| 1971 Baltimore Orioles | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American League champions American League East champions | ||||
| League | American League | |||
| Division | East | |||
| Ballpark | Memorial Stadium | |||
| City | Baltimore, Maryland | |||
| Record | 101–57 (.639) | |||
| Divisional place | 1st | |||
| Owners | Jerold Hoffberger | |||
| General managers | Harry Dalton | |||
| Managers | Earl Weaver | |||
| Television | WJZ-TV | |||
| Radio | WBAL (AM) (Chuck Thompson,John Gordon,Bill O'Donnell) | |||
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the 1971 Baltimore Orioles season finished first in theAmerican League East, with a record of 101 wins and 57 losses. They returned to the World Series third consecutive season, but were defeated by thePittsburgh Pirates in seven games at home. As of 2024, the 1971 Orioles are one of only twoMajor League Baseball clubs (the1920 Chicago White Sox being the other) to have four 20-game winners in a season:Jim Palmer,Dave McNally,Mike Cuellar, andPat Dobson.[1]
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Orioles | 101 | 57 | .639 | — | 53–24 | 48–33 |
| Detroit Tigers | 91 | 71 | .562 | 12 | 54–27 | 37–44 |
| Boston Red Sox | 85 | 77 | .525 | 18 | 47–33 | 38–44 |
| New York Yankees | 82 | 80 | .506 | 21 | 44–37 | 38–43 |
| Washington Senators | 63 | 96 | .396 | 38½ | 35–46 | 28–50 |
| Cleveland Indians | 60 | 102 | .370 | 43 | 29–52 | 31–50 |
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 | WAS | |
| Baltimore | — | 9–9 | 7–5 | 8–4 | 13–5 | 8–10 | 6–5 | 9–3 | 10–2 | 11–7 | 7–4 | 13–3 | |
| Boston | 9–9 | — | 6–6 | 10–2 | 11–7 | 12–6 | 1–11 | 6–6 | 8–4 | 7–11 | 3–9 | 12–6 | |
| California | 5–7 | 6–6 | — | 8–10 | 8–4 | 6–6 | 8–10 | 6–12 | 12–6 | 6–6 | 7–11 | 4–8 | |
| Chicago | 4–8 | 2–10 | 10–8 | — | 3–9 | 7–5 | 9–9 | 11–7 | 7–11 | 5–7 | 11–7 | 10–2 | |
| Cleveland | 5–13 | 7–11 | 4–8 | 9–3 | — | 6–12 | 2–10 | 4–8 | 4–8 | 8–10 | 4–8 | 7–11 | |
| Detroit | 10–8 | 6–12 | 6–6 | 5–7 | 12–6 | — | 8–4 | 10–2 | 6–6 | 10–8 | 4–8 | 14–4 | |
| Kansas City | 5–6 | 11–1 | 10–8 | 9–9 | 10–2 | 4–8 | — | 8–10 | 9–9 | 5–7 | 5–13 | 9–3 | |
| Milwaukee | 3–9 | 6–6 | 12–6 | 7–11 | 8–4 | 2–10 | 10–8 | — | 10–7 | 2–10 | 3–15 | 6–6 | |
| Minnesota | 2–10 | 4–8 | 6–12 | 11–7 | 8–4 | 6–6 | 9–9 | 7–10 | — | 8–4 | 8–10 | 5–6 | |
| New York | 7–11 | 11–7 | 6–6 | 7–5 | 10–8 | 8–10 | 7–5 | 10–2 | 4–8 | — | 5–7 | 7–11 | |
| Oakland | 4–7 | 9–3 | 11–7 | 7–11 | 8–4 | 8–4 | 13–5 | 15–3 | 10–8 | 7–5 | — | 9–3 | |
| Washington | 3–13 | 6–12 | 8–4 | 2–10 | 11–7 | 4–14 | 3–9 | 6–6 | 6–5 | 11–7 | 3–9 | — | |
| 1971 Baltimore Orioles | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers | Catchers Infielders | Outfielders | Manager Coaches | ||||||
| = Indicates team leader |
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 | 101 | 316 | 79 | .250 | 9 | 42 |
| 1B | Boog Powell | 128 | 418 | 107 | .256 | 22 | 92 |
| 2B | Davey Johnson | 142 | 510 | 144 | .282 | 18 | 72 |
| 3B | Brooks Robinson | 156 | 589 | 160 | .272 | 20 | 92 |
| SS | Mark Belanger | 150 | 500 | 133 | .266 | 0 | 35 |
| LF | Don Buford | 122 | 449 | 130 | .290 | 19 | 54 |
| CF | Paul Blair | 141 | 516 | 135 | .262 | 10 | 44 |
| RF | Frank Robinson | 133 | 455 | 128 | .281 | 28 | 99 |
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 | 141 | 491 | 156 | .318 | 11 | 75 |
| Andy Etchebarren | 70 | 222 | 60 | .270 | 9 | 29 |
| Chico Salmon | 42 | 84 | 15 | .179 | 2 | 7 |
| Jerry DaVanon | 38 | 81 | 19 | .235 | 0 | 4 |
| Tom Shopay | 47 | 74 | 19 | .257 | 0 | 5 |
| Curt Motton | 38 | 53 | 10 | .189 | 4 | 8 |
| Clay Dalrymple | 23 | 49 | 10 | .204 | 1 | 6 |
| Bobby Grich | 7 | 30 | 9 | .300 | 1 | 6 |
| Terry Crowley | 18 | 23 | 4 | .174 | 0 | 1 |
| Don Baylor | 1 | 2 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 1 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Cuellar | 38 | 292.1 | 20 | 9 | 3.08 | 124 |
| Pat Dobson | 38 | 282.1 | 20 | 8 | 2.90 | 187 |
| Jim Palmer | 37 | 282.0 | 20 | 9 | 2.68 | 184 |
| Dave McNally | 30 | 224.1 | 21 | 5 | 2.89 | 91 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grant Jackson | 29 | 77.2 | 4 | 3 | 3.13 | 51 |
| Dave Leonhard | 12 | 54.0 | 2 | 3 | 2.83 | 18 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eddie Watt | 35 | 39.2 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 1.82 | 26 |
| Pete Richert | 35 | 36.1 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3.47 | 35 |
| Tom Dukes | 28 | 38.1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 3.52 | 30 |
| Dick Hall | 27 | 43.1 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 4.98 | 26 |
| Dave Boswell | 16 | 24.2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4.38 | 14 |
| Jim Hardin | 6 | 5.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.76 | 3 |
| Orlando Peña | 5 | 14.2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3.07 | 4 |
Baltimore Orioles defeat theOakland Athletics, 3–0
| Game | Score | Date | Location | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oakland – 3,Baltimore – 5 | October 3 | Memorial Stadium | 42,641 |
| 2 | Oakland – 1,Baltimore – 5 | October 4 | Memorial Stadium | 35,003 |
| 3 | Baltimore – 5, Oakland – 3 | October 5 | Oakland Coliseum | 33,176 |
NLPittsburgh Pirates (4) vs. AL Baltimore Orioles (3)
| Game | Score | Date | Location | Attendance | Time of Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pirates – 3,Orioles – 5 | October 9 | Memorial Stadium | 53,229 | 2:06 |
| 2 | Pirates – 3,Orioles – 11 | October 11 | Memorial Stadium | 53,239 | 2:55 |
| 3 | Orioles – 1,Pirates – 5 | October 12 | Three Rivers Stadium | 50,403 | 2:20 |
| 4 | Orioles – 3,Pirates – 4 | October 13 | Three Rivers Stadium | 51,378 | 2:48 |
| 5 | Orioles – 0,Pirates – 4 | October 14 | Three Rivers Stadium | 51,377 | 2:16 |
| 6 | Pirates – 2,Orioles – 3 (10 inns) | October 16 | Memorial Stadium | 44,174 | 2:59 |
| 7 | Pirates – 2, Orioles – 1[8] | October 17 | Memorial Stadium | 47,291 | 2:10 |
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Rochester, Miami, Bluefield
Three days after the conclusion of the World Series, the Orioles embarked on a tour ofJapan to play 18 games againstNippon Professional Baseball competition beginning on October 23. The team had accepted the invitation to participate in theYomiuri Shimbun-sponsored event at the start of the calendar year on January 1.[9] Included in the 12–2–4 overall record was the Orioles going undefeated at 8–0–3 in head-to-head competition against theYomiuri Giants which was owned by the tour's sponsor and had recently captured its seventh consecutiveJapan Series championship.[10]
The Japanese point of view of high hopes entering the exhibitions and the disappointment with the unfavorably lopsided results is chronicled inRobert Whiting's 1977 bookThe Chrysanthemum and the Bat.[11]
| Game | Month | Date | Day | Place | Opponent | W/L/D | Score | Orioles Pitcher of Record | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OCT | 23 | SA | Tokyo | Yomiuri Giants | W | 8–4 | Jim Palmer | |
| 2 | OCT | 24 | SU | Tokyo | Yomiuri Giants | W | 8–2 | Mike Cuellar | |
| 3 | OCT | 27 | W | Sendai | Yomiuri Giants | W | 10–1 | Pat Dobson | Dobson three-hitter; twotriples and fourRBI forMark Belanger.[12] |
| 4 | OCT | 28 | TH | Kōriyama | Yomiuri Giants | D | 3–3 (10) | – | |
| 5 | OCT | 31 | SU | Osaka | Japan All-Stars | W | 4–1 | Mike Cuellar | |
| 6 | NOV | 1 | M | Nishinomiya | Yomiuri Giants/Nankai Hawks | W | 2–0 | Dave McNally | Scheduled OCT 30 (rain);[13] consecutive homers byBrooks Robinson andDavey Johnson in the fifth.[14] |
| 7 | NOV | 2 | TU | Toyama | Yomiuri Giants | W | 2–0 | Pat Dobson | Dobson pitches a no-hit, no-run game. |
| 8 | NOV | 3 | W | Tokyo | Japan All-Stars | W | 7–0 | Jim Palmer | |
| 9 | NOV | 5 | F | Niigata | Yomiuri Giants | D | 4–4 (10) | – | |
| 10 | NOV | 6 | SA | Tokyo | Yomiuri Giants | D | 9–9 (10) | – | |
| 11 | NOV | 7 | SU | Tokyo | Yomiuri Giants | W | 7–0 (5) | Pat Dobson | Game abbreviated by rain. |
| 12 | NOV | 9 | TU | Kyoto | Yomiuri Giants/Hankyu Braves | L | 2–8 | Jim Palmer | Palmer loses toHisashi Yamada in a duel between two 20-game winners.[15] |
| 13 | NOV | 10 | W | Hiroshima | Yomiuri Giants/Hiroshima Toyo Carp | W | 4–2 | Mike Cuellar | |
| 14 | NOV | 11 | TH | Matsuyama | Yomiuri Giants | W | 2–0 (11) | Eddie Watt | |
| 15 | NOV | 13 | SA | Fukuoka | Yomiuri Giants/Nishitetsu Lions | D | 9–9 (10) | – | |
| 16 | NOV | 14 | SU | Kitakyushu | Yomiuri Giants | W | 8–7 | Pete Richert | |
| 17 | NOV | 16 | TU | Nagoya | Yomiuri Giants/Chunichi Dragons | L | 1–9 | Grant Jackson | |
| 18 | NOV | 20 | SA | Tokyo | Yomiuri Giants | W | 5–0 | Tom Dukes | Scheduled OCT 26 inSapporo, then NOV 18 in Tokyo (rain both times).[16] |
Source:Baltimore Orioles 1972 Media Guide (scroll down to pages 25 and 26).
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