1974 Baltimore Orioles season

Major League Baseball season

1974 Baltimore Orioles

American League East Champions
League| American League
Division| East
Ballpark| Memorial Stadium
City| Baltimore, Maryland
Record| 91–71 (.562)
Divisional place| 1st
Owners| Jerold Hoffberger
General managers| Frank Cashen
Managers| Earl Weaver
Television| WJZ-TV
Radio| WBAL (AM)
(Chuck Thompson, Bill O'Donnell)
| <- 1973 | Seasons | 1975 ->

|
|

The 1974 Baltimore Orioles season in American baseball 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.

The Orioles went 27-6 after being in fourth place and trailing the Boston Red Sox by eight games on August 29. They won 16 of its last 18 matches and ended the campaign with a nine-game winning streak. They moved into first place on September 19 and clinched its fifth AL East title in six years on the penultimate night of the regular season on October 1.[1]

The Orioles had a net operating income of $82,000.[2]

## Offseason[edit]

* December 4, 1973: Merv Rettenmund, Junior Kennedy and Bill Wood (minors) were traded by the Orioles to the Cincinnati Reds for Ross Grimsley and Wally Williams (minors).[3]
* December 10, 1973: Dennis Martínez was signed by the Baltimore Orioles as an amateur free agent.[4]

## Regular season[edit]

Much of the success of the team can be attributed to its infield. Second baseman Bobby Grich, shortstop Mark Belanger and third baseman Brooks Robinson each led the American League for their positions in assists.

### Season standings[edit]

* v
* t
* e

AL East | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road

|
|
|
|
|
|

Baltimore Orioles | 91 | 71  | 0.562  | —  | 46–35  | 45–36
New York Yankees | 89 | 73  | 0.549  | 2  | 47–34  | 42–39
Boston Red Sox | 84 | 78  | 0.519  | 7  | 46–35  | 38–43
Cleveland Indians | 77 | 85  | 0.475  | 14  | 40–41  | 37–44
Milwaukee Brewers | 76 | 86  | 0.469  | 15  | 40–41  | 36–45
Detroit Tigers | 72 | 90  | 0.444  | 19  | 36–45  | 36–45

### Record vs. opponents[edit]

1974 American League record

* v
* t
* e

Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]

Team  | BAL  | BOS  | CAL  | CWS  | CLE  | DET  | KC  | MIL  | MIN  | NYY  | OAK  | TEX
Baltimore | — | 10–8 | 7–5 | 5–7 | 12–6 | 14–4 | 8–4 | 8–10 | 6–6 | 11–7 | 6–6 | 4–8
Boston | 8–10 | — | 4–8 | 8–4 | 9–9 | 11–7 | 4–8 | 10–8 | 6–6 | 11–7 | 8–4 | 5–7
California | 5–7 | 8–4 | — | 10–8–1 | 3–9 | 5–7 | 8–10 | 3–9 | 8–10 | 3–9 | 6–12 | 9–9
Chicago | 7–5 | 4–8 | 8–10–1 | — | 8–4 | 7–5 | 11–7 | 8–4 | 7–11–1 | 4–8 | 7–11 | 9–7–1
Cleveland | 6–12 | 9–9 | 9–3 | 4–8 | — | 9–9 | 8–4 | 10–8 | 6–6 | 7–11 | 5–7 | 4–8
Detroit | 4–14 | 7–11 | 7–5 | 5–7 | 9–9 | — | 7–5 | 9–9 | 3–9 | 11–7 | 5–7 | 5–7
Kansas City | 4–8 | 8–4 | 10–8 | 7–11 | 4–8 | 5–7 | — | 11–1 | 8–10 | 4–8 | 8–10 | 8–10
Milwaukee | 10–8 | 8–10 | 9–3 | 4–8 | 8–10 | 9–9 | 1–11 | — | 6–6 | 9–9 | 5–7 | 7–5
Minnesota | 6–6 | 6–6 | 10–8 | 11–7–1 | 6–6 | 9–3 | 10–8 | 6–6 | — | 4–8 | 5–13 | 9–9
New York | 7–11 | 7–11 | 9–3 | 8–4 | 11–7 | 7–11 | 8–4 | 9–9 | 8–4 | — | 7–5 | 8–4
Oakland | 6–6 | 4–8 | 12–6 | 11–7 | 7–5 | 7–5 | 10–8 | 7–5 | 13–5 | 5–7 | — | 8–10
Texas | 8–4 | 7–5 | 9–9 | 7–9–1 | 8–4 | 7–5 | 10–8 | 5–7 | 9–9 | 4–8 | 10–8 | —

### Notable transactions[edit]

* June 5, 1974: Rich Dauer was drafted by the Orioles in the 1st round (24th pick) of the 1974 Major League Baseball Draft.[5]
* September 11, 1974: The Orioles traded a player to be named later and cash to the California Angels for Bob Oliver. The Orioles completed the trade by sending Mickey Scott to the Angels on October 3.[6]
* September 16, 1974: Jim Northrup was purchased by the Orioles from the Montreal Expos.[7]

### Roster[edit]

1974 Baltimore Orioles

Roster
Pitchers

* 13 Doyle Alexander
* 35 Mike Cuellar
* 17 Wayne Garland
* 39 Ross Grimsley
* 44 Don Hood
* 23 Grant Jackson
* 38 Jesse Jefferson
* 45 Dave Johnson
* 19 Dave McNally
* 22 Jim Palmer
* 34 Bob Reynolds

|  | Catchers

* 8 Andy Etchebarren
* 10 Elrod Hendricks
* 32 Earl Williams

Infielders

* 15 Frank Baker
* 7 Mark Belanger
* 24 Enos Cabell
* 37 Doug DeCinces
* 3 Bobby Grich
* 43 Tim Nordbrook
* 33 Bob Oliver
* 26 Boog Powell
* 5 Brooks Robinson

|  | Outfielders

* 25 Don Baylor
* 6 Paul Blair
* 1 Al Bumbry
* 2 Rich Coggins
* 18 Jim Fuller
* 21 Curt Motton
* 28 Jim Northrup
* 9 Mike Reinbach

Other batters

* 12 Tommy Davis

|  | Manager

* 4 Earl Weaver

Coaches

* 31 George Bamberger
* 41 Jim Frey
* 55 Billy Hunter
* 48 George Staller

## Player stats[edit]

### Batting[edit]

#### Starters by position[edit]

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 | Earl Williams | 118 | 413 | 105 | .254 | 14 | 52
1B | Boog Powell | 110 | 344 | 91 | .265 | 12 | 45
2B | Bobby Grich | 160 | 582 | 153 | .263 | 19 | 82
3B | Brooks Robinson | 153 | 553 | 159 | .288 | 7 | 59
SS | Mark Belanger | 155 | 493 | 11 | .225 | 5 | 36
LF | Don Baylor | 137 | 489 | 133 | .272 | 10 | 59
CF | Paul Blair | 151 | 552 | 144 | .261 | 17 | 62
RF | Rich Coggins | 113 | 411 | 100 | .243 | 4 | 32
DH | Tommy Davis | 128 | 626 | 181 | .289 | 11 | 84

#### Other batters[edit]

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

|
|
|
|
|
|

Al Bumbry | 94 | 270 | 63 | .233 | 1 | 19
Jim Fuller | 64 | 189 | 42 | .222 | 7 | 28
Andy Etchebarren | 62 | 180 | 40 | .222 | 2 | 15
Enos Cabell | 80 | 174 | 42 | .241 | 3 | 17
Elrod Hendricks | 66 | 159 | 33 | .208 | 3 | 8
Frank Baker | 24 | 29 | 5 | .172 | 0 | 0
Mike Reinbach | 12 | 20 | 5 | .250 | 0 | 2
Bob Oliver | 9 | 20 | 3 | .150 | 0 | 4
Tim Nordbrook | 6 | 15 | 4 | .267 | 0 | 1
Curt Motton | 7 | 8 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0
Jim Northrup | 8 | 7 | 4 | .571 | 1 | 3
Doug DeCinces | 1 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0

### Pitching[edit]

#### Starting pitchers[edit]

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player  | G  | IP  | W  | L  | ERA  | SO

|
|
|
|
|
|

Ross Grimsley | 40 | 295.2 | 18 | 13 | 3.07 | 158
Mike Cuellar | 38 | 269.1 | 22 | 10 | 3.11 | 106
Dave McNally | 39 | 259.0 | 16 | 10 | 3.58 | 111
Jim Palmer | 26 | 178.2 | 7 | 12 | 3.27 | 84

#### Other pitchers[edit]

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player  | G  | IP  | W  | L  | ERA  | SO

|
|
|
|
|
|

Doyle Alexander | 30 | 114.1 | 6 | 9 | 4.01 | 40
Wayne Garland | 20 | 91.0 | 5 | 5 | 2.97 | 40

#### Relief pitchers[edit]

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player  | G  | W  | L  | SV  | ERA  | SO

|
|
|
|
|
|

Grant Jackson | 49 | 6 | 4 | 12 | 2.57 | 56
Bob Reynolds | 54 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 2.73 | 43
Don Hood | 20 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3.45 | 26
Jesse Jefferson | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4.40 | 31
Dave Johnson | 11 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2.93 | 6

## Postseason[edit]

### ALCS[edit]

Main article: 1974 American League Championship Series

The Athletics defeated the Orioles, 3–1, limiting Baltimore to one run in the final three games.

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 | 32,060
4 | Oakland – 2, Baltimore – 1 | October 9 | Memorial Stadium | 28,136

* As division champions, the Orioles earned a postseason bonus of $7,394 each.[8]

## Farm system[edit]

See also: Minor League Baseball

Level  | Team  | League  | Manager

|
|
|

AAA | Rochester Red Wings | International League | Joe Altobelli
AA | Asheville Orioles | Southern League | Cal Ripken Sr.
A | Lodi Orioles | California League | Jimmie Schaffer
A | Miami Orioles | Florida State League | George Farson
Rookie | Bluefield Orioles | Appalachian League | Bobby Malkmus

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Rochester

## Notes[edit]

1. ^ Koppett, Leonard. "Orioles: Miracle of 1974," The New York Times, Thursday, October 3, 1974. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
2. ^ "On Profits, Orioles Mainly Strike Out," The New York Times, Wednesday, April 6, 1977. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
3. ^ Merv Rettenmund page at Baseball Reference
4. ^ Dennis Martínez page at Baseball Reference
5. ^ Rich Dauer page at Baseball Reference
6. ^ Bob Oliver page at Baseball Reference
7. ^ Jim Northrup page at Baseball Reference
8. ^ "A's bankroll $22,219". Lawrence Journal-World. (Kansas). Associated Press. November 12, 1974. p. 10.

## References[edit]

* Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (1997). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (2nd ed.). Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America. ISBN 978-0-9637189-8-3.
* 1974 Baltimore Orioles team page at Baseball Reference
* 1974 Baltimore Orioles season at baseball-almanac.com

* v
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American League East champions

1960s|

* 1969: Baltimore Orioles

1970s|

* 1970: Baltimore Orioles
* 1971: Baltimore Orioles
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* 1973: Baltimore Orioles
* 1974: Baltimore Orioles
* 1975: Boston Red Sox
* 1976: New York Yankees
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* 1979: Baltimore Orioles

1980s|

* 1980: New York Yankees
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* 2020: Tampa Bay Rays
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* v
* t
* e

1974 MLB season by team

| AL East|

* Baltimore
* Boston
* Cleveland
* Detroit
* Milwaukee
* New York

|

AL West|

* California
* Chicago
* Kansas City
* Minnesota
* Oakland
* Texas

| NL East|

* Chicago
* Montréal
* New York
* Philadelphia
* Pittsburgh
* St. Louis

|

NL West|

* Atlanta
* Cincinnati
* Houston
* Los Angeles
* San Diego
* San Francisco

* 1974 MLB draft
* 1974 All-Star Game
* 1974 World Series

* v
* t
* e

Baltimore Orioles

* Established in 1901
* Formerly the Milwaukee Brewers and the St. Louis Browns
* Based in Baltimore, Maryland

Franchise|

* History
* in St. Louis
* Seasons
* No-hitters
* Records
* Players
* Managers
* Owners and executives
* Broadcasters
* Opening Day starting pitchers
* First-round draft picks

Ballparks|

* Borchert Field
* Lloyd Street Grounds
* Sportsman's Park
* Memorial Stadium
* Oriole Park at Camden Yards

Spring training
Majestic Park
West End Park
Coffee Pot Park
Wright Field
Tech Field
Perris Hill Park
Yuma Municipal Stadium
City Island Ball Park
Scottsdale Stadium
Miami Stadium
Ed Smith Stadium
Al Lang Stadium
Fort Lauderdale Stadium

Culture|

* Baltimore & Ohio Warehouse at Camden Yards
* Hall of Fame
* "Thank God I'm a Country Boy"
* Baltimore Chop
* Going My Way
* A Winner Never Quits
* "The Letter" (Seinfeld episode)
* Seven Nation Army

Lore|

* Grandstand Managers Night
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* Miracle Mets
* 1910 Chalmers Award
* Wild Bill Hagy
* "Why Not?!"
* The Streak
* 1999 Cuba national baseball team exhibition
* 2015 crowdless game
* 2020 MLB Little League Classic

Rivalries|

* Washington Nationals

Key personnel|

* Owner: Peter Angelos
* Executive Vice President/General Manager: Mike Elias
* Manager: Brandon Hyde

World Series
championships (3)|

* 1966
* 1970
* 1983

American League
pennants (7)|

* 1944
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* 1969
* 1970
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* 1979
* 1983

AL East
division titles (10)|

* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1973
* 1974
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* 1983
* 1997
* 2014
* 2023

AL Wild Card
(3)|

* 1996
* 2012
* 2016

Minor league
affiliates|

* Triple-A: Norfolk Tides
* Double-A: Bowie Baysox
* High-A: Aberdeen IronBirds
* Single-A: Delmarva Shorebirds
* Rookie:
* FCL Orioles
* DSL Orioles Black
* DSL Orioles Orange

Broadcasting|

Mid-Atlantic Sports Network
Radio
Orioles Radio Network
Announcers
Kevin Brown
Geoff Arnold
Scott Garceau
Melanie Newman
Jim Palmer
Ben McDonald

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