After a devastating loss to the "adolescent" New York Mets in the '69 Series, the Baltimore Orioles returned to the top of the American League determined to make amends for their previous postseason failure. Their newest adversaries, the Cincinnati Reds, swept the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National's Championship Series under rookie manager Sparky Anderson.
The soon-to-be "Big Red Machine" boasted a strong pitching rotation that featured Jim Merritt (a twenty game winner), Wayne Simpson (14-3) and Gary Nolan (18-7) as well as another standout named Pete Rose. The Orioles rotation featured Mike Cuellar, a twenty-four game victor and a tough line-up that included lumberjack Boog Powell and fielding wizard Brooks Robinson.
Game 1 welcomed the World Series debut of the newly christened Riverfront Stadium, which had replaced Crosley Field as the Reds' home in late June. The artificial surface and "soup bowl- surroundings" were the first of their kind to host a Fall Classic. Home-field advantage appeared to be in effect as Lee Mays came out swinging with a two run homer that gave Cincinnati a 3-0 lead, but the Orioles came back with their own two run blast by Powell that was followed with home runs by Ellie Hendricks and Brooks Robinson. Baltimore emerged the 4-3 winner, but the victory was soured by a controversial call at the plate by umpire Ken Burkhart. With one out and two base runners on (Tommy Helms at first and Bernie Carbo at third), the Reds' pinch-hitter Ty Cline popped a high tee-shot off of Jim Palmer in front of home plate, (which Burkhart promptly called a fair ball). Baltimore's catcher Ellie Hendricks snatched up the spinning duck and (after turning to first) spun around in an attempt to tag out Carbo who was speeding home. As Hendricks' dove toward the plate, he ran into the umpire before reaching the sliding runner. Burkhart, obviously distracted during the collision, called Carbo out on contact. Despite their arguments the verdict stood (although replays have clearly depicted the Oriole catcher tagging Carbo with an empty glove). Brooks Robinson also provided a "replay worthy" moment in the Reds' sixth after making a spectacular backhanded catch and spinning to throw out Dave May who had fired a bouncing cannonball between the fielder and the bag.
Cincinnati entered Game 2 just as they had the opener, with an early 3-0 lead. Unfortunately Baltimore also mimicked their previous days performance with a fourth inning homer by Hendricks that lit off a five run rally in the fifth ending in a 6-5 triumph that put the visitors up two games to none. Game 3 was a highlight film for Brooks Robinson who was playing superb defense against anything the Reds sent his way. After Pete Rose and Bobby Tolan both started with consecutive hits, Robinson made a sensational, leaping grab of Tony Perez's hopper, stepped on third and fired to first for a perfect double play. Dave McNally closed the inning by inducing Johnny Bench to fly out as Robinson traded his "golden glove" for a wooden bat. Stepping up to the plate, "Hoover" as he was called, nailed a first-inning double that scored Don Buford and Frank Robinson. Back on the field in the second, Robinson snagged a slow Tommy Helms' grounder to throw out the sprinting second baseman and in the sixth; he made a diving glove-handed catch of another Bench liner.
McNally also contributed on both sides of the ball and aided his own cause with a bases-loaded homer in the sixth off Wayne Granger. The grand slam equaled Bob Gibson's record of two World Series homers by a pitcher and Don Buford and Frank Robinson followed suite with homers of their own for the 9-3 victory. With their backs against the ropes, Cincinnati was on the verge of elimination. Gary Nolan was given the difficult responsibility of keeping his ball club afloat, but cracked under the pressure and was pulled after 2 2/3 innings. An injured Jim Merritt came in as relief and held the Orioles lead to two as the Nationals trailed 5-3 in the eighth. Lee May, well aware of the desperate situation his team faced, seized the opportunity to play hero and launched a timely three run homer for the 6-5, Series-extending victory.
Merritt, still reeling from a sore elbow, returned in Game 5, but was unable to make it through the second-inning. His teammates managed to take Cuellar for three runs on four hits in the top of the first, but it would be only offense generated for the rest of the contest as the Orioles pitched shutout baseball the rest of the way.
In the end, it was Baltimore who prevailed with a second 9-3 decision that erased all memories of the '69 Series and returned the championship crown to the American League's clubhouse. Despite the loss, the Reds were far from finished and would return to the Fall Classic (in two short years) "bigger" and better than ever. Research by Baseball Almanac.
"Avenge, the Orioles did. Only it wasn't against their 1969 conquerors, the New York Mets, but instead against the Cincinnati Reds. Playing under rookie Manager Sparky Anderson, the Reds ran away with the NL West championship and swept Pittsburgh in the Championship Series." - The Sporting News. Front Page. October 1970.
1970 World Series1970 World Series Logo ← 1969 | Baltimore Orioles (4) vs Cincinnati Reds (1) | 1971 → |
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1970 World Series Fast Facts | |||
Game 1 | Date | Box Score | 10-10-1970 | |
Location | Riverfront Stadium | ||
1st Pitch | From: | Bowie K. Kuhn (MLB Commissioner, 1969-1983) | |
To: | Johnny Bench | ||
Attendance | 51,351 | ||
National Anthem | The Jackson 5 (Grammy Award Winning Group) | ||
Game 2 | Date | Box Score | 10-11-1970 | |
Location | Riverfront Stadium | ||
1st Pitch | From: | Warren C. Giles (NL President, 1951-1969) | |
To: | Johnny Bench | ||
Attendance | 51,351 | ||
National Anthem | Tony Martin (Actor / Singer) | ||
Game 3 | Date | Box Score | 10-13-1970 | |
Location | Memorial Stadium | ||
1st Pitch | From: | Lefty Grove | |
To: | Andy Etchebarren | ||
Attendance | 51,773 | ||
National Anthem | Joseph Eubanks (Professor of Music, Morgan St. College) | ||
Game 4 | Date | Box Score | 10-14-1970 | |
Location | Memorial Stadium | ||
1st Pitch | From: | Casey Stengel | |
To: | Ellie Hendricks | ||
Attendance | 53,007 | ||
National Anthem | York Suburban High School Band | ||
Game 5 | Date | Box Score | 10-15-1970 | |
Location | Memorial Stadium | 1st Pitch | From: | Cancelled (Inclement Weather) |
To: | Cancelled (Inclement Weather) | ||
Attendance | 45,341 | ||
National Anthem | First U.S. Army Band | ||
1970 World Series | |||
1970 World Series History | Research by Baseball Almanac |
Game 1 of the 1970 World Series1970 World Series Official Program Line Score | Box Score |
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1970 World Series Game 1 Capsule | |||||||||||||
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
Baltimore | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 2 | |
Cincinnati | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 0 | |
Baltimore Pitcher(s) | Cincinnati Pitcher(s) | ||||||||||||
Jim Palmer (W) Pete Richert (S, 9th) |
Gary Nolan (L) Clay Carroll (7th) |
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Baltimore Home Runs | Cincinnati Home Runs | ||||||||||||
Boog Powell (4th) Ellie Hendricks (5th) Brooks Robinson (7th) |
Lee May (3rd) - - |
Game 2 of the 1970 World SeriesLine Score | Box Score |
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1970 World Series Game 2 Capsule | |||||||||||||
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
Baltimore | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 10 | 2 | |
Cincinnati | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 0 | |
Baltimore Pitcher(s) | Cincinnati Pitcher(s) | ||||||||||||
Mike Cuellar Tom Phoebus (W, 3rd) Moe Drabowsky (5th) Marcelino Lopez (7th) Dick Hall (S, 7th) |
Jim McGlothlin Milt Wilcox (L, 5th) Clay Carroll (5th) Don Gullett (8th) - |
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Baltimore Home Runs | Cincinnati Home Runs | ||||||||||||
Boog Powell (4th) - |
Bobby Tolan (3rd) Johnny Bench (6th) |
Game 3 of the 1970 World Series1970 World Series Official Program Line Score | Box Score |
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1970 World Series Game 3 Capsule | |||||||||||||
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
Cincinnati | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 0 | |
Baltimore | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | x | 9 | 10 | 1 | |
Cincinnati Pitcher(s) | Baltimore Pitcher(s) | ||||||||||||
Tony Cloninger (L) Wayne Granger (6th) Don Gullett (7th) |
Dave McNally (W) - - |
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Cincinnati Home Runs | Baltimore Home Runs | ||||||||||||
None - - |
Frank Robinson (3rd) Don Buford (5th) Dave McNally (6th) |
Game 4 of the 1970 World SeriesLine Score | Box Score |
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1970 World Series Game 4 Capsule | |||||||||||||
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
Cincinnati | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 3 | |
Baltimore | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 0 | |
Cincinnati Pitcher(s) | Baltimore Pitcher(s) | ||||||||||||
Gary Nolan Don Gullett (3rd) Clay Carroll (W, 6th) |
Jim Palmer Eddie Watt (L, 8th) Moe Drabowsky (9th) |
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Cincinnati Home Runs | Baltimore Home Runs | ||||||||||||
Pete Rose (5th) Lee May (8th) |
Brooks Robinson (2nd) - |
Game 5 of the 1970 World SeriesLine Score | Box Score |
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1970 World Series Game 5 Capsule | |||||||||||||
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
Cincinnati | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 | |
Baltimore | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | x | 9 | 15 | 0 | |
Cincinnati Pitcher(s) | Baltimore Pitcher(s) | ||||||||||||
Jim Merritt (L) Wayne Granger (2nd) Milt Wilcox (3rd) Tony Cloninger (5th) Ray Washburn (7th) Clay Carroll (8th) |
Mike Cuellar (W) - - - - - |
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Cincinnati Home Runs | Baltimore Home Runs | ||||||||||||
None - |
Frank Robinson (1st) Merv Rettenmund (5th) |
1970 World SeriesBaltimore Orioles 1970 World Series Composite Hitting Statistics |
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Name | Pos | G | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | R | RBI | Avg | BB | SO | SB |
Mark Belanger Paul Blair Don Buford Terry Crowley Mike Cuellar Moe Drabowsky Andy Etchebarren Dick Hall Ellie Hendricks Davey Johnson Marcelino Lopez Dave McNally Jim Palmer Tom Phoebus Boog Powell Merv Rettenmund Pete Richert Brooks Robinson Frank Robinson Chico Salmon Eddie Watt |
ss of of ph p p c p c 2b p p p p 1b of-1 p 3b of ph p |
5 5 4 1 2 2 2 1 3 5 1 1 2 1 5 2 1 5 5 1 1 |
19 19 15 1 4 1 7 1 11 16 0 4 7 0 17 5 0 21 22 1 0 |
2 9 4 0 0 0 1 0 4 5 0 1 1 0 5 2 0 9 6 1 0 |
0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 |
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 1 0 2 2 0 0 |
0 5 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 0 1 1 0 6 2 0 5 5 1 0 |
1 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 2 0 4 0 0 5 2 0 6 4 0 0 |
.105 .474 .267 .000 .000 .000 .143 .000 .364 .313 .000 .250 .143 .000 .294 .400 .000 .429 .273 1.000 .000 |
1 2 3 0 0 0 2 0 1 5 0 0 0 0 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 |
2 4 2 0 2 1 3 1 2 2 0 2 3 0 2 0 0 2 5 0 0 |
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
Totals | 171 | 50 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 33 | 32 | .292 | 20 | 33 | 0 | ||
1970 World SeriesCincinnati Reds 1970 World Series Composite Hitting Statistics |
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Name | Pos | G | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | R | RBI | Avg | BB | SO | SB |
Johnny Bench Angel Bravo Bernie Carbo Clay Carroll Darrel Chaney Ty Cline Tony Cloninger Dave Concepcion Pat Corrales Wayne Granger Don Gullett Tommy Helms Lee May Jim McGlothlin Hal McRae Jim Merritt Gary Nolan Tony Perez Pete Rose Jimmy Stewart Bobby Tolan Ray Washburn Milt Wilcox Woody Woodward |
c ph of-2 p ss ph p ss ph p p 2b 1b p of p p 3b of ph of p p ss-3 |
5 4 4 4 3 3 2 3 1 2 3 5 5 1 3 1 2 5 5 2 5 1 2 4 |
19 2 8 1 1 3 2 9 1 0 1 18 18 2 11 1 3 18 20 2 19 0 0 5 |
4 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 0 4 7 0 5 0 0 1 5 0 4 0 0 1 |
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 |
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 |
3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 0 1 0 0 2 2 0 5 0 0 0 |
3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 8 0 3 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 |
.211 .000 .000 .000 .000 .333 .000 .333 .000 .000 .000 .222 .389 .000 .455 .000 .000 .056 .250 .000 .211 .000 .000 .200 |
1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 3 2 0 3 0 0 0 |
2 1 3 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 2 1 1 1 0 4 0 1 2 0 0 0 |
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 |
Totals | 164 | 35 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 20 | 20 | .213 | 15 | 23 | 1 | ||
1970 World Series Batting Statistics | DNP = Did Not Play | Bold = World Series MVP |
1970 World SeriesBaltimore Orioles 1970 World Series Composite Pitching Statistics |
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Name | W | L | G | GS | CG | S | Sh | IP | ERA | H | SO | ER | BB |
Mike Cuellar Moe Drabowsky Dick Hall Marcelino Lopez Dave McNally Jim Palmer Tom Phoebus Pete Richert Eddie Watt |
1 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 |
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 |
2 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 |
2 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 |
1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 |
0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 |
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
11.1 3.1 2.1 0.1 9.0 15.2 1.2 0.1 1.0 |
3.18 2.70 0.00 0.00 3.00 4.60 0.00 0.00 9.00 |
10 2 0 0 9 11 1 0 2 |
5 1 0 0 5 9 0 0 3 |
4 1 0 0 3 8 0 0 1 |
2 1 0 0 2 9 0 0 1 |
Totals | 4 | 1 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 45.0 | 3.40 | 35 | 23 | 17 | 15 |
1970 World SeriesCincinnati Reds 1970 World Series Composite Pitching Statistics |
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Name | W | L | G | GS | CG | S | Sh | IP | ERA | H | SO | ER | BB |
Clay Carroll Tony Cloninger Wayne Granger Don Gullett Jim McGlothlin Jim Merritt Gary Nolan Ray Washburn Milt Wilcox |
1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 |
4 2 2 3 1 1 2 1 2 |
0 1 0 0 1 1 2 0 0 |
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
9.0 7.1 1.1 6.2 4.1 1.2 9.1 1.1 2.0 |
0.00 7.36 33.75 1.35 8.31 21.60 7.71 13.50 9.00 |
5 10 7 5 6 3 9 2 3 |
11 4 1 4 2 0 9 0 2 |
0 6 5 1 4 4 8 2 2 |
2 5 1 4 2 1 3 2 0 |
Totals | 1 | 4 | 18 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 43.0 | 6.70 | 50 | 33 | 32 | 20 |
1970 World Series Pitching Statistics | DNP = Did Not Play | Bold = World Series MVP |
Brooks Robinson won the World Series Most Valuable Player Award because he hit .429, broke the record for total bases with seventeen (17), tied the record for most hits in one (1) game with four (4), and tied teammate Paul Blair for most hits in a five-game Series with nine (9). Not to mention that Total Baseball described his fielding with, "other-wordly defense at third (which) gave Reds righthanded hitters nightmares through the Series."
Did you know that Game 1 of the 1970 World Series, played on October 10, 1970 in Riverfront Stadium, was the first Fall Classic game played on artificial grass?
Prior to Game 1 a reporter asked Brooks "Hoover" Robinson if he thought he would be able to play defense on the artifical grass. Robinson cooly replied, "I'm a Major League third baseman. If you want to go play in a parking lot, I'm supposed to stop the ball."