1974 Baltimore Orioles season
Encyclopedia
The Baltimore Orioles
season was a season in American baseball
. It involved the Orioles finishing first in the American League East
with a record of 91 wins and 71 losses. The Orioles went on to lose to the Oakland Athletics
in the 1974 American League Championship Series
, 3 games to 1.
Bobby Grich
, shortstop
Mark Belanger
and third baseman
Brooks Robinson
each led the American League
for their positions in assists.
defeated the Orioles, 3-1
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...
season was a season in American baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
. It involved the Orioles finishing first 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 91 wins and 71 losses. The Orioles went on to lose to the Oakland Athletics
1974 Oakland Athletics season
The Oakland Athletics season involved the A's winning their fourth consecutive American League West title with a record of 90 wins and 72 losses...
in the 1974 American League Championship Series
1974 American League Championship Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 5, 1974 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland, CaliforniaThe Birds jumped all over the ace of the Oakland staff, Catfish Hunter, pounding him for six runs and eight hits, including three homers in less than five innings. Hunter had a skein of seven straight...
, 3 games to 1.
Offseason
- December 4, 1973: Merv RettenmundMerv RettenmundMervin 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 ....
, Junior KennedyJunior KennedyJunior Raymond Kennedy was a Major League Baseball second baseman for seven seasons, five with the Cincinnati Reds and two with the Chicago Cubs ....
and Bill Wood (minors) were traded by the Orioles to the Cincinnati RedsCincinnati RedsThe 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....
for Ross GrimsleyRoss GrimsleyRoss Albert Grimsley II is a former left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Cincinnati Reds , Baltimore Orioles , Montreal Expos and Cleveland Indians...
and Wally Williams (minors). - December 10, 1973: Dennis MartínezDennis MartínezJosé Dennis Martínez Emilia , nicknamed "El Presidente" , is a former Major League Baseball pitcher...
was signed by the Baltimore Orioles as an amateur free agent.
Regular season
Much of the success of the team can be attributed to its infield. second basemanSecond baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
Bobby Grich
Bobby Grich
Robert Anthony "Bobby" Grich is an American former professional baseball second baseman who played for the Baltimore Orioles and California Angels of Major League Baseball...
, shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
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...
and third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
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...
each led the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
for their positions in assists.
Notable transactions
- June 5, 1974: Rich DauerRich DauerRichard Fremont Dauer , is a former professional baseball player who played with the Baltimore Orioles primarily as an infielder from 1976-85. He played in two World Series with the Orioles....
was drafted by the Orioles in the 1st round (24th pick) of the 1974 Major League Baseball Draft1974 Major League Baseball draft-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1974 Major League Baseball draft.* Did not sign- Background :With the number one pick of the June regular phase, San Diego tabbed infielder Bill Almon from Brown University, one of six shortstops selected in round one...
. - September 11, 1974: The Orioles traded a player to be named later and cash to the California Angels for Bob OliverBob OliverRobert Lee Oliver is a former first baseman and outfielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates , Kansas City Royals , California Angels , Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees...
. The Orioles completed the trade by sending Mickey ScottMickey ScottRalph Robert Scott was a left-handed specialist pitcher in North American Major League Baseball who played in portions of five seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, Montreal Expos and California Angels from 1972 to 1977...
to the Angels on October 3. - September 16, 1974: Jim Northrup was purchased by the Orioles from the Montreal ExposMontreal ExposThe Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
.
Roster
| 1974 Baltimore Orioles | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers |
Catchers Infielders |
Outfielders Other batters |
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 | 118 | 413 | 105 | .254 | 14 | 52 | |
| 1B | 110 | 344 | 91 | .265 | 12 | 45 | |
| 2B | 160 | 582 | 153 | .263 | 19 | 82 | |
| 3B | 153 | 553 | 159 | .288 | 7 | 59 | |
| SS | 155 | 493 | 11 | .225 | 5 | 36 | |
| LF | 137 | 489 | 133 | .272 | 10 | 59 | |
| CF | 151 | 552 | 144 | .261 | 17 | 62 | |
| RF | 113 | 411 | 100 | .243 | 4 | 32 | |
| DH | 128 | 626 | 181 | .289 | 11 | 84 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 94 | 270 | 63 | .233 | 1 | 19 | |
| 64 | 189 | 42 | .222 | 7 | 28 | |
| 62 | 180 | 40 | .222 | 2 | 15 | |
| 80 | 174 | 42 | .241 | 3 | 17 | |
| 66 | 159 | 33 | .208 | 3 | 8 | |
| 24 | 29 | 5 | .172 | 0 | 0 | |
| 12 | 20 | 5 | .250 | 0 | 2 | |
| 9 | 20 | 3 | .150 | 0 | 4 | |
| 6 | 15 | 4 | .267 | 0 | 1 | |
| 7 | 8 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | |
| 8 | 7 | 4 | .571 | 1 | 3 | |
| 1 | 1 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 295.2 | 18 | 13 | 3.07 | 158 | |
| 39 | 259 | 16 | 10 | 3.58 | 111 | |
| 38 | 269.1 | 22 | 10 | 3.11 | 106 | |
| 26 | 178.2 | 7 | 12 | 3.27 | 84 |
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 | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | 114.1 | 6 | 9 | 4.01 | 40 | |
| 20 | 91 | 5 | 5 | 2.97 | 40 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 54 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 2.73 | 43 | |
| 49 | 6 | 4 | 12 | 2.57 | 56 | |
| 20 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3.45 | 26 | |
| 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4.40 | 31 | |
| 11 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2.93 | 6 |
ALCS
The Athletics1974 Oakland Athletics season
The Oakland Athletics season involved the A's winning their fourth consecutive American League West title with a record of 90 wins and 72 losses...
defeated the Orioles, 3-1
| Game | Score | Date | Location | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baltimore - 6, Oakland - 3 | October 5 | Oakland Coliseum | 41,609 |
| 2 | Baltimore - 0, Oakland - 5 | October 6 | Oakland Coliseum | 42,810 |
| 3 | Oakland - 1, Baltimore - 0 | October 8 | 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... |
32,060 |
| 4 | Oakland - 2, Baltimore - 1 | October 9 | 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... |
28,136 |