The 1974 Baltimore Orioles season was the 74th season in Baltimore Orioles franchise history, the 21st in Baltimore, and the 21st at Memorial Stadium. The Orioles finished first in the American League East with a record of 91 wins and 71 losses. The Orioles went on to lose to the Oakland Athletics in the 1974 American League Championship Series, 3 games to 1.

The Orioles went 27–6 after being in fourth place and trailing the Boston Red Sox by eight games on August 29. They won 16 of their last 18 matches and ended the campaign with a nine-game winning streak. They moved into first place on September 19 and clinched its fifth AL East title in six years on the penultimate night of the regular season on October 1.Koppett, Leonard. "Orioles: Miracle of 1974," The New York Times, Thursday, October 3, 1974. Retrieved August 30, 2023.

The Orioles had a net operating income of $82,000."On Profits, Orioles Mainly Strike Out," The New York Times, Wednesday, April 6, 1977. Retrieved April 19, 2023.

Offseason December 4, 1973: Merv Rettenmund, Junior Kennedy and Bill Wood (minors) were traded by the Orioles to the Cincinnati Reds for Ross Grimsley and Wally Williams (minors).Merv Rettenmund page at Baseball Reference December 10, 1973: Dennis Martínez was signed by the Baltimore Orioles as an amateur free agent.Dennis Martínez page at Baseball Reference

Regular season Much of the success of the team can be attributed to its infield. Second baseman Bobby Grich, shortstop Mark Belanger and third baseman Brooks Robinson each led the American League for their positions in assists.

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Notable transactions June 5, 1974: Rich Dauer was drafted by the Orioles in the 1st round (24th pick) of the 1974 Major League Baseball draft.Rich Dauer page at Baseball Reference September 11, 1974: The Orioles traded a player to be named later and cash to the California Angels for Bob Oliver. The Orioles completed the trade by sending Mickey Scott to the Angels on October 3.Bob Oliver page at Baseball Reference September 16, 1974: Jim Northrup was purchased by the Orioles from the Montreal Expos.Jim Northrup page at Baseball Reference

Roster 1974 Baltimore Orioles Roster Pitchers Catchers

Infielders Outfielders

Other batters Manager

Coaches

Player stats = Indicates team leader

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 118 413 105 .254 14 52 1B 110 344 91 .265 12 45 2B 160 582 153 .263 19 82 3B 153 553 159 .288 7 59 SS 155 493 111 .225 5 36 LF 137 489 133 .272 10 59 CF 151 552 144 .261 17 62 RF 113 411 100 .243 4 32 DH 128 626 181 .289 11 84

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 94 270 63 .233 1 19 64 189 42 .222 7 28 62 180 40 .222 2 15 80 174 42 .241 3 17 66 159 33 .208 3 8 24 29 5 .172 0 0 12 20 5 .250 0 2 9 20 3 .150 0 4 6 15 4 .267 0 1 7 8 0 .000 0 0 8 7 4 .571 1 3 1 1 0 .000 0 0

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 40 295.2 18 13 3.07 158 38 269.1 22 10 3.11 106 39 259.0 16 10 3.58 111 26 178.2 7 12 3.27 84

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 30 114.1 6 9 4.01 40 20 91.0 5 5 2.97 40

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 49 6 4 12 2.57 56 54 7 5 7 2.73 43 20 1 1 1 3.45 26 20 1 0 0 4.40 31 11 2 2 2 2.93 6

Postseason

ALCS

The Athletics defeated the Orioles, 3–1, limiting Baltimore to one run in the final three games. GameScoreDateLocationAttendance1Baltimore – 6, Oakland – 3October 5Oakland Coliseum41,6092Baltimore – 0, Oakland – 5October 6Oakland Coliseum42,8103Oakland – 1, Baltimore – 0October 8Memorial Stadium32,0604Oakland – 2, Baltimore – 1October 9Memorial Stadium28,136

As division champions, the Orioles earned a postseason bonus of $7,394 each.

Farm system

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Rochester

Notes

References

1974 Baltimore Orioles team page at Baseball Reference 1974 Baltimore Orioles season at baseball-almanac.com