1971 Major League Baseball season

1971 MLB season
League	Major League Baseball
Sport	Baseball
Duration	April 5, 1971 – September 30, 1971
Regular season
Season MVP	AL: Vida Blue (OAK) NL: Joe Torre (STL)
Postseason
AL champions	Baltimore Orioles
AL runners-up	Oakland Athletics
NL champions	Pittsburgh Pirates
NL runners-up	San Francisco Giants
World Series
Champions	Pittsburgh Pirates
Runners-up	Baltimore Orioles
World Series MVP	Roberto Clemente (PIT)

The 1971 Major League Baseball season was the final season for the Senators in Washington, D.C., before the team's relocation to the Dallas-Fort Worth suburb Arlington for the following season, as the Texas Rangers, leaving the nation's capital without a baseball team of its own until 2005.

This was the final season the majority of MLB teams wore wool flannel uniforms. The Pirates and Cardinals wore double knit uniforms of nylon and rayon throughout 1971, and the Orioles gradually phased out flannels, going all-double knit in time for the ALCS. By 1973, flannel uniforms completely disappeared from the MLB scene.

Regular season standings

American League AL East W L Pct. GB Home Road Baltimore Orioles 101 57 0.639 — 53–24 48–33 Detroit Tigers 91 71 0.562 12 54–27 37–44 Boston Red Sox 85 77 0.525 18 47–33 38–44 New York Yankees 82 80 0.506 21 44–37 38–43 Washington Senators 63 96 0.396 38½ 35–46 28–50 Cleveland Indians 60 102 0.370 43 29–52 31–50 AL West W L Pct. GB Home Road Oakland Athletics 101 60 0.627 — 46–35 55–25 Kansas City Royals 85 76 0.528 16 44–37 41–39 Chicago White Sox 79 83 0.488 22½ 39–42 40–41 California Angels 76 86 0.469 25½ 35–46 41–40 Minnesota Twins 74 86 0.463 26½ 37–42 37–44 Milwaukee Brewers 69 92 0.429 32 34–48 35–44

National League NL East W L Pct. GB Home Road Pittsburgh Pirates 97 65 0.599 — 52–28 45–37 St. Louis Cardinals 90 72 0.556 7 45–36 45–36 Chicago Cubs 83 79 0.512 14 44–37 39–42 New York Mets 83 79 0.512 14 44–37 39–42 Montreal Expos 71 90 0.441 25½ 36–44 35–46 Philadelphia Phillies 67 95 0.414 30 34–47 33–48 NL West W L Pct. GB Home Road San Francisco Giants 90 72 0.556 — 51–30 39–42 Los Angeles Dodgers 89 73 0.549 1 42–39 47–34 Atlanta Braves 82 80 0.506 8 43–39 39–41 Cincinnati Reds 79 83 0.488 11 46–35 33–48 Houston Astros 79 83 0.488 11 39–42 40–41 San Diego Padres 61 100 0.379 28½ 33–48 28–52

Postseason

	League Championship Series NBC					World Series NBC
	East	Baltimore	3
	West	Oakland	0
						AL	Baltimore	3
						NL	Pittsburgh	4
	East	Pittsburgh	3
	West	San Francisco	1

• World Series MVP: Roberto Clemente
• All-Star Game, July 13 at Tiger Stadium: American League, 6–4; Frank Robinson, MVP

Awards and honors

• Most Valuable Player
  • Vida Blue, Oakland Athletics (AL)
  • Joe Torre, St. Louis Cardinals (NL)
• Cy Young Award
  • Vida Blue, Oakland Athletics (AL)
  • Ferguson Jenkins, Chicago Cubs (NL)
• Rookie of the Year
  • Chris Chambliss, Cleveland Indians (AL)
  • Earl Williams, Atlanta Braves (NL)

Statistical leaders

	American League		National League
Type	Name	Stat	Name	Stat
AVG	Tony Oliva MIN	.337	Joe Torre STL	.363
HR	Bill Melton CHW	33	Willie Stargell PIT	48
RBI	Harmon Killebrew MIN	119	Joe Torre STL	137
Wins	Mickey Lolich DET	25	Ferguson Jenkins CHC	24
ERA	Vida Blue OAK	1.82	Tom Seaver NYM	1.76
SO	Mickey Lolich DET	308	Tom Seaver NYM	289
SV	Ken Sanders MIL	31	Dave Giusti PIT	30
SB	Amos Otis KCR	52	Lou Brock STL	64

Regular Season Recap

Three of the four division races were anticlimactic; the only race was in the N.L. West between old rivals Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants. The Giants led by 8.5 games on September 1 but the Dodgers chipped away. In mid September, the Dodgers won 8 in a row, including 5 over the Giants to narrow the gap to one game. But they could get no closer; ultimately both teams won on the final day of the season and the Giants won the division by 1 game.

Major league baseball final standings

American League Club Wins Losses Win %   GB East Division Baltimore Orioles 101 57 .639 – Detroit Tigers 91 71 .562 12 Boston Red Sox 85 77 .525 18 New York Yankees 82 80 .506 21 Washington Senators 63 96 .396 38.5 Cleveland Indians 60 102 .370 43 West Division Oakland Athletics 101 60 .627 – Kansas City Royals 85 76 .528 16 Chicago White Sox 79 83 .488 22.5 California Angels 76 86 .469 25.5 Minnesota Twins 74 86 .463 26.5 Milwaukee Brewers 69 92 .429 32

National League Club Wins Losses Win %   GB East Division Pittsburgh Pirates 97 65 .599 – St. Louis Cardinals 90 72 .556 7 Chicago Cubs 83 79 .512 14 New York Mets 83 79 .512 14 Montreal Expos 71 90 .441 25.5 Philadelphia Phillies 67 95 .414 30 West Division San Francisco Giants 90 72 .556 – Los Angeles Dodgers 89 73 .549 1 Atlanta Braves 82 80 .506 8 Cincinnati Reds 79 83 .488 11 Houston Astros 79 83 .488 11 San Diego Padres 61 100 .379 28.5

Events

January–June

• The Pittsburgh Pirates become the first Major League Baseball team to field an all-black lineup.^[1]
• January 31 – The new Special Veterans Committee selects seven men for enshrinement to the Hall of Fame: former players Dave Bancroft, Jake Beckley, Chick Hafey, Harry Hooper, Joe Kelley, and Rube Marquard, and executive George Weiss.
• February 9 – Former Negro Leagues pitcher Satchel Paige is nominated for the Hall of Fame. On June 10, the Hall's new Veterans Committee will formally select Paige for induction.
• April 10 – The Philadelphia Phillies defeat the Montreal Expos, 4–1, in the first game played at Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium.
  • Willie Stargell hits 3 home runs, including his 200th career home run.
• April 27 – Hank Aaron becomes the third player in Major League history to hit his 600th home run.
• May 6 – Commissioner Bowie Kuhn signs Major League Baseball to a $72 million television contract with NBC.
• May 17 – Johnny Bench hits his 100th career home run.
• June 3 – Pitcher Ken Holtzman of the Chicago Cubs throws the second no-hitter of his career, victimizing the hosts Cincinnati Reds 1–0. Holtzman scores the only run, unearned, in the third inning, to beat Reds pitcher Gary Nolan.
• June 6 – Willie Mays hits his major league-leading 22nd and last career extra-inning home run against Phillies reliever Joe Hoerner.
• June 23 – In a singular performance, pitcher Rick Wise of the Philadelphia Phillies no-hits the Reds, 4–0, and bangs two home runs in the game. Wise joins Earl Wilson and Wes Ferrell as the only pitchers to pitch a no-hitter and hit a home run in the same game. It is the second no-hitter against Cincinnati this month, both in Riverfront Stadium.

July–December

• July 7 – Commissioner Kuhn announces that players from the Negro Leagues elected to the Hall of Fame will be given full membership in the museum. It had been previously announced that they would be honored in a separate wing.
• July 9 – The Oakland Athletics beat the California Angels 1–0 in 20 innings – the longest shutout in American League history. Vida Blue strikes out 17 batters in 11 innings for Oakland, while the Angels' Billy Cowan ties a major league record by fanning six times. Both teams combine for 43 strikeouts, a new major league record.
• July 13 – In an All-Star Game featuring home runs by future Hall of Famers Hank Aaron, Johnny Bench, Roberto Clemente, Reggie Jackson, Harmon Killebrew and Frank Robinson, the American League triumphs over the National League 6–4 at Tiger Stadium. It is the only AL All-Star victory between 1962 and 1983. Jackson's home run goes 520 feet, and Robinson is named MVP.
• August 4 – St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Bob Gibson wins his 200th game, a 7–2 victory over the San Francisco Giants at St. Louis.
• August 10:
  • Harmon Killebrew becomes the 10th player to amass 500 home runs, and adds his 501st, but the Orioles beat the Twins 4–3. Mike Cuellar picks up the win.
  • Sixteen baseball researchers at Cooperstown form the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), with founder Robert Davids as president.
• August 14 – Ten days after his 200th victory, St. Louis Cardinal pitcher Bob Gibson no-hits the Pittsburgh Pirates 11–0, the first no-hitter ever pitched at Three Rivers Stadium. He strikes out 10 batters along the way; three of those are to Willie Stargell, including the final out. The no-hitter is the first to be pitched in Pittsburgh in 64 years; none had been pitched in the 62-year (mid-1909 to mid-1970) history of Three Rivers Stadium's predecessor, Forbes Field.
• August 28 – Phillies pitcher Rick Wise hits two home runs, including a grand slam off Don McMahon, in the second game of a doubleheader, duplicating his feat in his June no-hitter. Wise beats the Giants 7–3.
• September 1 – The Pittsburgh Pirates start what is believed to be the first All-Black lineup in major league history, which include several Latin American players, in a 10–7 victory over the Phillies.^[2] The lineup: Rennie Stennett (2B); Gene Clines (CF); Roberto Clemente (RF); Willie Stargell (LF); Manny Sanguillén (C); Dave Cash (3B); Al Oliver (1B); Jackie Hernández (SS), and Dock Ellis (P).^[3] Another black player, Bob Veale, was one of three relievers in the game.
• September 5 – J. R. Richard tied Karl Spooner's major league record by striking out 15 San Francisco Giants in his first major league game, as the Houston Astros beat the Giants.
• September 13 – Baltimore Orioles first baseman Frank Robinson becomes the 11th player to reach 500 career home runs.
• September 26 – Baltimore Orioles pitcher Jim Palmer shuts out the host Cleveland Indians 5–0, and becomes the fourth member of the Orioles 1971 pitching staff to notch his 20th victory, joining Dave McNally, Mike Cuellar and Pat Dobson. Only one other team in ML history, the 1920 Chicago White Sox, boasted four 20-game winners.
• September 30 – The Washington Senators' lead 7–5 in their last home game, but forfeit the game to the New York Yankees, when, with two outs in the top of the ninth, fans storm the field. The Senators moved to Dallas, Texas, and became the Texas Rangers for the 1972 season, leaving the Nation's Capital without an MLB team until 2005.
• October 17 – Pitcher Steve Blass throws a four-hitter and Roberto Clemente homers as the Pittsburgh Pirates win Game Seven of the World Series over the Baltimore Orioles, 2–1, becoming World Champions for the first time since 1960. Clemente is named the Series MVP. Game Four of this World Series was the first night game played in Series history.
• November 2 – The Orioles' Pat Dobson pitches a no-hitter against the Yomiuri Giants, winning 2–0. It is the first no-hitter in Japanese-American baseball exhibition history. The Orioles compile a record of 12–2–4 on the tour.
• December 1 – The Chicago Cubs release Ernie Banks and promptly rehire him as a coach.
• December 10 – The California Angels send star shortstop Jim Fregosi to the New York Mets in return for four players, one of whom is Nolan Ryan.

References

1. John Perrotto (August 14, 2006). "Baseball Plog". The Beaver County Times.
2. John Perrotto (August 14, 2006). "Baseball Plog". The Beaver County Times.
3. "Honoring First All-Minority Lineup". The New York Times. September 17, 2006. p. Sports p. 2.

External links