The1970American League Championship Series was a semifinal matchup of the1970 MLB Postseason between the East Division championBaltimore Orioles and the West Division championMinnesota Twins. Likethe year before, the Orioles swept the Twins three games to none, though unlike the year before, the Orioles went on to win theWorld Series against theCincinnati Reds.

(Note: Owing to a one-daystrike by major league umpires, the series was begun using AL supervisor Berry, veteran umpire Stevens—who had been used in a substitute capacity in 1970—and minor league umpires Deegan and Satchell, with the regularly assigned crew returning for Games 2 and 3.)

Baltimore won the series, 3–0.

Baltimore only had to use their bullpen once in the series whenDick Hall came on to relieveMike Cuellar in Game 1.Dave McNally andJim Palmer both pitched complete games in Games 2 and 3.

The Twins enjoyed the lead only once, a 1–0 edge in Game 1 whenCésar Tovar hit a leadoff single in the first, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, and scored onHarmon Killebrew's single. In the second,Mark Belanger's bases-loaded groundout aided by an error put the Orioles up 2–1. The Twins' tied the score in the bottom of the inning onJim Perry's groundout with runners on first and third, but the Orioles put the game out of reach in the fourth inning, aided by Cuellar's bat and the lusty blasts of a strong wind blowing across Metropolitan Stadium. Two singles andBrooks Robinson's sacrifice fly produced one fourth-inning run offJim Perry, the Twins' 24-game winner, and the Orioles loaded the bases with one out after two more singles.

The lefthanded-hitting Cuellar, with a .089 batting average and 7 RBIs to show for his season's efforts, then pulled a Perry pitch toward foul territory in right field. As the ball passed first base it was patently foul. Cuellar himself stood transfixed at the plate, watching the pellet transcribe a high parabola in the direction of the right-field seats. As the ball soared into the 29-mile-an-hour current, however, it started drifting toward fair territory. Cuellar started jogging from the plate. By the time he arrived at first base, the wind had worked its devilry against the home forces, depositing the ball over the fence in fair territory, and giving Cuellar agrand slam. ThenDon Buford cuffed Perry for a knock-out home run and relieverBill Zepp yielded a left-field round-tripper to southpaw-swingingBoog Powell to complete the seven-run outburst.

The Twins got a run in the bottom of the inning on Tovar's single with two on. Next inning, Killebrew's leadoff home run made it 9–4. After a double, walk, and groundout,George Mitterwald's two-run single cut the lead to 9–6 and knock Cueller out of the game. Hall, a 40-year-old relief specialist, allowed only one hit in the final4+2⁄3 innings to pick up the victory. The Orioles got one more run in the sixth on Powell's RBI single off ofStan Williams with the run charged toDick Woodson.

Dave McNally received the second-game assignment and once again delivered another great pitching performance en route to another O's victory. The Orioles handed McNally a four-run cushion. Boog Powell doubled homeMark Belanger in the first inning after two leadoff walks, Frank Robinson homered with Belanger aboard in the third and McNally himself singled homeAndy Etchebarren in the fourth. The Twins nearly erased the lead with two swings of the bat in the bottom half,Harmon Killebrew connecting for a home run after a walk toLeo Cárdenas followed by aTony Oliva home run.

Stan Williams, following Tom Hall and Bill Zepp to the mound, blanked Baltimore the next three frames andRon Perranoski zeroed the visitors in the eighth before the East Division champs soon erupted for another big rally of runs. They scored seven runs in the inning to tie the record for most runs scored in the ninth inning of a postseason game, which had been done once before in1936.^[4] After a double, single and walk loaded the bases with one out,Boog Powell drove in two runs with a double to left, thenMerv Rettenmund drove in another with a single.Luis Tiant relieved Perranoski asBrooks Robinson reached on an error that allowed Powell to score beforeDavey Johnson's three-run home run capped the scoring at 11–3 Orioles. McNally pitched a complete game to give the Orioles a 2–0 series lead.

When the series shifted to Baltimore,Earl Weaver called on his workhouse Jim Palmer to wrap it all up. The big righthander, just 10 days short of his 25th birthday and two years removed from an arm ailment that threatened his career, was razor sharp, scattering seven hits. In fairness, Palmer was entitled to a shutout. A brilliant sun blinded Frank Robinson while he was tracking downCésar Tovar's fifth-inning fly that fell for a single. Cardenas' single produced a run after a triple, but that was all for the Twins.

A 20-game winner with a 2.71 ERA in regular season, Palmer set a personal career high of 12 strikeouts and issued only three walks. He also laced a double and figured prominently in the second-inning Oriole run when his blooper to short center field was misplayed for a two-base error. Palmer subsequently scored on Buford's single. The Twins starting assignment went to Jim Kaat, a 14-game winner who had been handicapped by late-season arm miseries. The Orioles struck first whenDon Buford singled to lead off the first, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, then to third on a fly out before scoring onBoog Powell's single. The left-hander departed with two on and none out in the third after yielding six hits.Andy Etchebarren's fielder's choice off ofBert Blyleven aided by an error allowed one to score. After a force out, Palmer's RBI double and Buford's sacrifice fly made it 5–0 Orioles. The Orioles got one more run in the seventh onDavey Johnson's home run off ofJim Perry. By that time the trend of the game had been established and three successors, while more effective, were helpless to change the outcome, the Birds cruising to an easy victory and the AL pennant.

The Orioles played flawless defense in the series, handling 110total chances (81putouts, 29assists) perfectly.

1970 ALCS(3–0):Baltimore Orioles overMinnesota Twins

The Orioles, who had made it to the inaugural ALCS held the previous year, would continue their run the following year to mark three consecutive ALCS appearances on their way to what ultimately became five appearances in six seasons (1969–71, 1973–74), with Baltimore winning three in a row (which was tied by three teams before being surpassed by the 1998-2001New York Yankees).

For all of their promising talent (having won the pennant in 1965 to go with two further playoff appearances, which came despite having seen three managers fired in three years), this was the second straight loss in the ALCS for the Twins. They soon went into a tailspin that clouded them for a decade until they returned to the ALCS17 years later.

• 1970 ALCS at Baseball-Reference.com

• American League Championship Series
• 1970 Major League Baseball season
• Minnesota Twins postseason
• Baltimore Orioles postseason
• 1970 in sports in Maryland
• 1970 in sports in Minnesota
• 1970s in Baltimore
• 1970s in Minneapolis
• Baseball competitions in Baltimore
• October 1970 sports events in the United States

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