1971 in baseball

The following are the baseball events of the year 1971 throughout the world.

Major League Baseball

 * World Series: Pittsburgh Pirates over Baltimore Orioles (4-3); Roberto Clemente, MVP
 * American League Championship Series: Baltimore Orioles (East) over Oakland Athletics (West) (3-0)
 * National League Championship Series: Pittsburgh Pirates (East) over San Francisco Giants (West) (3-1)
 * All-Star Game, July 13 at Tiger Stadium: American League, 6-4; Frank Robinson, MVP

Other champions

 * Caribbean World Series: Tigres de Licey (Dominican Republic)
 * College World Series: USC
 * Japan Series: Yomiuri Giants over Hankyu Braves (4-1)
 * Little League World Series: Tainan, Taiwan

Awards and honors

 * Most Valuable Player
 * Vida Blue (AL)
 * Joe Torre (NL)
 * Cy Young Award
 * Vida Blue (AL)
 * Ferguson Jenkins (NL)
 * Rookie of the Year
 * Chris Chambliss (AL)
 * Earl Williams (NL)

January-June

 * 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.


 * May 6 - Commissioner Bowie Kuhn signs Major League Baseball to a $72 million television contract with NBC.


 * 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 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. 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 for incompetence.


 * 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.
 * Giants pitcher Juan Marichal throws the 50th shutout of his career, a 1–0 win over the Expos. He leads all active pitchers in this category.
 * Sixteen baseball researchers at Cooperstown form the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), with founder Robert Davids as president.


 * 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. 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). 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 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.


 * 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 Two 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.

Deaths

 * January 1 - Harry Rice, 69, outfielder noted for his defense who also hit .300 five times
 * January 9 - Elmer Flick, 94, Hall of Fame right fielder and lifetime .313 hitter who led AL in triples three times, steals twice, and batting and runs once each
 * April 4 - Carl Mays, 79, underhand pitcher who won 20 games five times with three teams, but was best remembered for his pitch which struck Ray Chapman in the head for the only field fatality in major league history
 * April 9 - Will Harridge, 87, president of the American League from 1931 to 1958
 * April 15 - Mickey Harris, 54, All-Star pitcher who won 17 games for the 1946 Red Sox, led AL in saves with 1950 Senators
 * April 16 - William Eckert, 62, commissioner of baseball from 1965 to 1968
 * April 16 - Ron Northey, 50, outfielder with a powerful arm who hit a record three pinch-hit grand slams in his career
 * April 19 - Russ Hodges, 60, broadcaster for the Giants since 1949, previously with the Reds, Cubs, Senators and Yankees, best known for his call of Bobby Thomson's pennant-winning home run in 1951
 * May 12 - Heinie Manush, 69, Hall of Fame left fielder and career .330 hitter who won 1926 batting title with Detroit, led AL in hits and doubles twice each
 * May 15 - Goose Goslin, 70, Hall of Fame left fielder who starred for five pennant winners in Washington and Detroit, batting .316 lifetime with eleven 100-RBI seasons; one of the first ten players to hit 200 home runs, he retired with the 7th-most RBIs in history
 * May 20 - Martin Dihigo, 65, Cuban star in the Negro Leagues who excelled at all positions, particularly as a pitcher and second baseman
 * July 12 - Wally Judnich, 54, center fielder who twice batted .300 for the St. Louis Browns
 * July 28 - Myril Hoag, 63, outfielder who recovered from a brutal 1936 collision to become an All-Star three years later
 * November 5 - Toothpick Sam Jones, 45, All-Star pitcher who led NL in strikeouts three times after beginning in the Negro Leagues
 * December 16 - Ferdie Schupp, 80, pitcher who won 21 games for the 1917 New York Giants but whose career faltered after service in World War I