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1974 Baltimore Orioles season
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Major League Baseball season
March 2026
November 2013
Baltimore Orioles 1974 American League East champions American League East Memorial Stadium Baltimore, Maryland 91–71 (.562) 1st Jerold Hoffberger Frank Cashen Earl Weaver WJZ-TV WBAL (AM)(Chuck Thompson, Bill O'Donnell)
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
BAL
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
13 Doyle Alexander
35 Mike Cuellar
17 Wayne Garland
39 Ross Grimsley
44 Don Hood
23 Grant Jackson
38 Jesse Jefferson
45 Dave Johnson
19 Dave McNally
22 Jim Palmer
34 Bob Reynolds Catchers
8 Andy Etchebarren
10 Elrod Hendricks
32 Earl Williams
Infielders
15 Frank Baker
7 Mark Belanger
24 Enos Cabell
37 Doug DeCinces
3 Bobby Grich
43 Tim Nordbrook
33 Bob Oliver
26 Boog Powell
5 Brooks Robinson Outfielders
25 Don Baylor
6 Paul Blair
1 Al Bumbry
2 Rich Coggins
18 Jim Fuller
21 Curt Motton
28 Jim Northrup
9 Mike Reinbach
Other batters
12 Tommy Davis Manager
4 Earl Weaver
Coaches
31 George Bamberger
41 Jim Frey
55 Billy Hunter
48 George Staller
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 Earl Williams Earl Williams (1970s catcher) 118 413 105 .254 14 52 1B Boog Powell 110 344 91 .265 12 45 2B Bobby Grich 160 582 153 .263 19 82 3B Brooks Robinson 153 553 159 .288 7 59 SS Mark Belanger 155 493 111 .225 5 36 LF Don Baylor 137 489 133 .272 10 59 CF Paul Blair Paul Blair (baseball) 151 552 144 .261 17 62 RF Rich Coggins 113 411 100 .243 4 32 DH Tommy Davis Tommy Davis (outfielder) 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 Al Bumbry 94 270 63 .233 1 19 Jim Fuller Jim Fuller (outfielder) 64 189 42 .222 7 28 Andy Etchebarren 62 180 40 .222 2 15 Enos Cabell 80 174 42 .241 3 17 Elrod Hendricks 66 159 33 .208 3 8 Frank Baker Frank Baker (shortstop) 24 29 5 .172 0 0 Mike Reinbach 12 20 5 .250 0 2 Bob Oliver 9 20 3 .150 0 4 Tim Nordbrook 6 15 4 .267 0 1 Curt Motton 7 8 0 .000 0 0 Jim Northrup Jim Northrup (baseball) 8 7 4 .571 1 3 Doug DeCinces 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 Ross Grimsley 40 295.2 18 13 3.07 158 Mike Cuellar 38 269.1 22 10 3.11 106 Dave McNally 39 259.0 16 10 3.58 111 Jim Palmer 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 Doyle Alexander 30 114.1 6 9 4.01 40 Wayne Garland 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 Grant Jackson Grant Jackson (baseball) 49 6 4 12 2.57 56 Bob Reynolds Bob Reynolds (baseball) 54 7 5 7 2.73 43 Don Hood 20 1 1 1 3.45 26 Jesse Jefferson 20 1 0 0 4.40 31 Dave Johnson Dave Johnson (1970s pitcher) 11 2 2 2 2.93 6
Postseason
ALCS
1974 American League Championship Series
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.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-qoyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=uOgFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1672%2C1601101 Lawrence Journal-World Kansas Associated Press A's bankroll $22,219 November 12, 1974 10
Farm system
Minor League Baseball
AAA Rochester Red Wings International League Joe Altobelli AA Asheville Orioles Southern League Cal Ripken Sr. A Lodi Orioles California League Jimmie Schaffer A Miami Orioles Florida State League George Farson Rookie Bluefield Orioles Appalachian League Bobby Malkmus
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Rochester
Notes
2
References
Johnson Lloyd Wolff Miles The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball 2nd Durham, North Carolina Baseball America 1997 978-0-9637189-8-3
1974 Baltimore Orioles team page at Baseball Reference
1974 Baltimore Orioles season at baseball-almanac.com
Category:Baltimore Orioles seasons
Baltimore Orioles season
Category:American League East champion seasons
Baltimore Orioles
Category:1970s in Baltimore