'69 O's sweep '77 Bombers

Those O's just keep on rolling and it all comes down to pitching. When you give up only 2 runs in 4 games to a high powered offense like the Yanks have you know you have the arms. New York's pitching was also exceptional, but there is no way you can win when your offens averages a half a run per game.

GAME 1 (Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, MD): Mike Cuellar and Ed Figueroa hooked up in a classic pitchers duel. For 7 full innings neither team could plate a run. In the bottom of the 8th the O's struck for 2 runs, which was all Cuellar needed. Light hitting shortstop Mark Belanger led off the bottom of the 8th with a single. McNally bunted him over to second and Don Bufford doubled him in. Frank Robinson doubled home Bufford to supply the insurance run. McNally went the distance to earn the complete game shutout. The Yanks threatened to score in the 9th, but both Nettles and Chambliss could not knock in either Randolph (single) or Jackson (walk).

GAME 2: Amost a repeat of game1. Sub in Dave Leonhard (BAL) and Don Gullet (NYY) and you have a similar result (2-0 shutout). In this game the Orioles scored both of their runs on John Wesley (Boog) Powell solo shots. Powell hit one in the 4th to break the scoreless deadlock and one in the 8th to add a much needed insurance run. Leonhard ran out of gas in the 9th after Willie Randolph hit a 2 out triple. Lefty Pete Richert was brought on to face Yankee first baseman Chris Chambliss (lefty) who promptly popped out to Frank Robinson in foul territory in right field.



GAME 3 (Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY): Looking to spark his team, Yankee manager Ed Mikhli decided to start Ron Guidry on only 3 days rest. Not knowing how much he could get from Guidry was the wild card here, but New York's manager needed to spark it up. The other spark was inserting "Sweet" Lou Pinella into righfield and removing "Mr. October" Reggie Jackson. Pinella took "the collar" and Jackson eventually wound up pinch hitting for him and striking out in the 9th. Guidry gave his team 4 innings and 1 run ball, so did his relief, Dick Tidrow, but it would not be enough since the Yanks only managed to score 1 run and the O's plated 3. Dave McNally lasted until 1 out in the 8th and gave up only 1 run. Ed Watt came on in the 9th to nail down his 4th save. Brooks Robinson hit a solo shot in the 6th for his first of the season.

GAME 4: Orioles ace, Jim Palmer went the distance and gave up 1 unearned run to move his record to 4-0. Powell again provided the offense by clouting a 3 run shot in the 3rd inning off of Yankee starter Mike Torrez, who gave up 4 runs but only 1 earned, in 8 innings of work. The key play in the 4th revolved around Willie Randolph booting a Dave May grounder to put runners on 1st and 3rd as Powell stepped to the plate. If Randolph fields this ball cleanly the Yanks get the 3rd out and no damage is done. Palmer fanned 7 and allowed only 3 hits as he went the distance.


New York fell to 5-11 and plumeted into last place, while Baltimore moved to 14-2 as they tightened their grip on 1st.