Baltimore Orioles: World Series home runs throughout history

As Baltimore Orioles contributed an insane amount of home runs in the 2017 regular season.

The Baltimore Orioles were one of the top home-run-hitting teams with seven players who hit 20 or more home runs in a season. No other team had that many players with that many home runs.

Now, home runs have become part of the storyline of the 2017 World Series. In the four games played so far, 15 home runs have been hit. The two teams hit a combed eight in Game Two, setting a new World Series record.

The Orioles won the1966, 1970, and 1983 World Series and lost in 1969, 1971, and 1979. During these Fall Classics home runs were hit, though not as many in 2017.

The 1966 numbers

In 1966, three Orioles combined for four home runs. The Dodgers only hit one, but they also only scored two runs in one of the four games played. Brooks Robinson and Paul Blair each hit one long ball while Frank Robinson hit two putting OPS at 1.232 for the series. In Game One, the two Robinsons hit back-to-back jacks in the first inning. Blair hit his in Game Three and it was the only run of the game. Robinson’s second home run of the series came in Game Four and was also the only run scored in the game.

What happened in 1969

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In 1969, the New York Mets quieted the Orioles winning four out of five. The Mets combined for six home runs and the Orioles had three. Frank Robinson added one more to his playoff total. Don Buford and Dave McNally each hit one. Buford hit his home run off of the second pitch of the game. McNally was the starting pitcher for the Orioles – technically, a “pitcher who raked.” Robinson and McNally hit the team’s  home runs in Game Five, but it wasn’t enough for a win.

McNally was bringing it in 1970

In 1970, the bats got going for more power. The Orioles combined for 10 home runs and the Cincinnati Reds hit five. Buford and McNally each had one and both Robinsons had two. The newcomers to the World Series home-run crew were Elrod Hendricks and Merv Rettenmund who each hit one and Boog Powell who added his own two to the list. This series lasted five games.

The Orioles hit home runs in all five games with three hit in Game One and Game Three. In Game Three, McNally’s home run was a Grand Slam. He is the first and only pitcher to do this in a World Series game.

Numbers in 1971 and 1979

In 1971, the Orioles and Pittsburgh Pirates played a full seven-game series. The home runs were down from the 1970 series, with a total of 10. Each team hit five of them. Buford and Frank Robinson hit two each and Rettenmund add one more. Roberto Clemente hit two home runs for the Pirates in this series, too. Check out the two-run dinger from Robinson in Game Five:

In 1979, the Orioles and Pirates met again, but the O’s were without the Robinsons. This series also went seven games. And, like the series in 1971, home run numbers were low. The Pirates only hit three of them and they all came from Willie Stargell. The Orioles hit four courtesy of Benny Ayala, Rich Dauer, Doug DeCinces, and Eddie Murray.

The last show in 1983

Finally, in 1983, the Orioles won their last series defeating the Phillies four games to one. This series saw a total of 10 home runs, with six from the Orioles. Murray hit two and the rest were knocked over the fence by Rick Dempsey, Jim Dwyer, Dan Ford, and John Lowenstein.

Next: Mediocre Vegas odds for 2018 Orioles World Series chances

Overall, the Orioles home run leaders in the World Series shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Eddie Murray hit three of them. Frank Robinson hit seven over the course of the four series he played with the Orioles.