1970 World Series - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Game 1

Saturday, October 10, 1970 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio

Cincinnati, Ohio

Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...

The Jackson 5 performed "The Star-Spangled Banner

The Star-Spangled Banner

"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships...

" prior to the game, which almost became an embarrassment when the group realized shortly before their performance that they weren't familiar with the lyrics. The Jackson brothers were able to quickly prepare themselves in transit to the stadium and performed the song adequately.

Prior to the game a reporter asked Brooks Robinson if he thought he would be able to play defense on the artificial grass. Robinson 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."

The Reds got off to a fast start, taking a 3–0 lead off Jim Palmer

Jim Palmer

James Alvin "Jim" Palmer , nicknamed "Cakes", is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He played his entire 20-year baseball career for the Baltimore Orioles . He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in .As of 2008, Palmer and his wife Susan have homes in Palm Beach, Florida, and...

on a first-inning RBI single by Johnny Bench

Johnny Bench

Johnny Lee Bench is a former professional baseball catcher who played in the Major Leagues for the Cincinnati Reds from 1967 to 1983 and is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame...

and a third-inning two-run homer by Lee May

Lee May

Lee Andrew May is a former first baseman in Major League Baseball. From through , May played for the Cincinnati Reds , Houston Astros , Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals . He batted and threw right-handed. He is the brother of former Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees outfielder...

. The Orioles' offense answered with a two-run homer by Boog Powell

Boog Powell

John Wesley Powell is a former major league first baseman who played for the Baltimore Orioles , Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Dodgers...

in the fourth off Reds' starter Gary Nolan. Elrod Hendricks

Elrod Hendricks

Elrod Jerome "Ellie" Hendricks was a catcher and coach in Major League Baseball. Hendricks played during a 12-year career that lasted from through for the Baltimore Orioles , Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees...

tied it with a solo homer in the fifth, and Brooks Robinson

Brooks Robinson

Brooks Calbert Robinson, Jr. is a former American professional baseball player. He played his entire 23-year major league career for the Baltimore Orioles . Nicknamed "The Human Vacuum Cleaner", he is generally acclaimed as the greatest defensive third-basemen in major league history...

hit the game-winning homer in the seventh. Prior to his game-winning blast in the sixth inning, Robinson made a spectacular backhanded grab of a hard grounder hit down the third base line by May and spun to throw him out. It was one of several spectacular plays the Gold Glove third baseman would make in the series.

The game turned in the sixth inning on a controversial call by home-plate umpire Ken Burkhart

Ken Burkhart

Kenneth William Burkhart, born Burkhardt , was an American right-handed pitcher and umpire in Major League Baseball. From through he played for the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds , and he served as a National League umpire from 1957 to 1973.Burkhart was born in Knoxville, Tennessee...

. The Reds had Bernie Carbo

Bernie Carbo

Bernardo 'Bernie' Carbo is a former outfielder and designated hitter who played from through for the Cincinnati Reds , St. Louis Cardinals , Boston Red Sox , Milwaukee Brewers , Cleveland Indians and Pittsburgh Pirates . He batted left-handed and threw right-handed...

on third and Tommy Helms

Tommy Helms

Tommy Vann Helms is a former Major League Baseball player and manager. Over a fourteen year career , Helms played for four different teams, including eight seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, four with the Houston Astros, and one apiece with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Red Sox...

on first when Ty Cline

Ty Cline

Tyrone Alexander Cline was a Major League baseball player, primarily a reserve outfielder and pinch-hitter for the Cleveland Indians , Milwaukee Braves , Chicago Cubs , Atlanta Braves , San Francisco Giants , Montreal Expos and Cincinnati Reds .He was instrumental in helping the...

, batting for Woodward, hit a high chopper in front of the plate. Burkhart positioned himself in front of the plate to call the ball fair or foul as Carbo sped home. O's catcher Hendricks fielded the ball and turned to tag Carbo with Burkhart blocking the way. Hendricks tagged the sliding Carbo with his glove hand while holding the ball in his other hand; all the while, Burkhart was knocked to the ground and had his back turned to what was going on. When Burkhart turned around and saw Carbo well out of the baseline and not near the plate and that Hendricks had the ball in his hand, he signaled Carbo out without asking for help from the other umpires. Carbo and Reds' manager Sparky Anderson

Sparky Anderson

George Lee "Sparky" Anderson was an American Major League Baseball manager. He managed the National League's Cincinnati Reds to the 1975 and 1976 championships, then added a third title in 1984 with the Detroit Tigers of the American League. He was the first manager to win the World Series in both...

vehemently argued the call, but to no avail. Palmer allowed no more hits in the sixth and seventh innings. After Palmer walked Pete Rose

Pete Rose

Peter Edward Rose , nicknamed "Charlie Hustle", is a former Major League Baseball player and manager. Rose played from 1963 to 1986, and managed from 1984 to 1989....

with two outs in the ninth, Pete Richert

Pete Richert

Peter Gerard Richert is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He pitched for the Los Angeles Dodgers , Washington Senators , Baltimore Orioles , St...

relieved Palmer and got Tolan to line out to shortstop Mark Belanger

Mark Belanger

Mark Henry Belanger was an American shortstop in Major League Baseball who played almost his entire career with the Baltimore Orioles...

to end the game.

Game 2

Sunday, October 11, 1970 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio
Again, another fast start by the Reds fell by the wayside. The Reds scored three in the first on a two-run double by Lee May

Lee May

, who went to third when Orioles center fielder Paul Blair

Paul Blair (baseball)

Paul L. D. Blair is a former outfielder who spent seventeen seasons in Major League Baseball with the Baltimore Orioles , New York Yankees and Cincinnati Reds...

bobbled the ball. Hal McRae

Hal McRae

Harold Abraham McRae is a former left fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Cincinnati Reds and Kansas City Royals . Utilized as a designated hitter for most of his career, McRae batted and threw right-handed...

squeeze-bunted May home for the third run. They pushed the lead to 4–0 on a homer by Bobby Tolan

Bobby Tolan

Robert Tolan is a former center and right fielder in Major League Baseball. Tolan, who batted and threw left-handed, played for the St. Louis Cardinals , Cincinnati Reds , San Diego Padres , Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates...

in the third.

The Orioles began their comeback innocently enough on a Boog Powell

Boog Powell

John Wesley Powell is a former major league first baseman who played for the Baltimore Orioles , Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Dodgers...

solo homer in the fourth. In the fifth, the floodgates opened. With one out, Reds' starter Jim McGlothlin

Jim McGlothlin

James Milton McGlothlin , nicknamed "Red", was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He graduated from Reseda High School in 1961...

gave up successive singles to pinch-hitter Chico Salmon

Chico Salmon

Ruthford Eduardo "Chico" Salmon was a Panamanian Major League Baseball utility player. He played for the Cleveland Indians and the Baltimore Orioles...

and Don Buford

Don Buford

Donald Alvin Buford is a former Major League Baseball player. An infielder/outfielder, the switch-hitting Buford played for the Chicago White Sox and Baltimore Orioles ....

. Paul Blair

Paul Blair (baseball)

Paul L. D. Blair is a former outfielder who spent seventeen seasons in Major League Baseball with the Baltimore Orioles , New York Yankees and Cincinnati Reds...

singled home Salmon, chasing McGlothlin and bringing in Milt Wilcox

Milt Wilcox

Milton Edward Wilcox was a pitcher who had a sixteen-year career from 1970 to 1975, 1977–1986. He played for the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs of the National League and the Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners of the American League...

. Wilcox gave up RBI singles to Powell and Brooks Robinson

Brooks Robinson

and the crushing blow, a two-run double to Elrod Hendricks

Elrod Hendricks

.

The Reds would get back one run in the sixth on a Johnny Bench

Johnny Bench

Johnny Lee Bench is a former professional baseball catcher who played in the Major Leagues for the Cincinnati Reds from 1967 to 1983 and is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame...

home run, but that was it.

Game 3

Tuesday, October 13, 1970 at Memorial Stadium

Memorial Stadium (Baltimore)

Memorial Stadium was a sports stadium in Baltimore, Maryland, that formerly stood on 33rd Street on an over-sized block also bounded by Ellerslie Avenue , 36th Street , and Ednor Road...

in Baltimore, Maryland
Left-hander Dave McNally

Dave McNally

David Arthur "Dave" McNally was a Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher from until . He was signed by the Baltimore Orioles and played with them every season except for his final season with the Montreal Expos.McNally has the unique distinction as the only pitcher in Major League...

had a banner day, pitching a complete game, scattering nine hits. McNally's most significant contribution was with the bat, however. He connected for a grand slam

Grand slam (baseball)

In the sport of baseball, a grand slam is a home run hit with all three bases occupied by baserunners , thereby scoring four runs—the most possible in one play. According to The Dickson Baseball Dictionary, the term originated in the card game of contract bridge, in which a grand slam involves...

in the sixth inning off reliever Wayne Granger

Wayne Granger

Wayne Allan Granger is a former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher who played for the St. Louis Cardinals , Cincinnati Reds , Minnesota Twins , St. Louis Cardinals , New York Yankees , Chicago White Sox , Houston Astros and Montreal Expos...

to break the game wide open. (As a sidenote, Granger had entered the game in that inning in relief of Tony Cloninger

Tony Cloninger

Tony Lee Cloninger , is a former Major League Baseball starting pitcher who played for the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves , the Cincinnati Reds , and the St. Louis Cardinals...

—the only pitcher, to date, to hit two grand slams in one game.) Cloninger, who battled back from near blindness in 1967, kept battling, but after giving up five runs on three walks and six hits, including HRs to Frank Robinson and Buford, was mercifully pulled in the sixth inning. Dave McNally, not especially known as a hitter, became the first pitcher to hit a World Series grand slam

Grand slam (baseball)

home run. The Reds were now down 3–0 in games and in big trouble.

It was in this game that Brooks Robinson

Brooks Robinson

would stake his claim as one of the best fielding third sackers of all time. After Pete Rose

Pete Rose

Peter Edward Rose , nicknamed "Charlie Hustle", is a former Major League Baseball player and manager. Rose played from 1963 to 1986, and managed from 1984 to 1989....

and Bobby Tolan

Bobby Tolan

led the game off with consecutive hits, Robinson made a sensational, leaping grab of Tony Pérez

Tony Pérez

Atanasio Pérez Rigal , more commonly known as Tony Pérez, is a former Major League Baseball player. He was also known by the nickname "Big Dog," "Big Doggie," and "Doggie."...

's hopper, stepped on third and fired to first for a perfect double play. In the second inning, Robinson snagged a slow grounder hit by Tommy Helms

Tommy Helms

and threw out the sprinting second baseman. And, in the sixth, Robinson made a diving catch of a line drive hit by Johnny Bench

Johnny Bench

Johnny Lee Bench is a former professional baseball catcher who played in the Major Leagues for the Cincinnati Reds from 1967 to 1983 and is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame...

. The Memorial Stadium faithful responded by giving Brooks a standing ovation as he came to bat in the bottom of the sixth inning. Robinson responded by doubling to left.

Game 4

Wednesday, October 14, 1970 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland
The Reds staved off a Series sweep in this game thanks to clutch hitting by Lee May

Lee May

and stellar relief pitching by rookie Don Gullett and veteran Clay Carroll

Clay Carroll

Clay Palmer Carroll is a former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball with a 15-year career from 1964 to 1978. He pitched for the Milwaukee Braves & Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, St...

.

With a 2–1 lead in the third, Reds' starter Gary Nolan gave up two-out RBI singles to Frank Robinson

Frank Robinson

Frank Robinson , is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and manager. He played from 1956–1976, most notably for the Cincinnati Reds and the Baltimore Orioles. He is the only player to win league MVP honors in both the National and American Leagues...

and Brooks Robinson

Brooks Robinson

. Gullett relieved Nolan and surrendered another RBI single to Elrod Hendricks

Elrod Hendricks

. The Reds crept back in the fifth on a solo homer by Pete Rose

Pete Rose

Peter Edward Rose , nicknamed "Charlie Hustle", is a former Major League Baseball player and manager. Rose played from 1963 to 1986, and managed from 1984 to 1989....

.

Gullett gave up an unearned run in the sixth when Hendricks singled Brooks Robinson

Brooks Robinson

to third and Robinson scored when Rose's attempted throw from right field sailed past Tony Pérez

Tony Pérez

Atanasio Pérez Rigal , more commonly known as Tony Pérez, is a former Major League Baseball player. He was also known by the nickname "Big Dog," "Big Doggie," and "Doggie."...

at third.

In the eighth, Perez walked and Johnny Bench

Johnny Bench

Johnny Lee Bench is a former professional baseball catcher who played in the Major Leagues for the Cincinnati Reds from 1967 to 1983 and is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame...

singled. Lee May

Lee May

then slammed a three-run homer off Orioles' reliever Eddie Watt

Eddie Watt

Eddie Dean Watt is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. The 5'10", 197 lb. right-hander was signed by the Baltimore Orioles as an amateur free agent on September 5, 1961...

to put the Reds ahead. Carroll, who had entered in the seventh, made the lead stand up. Gullett and Carroll pitched innings, giving up four hits and one unearned run, allowing the Reds to claw back on May's heroics. The Reds' victory snapped Baltimore's 17-game winning streak, which included the last 11 regular season games and a three-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins in the playoffs.

Game 5

Thursday, October 15, 1970 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland
Seemingly re-energized from their Game 4 win, the Reds rocked Mike Cuellar

Mike Cuellar

Miguel Ángel Cuellar Santana [KWAY-ar] was a Cuban left-handed starting pitcher who spent fifteen seasons in Major League Baseball with the Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Astros, Baltimore Orioles and California Angels...

for three runs in the first on an RBI single by Johnny Bench

Johnny Bench

Johnny Lee Bench is a former professional baseball catcher who played in the Major Leagues for the Cincinnati Reds from 1967 to 1983 and is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame...

and a two-run double by Hal McRae

Hal McRae

. That would be it for the Reds as Cuellar settled down and allowed no more runs and only two hits the rest of the way in a complete-game win.

Meanwhile, the Orioles jumped on the Reds' 20-game winner Jim Merritt, who had been battling a tired arm and had not pitched in 10 days. Frank Robinson

Frank Robinson

hit a two-run homer, Merv Rettenmund

Merv Rettenmund

Mervin Weldon Rettenmund is a former Major League Baseball player and coach. He played thirteen seasons with the Baltimore Orioles , the Cincinnati Reds , the San Diego Padres and the California Angels ....

had a homer and two RBI, and Davey Johnson

Davey Johnson

David Allen "Davey" Johnson is an American Major League Baseball player and current manager of the Washington Nationals. He was the starting second baseman for the Baltimore Orioles when they won four American League pennants and two World Series championships between 1965 and 1972...

had two RBI to pace the Orioles. Merritt didn't make it out of the second inning for the Reds.

Brooks Robinson

Brooks Robinson

won the World Series Most Valuable Player Award hitting .429, (which 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

Paul Blair (baseball)

Paul L. D. Blair is a former outfielder who spent seventeen seasons in Major League Baseball with the Baltimore Orioles , New York Yankees and Cincinnati Reds...

for most hits in a five-game Series with nine (9). Total Baseball described Brooks Robinson's fielding with, "other-worldly defense at third (which) gave Reds right-handed hitters nightmares through the Series." Upon hearing that Brooks Robinson had won the MVP award and a new car from Toyota, Reds' catcher Johnny Bench

Johnny Bench

Johnny Lee Bench is a former professional baseball catcher who played in the Major Leagues for the Cincinnati Reds from 1967 to 1983 and is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame...

said, "If we had known he wanted a car that badly, we'd all have chipped in and bought him one."

The victory was redemption for Baltimore, which lost to the underdog New York Mets in the 1969 World Series.

The game was the last in the majors for Emmett Ashford, who became the first black umpire to make it to the top level of baseball when he was hired by the American League in 1966. Ashford reached MLB's then-mandatory retirement age of 55 in late 1969, but was allowed by AL president Joe Cronin

Joe Cronin

Joseph Edward Cronin was a Major League Baseball shortstop and manager.During a 20-year playing career, he played from 1926–45 for three different teams, primarily for the Boston Red Sox. Cronin was a major league manager from 1933–47...

to come back for 1970, giving him the opportunity to break the World Series color barrier for umpires. Since the series ended in five games, he did not get to work home plate. Under the rotation system in use at the time, the leagues assigned their senior umpires to work the plate in the early games, with the junior umpires only getting to work the plate if the series was extended. Ashford's AL colleagues on the World Series crew, John (Red) Flaherty and Bob Stewart, each worked World Series prior to Ashford's promotion. A black umpire did not call balls and strikes in a World Series game until 1993

1993 World Series

-Game 1:Saturday, October 16, 1993 at SkyDome in Toronto, OntarioThe Series' first game sent two staff aces—Curt Schilling for Philadelphia and Juan Guzman for Toronto—against one another. The result was less than a pitcher's duel, however, as both teams scored early and often.The deciding plays...

, when the NL's Charlie Williams worked the plate in Game 4.

Since MLB combined the umpiring staffs of the two leagues in 2000, the crew chief works the plate in Games 1 and 7 of the LCS and World Series, while the other senior umpires don't call balls and strikes until Games 5 and 6. In the Division Series, the crew chief waits until Game 3 or Game 5 to work the plate.

mlb.com coverage of Game 5

----

Composite box

1970 World Series (4–1): Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...

(A.L.) over Cincinnati Reds

Cincinnati Reds

The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....

(N.L.)

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.