1970 Baltimore Orioles season

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1970  Baltimore Orioles
World Series Champions
American League Champions
American League East Champions
League American League
Division East
Ballpark Memorial Stadium
City Baltimore, Maryland
Record108–54 (.667)
Divisional place1st
Owners Jerold Hoffberger
General managers Harry Dalton
Managers Earl Weaver
Television WJZ-TV
Radio WBAL (AM)
(Chuck Thompson, Bill O'Donnell)
←  1969 Seasons 1971  →

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.

Contents

The team was managed by Earl Weaver, and played their home games at Memorial Stadium.

Offseason

Regular season

Bouncing back from 1969

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

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

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

AL East 		W L Pct. GB Home Road
Baltimore Orioles 108540.667—59–2249–32
New York Yankees 93690.5741553–2840–41
Boston Red Sox 87750.5372152–2935–46
Detroit Tigers 79830.4882942–3937–44
Cleveland Indians 76860.4693243–3833–48
Washington Senators 70920.4323840–4130–51

Record vs. opponents

1970 American League record

Sources:
TeamBALBOSCALCWSCLEDETKCMILMINNYYOAKWSH
Baltimore —13–57–59–314–411–712–07–55–711–77–512–6
Boston 5–13—5–78–412–69–97–55–77–510–87–512–6
California 5–77–5—12–66–66–610–812–68–105–78–107–5
Chicago 3–94–86–12—6–66–67–117–116–125–72–164–8
Cleveland 4–146–126–66–6—7–118–47–56–68–107–511–7
Detroit 7–119–96–66–611–7—6–68–44–87–116–69–9
Kansas City 0–125–78–1011–74–86–6—12–65–131–117–116–6
Milwaukee 5–77–56–1211–75–74–86–12—5–133–9–18–105–7
Minnesota 7–55–710–812–66–68–413–513–5—5–713–56–6
New York 7–118–107–57–510–811–711–19–3–17–5—6–610–8
Oakland 5–75–710–816–25–76–611–710–85–136–6—10–2
Washington 6–126–125–78–47–119–96–67–56–68–102–10—

Notable transactions

Roster

1970 Baltimore Orioles
Roster
PitchersCatchers

Infielders

OutfieldersManager

Coaches

Player stats

= Indicates team leader

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

PosPlayerGABHAvg.HRRBI
C Elrod Hendricks 10632279.2421241
1B Boog Powell 154527156.29735114
2B Davey Johnson 149530149.2811053
3B Brooks Robinson 158608168.2761894
SS Mark Belanger 145459100.218136
LF Don Buford 144504137.2721766
CF Paul Blair 133480128.2671865
RF Frank Robinson 132471144.3062578

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

PlayerGABHAvg.HRRBI
Merv Rettenmund 106338109.3221858
Andy Etchebarren 7823056.243428
Chico Salmon 6317243.250722
Terry Crowley 8315239.257520
Bobby Grich 309520.21108
Curt Motton 528419.226319
Clay Dalrymple 13327.21913
Dave May 25316.19416
Johnny Oates 5185.27802
Don Baylor 8174.23504
Roger Freed 4132.15401
Bobby Floyd 320.00000

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

PlayerGIPWLERASO
Jim Palmer 39305.020102.71199
Mike Cuellar 40297.22483.48190
Dave McNally 40296.02493.22185
Tom Phoebus 27135.0553.0772

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

PlayerGIPWLERASO
Jim Hardin 36145.1653.5378

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

PlayerGWLSVERASO
Pete Richert 5072131.9866
Eddie Watt 5377123.2533
Dick Hall 3210533.0830
Marcelino López 251102.0849
Dave Leonhard 230015.0814
Moe Drabowsky 214213.7821
Fred Beene 40006.004

Postseason

ALCS

The Orioles win the series over the Minnesota Twins in three straight games.

GameScoreDateLocationAttendance
1Baltimore – 10, Minnesota – 6October 3 Metropolitan Stadium 26,847
2Baltimore – 11, Minnesota – 3October 4Metropolitan Stadium27,490
3Minnesota – 1, Baltimore – 6October 5 Memorial Stadium 27,608

World Series

AL Baltimore Orioles (4) vs. NL Cincinnati Reds (1)

GameScoreDateLocationAttendanceTime of Game
1Orioles – 4, Reds – 3October 10 Riverfront Stadium 51,3512:24
2Orioles – 6, Reds – 5October 11 Riverfront Stadium 51,3512:26
3Reds – 3, Orioles – 9October 13 Memorial Stadium 51,7732:09
4Reds – 6, Orioles – 5October 14 Memorial Stadium 53,0072:26
5Reds – 3, Orioles – 9October 15 Memorial Stadium 45,3412:35

Awards and honors

Farm system

LevelTeamLeagueManager
AAA Rochester Red Wings International League Cal Ripken Sr.
AA Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs Texas League Joe Altobelli
A Stockton Ports California League Bill Werle
A Miami Marlins Florida State League Woody Smith
A-Short Season Aberdeen Pheasants Northern League Ken Rowe
Rookie Bluefield Orioles Appalachian League Ray Malgradi

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Miami, Bluefield

Notes

  1. ↑ Tom Shopay page at Baseball Reference
  2. ↑ Doug DeCinces page at Baseball Reference
  3. ↑ 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
  4. ↑ Rob Andrews page at Baseball Reference

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References

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