The 1970 major league baseball season began on April 6, 1970, while the regular season ended on October 1. The postseason began on October 3. The 67th World Series began with Game 1 on October 10 and ended with Game 5 on October 15, with the Baltimore Orioles of the American League defeating the Cincinnati Reds of the National League, four games to one, capturing their second championship in franchise history, since their previous in 1966. Going into the season, the defending World Series champions were the New York Mets from the 1969 season.
| 1970 MLB season | |
|---|---|
| League | American League (AL) National League (NL) |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | Regular season:
|
| Games | 162 |
| Teams | 24 (12 per league) |
| TV partner | NBC |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Mike Ivie |
| Picked by | San Diego Padres |
| Regular season | |
| Season MVP | AL: Boog Powell (BAL) NL: Johnny Bench (CIN) |
| Postseason | |
| AL champions | Baltimore Orioles |
| AL runners-up | Minnesota Twins |
| NL champions | Cincinnati Reds |
| NL runners-up | Pittsburgh Pirates |
| World Series | |
| Champions | Baltimore Orioles |
| Runners-up | Cincinnati Reds |
| World Series MVP | Brooks Robinson (BAL) |
West East
West East
The 41st Major League Baseball All-Star Game, was held on July 14 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, home of the Cincinnati Reds. The National League won in twelve innings, 5–4, concluding their eight-season win streak.
During spring training, the Seattle Pilots moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin as the Milwaukee Brewers, being the ninth team since 1953 to relocate, and the fifth of American League teams since them. Due to stadium issues and the team declaring bankruptcy, the team was sold to a Milwaukee-based group and promptly relocated. After having a team for only a single season, Seattle would be without a major league team for seven seasons until the expansion in 1977, with the enfranchisement of the Seattle Mariners. The team was tied with the coincidentally named 1901 Milwaukee Brewers (modern-day Baltimore Orioles) as the shortest-tenured team of the American League.
National League umpires began wearing numbers on the sleeves of their blazers and the new short-sleeved light blue shirts they began wearing (to replace the long sleeved shirts of previous years). The numbers were in alphabetical order (Al Barlick wore #1, Ken Burkhart #2, etc.) and this remained the annual numbering system until the 1979 season when the numbers became permanent regardless of retirements/resignations/firings/etc.
Schedule
The 1970 schedule consisted of 162 games for all teams in the American League and National League, each of which had twelve teams. Each league was split into two six-team divisions. Each team was scheduled to play 18 games against their five division rivals, totaling 90 games, and 12 games against six interdivision opponents, totaling 72 games. This continued the format put in place since the previous season and would be used until 1977 in the American League and 1993 in the National League.
Opening Day took place on April 6, featuring four teams. The final day of the regular season was on October 1, featuring 22 teams. Each League Championship Series took place between October 3 and October 5. The World Series took place between October 10 and October 15.
Rule change
The 1970 season saw the following rule change:
- A "caveat emptor" amendment was approved by both leagues, regarding player trades. Under the new rule, all trades, once agreed upon, would stand, such that a player could not elect to retire and freeze/cancel a trade as a means to stop it. Now, the trade would occur, and it was up to a team themselves to persuade their players to report to work.
Teams
An asterisk (*) denotes the ballpark a team played the minority of their home games at
| League | Division | Team | City | Stadium | Capacity | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American League | East | Baltimore Orioles | Baltimore, Maryland | Baltimore Memorial Stadium | 52,137 | Earl Weaver |
| Boston Red Sox | Boston, Massachusetts | Fenway Park | 33,375 | Eddie Kasko | ||
| Cleveland Indians | Cleveland, Ohio | Cleveland Stadium | 76,966 | Alvin Dark | ||
| Detroit Tigers | Detroit, Michigan | Tiger Stadium | 54,226 | Mayo Smith | ||
| New York Yankees | New York, New York | Yankee Stadium | 67,000 | Ralph Houk | ||
| Washington Senators | Washington, D.C. | Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium | 43,500 | Ted Williams | ||
| West | California Angels | Anaheim, California | Anaheim Stadium | 43,202 | Lefty Phillips | |
| Chicago White Sox | Chicago, Illinois | White Sox Park | 46,550 | Don Gutteridge | ||
| Bill Adair | ||||||
| Chuck Tanner | ||||||
| Kansas City Royals | Kansas City, Missouri | Municipal Stadium | 34,164 | Charlie Metro | ||
| Bob Lemon | ||||||
| Milwaukee Brewers | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Milwaukee County Stadium | 45,768 | Dave Bristol | ||
| Minnesota Twins | Bloomington, Minnesota | Metropolitan Stadium | 45,914 | Bill Rigney | ||
| Oakland Athletics | Oakland, California | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 50,000 | John McNamara | ||
| National League | East | Chicago Cubs | Chicago, Illinois | Wrigley Field | 36,644 | Leo Durocher |
| Montreal Expos | Montreal, Quebec | Jarry Park Stadium | 28,456 | Gene Mauch | ||
| New York Mets | New York, New York | Shea Stadium | 55,300 | Gil Hodges | ||
| Philadelphia Phillies | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Connie Mack Stadium | 33,608 | Frank Lucchesi | ||
| Pittsburgh Pirates | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Forbes Field | 35,500 | Danny Murtaugh | ||
| Three Rivers Stadium* | 50,500* | |||||
| St. Louis Cardinals | St. Louis, Missouri | Civic Center Busch Memorial Stadium | 49,450 | Red Schoendienst | ||
| West | Atlanta Braves | Atlanta, Georgia | Atlanta Stadium | 51,383 | Lum Harris | |
| Cincinnati Reds | Cincinnati, Ohio | Crosley Field* | 29,603* | Sparky Anderson | ||
| Riverfront Stadium | 51,500 | |||||
| Houston Astros | Houston, Texas | Houston Astrodome | 44,500 | Harry Walker | ||
| Los Angeles Dodgers | Los Angeles, California | Dodger Stadium | 56,000 | Walter Alston | ||
| San Diego Padres | San Diego, California | San Diego Stadium | 50,000 | Preston Gómez | ||
| San Francisco Giants | San Francisco, California | Candlestick Park | 42,500 | Clyde King | ||
| Charlie Fox |
Standings
American League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (1) Baltimore Orioles | 108 | 54 | .667 | — | 59–22 | 49–32 |
| New York Yankees | 93 | 69 | .574 | 15 | 53–28 | 40–41 |
| Boston Red Sox | 87 | 75 | .537 | 21 | 52–29 | 35–46 |
| Detroit Tigers | 79 | 83 | .488 | 29 | 42–39 | 37–44 |
| Cleveland Indians | 76 | 86 | .469 | 32 | 43–38 | 33–48 |
| Washington Senators | 70 | 92 | .432 | 38 | 40–41 | 30–51 |
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (2) Minnesota Twins | 98 | 64 | .605 | — | 51–30 | 47–34 |
| Oakland Athletics | 89 | 73 | .549 | 9 | 49–32 | 40–41 |
| California Angels | 86 | 76 | .531 | 12 | 43–38 | 43–38 |
| Kansas City Royals | 65 | 97 | .401 | 33 | 35–44 | 30–53 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 65 | 97 | .401 | 33 | 38–42 | 27–55 |
| Chicago White Sox | 56 | 106 | .346 | 42 | 31–53 | 25–53 |
National League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (2) Pittsburgh Pirates | 89 | 73 | .549 | — | 50–32 | 39–41 |
| Chicago Cubs | 84 | 78 | .519 | 5 | 46–34 | 38–44 |
| New York Mets | 83 | 79 | .512 | 6 | 44–38 | 39–41 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 76 | 86 | .469 | 13 | 34–47 | 42–39 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 73 | 88 | .453 | 15½ | 40–40 | 33–48 |
| Montreal Expos | 73 | 89 | .451 | 16 | 39–41 | 34–48 |
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (1) Cincinnati Reds | 102 | 60 | .630 | — | 57–24 | 45–36 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 87 | 74 | .540 | 14½ | 39–42 | 48–32 |
| San Francisco Giants | 86 | 76 | .531 | 16 | 48–33 | 38–43 |
| Houston Astros | 79 | 83 | .488 | 23 | 44–37 | 35–46 |
| Atlanta Braves | 76 | 86 | .469 | 26 | 42–39 | 34–47 |
| San Diego Padres | 63 | 99 | .389 | 39 | 31–50 | 32–49 |
Postseason
The postseason began on October 3 and ended on October 15 with the Baltimore Orioles defeating the Cincinnati Reds in the 1970 World Series in five games.
Bracket
| League Championship Series (ALCS, NLCS) | World Series | |||||||
| East | Baltimore | 3 | ||||||
| West | Minnesota | 0 | ||||||
| AL | Baltimore | 4 | ||||||
| NL | Cincinnati | 1 | ||||||
| East | Pittsburgh | 0 | ||||||
| West | Cincinnati | 3 | ||||||
Managerial changes
Off-season
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Boston Red Sox | Eddie Popowski | Eddie Kasko |
| Cincinnati Reds | Dave Bristol | Sparky Anderson |
| Kansas City Royals | Joe Gordon | Charlie Metro |
| Milwaukee Brewers | Joe Schultz Jr. (Seattle Pilots) | Dave Bristol |
| Minnesota Twins | Billy Martin | Bill Rigney |
| Philadelphia Phillies | George Myatt | Frank Lucchesi |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | Alex Grammas | Danny Murtaugh |
In-season
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago White Sox | Don Gutteridge | Bill Adair |
| Bill Adair | Chuck Tanner | |
| Kansas City Royals | Charlie Metro | Bob Lemon |
| San Francisco Giants | Clyde King | Charlie Fox |
League leaders
American League
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Alex Johnson (CAL) | .329 |
| OPS | Carl Yastrzemski (BOS) | 1.044 |
| HR | Frank Howard (WAS) | 44 |
| RBI | Frank Howard (WAS) | 126 |
| R | Carl Yastrzemski (BOS) | 125 |
| H | Tony Oliva (MIN) | 204 |
| SB | Bert Campaneris (OAK) | 42 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Mike Cuellar (BAL) Dave McNally (BAL) Jim Perry (MIN) | 24 |
| L | Mickey Lolich (DET) | 19 |
| ERA | Diego Seguí (OAK) | 2.56 |
| K | Sam McDowell (CLE) | 304 |
| IP | Sam McDowell (CLE) Jim Palmer (BAL) | 305.0 |
| SV | Ron Perranoski (MIN) | 34 |
| WHIP | Fritz Peterson (NYY) | 1.102 |
National League
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Rico Carty (ATL) | .366 |
| OPS | Willie McCovey (SF) | 1.056 |
| HR | Johnny Bench (CIN) | 45 |
| RBI | Johnny Bench (CIN) | 148 |
| R | Billy Williams (CHC) | 137 |
| H | Pete Rose (CIN) Billy Williams (CHC) | 205 |
| SB | Bobby Tolan (CIN) | 57 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Bob Gibson (STL) Gaylord Perry (SF) | 23 |
| L | Steve Carlton (STL) | 19 |
| ERA | Tom Seaver (NYM) | 2.82 |
| K | Tom Seaver (NYM) | 283 |
| IP | Gaylord Perry (SF) | 328.2 |
| SV | Wayne Granger (CIN) | 35 |
| WHIP | Ferguson Jenkins (CHC) | 1.038 |
Awards and honors
Regular season
| Baseball Writers' Association of America Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| BBWAA Award | National League | American League |
| Rookie of the Year | Carl Morton (MON) | Thurman Munson (NYY) |
| Cy Young Award | Bob Gibson (STL) | Jim Perry (MIN) |
| Most Valuable Player | Johnny Bench (CIN) | Boog Powell (BAL) |
| Babe Ruth Award (World Series MVP) | — | Brooks Robinson (BAL) |
| Gold Glove Awards | ||
| Position | National League | American League |
| Pitcher | Bob Gibson (STL) | Jim Kaat (MIN) |
| Catcher | Johnny Bench (CIN) | Ray Fosse (CLE) |
| 1st Base | Wes Parker (LAD) | Jim Spencer (CAL) |
| 2nd Base | Tommy Helms (CIN) | Davey Johnson (BAL) |
| 3rd Base | Doug Rader (HOU) | Brooks Robinson (BAL) |
| Shortstop | Don Kessinger (CHC) | Luis Aparicio (CWS) |
| Outfield | Tommie Agee (NYM) | Ken Berry (CWS) |
| Roberto Clemente (PIT) | Paul Blair (BAL) | |
| Pete Rose (CIN) | Mickey Stanley (DET) | |
Other awards
- Hutch Award: Tony Conigliaro (BOS)
- Sport Magazine's World Series Most Valuable Player Award: Brooks Robinson (BAL)
| The Sporting News Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Award | National League | American League |
| Player of the Year | Johnny Bench (CIN) | — |
| Pitcher of the Year | Bob Gibson (STL) | Sam McDowell (CLE) |
| Fireman of the Year (Relief pitcher) | Wayne Granger (CIN) | Ron Perranoski (MIN) |
| Rookie Player of the Year | Bernie Carbo (CIN) | Roy Foster (CLE) |
| Rookie Pitcher of the Year | Carl Morton (MON) | Bert Blyleven (MIN) |
| Comeback Player of the Year | Jim Hickman (CHC) | Clyde Wright (CAL) |
| Manager of the Year | Danny Murtaugh (PIT) | — |
| Executive of the Year | — | Harry Dalton (BAL) |
Monthly awards
Player of the Month
| Month | National League |
|---|---|
| May | Rico Carty (ATL) |
| June | Tommie Agee (NYM) |
| July | Bill Singer (LAD) |
| August | Bob Gibson (STL) |
Baseball Hall of Fame
- Lou Boudreau
- Earle Combs
- Jesse Haines
- Ford Frick (executive)
Home field attendance
| Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Mets | 83 | −17.0% | 2,697,479 | 24.0% | 32,896 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 102 | 14.6% | 1,803,568 | 82.5% | 22,266 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 87 | 2.4% | 1,697,142 | −4.9% | 20,952 |
| Chicago Cubs | 84 | −8.7% | 1,642,705 | −1.9% | 20,534 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 76 | −12.6% | 1,629,736 | −3.2% | 20,120 |
| Boston Red Sox | 87 | 0.0% | 1,595,278 | −13.0% | 19,695 |
| Detroit Tigers | 79 | −12.2% | 1,501,293 | −4.8% | 18,534 |
| Montreal Expos | 73 | 40.4% | 1,424,683 | 17.5% | 17,809 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 89 | 1.1% | 1,341,947 | 74.4% | 16,365 |
| Minnesota Twins | 98 | 1.0% | 1,261,887 | −6.5% | 15,579 |
| Houston Astros | 79 | −2.5% | 1,253,444 | −13.1% | 15,475 |
| New York Yankees | 93 | 16.3% | 1,136,879 | 6.4% | 14,036 |
| Atlanta Braves | 76 | −18.3% | 1,078,848 | −26.0% | 13,319 |
| California Angels | 86 | 21.1% | 1,077,741 | 42.1% | 13,305 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 108 | −0.9% | 1,057,069 | −0.5% | 13,050 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 65 | 1.6% | 933,690 | 37.7% | 11,527 |
| Washington Senators | 70 | −18.6% | 824,789 | −10.2% | 10,183 |
| Oakland Athletics | 89 | 1.1% | 778,355 | 0.0% | 9,609 |
| San Francisco Giants | 86 | −4.4% | 740,720 | −15.2% | 9,145 |
| Cleveland Indians | 76 | 22.6% | 729,752 | 17.7% | 9,009 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 73 | 15.9% | 708,247 | 36.4% | 8,853 |
| Kansas City Royals | 65 | −5.8% | 693,047 | −23.2% | 8,773 |
| San Diego Padres | 63 | 21.2% | 643,679 | 25.5% | 7,947 |
| Chicago White Sox | 56 | −17.6% | 495,355 | −16.0% | 5,897 |
Venues
The 1970 season saw three teams move to three new venues.
- With the relocation of the Seattle Pilots from Seattle, Washington to Milwaukee, Wisconsin as the Milwaukee Brewers, they leave Sick's Stadium and move into the former home of the National League's Milwaukee Braves, Milwaukee County Stadium. They would go on to play there for 31 seasons through 2000.
- The Cincinnati Reds would play their last game at Crosley Field on June 24, having played 59 seasons there, and opened Riverfront Stadium on June 30, where they would go on to play for 33 seasons through 2002.
- The Pittsburgh Pirates would play their last game at Forbes Field on June 28, having played 62 seasons there, and opened Three Rivers Stadium (with the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers) on July 16, where they would go on to play for 31 seasons through 2000.
The Philadelphia Phillies would play their final game at Connie Mack Stadium on October 1 against the Montreal Expos, moving into Veterans Stadium for the start of the 1971 season.
Television coverage
NBC was the exclusive national TV broadcaster of MLB, airing the weekend Game of the Week, the All-Star Game, both League Championship Series, and the World Series.
Retired numbers
- Lou Boudreau had his No. 5 retired by the Cleveland Indians on July 9. This was the second number retired by the team.
- Casey Stengel had his No. 37 retired by the New York Yankees on August 8. This was the fifth number retired by the team. Stengel previously had his No. 37 retired by the New York Mets in 1965.
See also
- 1970 in baseball (Events, Births, Deaths)
- 1970 Nippon Professional Baseball season
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