1970 in baseball

The following are the baseball events of the year 1970 throughout the world.

Major Leagues

 * World Series: Baltimore Orioles over Cincinnati Reds (4-1); Brooks Robinson, MVP
 * American League Championship Series: Baltimore Orioles (East) over Minnesota Twins (West) (3-0)
 * National League Championship Series: Cincinnati Reds (West) over Pittsburgh Pirates (East) (3-0)
 * All-Star Game, July 14 at Riverfront Stadium: National League, 5-4 (12 innings); Carl Yastrzemski, MVP

Other champions

 * Caribbean World Series: Navegantes del Magallanes (Venezuela)
 * College World Series: USC
 * Japan Series: Yomiuri Giants over Lotte Orions (4-1)
 * Little League World Series: American, Wayne, New Jersey

Awards and honors

 * Most Valuable Player
 * Boog Powell (AL)
 * Johnny Bench (NL)
 * Cy Young Award
 * Jim Perry (AL)
 * Bob Gibson (NL)
 * Rookie of the Year
 * Thurman Munson (AL)
 * Carl Morton (NL)

Events

 * January 16 - Curt Flood, Gold Glove outfielder of the St. Louis Cardinals, files a civil lawsuit challenging Major League Baseball's reserve clause, a suit that will have historic implications. Flood refused to report to the Philadelphia Phillies after he was traded by the Cardinals three months ago, contending the baseball rule violates federal antitrust laws.


 * January 17 - The Sporting News names Willie Mays as Player of the Decade for the 1960s.


 * January 20 - Lou Boudreau is elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America on 232 of 300 ballots. Ralph Kiner finishes second with 167, 58 votes short.


 * February 1 - The Hall of Fame Special Committee on Veterans selects former commissioner Ford Frick and former players Earle Combs and Jesse Haines for enshrinement.


 * February 19 - Commissioner Bowie Kuhn announces the suspension of Detroit Tigers pitcher Denny McLain, effective April 1, for McLain's alleged involvement in a bookmaking operation. The suspension will last three months.


 * April 1 - The Milwaukee Brewers organization, headed by Bud Selig, purchases the Seattle Pilots franchise for $10,800,000. Although negotiations were conducted over a period of months, it was not until March 13 when a federal bankruptcy referee declared the Pilots bankrupt. Brewers tickets go on sale the next day.


 * April 7 - Major league baseball returns to Wisconsin after a 4-year absence as the Brewers play their first game in Milwaukee, losing to the California Angels 12–0 before a crowd of 37,237.


 * April 22 - The New York Mets' Tom Seaver strikes out 19 San Diego Padres, including the last 10 in succession, in winning 2-1 for the Mets. Mike Corkin takes the loss. In this century, no one had ever struck out 10 in a row, a major league record. Counting the 10 whiffs, the Pads have struck out 29 times in two games, a National League record that will be topped in 1998 when the Houston Astros miss 31 times in two days. Jerry Grote adds one foul fly catch to his 19 putouts via K's.


 * May 12 - At Chicago's Wrigley Field, Ernie Banks becomes the 8th member of the 500 home run club, connecting off Atlanta Braves pitcher Pat Jarvis during a 4-3 11-inning Chicago Cubs win over the Braves. It his 1,600th career RBI. Ex-Cub Frank Secory is umpiring this game; he was one of the umpires in the 1953 game in which Banks hit his first home run. Billy Williams' homer in the 9th ties the game and Ron Santo's RBI single in the 11th wins it. Atlanta's Rico Carty meanwhile, has three singles and has hit in 30 consecutive games.


 * July 14 - At Riverfront Stadium, the National League wins its eighth straight All-Star Game, a thrilling 12-inning 5–4 victory. Pete Rose crashes into Cleveland Indians catcher Ray Fosse to score the controversial winning run on Jim Hickman's single. Fosse, who never had the ball, hurts his right shoulder and is taken to the hospital. The game is scoreless until the 6th inning, with the NL limited to three hits in the first eight innings. In the 9th, the NL tees off on Catfish Hunter, driving in three runs to tie. Dick Dietz hits a leadoff home run in the inning. Claude Osteen pitches the 10th for the win, and Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox captures the MVP trophy for the American League.


 * September 3 - Billy Williams of the Chicago Cubs asks to be kept out of the lineup, snapping his National League record of 1,117 consecutive games played. His record was broken in 1983 by Steve Garvey.


 * October 15 - For the third time in the 1970 World Series, the Baltimore Orioles overcome a 3–0 deficit to bury the Cincinnati Reds 9–3, and win the World Championship four games to one. Frank Robinson and Merv Rettenmund each homer and drive in two runs. Third baseman Brooks Robinson, the "human vacuum cleaner", easily wins the Series MVP award.

Deaths

 * January 85 - Ray Collins, 82, pitcher for the Red Sox from 1909 to 1915, later coach at University of Vermont
 * January 14 - Johnny Murphy, 61, general manager of the New York Mets, formerly a relief pitcher for the Yankees who held the career saves record from 1946 to 1962
 * February 5 - Rudy York, 56, 7-time All-Star first baseman who had six 100-RBI seasons for the Tigers and Red Sox; hit record 18 homers in one month as a rookie, had two grand slams in a 1946 game
 * April 14 - John Donaldson, 78, star pitcher in the Negro Leagues, mainly with the All Nations team and Kansas City Monarchs
 * April 15 - Ripper Collins, 66, All-Star first baseman who led NL in homers in 1934, then batted .367 in World Series
 * May 16 - Dutch Ruether, 76, pitcher who won opener of 1919 World Series for Cincinnati, later a scout for the Giants
 * May 19 - Ray Schalk, 77, Hall of Fame catcher for the Chicago White Sox who was noted for his defensive brilliance, setting records for career games, putouts and double plays at the position
 * August 26 - Eddie Rommel, 72, pitcher who won 171 games for the Philadelphia Athletics, later worked 22 years as an AL umpire
 * October 10 - Lefty Leifield, 87, pitcher who had six consecutive 15-win seasons for Pittsburgh from 1906 to 1911
 * October 13 - Fred Mitchell, 92, manager who won 1918 pennant with Chicago Cubs, was coach at Harvard for 30 years
 * November 5 - Charlie Root, 71, pitcher who won a club-record 201 games for the Chicago Cubs, surrendered Babe Ruth's supposed "called shot" in 1932 World Series
 * December 10 - Johnny Mostil, 74, center fielder for the Chicago White Sox whose promising career was derailed by a 1927 suicide attempt
 * December 13 - Chick Gandil, 83, first baseman and the reported ringleader among the eight players who threw the 1919 World Series
 * December 19 - Nap Rucker, 86, pitcher who won 134 games for the Brooklyn Dodgers, including a no-hitter