1970 WORLD CHAMPION BALTIMORE ORIOLES
The 1970 World Series matched the American League champion Baltimore Orioles (108-54 in the regular season) against the National League champion Cincinnati Reds (102-60), with the Orioles winning in five games.
In this series Emmett Ashford became the first African American to umpire in the Fall Classic. It also featured the first World Series games to be played on artificial turf, as Games 1 and 2 took place at Cincinnati's first-year Riverfront Stadium.
This was the last World Series in which all games were played in the afternoon. Also this was the third time in a World Series where a team leading 3-0 in the series would fail to complete the sweep by losing game 4 but still win game 5 to win the series. 1910 and 1937 were the others.
The Baltimore Orioles won the American League East division by 15 games over the New York Yankees and the Cincinnati Reds won the National League West division by14 1⁄2 games over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Coming into the World Series, the Orioles had won 14 straight including the final 11 during the regular season then defeated the Minnesota Twins, three games to none, in the American League Championship Series for the second straight year. The Reds went 32-30 in their last 62 regular season games, but swept the Pittsburgh Pirates, three games to none, in the National League Championship Series.
The World Series set up to as a classic matchup of a pair of teams laden with all-star players.
The 1970 Cincinnati Reds squad was the first edition of the "Big Red Machine." Sparky Anderson's first year as a major league manager produced 102 wins and the first of four NL pennants. The Reds featured a heavy-hitting lineup that included future Hall of Famers in catcher Johnny Bench (45 home runs, 148 RBI and .293 batting average) and third baseman Tony Pérez (40, 129, .317), as well as all-time hits leader Pete Rose (15, 52, .316) in right field, NL stolen base leader Bobby Tolan (16, 80, .316) in center field and power-hitting first baseman Lee May (34, 94, .253). The Reds led the National League in batting average and finished third in runs scored. Cincinnati pitching, however, would be a weak spot throughout the Series. Two-time 20-game winner Jim Maloney could only make three starts during the regular season and was shelved. Two 1970 All Star game representatives, Jim Merritt (20–12) and rookie Wayne Simpson (14–3), were suffering arm injuries. Merritt, who won 20 games by the end of August, pitched less than four regular season innings after September 4.[2] Merritt started Game 5 against Baltimore, but was unable to get through the second inning. Simpson started 8–1 and had 14 wins by July 26, but was shelved thereafter. He did not pitch in the post season. Right-hander Gary Nolan (18-7, 3.26 ERA) would assume the ace role for the Reds.
By contrast, pitching was a strength for the Baltimore Orioles as manager Earl Weaver had three, healthy 20-game winners.Mike Cuellar (24–8, 3.48 ERA), Dave McNally (24–9, 3.22) and future Hall of Famer Jim Palmer (20–10, 2.71) were all well-rested and ready for the Series. Weaver balanced good pitching with the hitting of 1970 AL MVP Boog Powell (35, 114, .297), Merv Rettenmund (18, 58, .322), as well as future Hall of Famers Frank Robinson (25, 78, .306) and Brooks Robinson (18, 94, .276). The Orioles led the AL in most runs scored (792), fewest runs allowed (574), complete games by starting pitchers (60), lowest team earned run average (3.15) and they were second in the AL in fielding percentage (.981) establishing themselves as the most dominant Orioles team in the modern era.
The 1970 World Series appearance by Baltimore was the second of what would be three-straight World Series appearances. The Reds would go on to amass four WS appearances in a seven-year stretch (1970, '72, '75 & '76, winning the last two).
This was the only World Series in which Earl Weaver managed the Orioles to a win.
GAME 1 Riverfront Stadium: The Reds got off to a fast start, taking a 3–0 lead off Jim Palmer on a first-inning RBI single by Johnny Bench and a third-inning two-run homer by Lee May. The Orioles' offense answered with a two-run homer by Boog Powell in the fourth off Reds starter Gary Nolan. Elrod Hendricks tied it with a homer in the fifth, and Brooks Robinson hit the game-winning homer in the seventh. In the sixth, Robinson made a spectacular backhanded grab of a hard grounder down the line by May before spinning to throw him out. It was one of several spectacular plays the Gold Glove third baseman would make in the series.
The game turned in the sixth inning on a controversial call by home-plate umpire Ken Burkhart. The Reds had Bernie Carbo on third and Tommy Helms on first when Ty Cline, batting for Woody Woodward, hit a high chopper in front of the plate. Burkhart positioned himself in front of the plate to call the ball fair or foul as Carbo sped home. O's catcher Hendricks fielded the ball and turned to tag Carbo with Burkhart blocking the way. Hendricks tagged the sliding Carbo with his glove hand while holding the ball in his other hand; all the while, Burkhart was knocked to the ground and had his back to the play. When Burkhart turned around, he saw Carbo out of the baseline away from the plate as Hendricks held the ball. Burkhart signaled Carbo out without asking for help from the other umpires. Carbo and Sparky Anderson vehemently argued the call, but to no avail.
Robinson's home run put the O's ahead for the first time, while Palmer settled into a groove on the mound. Palmer allowed no hits in his final 2 2⁄3 innings of work. After he walked Pete Rose with two outs in the ninth, Pete Richert relieved Palmer and got Bobby Tolan to line out to shortstop Mark Belanger to end the game.
GAME 2 Riverfront Stadium: Again, another fast start by the Reds fell by the wayside. The Reds scored three in the first on a two-run double by Lee May, who went to third when Orioles center fielder Paul Blair bobbled the ball. Hal McRae squeeze-bunted May home for the third run. They pushed the lead to 4–0 on a homer by Bobby Tolan in the third.
The Orioles began their comeback innocently enough on a Boog Powell solo homer in the fourth. In the fifth, the floodgates opened. With one out, Reds' starter Jim McGlothlin gave up successive singles to pinch-hitter Chico Salmon and Don Buford. Paul Blair singled home Salmon, chasing McGlothlin and bringing in Milt Wilcox. Wilcox gave up RBI singles to Powell and Brooks Robinson and the crushing blow, a two-run double to Elrod Hendricks.
The Reds would get back one run in the sixth on a Johnny Bench home run, but that was it.
GAME 3 Memorial Stadium: Left-hander Dave McNally had a banner day, pitching a complete game, scattering nine hits, while also connecting for a grand slam in the sixth inning off reliever Wayne Granger to break the game open. McNally became the first and only pitcher to hit a World Series grand slam.
Baltimore third baseman Brooks Robinson added to his highlight reel with a spectacular display of fielding. After Pete Rose and Bobby Tolan led the game off with consecutive hits, Robinson made a sensational, leaping grab of Tony Pérez's hopper, stepped on third and fired to first for a double play. In the second inning, Robinson snagged a slow grounder hit by Tommy Helms and threw out the sprinting second baseman. And in the sixth, Robinson made a diving catch of a line drive by Johnny Bench. The Memorial Stadium fans gave Robinson a standing ovation as he came to bat in the bottom of the sixth. He responded by doubling to left.
GAME 4 Memorial Stadium: The Reds staved off a Series sweep thanks to clutch hitting by Lee May and stellar relief pitching by rookie Don Gullett and veteran Clay Carroll.
With a 2–1 lead in the third, Reds' starter Gary Nolan gave up two-out RBI singles to Frank Robinson and Brooks Robinson. Gullett relieved Nolan and surrendered another RBI single to Elrod Hendricks. The Reds crept back in the fifth on a homer by Pete Rose.
Gullett gave up an unearned run in the sixth when Hendricks singled Brooks Robinson to third and Robinson scored when Rose's attempted throw from right field sailed past Tony Pérez at third.
In the eighth, Perez walked and Johnny Bench singled. Lee May then slammed a three-run homer on the first pitch he saw from Orioles' reliever Eddie Watt to put the Reds ahead. Carroll, who had entered in the seventh, made the lead stand up. Gullett and Carroll combined to pitch 6 1⁄3 innings, giving up four hits and one unearned run, allowing the Reds to claw back on May's heroics. The Reds' victory snapped Baltimore's 17-game winning streak. It also ended Cincinnati's six-game World Series losing streak including the last three games in the 1961 World Series.
GAME 5 Memorial Stadium: Rain showers threatened to delay Game 5, but it only kept the Memorial Stadium crowd from being less than capacity. Seemingly re-energized from their Game 4 win, the Reds rocked Orioles starter Mike Cuellar for three runs in the first on an RBI single by Johnny Bench and a two-run double by Hal McRae. Cuellar, a notoriously slow starter, stayed in the game and got Tommy Helms to ground out to Mark Belanger for the final out. The Orioles scored two runs in the bottom of the first against Reds' 20-game winner Jim Merritt, who had been battling a sore arm and had not pitched in 10 days. Merritt allowed more two runs in the second inning before being lifted.
Frank Robinson hit a two-run home run, Merv Rettenmund also had a homer and two RBI, and Davey Johnson had two RBI to pace the Orioles' attack. After the rocky first inning, Cuellar settled down and allowed no runs and two hits in the final eight innings for a complete-game victory.
Brooks Robinson won the World Series Most Valuable Player Award hitting .429, broke the record for total bases in a five-game series with 17, tied the record for most hits in one game with four, and tied teammate Paul Blair for most hits in a five-game Series with nine.Total Baseball described Brooks Robinson's fielding with, "other-worldly defense at third (which) gave Reds right-handed hitters nightmares through the Series." Upon hearing that Robinson won the MVP award and a new car from Toyota, Reds' catcher Johnny Bench said, "If we had known he wanted a car that badly, we'd all have chipped in and bought him one."
October 15, 1970: Orioles clinch 1970 World Series championship in Game Five
The 1970 Cincinnati Reds [102-60] ran away with the National League East by 14½ games before taking three straight from the Pittsburgh Pirates in the playoffs. Their opponents in the upcoming fall classic were the Baltimore Orioles who were attempting to rebound from a demoralizing World Series loss to the New York Mets the previous season. Baltimore [108-54] was as equally impressive as Cincinnati in 1970, winning the American League by 15 games. The Orioles went on to sweep the Minnesota Twins in the playoffs for the second year in a row.
When asked about the Orioles, Reds manager Sparky Anderson told the Associated Press, “Our scouting report is that Baltimore is the best defensive club in baseball, has the best front line pitching in the game and is the third or fourth best offensive team.”
The Orioles finished the regular season with 11-straight wins. When asked by a reporter about his team’s strong finish, Orioles manager Earl Weaver replied, “Sure we’ve won 14 in a row [including the playoffs]. But they don’t count now. It’s not the winning streak I like it’s the type of people we have on the ballclub. If we had lost 14 in a row I’d still think this team could beat Cincinnati.”
Game One was played at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. It was the first time in the history of the fall classic that a game would be played on artificial turf. The Orioles came out on top in the first two tilts by the scores of 4-3 and 6-5. The series then moved to Memorial Stadium in Baltimore where the O’s won Game Three 9-3. It appeared a sweep was imminent but a three-run homer by Lee May off reliever Eddie Watt in the eighth inning of Game Four propelled the visiting Reds to a 6-5 victory.
The stage was now set for Game Five at Memorial Stadium. Baltimoreans woke up on the morning of October 15 to a steady downpour that was coming down all over the city. The showers continued intermittently throughout the morning and early afternoon. A sign reading “Make the Reds Blue” hung outside of Memorial Stadium as the rain-soaked fans made their way through the turnstiles into the ballpark.
Head groundskeeper Pat Santarone and his crew were able to keep the infield covered but the rest of the field was a different story. The umpires gave the soggy outfield the once over and after considerable deliberation deemed the grounds playable. The Memorial Stadium lights were turned on a few minutes before game time in order to offset the dark storm clouds that were looming overhead. A light drizzle started coming down as the Orioles took the field in the top of the first inning, causing umbrellas to pop up all over the ballpark.
Oriole manager Earl Weaver chose lefty Mike Cuellar [24-8] as his starter while Reds manager Sparky Anderson went with southpaw Jim Merritt [20-12]. Cuellar was hoping to rebound from a poor Game Two performance where he allowed four runs in 2 1/3 innings. After leadoff hitter Bobby Tolan struck out, Pete Rose sliced a fly ball to right that skipped on the wet grass before caroming off Frank Robinson’s glove. Rose, hustling all the way, slid head first into second for a double. After Tony Perez flew out, Johnny Bench stroked a hard shot into right center for an RBI single. Lee May and Hal McRae followed with back-to-back two-baggers that plated a pair of runs.
With the rain finally subsiding and Cuellar struggling, Earl Weaver got Tom Phoebus up in the Orioles bullpen. The Cuban-born portsider was able to keep his composure retiring the next batter, Tommy Helms, on a groundball to shortstop Mark Belanger. After the game Weaver told the media, “If Helms had hit the ball hard for extra bases I guess Mike would’ve had to come out. But if he had hit another double like Pete Rose’s I’d have gone with him another batter.”
The Orioles got on the board in the bottom of the first thanks to a two-run homer by a Frank Robinson. The Reds wouldn’t score for the rest of the game as Cuellar retired 24 out of the next 27 batters. With two on and two out in the second inning, Anderson took Merritt out of the game. He was replaced by Wayne Granger who was tagged for RBI base hits by Mark Belanger and Paul Blair before retiring the side. Merritt, who been battling elbow problems, spoke to the press after the game, “I was throwing free and easy and there was no pain. I wouldn’t have pitched if my arm was hurting. I was however disappointed in my control.”
After Granger was touched up for two more runs in the third Anderson brought in Milt Wilcox. The 20-year old right-hander dispatched five straight batters before giving way to Tony Cloninger in the top of the fifth. Cloninger pitched the next two frames allowing one run on a Merv Rettenmund solo shot over the high wall in the right field corner.
Ray Washburn replaced Cloninger in the seventh. Washburn tossed one scoreless frame before giving up a run in the bottom of the eighth. With two on and one out Clay Carroll came in for Washburn. Carroll allowed the Orioles ninth run to score before finishing out the inning.
In the top of the ninth Johnny Bench led off with a line drive down the third base line. Oriole third baseman Brooks Robinson lunged to his right back-handing the hot liner just inches above the ground in foul territory. Robinson made a number of phenomenal defensive plays like this during the series. Thanks to the national television coverage people from around the country were now getting a glimpse of what Baltimore fans had been witnessing first-hand for years. The next batter Lee May whiffed on a tantalizing curve ball from Cuellar for the second out. Anderson inserted pinch-hitter Pat Corrales for McRae. Corrales proceeded to ground out to Robinson at third, clinching the series for Baltimore.
The Oriole victory erased all the bad memories from the previous year’s World Series loss to the Mets. Baltimore amassed 50 hits in five games against the Reds pitching staff, including a record ten home runs and seven doubles.
Brooks Robinson was named Most Valuable Player of the series. Aside from his amazing glove work he set a five-game fall classic record with 17 total bases, which included two home runs, two doubles and five singles. He and teammate Paul Blair tied the mark for most hits in a five-game set with nine. “I’m the happiest I’ve ever been” exclaimed Robinson during the Orioles clubhouse celebration. Nothing will ever the replace the first one [1966 World championship]. But it does make up for everything last year.”
Winning pitcher Mike Cuellar talked with reporters after the game about his first inning troubles,“ I knew that the team would get me some runs. I had to stop using my screwball but I knew that Brooksie and the other guys would catch my mistakes.”
A dejected Pete Rose spoke to Baltimore Sun sports writer Ken Nigro in the visitors clubhouse,”Deep down in my heart I don’t think they’re 4-1 better than we are. I think when two teams are as evenly balanced as we are it has to be closer.”
Reds manager Sparky Anderson closed out his press conference by saying, “It’s about time you gave Earl Weaver the credit he deserves. He’s won 217 games in two years and now he’s won the World Series. I know they say he has a great team, but I’ve got a great team too, and he beat us. Give him the credit.”
