| 1973 Baltimore Orioles | ||
|---|---|---|
| American League East Champions | ||
| League | American League | |
| Division | East | |
| Ballpark | Memorial Stadium | |
| City | Baltimore, Maryland | |
| Record | 97–65 (.599) | |
| Divisional place | 1st | |
| Owners | Jerold Hoffberger | |
| General managers | Frank Cashen | |
| Managers | Earl Weaver | |
| Television | WJZ-TV | |
| Radio | WBAL (AM) (Chuck Thompson, Bill O'Donnell) | |
| ||
The 1973 Baltimore Orioles season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Orioles finishing first in the American League East with a record of 97 wins and 65 losses. They went on to lose to the Oakland Athletics in the 1973 American League Championship Series, three games to two.
The Orioles sustained a net operating loss of $700,000.[1]
Offseason
- October 27, 1972: Frank Estrada was traded by the Orioles to the Chicago Cubs for Elrod Hendricks.[2]
- November 30, 1972: Johnny Oates, Pat Dobson, Roric Harrison, and Davey Johnson were traded by the Orioles to the Atlanta Braves for Earl Williams and Taylor Duncan.[3]
- January 10, 1973: John Flinn was drafted by the Orioles in the 2nd round of the 1973 Major League Baseball Draft, secondary phase.[4]
- February 2, 1973: Don Buford was released by the Orioles.[5]
Regular season
Season standings
| AL East | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Orioles | 97 | 65 | 0.599 | — | 50–31 | 47–34 |
| Boston Red Sox | 89 | 73 | 0.549 | 8 | 48–33 | 41–40 |
| Detroit Tigers | 85 | 77 | 0.525 | 12 | 47–34 | 38–43 |
| New York Yankees | 80 | 82 | 0.494 | 17 | 50–31 | 30–51 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 74 | 88 | 0.457 | 23 | 40–41 | 34–47 |
| Cleveland Indians | 71 | 91 | 0.438 | 26 | 34–47 | 37–44 |
Record vs. opponents
Sources: | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | BAL | BOS | CAL | CWS | CLE | DET | KC | MIL | MIN | NYY | OAK | TEX | |
| Baltimore | — | 7–11 | 6–6 | 8–4 | 12–6 | 9–9 | 8–4 | 15–3 | 8–4 | 9–9 | 5–7 | 10–2 | |
| Boston | 11–7 | — | 7–5 | 6–6 | 9–9 | 3–15 | 8–4 | 12–6 | 6–6 | 14–4 | 4–8 | 9–3 | |
| California | 6–6 | 5–7 | — | 8–10 | 5–7 | 7–5 | 10–8 | 5–7 | 10–8 | 6–6 | 6–12 | 11–7 | |
| Chicago | 4–8 | 6–6 | 10–8 | — | 7–5 | 5–7 | 6–12 | 3–9 | 9–9 | 8–4 | 6–12 | 13–5 | |
| Cleveland | 6–12 | 9–9 | 7–5 | 5–7 | — | 9–9 | 2–10 | 9–9 | 7–5 | 7–11 | 3–9 | 7–5 | |
| Detroit | 9–9 | 15–3 | 5–7 | 7–5 | 9–9 | — | 4–8 | 12–6 | 5–7 | 7–11 | 7–5 | 5–7 | |
| Kansas City | 4–8 | 4–8 | 8–10 | 12–6 | 10–2 | 8–4 | — | 8–4 | 9–9 | 6–6 | 8–10 | 11–7 | |
| Milwaukee | 3–15 | 6–12 | 7–5 | 9–3 | 9–9 | 6–12 | 4–8 | — | 8–4 | 10–8 | 4–8 | 8–4 | |
| Minnesota | 4–8 | 6–6 | 8–10 | 9–9 | 5–7 | 7–5 | 9–9 | 4–8 | — | 3–9 | 14–4 | 12–6 | |
| New York | 9–9 | 4–14 | 6–6 | 4–8 | 11–7 | 11–7 | 6–6 | 8–10 | 9–3 | — | 4–8 | 8–4 | |
| Oakland | 7–5 | 8–4 | 12–6 | 12–6 | 9–3 | 5–7 | 10–8 | 8–4 | 4–14 | 8–4 | — | 11–7 | |
| Texas | 2–10 | 3–9 | 7–11 | 5–13 | 5–7 | 7–5 | 7–11 | 4–8 | 6–12 | 4–8 | 7–11 | — | |
Notable transactions
- April 5, 1973: Tom Matchick was traded by the Orioles to the New York Yankees for Frank Baker.[6]
- June 5, 1973: Mike Flanagan was drafted by the Orioles in the 7th round of the 1973 Major League Baseball Draft.[7]
- July 18, 1973: Curt Motton was signed as a free agent by the Orioles.[8]
Roster
| 1973 Baltimore Orioles | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers
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Catchers
Infielders
|
Outfielders
|
Manager
Coaches
| ||||||
Player stats
Batting
Starters by position
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 | 132 | 459 | 109 | .237 | 22 | 83 |
| 1B | Boog Powell | 114 | 370 | 98 | .265 | 11 | 54 |
| 2B | Bobby Grich | 162 | 581 | 146 | .251 | 12 | 50 |
| 3B | Brooks Robinson | 155 | 549 | 141 | .257 | 9 | 72 |
| SS | Mark Belanger | 154 | 470 | 106 | .226 | 0 | 27 |
| LF | Don Baylor | 118 | 405 | 116 | .286 | 11 | 51 |
| CF | Paul Blair | 144 | 500 | 140 | .280 | 10 | 64 |
| RF | Merv Rettenmund | 95 | 321 | 84 | .262 | 9 | 44 |
| DH | Tommy Davis | 137 | 552 | 169 | .306 | 7 | 89 |
Other batters
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rich Coggins | 110 | 389 | 124 | .319 | 7 | 41 |
| Al Bumbry | 110 | 356 | 120 | .337 | 7 | 34 |
| Andy Etchebarren | 54 | 152 | 39 | .257 | 2 | 23 |
| Terry Crowley | 54 | 131 | 27 | .206 | 3 | 15 |
| Elrod Hendricks | 41 | 101 | 18 | .178 | 3 | 15 |
| Frank Baker | 44 | 63 | 12 | .190 | 1 | 11 |
| Enos Cabell | 32 | 47 | 10 | .213 | 1 | 3 |
| Larry Brown | 17 | 28 | 7 | .250 | 1 | 5 |
| Jim Fuller | 9 | 26 | 3 | .115 | 2 | 4 |
| Doug DeCinces | 10 | 18 | 2 | .111 | 0 | 3 |
| Sergio Robles | 8 | 13 | 1 | .077 | 0 | 0 |
| Curt Motton | 5 | 6 | 2 | .333 | 1 | 4 |
Pitching
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Palmer | 38 | 296.1 | 22 | 9 | 2.40 | 158 |
| Mike Cuellar | 38 | 267.0 | 18 | 13 | 3.27 | 140 |
| Dave McNally | 38 | 266.0 | 17 | 17 | 3.21 | 87 |
| Doyle Alexander | 29 | 174.2 | 12 | 8 | 3.86 | 63 |
| Jesse Jefferson | 18 | 100.2 | 6 | 5 | 4.11 | 52 |
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orlando Peña | 11 | 44.2 | 1 | 1 | 4.03 | 23 |
| Don Hood | 8 | 32.1 | 3 | 2 | 3.90 | 18 |
| Wayne Garland | 4 | 16.0 | 0 | 1 | 3.94 | 10 |
Relief pitchers
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 | 45 | 8 | 0 | 9 | 1.90 | 47 |
| Bob Reynolds | 42 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 1.95 | 77 |
| Eddie Watt | 30 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3.30 | 38 |
| Mickey Scott | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.40 | 2 |
Postseason
ALCS
Game 1
October 6, 1973, at Memorial Stadium
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| Baltimore | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | X | 6 | 12 | 0 |
| W: Jim Palmer (1–0) L: Vida Blue (0–1) | ||||||||||||
| HR: None | ||||||||||||
Game 2
October 7, 1973, at Memorial Stadium
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 0 |
| Baltimore | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 0 |
| W: Catfish Hunter (1–0) L: Dave McNally (0–1) S: Rollie Fingers (1) | ||||||||||||
| HR: OAK – Bert Campaneris (1), Joe Rudi (1), Sal Bando 2 (2) | ||||||||||||
Game 3
October 9, 1973, at Oakland Coliseum
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | |
| Oakland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | |
| W: Ken Holtzman (1–0) L: Mike Cuellar (0–1) | |||||||||||||||
| HR: OAK – Bert Campaneris (2) BAL – Earl Williams (1) | |||||||||||||||
Game 4
October 10, 1973, at Oakland Coliseum
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 0 |
| Oakland | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 0 |
| W: Grant Jackson (1–0) L: Rollie Fingers (0–1) | ||||||||||||
| HR: BAL – Andy Etchebarren (1), Bobby Grich (1) | ||||||||||||
Game 5
October 11, 1973, at Oakland Coliseum
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 |
| Oakland | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 3 | 7 | 0 |
| W: Catfish Hunter (2–0) L: Doyle Alexander (0–1) | ||||||||||||
| HR: None | ||||||||||||
Farm system
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Lodi
Notes
- ↑ "On Profits, Orioles Mainly Strike Out," The New York Times, Wednesday, April 6, 1977. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
- ↑ Elrod Hendricks page at Baseball Reference
- ↑ Johnny Oates page at Baseball Reference
- ↑ John Flinn page at Baseball Reference
- ↑ Don Buford page at Baseball Reference
- ↑ Tom Matchick page at Baseball Reference
- ↑ Mike Flanagan page at Baseball Reference
- ↑ Curt Motton page at Baseball Reference
References
- 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.
- 1973 Baltimore Orioles team page at Baseball Reference
- 1973 Baltimore Orioles season at baseball-almanac.com