I found this great synopsis on BleacherReport summarizing the Orioles 1973 season and making a case for Al Bumbry to get MVP votes. Click here to read the full article.
Loaded, as usual, with pitching and defense, the Baltimore Orioles easily outpaced a hard-hitting Boston Red Sox club and won the AL East by nine games. Lacking a booming bat, Baltimore placed eighth in the AL in home runs thanks in large part to Boog Powell’s injury-plagued season. However, the Birds still barely missed outscoring the rest of the Junior Circuit by playing smart, Earl Weaver baseball: taking pitches and swiping bases. Baltimore led the AL in walks, on-base percentage and stolen bases. And although Orioles batters were not a constant threat to hit the long ball in 1973, they hit the ball often and all over the field enough (Baltimore also led the AL in triples) to log the third-highest OPS in the league. Jim Palmer’s first Cy Young Award–winning season and a pitching staff that boasted the lowest ERA (including the fewest hits allowed and the second-fewest walks issued) combined with the stifling Orioles defense (four Gold Gloves, with a nearly impregnable infield of Brooks Robinson, Mark Belanger and Bobby Grich and a speedy outfield captained by Paul Blair) to strangled opponents. Baltimore surrendered, by far, the fewest runs in the AL.
So exceptional were the Orioles in every facet of the game that it’s a wonder they didn’t tally more than 97 victories. Used sparingly as a pinch runner throughout the beginning of the 1973 season, 26-year-old Al Bumbry soon found a spot as a corner outfielder—primarily in left field. (His trek to the Majors had been delayed by a year in Vietnam, during which time he received a Bronze Star while serving as a platoon leader.) Like Bumbry, the Orioles started slowly out of the gate. A .500 club as late as June 13, Baltimore battled a four-team logjam led by the surprising New York Yankees—although Al warmed with the change of season, going 11-for-26 to close out June. Playing decently but yet to fire on all cylinders, Baltimore remained in a four-team race throughout the summer, finally pushing past the sputtering Yankees on August 3. But the Detroit Tigers wrested first place from Baltimore just three days later. Until the Birds finally turned on the jets. Earl Weaver’s crew ran off 14 consecutive wins beginning in mid-August, quickly reclaimed top spot in the AL East and never looked back. (The Red Sox, trailing all three of these squads, rushed past Detroit in late August and chased Baltimore into autumn—but despite playing .607 ball over the last month, Boston could never get closer than four games out.)
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| Grich waiting for a throw to nail Campy at 2nd during he ALCS |
To complete the Orioles Card set I created 18 new cards.
Al Bumbry's 1973 AL-ROY campaign would have been a feel good story during any era, but the early 1970's. After a decade of war and division the country was not in any mood to celebrate a hero who served with distinction (Bronze Star) in Vietnam as a member of the US Army. Instead he was just a 26 year old late bloomer who hit .337, stole 23 bases and led the league in triples in less than 400 plate appearances. Bumbry played 14 major league seasons, 13 in Baltimore. He finished with a lifetime .281 average and played on 4 division winners and in 2 World Series.
Bob "the Bullet" Reynolds could throw a ball over 100 mph, but control wasn't always his best friend. 1973 was a career year for him. After 3 cups of Joe with 4 different teams he became a 26 year old overnight bullpen sensation going 7-5, 1.95 and saving 9 in 110 innings for Earl Weaver's O's. His inning count went down in '74, but he still had a fine season. After that he became inconsistent, while bouncing between Detroit, Cleveland, Toledo and the Japanese League. After sitting out all of the '78 season he signed with the independent league's Miami club and went 1-3, 1.16 in 19 games, but no major league team showed any interest.
“(Curt) Motton has been Baltimore’s best pinch-hitter ever since I’ve been managing this club. He was an automatic choice in this spot.” — Orioles manager Earl Weaver after Motton’s game-tying double helped Baltimore come from behind to beat Oakland’s Vida Blue in the 1971 American League Championship Series. But after hitting just .189 that year the O's dealt him to Milwaukee for Bob Reynolds. 2 months into the '72 season he was traded for another Reynolds (Archie). Change in scenery did not do him any good as the 31 year old wound up in Salt Lake City (AAA-CAL). 1973 looked to be his make or break year. After starting the season in AAA he was demoted to AA, then cut by the Halos. The folks in Baltimore had a soft spot for him and picked him up in June and sent him to AAA-Rochester, where he didn't impress. He did manage to get 6 AB's with the parent club and get 2 hits, with one being a big homer. 1974 saw the same scenario, which signaled to both Motton and the O's that the end of the road was reached. Motton went out on a happy note hitting an even .300 in Rochester (as a player/coach) and, making the O's 1974 post season roster, before hanging it up.
Hood won three games as a rookie in '73, but only one as a starter. It came that day in Baltimore at Memorial Stadium when Hood pitched a complete-game two-hitter in the Orioles’ 4-0 win. Tigers’ leadoff man Tony Taylor and cleanup hitter Willie Horton got the only two hits, both singles, for Detroit as Hood outpitched 16-game winner Mickey Lolich on September 26th. It was Hood’s lone career shutout in 72 starts. The rookie finished the season 3-2, 3.90. He would go on to play 9 more seasons (1 more in Baltimore). The prime of his career was spent in Cleveland (4.5 seasons). His final two seasons were spent splitting time between Kansas City and AAA-Omaha, where he had better stats on the major league level.
DeCinces played in just 72 games over the first 3 seasons of his career, which isn't shocking since he was a thirdbaseman by trade and the O's had arguably the greatest fielder at the hot corner (Brooks Robinson) already in their lineup. By 1976 the "heir apparent" played in the lion share of the games, while the 39 year old future HOF'er was slowly phased out. Decinces held down the spot for the next 6 seasons before being traded to the Angels. That trade helped make him an All-Star, by getting him out of the large shadow cast by Brooksie. After his major league career was over in 1987 he played half a season in Japan, but hurt his back and was forced to retire. During his rookie season in Baltimore (1973) he was 2-18 in 10 games.
Arguably the greatest manager of his time, Weaver always had his team in contention. Utilizing the great pitching and 3 run homer combo Weaver only had a losing record once, his final season (1986). He won over 100 games 5 times. His career record of 1480-1060 (.583) in 17 seasons is more than just impressive. He won 1 World Championship (1970), 4 AL Pennants (1969-1971, 1979) and 6 AL East Crowns. During his initial 16 year run the lowest he finished was 4th place with a team that won 90 games. 1973 was sort of a redemption year for him. After the team traded away leader Frank Robinson after losing the '71 Series to the Pirates the clubhouse had a huge void and the O's finished 80-74, a distant 3rd place. By winning 97 and taking the division in '73 Weaver proved to everyone he could win without #20.
Hendricks was a key part of the right/lefty catching platoon, with Andy Etchebarren, that Weaver employed for 3 pennants. After hitting just .155 after 33 games in 1972 he was traded on August 18 to the Cubs for Tommy Davis. With the DH rule looming this would be a huge deal for the O's in '73. Ellie was merely on loan to the Cubbies as the O's traded to get him back right after the season ended. In a reduced role, as the team's #3 catcher Ellie hit just .178 in 1973, but he did work well with the pitchers and he helped tutor the raw Earl Williams. Midway through the '76 season he was traded to the rival Yankees, where he spent 2 seasons as their #3 backstop. A 3rd go-round with the O's in '78 and '79 took him to the end of his career.
Baltimore acquired Baker from the Yankees for Tommy Matchick on April 5th to fill the role of utility infielder, which he did for two seasons. Baker hit .190 in 44 games for the O's backing up Brooksie, Belanger and Grich. He even played a little 1st. After hitting .172 in 24 games in '74 he was released.
24 year old rookie Jesse Jefferson filled the role of spot starter on what was predominantly a 4 man staff. Jefferson started 15 games and finished he season at 6-5, 4.11. 1973 was not exactly a springboard to success for him. The following season he found himself in a reduced role, where he appeared in 20 games, with all but 2 of them out of the pen. On June 15th 1975 he was traded to the Chisox for Tony Muser. After 2 sub par seasons he was left unprotected in the expansion draft and wound up in Toronto where he started 33 games and posted a 9-17, 4.31 record, which is pretty good for an expansion club starter. Jefferson had some solid seasons for the Toronto franchise during their salad days.
In 9 games Fuller was 3 for 26, but 2 of those 3 hits were home runs, which was no surprise to anyone who say him slam 39 long balls that season in AAA-Rochester and 34 in AA the year before. Fuller was a legit power hitting prospect for the O's who gave him a chance to play regularly the following season, but when he hit just .222 in 202 plate appearances a trip back to Rochester was in the cards. Somewhere along the way he lost his confidence and spent 3 straight years in Rochester producing sub par numbers. The explosive power just wasn't there plus the average dipped to the low 200's. After the O's released him in 1976 the Astros signed him and gave him a 34 game audition where he hit a woeful .160 with just 2 long balls. After that he bounced around the minors, but the luster was off. After hitting .167 in AAA-Columbus (PIT) he was out of baseball for good.
After close to a decade as the Indians starting shortstop (1963-1970) Brown spent the final 5 seasons of his career bouncing from team to team as a utility man. 1973, his next to last year in baseball, was spent with the O's where he hit .250 in 17 games. Brown was invited to Miami to participate in the Orioles’ spring training in 1973. He had contacts in the organization owing to his brother Dick’s association as a player and scout with them. “On the first day of spring training, Earl Weaver asks me how my back is,” said Brown. “I tell him fine and then he says that I’m on the team.” Among his seven hits was his last big-league round-tripper, a two-run shot off reliever Lindy McDaniel in Baltimore’s 9-6 victory over the Yankees in the Bronx. After hitting .197 for Billy Martin's Rangers in 1974 he was released.
Pena just loved to pitch. At 39 years of age he wasn't even close to being finished, even though many teams had told him he was. When the O's were finished with him after the '71 season he went down to the minors and put together a 22-3 season with an ERA just over 1.00. When given his shot in Charm City he was 1-1, 4.03 in 11 games. He was cut and went to STL and gave them 2 seasons of solid relief. Then it was off to Anaheim for a season and a half. A brief stop in AAA-Tucson looked to be the end of the road and it was for 3 seasons until he attempted a brief 1 game comeback with the Independent Miami Marlins in 1979 at the age of 45.
Coggins combined with Al Bumbry to provide the O's with a fine pair of rookie outfielders. While Bumbry won the ROY Award, Coggins came in 6th after hitting .319 with 7 homers, 41 RBI and 17 steals. When used in the same "platoon" type of role the following season his average dropped almost 85 points. That drop made the O's sour on him as a long term prospect, so he was traded to the Expos, where in 13 games he hit .270. The Expos moved him to the Yankees where he hit .224. In just 7 AB's the following season ('76) he hit .250 and was moved to the Chisox. He hit a paltry .156 in 96 AB's and was cut. Philly to a shot on him and signed him and sent him to AAA-OKC where he hit a light .252 and was cut.
Robles was never viewed as anything more than a 3rd string bullpen catcher. He hit .077 in 8 games with the '73 O's and barely hit better (.207) in AAA-Rochester. He spent all of 1974 playing in his home country with the Mexico City Reds. He returned to the states in '75 and spent a full season in AAA-Tulsa (STL) and hit .217 in 113 games. After hitting just .208 in AAA-Albuquerque (LAD) he was an emergency callup when LA's regular catchers were injured. At 31 years of age and no clear path to a major league roster he went home again, this time for good. For the next 11 seasons he played in the Mexican League and mostly for Mexico City. In 2006 he was inducted into the Mexican Baseball HOF.
1973 was the final season of Crowley's first stint with the O's (1969-1973). Crowley was strictly a 4th outfielder, 1st baseman and pinch hitter during his tenure in Baltimore. In 1973 he had the honor of being the team's first DH. His 108 career pinch hits put him at #13 on the All-Time list. Crowley hit .206-3-15 in 148 plate appearances. After leaving Baltimore he won his second ring with the 1975 Cincinnati Reds. He started the 1976 season in Atlanta only to be release on May 6th after going 0-6 as a pinch hitter for a second division club. 20 days later the O's decided to re-sign him and give him a final shot in the big leagues. That final shot lasted 7 more productive seasons as the team's DH/PH. Crowley's final season was in 1983 with the Expos. As a World Series PH he was 2-7 (.286). Interesting footnote: Crowley didn't make the big club out of spring training back in '77. He spent 108 games in Rochester-AAA and hit a blistering .308 with 30 homers before being recalled. Weaver played the hot hand and in September he hit .364 as a pinch hitter (8-22).
By 1973 34 year old Tommy Davis seemed to have been around forever, which wasn't really far from the truth. Davis was a rookie way back in 1960 and a back to back NL Batting champ in 1962 and 1963 during his time with the Dodgers. By the 1965 season he was a superstar, but then came his season ending leg injury that seemed to rob him of speed, power and ability to hustle. Starting in 1967 Davis went from being a Dodger All-Star to a man who played in 10 different cities in 10 seasons. The O's were masters at picking up guys like this and resurrecting their careers. After arriving for the stretch run in '72 Davis settled into the Orioles DH role for the next 3 seasons. In 1973 he hit .306 with 7 HR's and 89 RBI's. '74 and '75 were pretty much identical. He signed with the Angels in '76 and hit .265 in 72 games. After being released he was picked up by KC, who needed a bat off the bench for their pennant run. Davis is a career .311 hitter in the post season (21-67). His .312 lifetime average as a PH is the #1 all time in major league history.
Baltimore flat out didn't know what to do with Cabell. He was a corner infielder with well above average speed, but no real power, so he didn't quite fit the mold. In just 32 games of action in '73 he hit .213. After raking at a .354 in AAA-Rochester there was no keeping him down on the farm. 1974 was a frustrating year for him with the big club. He spent the whole year sitting half the time and only hitting .241. An off-season trade to Houston brought the O's Lee May and Cabell a chance to play ever day. For the next 6 years he was the Astros starting 1B. His average was consistently just around .290. Not hitting for power wasn't a big deal in the spacious Astrodome. Getting on base and stealing bases were important and every year that he was there he swiped a lot of bags, something he was not allowed to do while playing for Weaver. After Houston he bounced around for the final 6 years of his career going to teams in need of a bat who could play the corner positions. In his return to Houston in 1984 he hit .310, but stole only 8 bags. The 'Stros dealt him to the Dodgers late in the '85 seasons. He hit a miserable .077 in the NLCS as the Dodgers lost in 5 games. When his contract expired at the end of the '86 season his 15 year career (.277) was over.
After going 10-1, 3.57 in AAA-Rochester Garland was a September call up in 1973 and was 0-1, 3.94 in 4 games. After starting the '74 season poorly in AAA (2-2, 5.40) he was shockingly recalled and was excellent out of the pen for Weaver's division winner (5-5, 2.97, 1sv). In a similar role the following season Garland slipped (2-5, 3.71, 4sv) to the point where there was speculation that he would start the '76 season in Rochester. Instead he made the club out of spring training and had a colossal breakout year (20-7, 2.67, 232IP). No one, even Garland saw that 20 win season coming, and boy did it come at the most opportune time since this was the first year of unrestricted free agency. After just on big season on his resume Garland signed a mega 10 year $2.3 million deal with Cleveland. The Indians were hoping for a savior, since the franchise had been stuck in a funk for close to 2 decades. When Garland started off 2-7 Indian fans and management began to worry that they got themselves a stiff. Garland went 8-12 the rest of the way with the Indian pen blowing 4 save opps. His arm was hurting, but nobody wanted to hear it. It turns out that he had a torn rotator cuff, but back in the dark days of sports medicine in the '70's no one knew what to do for him. Instead he spent 4 more seasons pitching with a bad arm having poor results. Fans booed him and even vandalized his car. He was out of baseball after the '81 season. For many Indian fans he became the poster boy for the franchises failure during the 1970's.
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