .322 | 18 | 58 |
| Andy Etchebarren | 78 | 230 | 56 | .243 | 4 | 28 |
| Chico Salmon | 63 | 172 | 43 | .250 | 7 | 22 |
| Terry Crowley | 83 | 152 | 39 | .257 | 5 | 20 |
| Bobby Grich | 30 | 95 | 20 | .211 | 0 | 8 |
| Curt Motton | 52 | 84 | 19 | .226 | 3 | 19 |
| Clay Dalrymple | 13 | 32 | 7 | .219 | 1 | 3 |
| Dave May | 25 | 31 | 6 | .194 | 1 | 6 |
| Johnny Oates | 5 | 18 | 5 | .278 | 0 | 2 |
| Don Baylor | 8 | 17 | 4 | .235 | 0 | 4 |
| Roger Freed | 4 | 13 | 2 | .154 | 0 | 1 |
| Bobby Floyd | 3 | 2 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
Pitching edit
Starting pitchers edit
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Palmer | 39 | 305.0 | 20 | 10 | 2.71 | 199 |
| Mike Cuellar | 40 | 297.2 | 24 | 8 | 3.48 | 190 |
| Dave McNally | 40 | 296.0 | 24 | 9 | 3.22 | 185 |
| Tom Phoebus | 27 | 135.0 | 5 | 5 | 3.07 | 72 |
Other pitchers edit
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Hardin | 36 | 145.1 | 6 | 5 | 3.53 | 78 |
Relief pitchers edit
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pete Richert | 50 | 7 | 2 | 13 | 1.98 | 66 |
| Eddie Watt | 53 | 7 | 7 | 12 | 3.25 | 33 |
| Dick Hall | 32 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 3.08 | 30 |
| Marcelino López | 25 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2.08 | 49 |
| Dave Leonhard | 23 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5.08 | 14 |
| Moe Drabowsky | 21 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3.78 | 21 |
| Fred Beene | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.00 | 4 |
Postseason edit
ALCS edit
The Orioles win the series over the Minnesota Twins in three straight games.
| Game | Score | Date | Location | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baltimore – 10, Minnesota – 6 | October 3 | Metropolitan Stadium | 26,847 |
| 2 | Baltimore – 11, Minnesota – 3 | October 4 | Metropolitan Stadium | 27,490 |
| 3 | Minnesota – 1, Baltimore – 6 | October 5 | Memorial Stadium | 27,608 |
World Series edit
AL Baltimore Orioles (4) vs. NL Cincinnati Reds (1)
| Game | Score | Date | Location | Attendance | Time of Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Orioles – 4, Reds – 3 | October 10 | Riverfront Stadium | 51,351 | 2:24 |
| 2 | Orioles – 6, Reds – 5 | October 11 | Riverfront Stadium | 51,351 | 2:26 |
| 3 | Reds – 3, Orioles – 9 | October 13 | Memorial Stadium | 51,773 | 2:09 |
| 4 | Reds – 6, Orioles – 5 | October 14 | Memorial Stadium | 53,007 | 2:26 |
| 5 | Reds – 3, Orioles – 9 | October 15 | Memorial Stadium | 45,341 | 2:35 |
Awards and honors edit
- Boog Powell, American League MVP
- Brooks Robinson, Babe Ruth Award
- Brooks Robinson, World Series MVP
Farm system edit
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Miami, Bluefield
Notes edit
- ^ Tom Shopay page at Baseball Reference
- ^ Doug DeCinces page at Baseball Reference
- ^ 100 Things Orioles Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, Dan Connolly, Triumph Books, Chicago, 2015, ISBN 978-1-62937-041-5, p.51
- ^ Rob Andrews page at Baseball Reference
References edit
- Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (1997). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (2nd ed.). Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America. ISBN 978-0-9637189-8-3.
- 1970 Baltimore Orioles team page at Baseball Reference
- 1970 Baltimore Orioles season at baseball-almanac.com