1971 World Series
From BR Bullpen
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Pittsburgh Pirates (97-65, NL) over Baltimore Orioles (101-57, AL)
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[edit] Summary
The 1971 World Series between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Baltimore Orioles was an epic pitching battle that energized the baseball world in both Pittsburgh and Baltimore. The Orioles took an early 2 games to none lead in Baltimore behind the stellar pitching of Dave McNally and Jim Palmer. The next 3 games in Pittsburgh were dominated by the Pirates who swept the homestand behind the strong arms of Steve Blass and Nelson Briles who both pitched and won complete games for the Pirates. Finally, the two teams returned to Baltimore, the Pirates holding a 3 games to 2 lead in the series. Game six resulted in the Orioles using both Jim Palmer (as a starter) and Dave McNally (as a reliever) to win a one run game and tie the series at 3 games apiece. This forced a game seven, which was a rematch of Game 3 with Mike Cuellar of the Orioles, a 20 game winner in 1971, and Steve Blass, who had won the third game of the series just five days before. In a tight game, Blass pitched his second complete game of the Series and the Pirates won 2-1.
Besides the incredible pitching talent in these games, the talent in the field was even more impressive with greats like Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, and Boog Powell leading the Orioles, and Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, Bill Mazeroski, and Manny Sanguillen leading the Pirates.
One of the more significant events in the series was Game 4 which was played at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. This game was the first night game ever to be played in the World Series. Since that time, nearly every World Series game has been played at night to accommodate the TV audience.
[edit] Significant Accomplishments
Pittsburgh Pirates
Roberto Clemente hit .414 in the series (12 for 29) with 2 Home Runs. He hit safely in all 7 games of the series.
Steve Blass pitched 2 complete game victories and won game 7 for the Pirates. He gave up only one run in each start.
Manny Sanguillen hit .379 and Bob Robertson had 2 Home Runs and 5 RBIs in the series.
Baltimore Orioles
Frank Robinson started out strong with 7 hits and 2 Home Runs in the first 3 games in the series.
Brooks Robinson hit .318 with 5 RBIs in the series.
Don Buford hit well with 2 Home Runs and 2 RBIs.
Brooks Robinson and Mark Belanger made remarkable plays on the left side of the infield to keep the Orioles in the series.
Jim Palmer and Dave McNally held the Orioles pitching staff together and helped the team with 2 quick wins at home to start the series.
[edit] Game Summaries:
Game 1:
Pirates : 3
Orioles : 5
Winning Pitcher: Dave McNally
Losing Pitcher : Dock Ellis
Home Runs:
Orioles : Frank Robinson, Rettenmund, Buford
Game 2:
Pirates : 3
Orioles : 11
Winning Pitcher : Jim Palmer
Losing Pitcher : Bob Johnson
Home Runs:
Pirates : Richie Hebner
Game 3:
Orioles : 1
Pirates : 5
Winning Pitcher : Steve Blass
Losing Pitcher : Mike Cuellar
Home Runs:
Orioles : Frank Robinson
Pirates : Bob Robertson
Game 4:
Orioles : 3
Pirates : 4
Winning Pitcher : Bruce Kison
Losing Pitcher : Eddie Watt
Home Runs: none
Game 5:
Orioles : 0
Pirates : 4
Winning Pitcher : Nelson Briles
Losing Pitcher : Dave McNally
Home Runs:
Pirates : Bob Robertson
Game 6:
Pirates : 2
Orioles : 3
Winning Pitcher : Dave McNally
Losing Pitcher : Bobby Miller
Home Runs:
Pirates : Roberto Clemente
Orioles : Don Buford
Game 7:
Pirates : 2
Orioles : 1
Winning Pitcher : Steve Blass
Losing Pitcher : Mike Cuellar
Home Runs :
Pirates : Roberto Clemente
[edit] Stats
[edit] Pittsburgh Pirates
[edit] Batting
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 |
|---|
[edit] Pitching
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|
[edit] Baltimore Orioles
[edit] Batting
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 |
|---|
[edit] Pitching
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|
[edit] Further Reading
- Bruce Markusen: The Team That Changed Baseball: Roberto Clemente and the 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates, Westholme Publishing, Yardley, PA, 2006.
This page needs wiki formatting, links and a general cleanup.
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NL Championship Series (3-1) Pirates over Giants | |||
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World Series (4-3) Pirates over Orioles | |||
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AL Championship Series (3-0) Orioles over Athletics |
| Modern Major League Baseball World Series
Pre-1903 Postseason Series |
