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The 2010 major league season marks the 40th anniversary of one of the finest teams in baseball history, the 1970 Baltimore Orioles. The Birds defeated the Cincinnati Reds, led by MVP Johnny Bench, Pete Rose and Tony Perez, 4 games to 1 to win the 1970 World Series championship. Managed by Earl Weaver, Baltimore rebounded from their upset loss to the Mets in 1970 with 108 wins.  Brooks Robinson, who hit .429 in the Series with two homers and two doubles and made several spectacular fielding plays like this one, was named Most Valuable Player. The Hall of Fame third baseman won his 11th straight Gold Glove Award. During the Series, Robinson’s glove was always at its magical best. In Game 3, Bench drove a hard liner into the hole. Diving headlong, Brooks caught the ball, skidded to a halt, and raised his glove to let the umpire know that “seeing was believing.” In the following Series game, Robinson dove and wound up in foul territory, the ball nestling in his glove.
Contributing to Baltimore’s offensive productionwere Boog Powell, the powerful first baseman, outfielders Frank Robinson and Paul Blair, and catcher Elrod Hendricks. Robinson hit 25 home runs while hitting .306. Blair, despite missing three weeks with an injury, batted a blistering .474 in the five games. Hendricks batted .364, and Frank Robinson and Parker hit two home runs each. Following the Series, Parker was voted the American League MVP. Brooks Robinson, however, did it all. He used his glove to repeatedly rob the opposition of base hits, and he used his bat to collect nine hits and drive in six runs.
The Orioles started the ’70 Series offwith an opening game victory, 4-3, behind right-hander Jim Palmer’s five hitter, pictured here, and home runs by Hendricks, Powell and Brooks Robinson. Baltimore won the second game, 6-5, with a five-run fifth inning and the relief work of Tom Phoebus and Moe Drabowsky. The Oriole’s awesome fielding display continued in Game 3. Following a two-bagger by Brooks, Cincinnati’s Wayne Granger loaded the bases, and Oriole’s pitcher Steve McNally hit Granger’s pitch into the left-field bleachers giving Baltimore a commanding lead.Baltimore took the edge in Game 4 on Brooks Robinson’s two RBIs and 4 for 4 day. However, Cincinnati came back on a three-run homer by Lee May in the eighth to stay alive for another day. In Game 5, southpaw Mike Cuellar pitched the Orioles to a 9-3 win. After allowing three runs on four hits in the first, Cuellar shut the Reds out the rest of the way, clinching the World Series Championship for Baltimore. The 1970 pennant race was never close in the American League East. Baltimore was in first place when May began, and on July 19, the Yankees closed to within three games. From then on, however, the Orioles were 52-18 and finished with a 108-54 record, 15 games in front.
Orioles' Manager Earl Weaverwas among the most successful skippers of his era. In 17 seasons with Baltimore, he won the AL East title six times, the AL pennant four times, and the World Series once. Earl assembled a team that had outstanding pitching, sharp fielding, and good hitting. He compiled five 100-win seasons and achieved a winning percentage of .583. Weaver did not like the sacrifice bunt. “If you play for one run, that’s all you’ll get,” he said. “Don’t play for one run unless you know that run will win a ballgame.”Two years after the Baltimore Orioles won the World Series title in 1970, I co-authored a text book, The Complete Baseball Handbook, with Hall of Fame manager Walter Alston who managed the Los Angeles Dodgers for 23 seasons. In the 567 page book were numerous sequence-series photographs of many players on the ’70 World champions Orioles, highlighted by those of Brooks Robinson in chapter 9 – The Third Baseman. This issue of my Photo Gallery is devoted to many of the players on the Orioles’ 1970 championship team.
BattingThe Baltimore Orioles were led offensively by Boog Powell, the powerful hitting first baseman. During the 1970 World Series, Brooks showed he could be just as dangerous at the plate as on the field. Both Frank Robinson and Brooks Robinson were later inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
BuntingThe bunting technique used by many major league players today involves pivoting on the balls of their feet and remaining in their tracks. They merely square their hips without lifting their feet off the ground. In the series below, however, Orioles shortstop Mark Belanger squares around with the feet, rather than just squaring the hips and shoulders. Mark felt he had better coverage of the entire part of the plate.
PitchingBaltimore’s 1970 pitching staff easily led the American League in ERA with a 3.15 mark. The staff was led by two 24-game winners, Dave McNally, pictured left, and Mike Cuellar. Jim Palmer, a first-time 20 game winner, is shown on the right demonstrating his fast ball grip. McNally, showing his curve ball grip, won Game 3 of the ‘70 Series, with a complete game and 5 strikeouts. Palmer was 1-0 in two games in 15 1/3 innings of work, with 9 strikeouts.
CatchingBefore a game, the catcher should get together with the starting pitcher to determine how he will pitch to opposing hitters. They should study the hitter’s stance and remember what pitch he went for and where he hit the ball in previous appearances. Batting practice is a good time to watch the opposing hitters. It does not take long to find out who the pull hitters are, those who hit straightaway, and the opposite field swingers.Pictured here is Andy Etchebarren going over game signals with Orioles pitcher Wally Bunker. During the 1970 World Series, Andy shared the catching duties with Ellie Hendricks. He was behind the plate in two games.
First BasemanWhen taking throws from other infielders, the first baseman should face his teammate making the throw. Pictured on the left, Boog Powell places his left foot against the second base side of first base and reaches for the ball.
Second Basemanin fielding a ground ball, the key points are to watch the ball and stay low on the ball. As he makes his approach, an infielder keeps his eyes squarely on the ball. He must be alert and ready to move in any direction.An infielder should field the ball with two hands out in front of him. He must remember to play the ball, and not have it play him. With a continuous motion, he “gives” with the ball and brings both hands back into a throwing position. Davey Johnson, pictured here, has his legs apart, his knees are bent, and he steps toward the base. Fielding a ball with two hands allows infielders and outfielders alike to get rid of the ball faster. It is easier to come up on the ball than to go down.
ShortstopBoth the Orioles and the Dodgers have found pick-off plays to be very helpful. The number of runners picked off is not the prime objective of this play. Rather, it is trying to keep runners close, so if there is a base hit, the outfielders have time to throw them out.
Third BasemanBrooks Robinson is widely accepted by baseball authorities as the greatest third baseman in the history of the game. Robinson thrilled millions with his spectacular glove. As I wrote in my article for Athletic Journal, “Third Base and Brooks Robinson”, he was a master craftsman, soft-handed, and an accurate armed fielder.
Slow Roller: One Hand PickupRobinson races in with his eyes on the ball. As his left foot comes down, his bare hand comes in contact with the ball. His left leg bends in order to get his body lower to the ground. Moving his right foot forward, Robinson goes into throwing position by pushing off his right leg. Although he comes over the top with an overhand flip on the run, he often whips the ball side arm across his body.
OutfielderOrioles center fielder Paul Blair used a comfortable, semi-crouch stance, with his hands on or in front of the knees. Paul is set but not tense and always alert. As the pitch is made, the fielder moves forward on his toes and is ready to cross over in either direction with the quickest possible speed. Through confidence, young outfielders will relax, which is so necessary in obtaining quick starts. Blair joined Davey Johnson and Brooks Robinson on the 1970 American League Gold Glove team.Contributions by Josh Leventhal, The World Series, An Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Fall Classic; Bryan Kamenetz, 40 Years On: The 1970 Season and the World Champion Baltimore Orioles. Photographs by Don Weiskopf, including all sequence-series pictures; National Hall of Fame Library (Brooks Robinson) |
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