My 1971 APBA Replay

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Game 1 of World Series
PITT 1 0 3 0 1 1 3 3 0 - 12 24 1
BALT 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 - 3 6 0

Baltimore, Oct. 9 - The Pittsburgh Pirates battered the highly regarded Baltimore Oriole pitching staff for 24 hits in a 12-3 blowout of Game One of the 1971 World Series. Baltimore starter Dave McNally gave up 9 hits and 4 runs in only 3 innings of work. The rout was a complete team effort as 8 Pirates drove in runs. Willie Stargell and SS Jackie Hernandez had four hits apiece, and Roberto Clemente and 3B Jose Pagan had three hits each. Pagan hit a solo home run to deep left field in the fifth. Meanwhile on the hill, Dock Ellis, the brash starter for the Pirates, hushed the Oriole bats for only six hits. The only threats Baltimore could manage was in the 8th and 9th when the outcome was long decided.

Baltimore, Oct. 11 - Game 2 of the 1971 World Series was postponed for a day after the game was halted in the second inning on Sunday, October 10. (Game 2 was also postponed by rain in reality!) Starters Jim Palmer and Bob Johnson set the sides down quietly until the bottom of the fifth. Jackie Hernandez booted a ground ball by Belanger, and Don Buford cashes in on the misplay with a 2 out RBI single to give Baltimore their first lead in the Series. Palmer began to tire in the seventh, loading the bases for Manny Sanguillen. Manny gave Pittsburgh the lead with a 2 run single. Pete Richert relieved Palmer and worked out of the inning. But in their next at-bat, the Pirates continued their barrage on the Baltimore bullpen from 2 days ago. Bob Robertson tripled down the left field line to score Clemente and Stargell. The Orioles' frustration began to surface as Tom Dukes threw a Gene Cline sacrifice attempt into right field to allow the final run to score. As Pittsburgh made simple work of the Orioles pen, Bob Miller shut down Baltimore with 2 scoreless innings, striking out four.

Game 3
BALT 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 - 4 11 3
PITT 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 - 3 10 0

Pittsburgh, Oct. 12 - Steve Blass overcame a shaky start to strike out eight, but ace reliever Dave Giusti could not hold the lead in the ninth. Merv Rettenmund's 2 out 2 run double down the right field line scored Belanger and Buford. However, the home fans jumped right back out of their seats as Richie Hebner led off the bottom of the ninth with a pinch hit home run to right off Eddie Watt to knot the score at three. In the 11th, Rettenmund singles with 2 outs, and Boog Powell follows with a game winning double to right.

Pittsburgh, Oct. 13 - A new age in baseball dawns with the first ever night game in World Series history, and traditionalists and Oriole fans are sickened by the game. Pittsburgh moved one game away from an improbable championship over the favored Orioles. The Bucs again held their own against Oriole starter, and then ambushed the bullpen. Tied at two, Sanguillen began the Pirate seventh with a leadoff single against Pat Dobson. Jackie Hernandez lays down a bunt, and Dobson fields it near the line. Dobson looks at second, but before he can right himself to go to first, he collides with Hernandez. Sanguillen moves to third, and Hernandez is safe at first. However, Dobson is shaken up and leaves the game. Grant Jackson enters the game, and a Clines pinch hit single and a wild pitch later, Pittsburgh has a 4-2 lead. Tom Dukes fares no better also allowing a RBI single by Clemente and a wild pitch to push the Bucs' lead to 6-2. Bruce Kison, who's wedding day is this Saturday, picks up his second Series win with 2 scoreless innings.

W - Briles (1-0) L-McNally (0-2) SV - Giusti (1)
HR - BALT : D.Johnson (1) PITT: Clemente (1)

PIttsburgh, Oct. 14 - The Pittsburgh Pirates conquered the favored Baltimore Orioles in five games to claim the title of World's Champions. The Bucs batted a team average .337 against the one of the best pitching lineups ever. Baltimore 2B Davey Johnson did his best to get the Series return to Baltimore with a 2 run HR to give the O's the early lead. Willie Stargell snuffed a Baltimore rally by throwing out Paul Blair at home to end the sixth inning. Then in the bottom of that inning, Series MVP Roberto Clemente tied the game with a 2 run HR to left. In the seventh, the Pirates took the lead on a Dave Cash sac fly scoring Sanguillen. Gene Clines followed with an RBI single scoring Pagan. In the ninth, Dave Giusti ended the Series by striking out Andy Etchebarren.

The selection of Clemente (.476 1 HR; 5 RBI) as MVP may be somewhat controversial since teammate Manny Sanguillen (.458 5 RBI) posted similar numbers. However, Clemente's dramatic game tying homer in the final game plus his defensive wizardry (gunned down Don Buford at home in Game 3) obviously impacted the voter's decision. Sport Magazine awards Clemente with a 1971 Dodge Charger for winning the Series MVP award. (no kidding, that's what he really won!)

Thousands rioted in Pittsburgh after the Series victory. Police estimated 100,000 persons involved in the disturbances downtown. Bottles were thrown and cars were overturned and set ablaze as a good time turned bad. Police also reported nude dancing and heavy drinking amongst the party-goers. (I didn't make this part up...it's taken from the October 18, 1971 edition of the New York Times reporting on the actual Pittsburgh victory)

East	W	L	Pct.	GB	Last 10	East	W	L	Pct.	GB	Last 10
Baltimore	104	54	.658	-	5-5	Pittsburgh	95	66	.590	-	8-2
Detroit	91	69	.569	14.0	7-3	Chicago	91	70	.565	4.0	8-2
Boston	86	75	.534	19.5	6-4	St.Louis	83	79	.512	12.5	5-5
New York	81	81	.500	25.0	5-5	New York	82	79	.509	13.0	2-8
Washington	60	99	.377	44.5	4-6	Montreal	64	96	.400	30.5	4-6
Cleveland	58	104	.358	48.0	4-6	Philadelphia	64	97	.398	31.0	3-7

West	W	L	Pct.	GB		West	W	L	Pct.	GB
Oakland	98	63	.609	-	7-3	San Francisco	99	63	.611	-	8-2
Kansas City	86	73	.541	11.0	4-6	Los Angeles	90	72	.556	9.0	5-5
Minnesota	79	79	.500	17.5	4-6	Cincinnati	82	79	.509	16.5	2-8
California	78	84	.481	20.5	6-4	Houston	77	83	.481	21.0	5-5
Chicago	76	86	.469	22.5	3-7	Atlanta	76	86	.469	23.0	8-2
Milwaukee	65	95	.406	32.5	6-4	San Diego	64	97	.398	34.5	2-8

American League
MVP - Reggie Jackson, Oakland .296; 37 HR; 103 RBI; 17 SB
Cy Young - Vida Blue, Oakland 24-6; 1.93 ERA; 303 IP; 327 K; .152 OBA
ROY - Chris Chambliss, Cleveland .305; 14 HR; 59 RBI

National League
MVP - Hank Aaron, Atlanta                       .345; 55 HR; 130 RBI
Cy Young - Tom Seaver, New York          22-7; 1.52 ERA; 290IP; 287 K; .145 OBA
ROY - Willie Montanez, Philadelphia      .255; 25 HR; 99 RBI

© 1997; Jimmy Moore. This web site is not affiliated with any company, and is a simple labor of love.
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