1971 WS Game 7 vs Orioles

Lore & Background

The Pirates won the National League East by a seven-game margin over the St. Louis Cardinals then defeated the San Francisco Giants, three games to one, in the National League Championship Series. The Orioles dominated the American League East by 12 games over the Detroit Tigers then swept the Oakland Athletics in the American League Championship Series. The home side prevailed in each of the first six contests. In Game 7 in Baltimore, Pirates ace Steve Blass pitched a four-hit complete game in a win over Mike Cuellar.

Reader's Guide

The Pirates' best offense in the big leagues featured mashers Willie Stargell, Bob Robertson, and Richie Hebner, and slashers Clemente, Al Oliver, and Manny Sanguillen. The Orioles featured four pitchers with 20 or more wins (Dave McNally, Mike Cuellar, Pat Dobson, Jim Palmer), the bats of sluggers Frank Robinson and Boog Powell, and sure hands of Brooks Robinson at third base and Mark Belanger at shortstop.

Did You Know?

• Roberto Clemente became the first Spanish-speaking player to earn the World Series Most Valuable Player Award, delivering 12 hits for a .414 batting average.
• Twenty-one-year-old rookie Bruce Kison pitched scoreless innings and allowed just one hit in two appearances, setting a record of three hit batters in a World Series game.
• This was the first of three consecutive World Series, all seven games, in which the winning team scored fewer runs overall.
• The Pirates and Orioles met again in the Fall Classic eight years later with the same result, as the Pirates won the final three games to win in seven.