Champions Major Leagues
World Series: Baltimore Orioles over Cincinnati Reds (4–1); Brooks Robinson, MVP All-Star Game, July 14 at Riverfront Stadium: National League, 5–4 (12 innings); Carl Yastrzemski, MVP
Other champions College World Series: USC Japan Series: Yomiuri Giants over Lotte Orions (4–1) Big League World Series: Lincolnwood, Illinois Little League World Series: American, Wayne, New Jersey Senior League World Series: West Tampa, Florida Winter Leagues 1970 Caribbean Series: Navegantes del Magallanes Dominican Republic League: Tigres del Licey Mexican Pacific League: Tomateros de Culiacán Puerto Rican League: Leones de Ponce Venezuelan League: Navegantes del Magallanes
Awards and honors Baseball Hall of Fame Lou Boudreau Earle Combs Jesse Haines Ford Frick (executive)
Baseball Writers' Association of America Awards BBWAA Award National League American League Rookie of the Year Carl Morton (MON) Thurman Munson (NYY) Cy Young Award Bob Gibson (STL) Jim Perry (MIN) Most Valuable Player Johnny Bench (CIN) Boog Powell (BAL)Gold Glove Awards Position National League American League Pitcher Bob Gibson (STL) Jim Kaat (MIN) Catcher Johnny Bench (CIN) Ray Fosse (CLE) 1st Base Wes Parker (LAD) Jim Spencer (CAL) 2nd Base Tommy Helms (CIN) Davey Johnson (BAL) 3rd Base Doug Rader (HOU) Brooks Robinson (BAL) Shortstop Don Kessinger (CHC) Luis Aparicio (CWS)Outfield Tommie Agee (NYM) Ken Berry (CWS) Roberto Clemente (PIT) Paul Blair (BAL) Pete Rose (CIN) Mickey Stanley (DET)
Statistical leaders American LeagueNational League Stat Player Total Player Total AVG Alex Johnson (CAL) .329 Rico Carty (ATL) .366 HR Frank Howard (WAS) 44 Johnny Bench (CIN) 45 RBI Frank Howard (WAS) 126 Johnny Bench (CIN) 148 W Mike Cuellar (BAL)Dave McNally (BAL)Jim Perry (MIN) 24 Bob Gibson (STL)Gaylord Perry (SF) 23 ERA Diego Seguí (OAK) 2.56 Tom Seaver (NYM) 2.82 K Sam McDowell (CLE) 304 Tom Seaver (NYM) 283
Major league baseball final standings American League final standings
National League final standings
Nippon Professional Baseball final standings Central League final standings + Central League Team G W L T Pct. GBYomiuri Giants 130 79 47 4 .627 —Hanshin Tigers 130 77 49 4 .611 2.0Taiyo Whales 130 69 57 4 .548 10.0Hiroshima Toyo Carp 130 62 60 8 .508 15.0Chunichi Dragons 130 55 70 5 .440 23.5Yakult Atoms 130 33 92 5 .264 45.5
Pacific League final standings + Pacific League Team G W L T Pct. GBLotte Orions 130 80 47 3 .630 —Nankai Hawks 130 69 57 4 .548 10.5Kintetsu Buffaloes 130 65 59 6 .524 13.5Hankyu Braves 130 64 64 2 .500 16.5Toei Flyers 130 54 70 6 .435 24.5Nishitetsu Lions 130 43 78 9 .355 34.0
Events January
January 14 – The California Angels acquire veteran pitcher Jack Fisher from the Cincinnati Reds for pitcher Bill Harrelson and minor-league infielder Daniel Loomer. January 15 – The Seattle Pilots (soon to be the Milwaukee Brewers) trade first baseman Don Mincher and third baseman Ron Clark to the Oakland Athletics for pitchers Lew Krausse Jr. and Ken Sanders, catcher Phil Roof and outfielder Mike Hershberger. January 16 – Curt Flood, Gold Glove former centerfielder of the St. Louis Cardinals, files a civil lawsuit challenging Major League Baseball's reserve clause, a suit that will have historic implications. Flood will refuse 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. The January 1970 Major League Baseball draft sees future stars Chris Chambliss (Cleveland Indians), Chris Speier (San Francisco Giants), Rick Burleson (Boston Red Sox), Doug DeCinces (Baltimore Orioles) and Bill Madlock (Washington Senators) drafted and signed by MLB teams. January 19 – The New York Mets appoint former MLB catcher and field manager Bob Scheffing as vice president and general manager, filling the void left by the January 14 death of Johnny Murphy. Scheffing, 56, previously was a senior special assignments scout for the Mets' organization. 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. January 29 – Pitcher Miguel Fuentes, who threw the last pitch for the Seattle Pilots, is shot to death outside of a bar in Loiza, Puerto Rico.
February 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 4 – The Cincinnati Reds acquire southpaw hurler Bo Belinsky from the Pittsburgh Pirates for right-hander Dennis Ribant. Known as a free-wheeling bachelor in his earlier days with the Los Angeles Angels, Belinsky, 33, appears in three early-season games, the last of his MLB career, for the buttoned-up "Big Red Machine" before he's sent to Triple-A. February 18 – The Cleveland Indians acquire left-handed relief specialist Steve Mingori from the Reds for infielder Jay Ward. 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 is indefinite, but will later be set at three months.
March March 8 – With the Seattle Pilots' parent company, Pacific Northwest Sports, in bankruptcy court and the club's sale to a Milwaukee consortium headed by Bud Selig the only viable path forward, American League owners begin to weigh transferring the year-old team. The AL magnates are wary of angering the State of Washington's two powerful U.S. Senators, Scoop Jackson and Warren Magnuson, and endangering MLB's anti-trust exemption. March 17 – After almost two decades as president of the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers franchise, Walter O'Malley names his son, Peter, 32, to succeed him in the post. The elder O'Malley, who owns 75 percent of the Dodgers' stock, becomes chairman of the board. March 18 – The St. Louis Cardinals reveal that veteran third baseman Mike Shannon is suffering from a life-threatening ailment, a form of glomerulonephritis, in both kidneys. Hospitalized for nearly a month, Shannon, 30, is able to return to action May 14 and play 55 games for the Redbirds before the illness forces him back to the injured list in August, followed by his off-season retirement. He immediately joins the Cardinals' broadcast team, where he spends all or part of 50 years before stepping down in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. March 21 – The Washington Senators trade outfielder Brant Alyea to the Minnesota Twins for pitchers Joe Grzenda and Charley Walters. Alyea, a reserve with Washington, will bat .415 for the Twins during the month of April with five home runs and 23 RBI in 17 games. Walters never pitches for the Senators, but when he retires from baseball he'll get a journalism degree and become a featured sports columnist for the St. Paul Pioneer Press. March 29 – The New York Mets deal veteran catcher J. C. Martin, an unsung contributor to their 1969 National League Championship Series and World Series triumphs, to the Chicago Cubs for catcher Randy Bobb. March 30 – The current edition of the Washington Senators signs free-agent, veteran right-handed pitcher Pedro Ramos, 34. Ramos returns to D.C., where he was a starting pitcher for the 1901–1960 Senators (now the Minnesota Twins) and known for his blazing fastball and prodigious games-lost totals: Ramos led the American League in that dubious category for four straight years (including one season in Minnesota), and between and he put up consecutive years of 16, 18, 19, 18 and 20 defeats.
April
April 1: The Milwaukee Brewers' parent company, headed by Bud Selig, purchases the Seattle Pilots franchise for $10.8 million. Although negotiations were conducted over a period of months, it was not until yesterday, March 31, when a federal bankruptcy judge declared the Pilots bankrupt; Brewers' tickets will go on sale tomorrow. Team equipment is shipped to Milwaukee County Stadium, where the Pilots' insignia is ripped off the uniforms and replaced by "Brewers," since there is no time for new ones to be made. The franchise remains in the American League West. On their first day as Milwaukee's team, the Brewers release left-hander Steve Barber. The former 20-game-winner, 32, will sign as a free agent April 23 with the Chicago Cubs. April 4 – The Milwaukee Brewers make another deal, sending infielder Frank Coggins, outfielder Roy Foster and cash to the Cleveland Indians for third baseman Max Alvis and outfielder Russ Snyder. Foster, 24, will bash 23 homers for the 1970 Tribe and finish second in the voting for American League Rookie of the Year. April 6: In the National League's 95th Opening Day, the Cincinnati Reds defeat the Montreal Expos 5–1 behind Jim Merritt's three-hitter and three home runs. It's the last opener at ancient Crosley Field, and the unofficial start of Cincinnati's Big Red Machine era that will produce five division titles, four NL pennants and two World Series championships over the next seven years. The American League's traditional Presidential Opener is delayed 55 minutes by rain, and Richard Nixon arrives in the middle of the first inning—missing his opportunity to throw out the first ball—as the Detroit Tigers' Mickey Lolich shuts out the Washington Senators 5–0. April 7: Milwaukee regains a Major League Baseball franchise of its own after a four-year absence as the Brewers play their first game, losing to the California Angels 12–0 before a crowd of 37,237 at County Stadium. The Wisconsin city had hosted 20 American League games played by the "homestanding" Chicago White Sox in 1968–1969. Pitcher Dave McNally strikes out 13 in nine innings as the Baltimore Orioles rip the Indians, 8–2, in Opening Day at Cleveland Stadium. The attack is led by Paul Blair, who drives in a pair of runs and scores three times. McNally holds the Indians to two runs on four hits and three walks to get the win. Rookie Roy Foster belts a two-run home run for the only offense for Cleveland. In Minnesota, left-fielder Brant Alyea leads the Twins over the Chicago White Sox, 12–0. His 4-for-4 day includes two homers and seven RBI, the latter setting a major league Opening Day record. April 8 – The Detroit Tigers release outfielder Tom Tresh. Tresh, 31, the American League Rookie of the Year in 1962, never plays in the majors again. April 11 – At Comiskey Park, Danny Walton hits the first two home runs in Milwaukee Brewers history, both two-run shots coming against White Sox starter Billy Wynne. The Brewers win for the first time, 8–4. April 18 – Nolan Ryan gives up only one hit in the first inning as he sets a then-New York Mets record by striking out 15 batters in a 7–0 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies at Shea Stadium. April 21 – At "The Launching Pad," Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium, the fast-starting Cincinnati Reds bash seven home runs, two by rookie Bernie Carbo, to defeat the Atlanta Braves 13–8. April 22: Four days after Ryan's strikeout feat, the New York Mets' Tom Seaver whiffs 19 San Diego Padres, including the last ten in succession, in winning 2–1. San Diego's Mike Corkins takes the loss. In the 20th century, no one had ever struck out ten batters in a row, a modern major league record. The Pads now have fanned 29 times in two games, a National League mark that will be topped in when the Houston Astro batters rack up 31 Ks in two days. Jerry Grote adds one foul fly catch to his 19 putouts via K's. At RFK Stadium, the Washington Senators go 18 innings to defeat the New York Yankees 2–1. Mike Epstein's sacrifice fly plates the game-winning run. April 24 – Tom Haller's RBI single drives in the game's only run in the home half of the 15th, as the Los Angeles Dodgers thwart the New York Mets 1–0. It's the longest of the Mets' 21 extra-inning games of 1970.