1970 Cleveland Indians season
Encyclopedia
The Cleveland Indians
season was the 70th season for the franchise. The club finished in fifth place in the American League East
with a record of 76 wins and 86 losses.
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
season was the 70th season for the franchise. The club finished in fifth place in the American League East
American League East
The American League Eastern Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions . This division was created before the start of the 1969 season along with the Western Division...
with a record of 76 wins and 86 losses.
Offseason
- December 5, 1969: Horacio PiñaHoracio PiñaHoracio Piña García [pee'-nyah] is a former relief pitcher who played in Major League Baseball between and . Piña also played professionally in Mexico for several years...
, Ron LawRon LawRonald David Law is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for one season. He pitched in 35 games for the Cleveland Indians during the 1969 Cleveland Indians season.-External links:...
and Dave NelsonDave NelsonDavid Earl Nelson is a former Major League Baseball player and one of the current broadcasters for the Milwaukee Brewers baseball team on Fox Sports Wisconsin...
were traded by the Indians to the Washington SenatorsTexas Rangers (baseball)The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
for Dennis HigginsDennis HigginsDennis Dean Higgins is a former professional baseball player. He was a right-handed pitcher over parts of seven seasons with the Chicago White Sox, Washington Senators, Cleveland Indians and St. Louis Cardinals...
and Barry Moore. - December 10, 1969: Luis TiantLuis TiantLuis Clemente Tiant Vega , born November 23, 1940 in Marianao, Cuba, , is a former right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Cleveland Indians , Minnesota Twins , Boston Red Sox , New York Yankees , Pittsburgh Pirates and California Angels...
and Stan WilliamsStan Williams (baseball)Stanley Wilson Williams , nicknamed "Big Daddy" and "The Big Hurt", is a former Major League Baseball starting and relief pitcher who threw and batted right-handed. He played for the Los Angeles Dodgers , New York Yankees , Cleveland Indians , Minnesota Twins , St...
were traded by the Indians to the Minnesota TwinsMinnesota TwinsThe Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
for Dean ChanceDean ChanceWilmer Dean Chance is a former American Major League Baseball pitcher. Over the right hander's 11-year major league career, he would play for the Los Angeles Angels, Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Indians, New York Mets, and Detroit Tigers...
, Bob Miller, Ted UhlaenderTed UhlaenderTheodore Otto Uhlaender was a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds from –. He was also the father of Olympic women's skeleton competitor Katie Uhlaender.Signed by the Twins out of Baylor University in 1961, he made his major league...
, and Graig NettlesGraig NettlesGraig Nettles , nicknamed "Puff", is a former Major League Baseball third baseman. During a 22-year baseball career, he played for the Minnesota Twins , Cleveland Indians , New York Yankees , San Diego Padres , Atlanta Braves and Montreal Expos .Nettles was one of the best...
. - January 17, 1970: Chris ChamblissChris ChamblissCarroll Christopher Chambliss is a former Major League Baseball player who played from to for the Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves...
was drafted by the Indians in the 1st round (1st pick) of the 1970 Major League Baseball Draft1970 Major League Baseball Draft-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1970 Major League Baseball draft.* Did not sign- Background :The regular and secondary phases of the January draft proved more fruitful to major league clubs than the June draft...
.
Notable transactions
- June 4, 1970: 1970 Major League Baseball Draft1970 Major League Baseball Draft-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1970 Major League Baseball draft.* Did not sign- Background :The regular and secondary phases of the January draft proved more fruitful to major league clubs than the June draft...
- Tommy SmithTommy Smith (baseball)Tommy Alexander Smith is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He played five seasons in the majors, four for the Cleveland Indians and one for the Seattle Mariners, mostly in the outfield....
was drafted by the Indians in the 5th round. - Dennis KinneyDennis KinneyDennis Paul Kinney is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He played all or part of five seasons in the majors, from until ....
was drafted by the Indians in the 10th round.
- Tommy Smith
- August 11, 1970: Lou KlimchockLou KlimchockLouis Stephen Klimchock was an infielder for the Kansas City Athletics , Milwaukee Braves , Washington Senators , New York Mets and Cleveland Indians ....
was released by the Indians.
Roster
| 1970 Cleveland Indians | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers | Catchers Infielders |
Outfielders | Manager Coaches |
||||||
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 120 | 450 | 138 | .307 | 18 | 61 | |
| 1B | 115 | 413 | 111 | .269 | 17 | 59 | |
| 2B | 152 | 549 | 136 | .248 | 10 | 56 | |
| 3B | 157 | 549 | 129 | .235 | 26 | 62 | |
| SS | 133 | 445 | 94 | .211 | 6 | 37 | |
| LF | 139 | 477 | 128 | .268 | 23 | 60 | |
| CF | 141 | 473 | 127 | .268 | 11 | 46 | |
| RF | 148 | 574 | 164 | .286 | 24 | 82 |
Other batters
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 110 | 345 | 91 | .264 | 23 | 56 | |
| 107 | 195 | 62 | .318 | 9 | 29 | |
| 75 | 163 | 32 | .196 | 7 | 23 | |
| 72 | 155 | 40 | .258 | 0 | 15 | |
| 41 | 56 | 9 | .161 | 1 | 2 | |
| 26 | 46 | 8 | .174 | 1 | 1 | |
| 17 | 43 | 11 | .256 | 1 | 6 | |
| 42 | 43 | 10 | .233 | 2 | 4 | |
| 17 | 39 | 11 | .282 | 1 | 1 | |
| 29 | 33 | 6 | .182 | 1 | 2 | |
| 17 | 24 | 3 | .125 | 1 | 2 | |
| 16 | 15 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 39 | 305 | 20 | 12 | 2.92 | 304 | |
| 35 | 159.2 | 6 | 13 | 3.83 | 110 | |
| 23 | 142.2 | 11 | 3 | 2.90 | 72 | |
| 19 | 94.1 | 4 | 9 | 4.96 | 77 | |
| 13 | 70.1 | 3 | 5 | 4.22 | 35 |
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | 155 | 9 | 8 | 4.24 | |
| 30 | 88 | 2 | 8 | 4.81 | |
| 31 | 67.2 | 2 | 5 | 4.79 | |
| 8 | 26 | 1 | 1 | 4.15 |
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 58 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 3.99 | 82 | |
| 55 | 2 | 10 | 8 | 4.19 | 52 | |
| 42 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 4.02 | 43 | |
| 29 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4.53 | 13 | |
| 23 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7.26 | 17 | |
| 21 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2.66 | 16 | |
| 15 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4.18 |
Award winners
- Ray Fosse, Gold Glove AwardGold Glove AwardThe Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in both the National League and the American League , as voted by the...
- All-Star Game1970 Major League Baseball All-Star GameThe 1970 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 41st midseason exhibition between the all-stars of the American League and the National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was played on July 14, 1970 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, home of the...