# 1970 Major League Baseball season

The 1970 major league baseball season began on April 6, 1970, while the regular season ended on October 1. The postseason began on October 3. The 66th World Series began with Game 1 on October 10 and ended with Game 5 on October 15, with the Baltimore Orioles of the American League defeating the Cincinnati Reds of the National League, four games to one, capturing their second championship in franchise history, since their previous in 1966. Going into the season, the defending World Series champions were the New York Mets from the 1969 season.
The 41st Major League Baseball All-Star Game, was held on July 14 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, home of the Cincinnati Reds. The National League won in twelve innings, 5–4.
During spring training, the Seattle Pilots moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin as the Milwaukee Brewers, being the ninth team since 1953 to relocate, and the fifth of American League teams since them. Due to stadium issues and the team declaring bankruptcy, the team was sold to a Milwaukee-based group and promptly relocated. After having a team for only a single season, Seattle would be without a major league team for seven seasons until the expansion in 1977, with the enfranchisement of the Seattle Mariners. The team was tied with the coincidentally named 1901 Milwaukee Brewers (modern-day Baltimore Orioles) as the shortest-tenured team of the American League.

## Schedule

The 1970 schedule consisted of 162 games for all teams in the American League and National League, each of which had twelve teams. Each league was split into two six-team divisions. Each team was scheduled to play 18 games against their five division rivals, totaling 90 games, and 12 games against six interdivision opponents, totaling 72 games. This continued the format put in place since the previous season and would be used until 1977 in the American League and 1993 in the National League.
Opening Day took place on April 6, featuring four teams. The final day of the regular season was on October 1, featuring 22 teams. Each League Championship Series took place between October 3 and October 5. The World Series took place between October 10 and October 15.

## Rule change

The 1970 season saw the following rule change:
* A "caveat emptor" amendment was approved by both leagues, regarding player trades. Under the new rule, all trades, once agreed upon, would stand, such that a player could not elect to retire and freeze/cancel a trade as a means to stop it. Now, the trade would occur, and it was up to a team themselves to persuade their players to report to work.

## Teams

An asterisk (*) denotes the ballpark a team played the minority of their home games at
| League | Division | Team | City | Stadium | Capacity | Manager |
| American League | East | Baltimore Orioles | Baltimore, Maryland | Baltimore Memorial Stadium | 52,137 | Earl Weaver |
| American League | East | Boston Red Sox | Boston, Massachusetts | Fenway Park | 33,375 | Eddie Kasko |
| American League | East | Cleveland Indians | Cleveland, Ohio | Cleveland Stadium | 76,966 | Alvin Dark |
| American League | East | Detroit Tigers | Detroit, Michigan | Tiger Stadium | 54,226 | Mayo Smith |
| American League | East | New York Yankees | New York, New York | Yankee Stadium | 67,000 | Ralph Houk |
| American League | East | Washington Senators | Washington, D.C. | Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium | 43,500 | Ted Williams |
| American League | West | California Angels | Anaheim, California | Anaheim Stadium | 43,202 | Lefty Phillips |
| American League | West | Chicago White Sox | Chicago, Illinois | White Sox Park | 46,550 | Don Gutteridge |
| American League | West | Chicago White Sox | Chicago, Illinois | White Sox Park | 46,550 | Bill Adair |
| American League | West | Chicago White Sox | Chicago, Illinois | White Sox Park | 46,550 | Chuck Tanner |
| American League | West | Kansas City Royals | Kansas City, Missouri | Municipal Stadium | 34,164 | Charlie Metro |
| American League | West | Kansas City Royals | Kansas City, Missouri | Municipal Stadium | 34,164 | Bob Lemon |
| American League | West | Milwaukee Brewers | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Milwaukee County Stadium | 45,768 | Dave Bristol |
| American League | West | Minnesota Twins | Bloomington, Minnesota | Metropolitan Stadium | 45,914 | Billy Martin |
| American League | West | Oakland Athletics | Oakland, California | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 50,000 | John McNamara |
| National League | East | Chicago Cubs | Chicago, Illinois | Wrigley Field | 36,644 | Leo Durocher |
| National League | East | Montreal Expos | Montreal, Quebec | Jarry Park Stadium | 28,456 | Gene Mauch |
| National League | East | New York Mets | New York, New York | Shea Stadium | 55,300 | Gil Hodges |
| National League | East | Philadelphia Phillies | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Connie Mack Stadium | 33,608 | Frank Lucchesi |
| National League | East | Pittsburgh Pirates | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Forbes Field | 35,500 | Danny Murtaugh |
| National League | East | Pittsburgh Pirates | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Three Rivers Stadium* | 50,500* | Danny Murtaugh |
| National League | East | St. Louis Cardinals | St. Louis, Missouri | Civic Center Busch Memorial Stadium | 49,450 | Red Schoendienst |
| National League | West | Atlanta Braves | Atlanta, Georgia | Atlanta Stadium | 51,383 | Lum Harris |
| National League | West | Cincinnati Reds | Cincinnati, Ohio | Crosley Field* | 29,603* | Sparky Anderson |
| National League | West | Cincinnati Reds | Cincinnati, Ohio | Riverfront Stadium | 51,500 | Sparky Anderson |
| National League | West | Houston Astros | Houston, Texas | Houston Astrodome | 44,500 | Harry Walker |
| National League | West | Los Angeles Dodgers | Los Angeles, California | Dodger Stadium | 56,000 | Walter Alston |
| National League | West | San Diego Padres | San Diego, California | San Diego Stadium | 50,000 | Preston Gómez |
| National League | West | San Francisco Giants | San Francisco, California | Candlestick Park | 42,500 | Clyde King |
| National League | West | San Francisco Giants | San Francisco, California | Candlestick Park | 42,500 | Charlie Fox |

## Standings
### American League

vteAL East :
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
| $^{(1)}$ Baltimore Orioles | 108 | 54 | .667 | — | 59‍–‍22 | 49‍–‍32 |
| New York Yankees | 93 | 69 | .574 | 15 | 53‍–‍28 | 40‍–‍41 |
| Boston Red Sox | 87 | 75 | .537 | 21 | 52‍–‍29 | 35‍–‍46 |
| Detroit Tigers | 79 | 83 | .488 | 29 | 42‍–‍39 | 37‍–‍44 |
| Cleveland Indians | 76 | 86 | .469 | 32 | 43‍–‍38 | 33‍–‍48 |
| Washington Senators | 70 | 92 | .432 | 38 | 40‍–‍41 | 30‍–‍51 |
vteAL West :
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
| $^{(2)}$ Minnesota Twins | 98 | 64 | .605 | — | 51‍–‍30 | 47‍–‍34 |
| Oakland Athletics | 89 | 73 | .549 | 9 | 49‍–‍32 | 40‍–‍41 |
| California Angels | 86 | 76 | .531 | 12 | 43‍–‍38 | 43‍–‍38 |
| Kansas City Royals | 65 | 97 | .401 | 33 | 35‍–‍44 | 30‍–‍53 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 65 | 97 | .401 | 33 | 38‍–‍42 | 27‍–‍55 |
| Chicago White Sox | 56 | 106 | .346 | 42 | 31‍–‍53 | 25‍–‍53 |

### National League

vteNL East :
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
| $^{(2)}$ Pittsburgh Pirates | 89 | 73 | .549 | — | 50‍–‍32 | 39‍–‍41 |
| Chicago Cubs | 84 | 78 | .519 | 5 | 46‍–‍34 | 38‍–‍44 |
| New York Mets | 83 | 79 | .512 | 6 | 44‍–‍38 | 39‍–‍41 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 76 | 86 | .469 | 13 | 34‍–‍47 | 42‍–‍39 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 73 | 88 | .453 | 15½ | 40‍–‍40 | 33‍–‍48 |
| Montreal Expos | 73 | 89 | .451 | 16 | 39‍–‍41 | 34‍–‍48 |
vteNL West :
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
| $^{(1)}$ Cincinnati Reds | 102 | 60 | .630 | — | 57‍–‍24 | 45‍–‍36 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 87 | 74 | .540 | 14½ | 39‍–‍42 | 48‍–‍32 |
| San Francisco Giants | 86 | 76 | .531 | 16 | 48‍–‍33 | 38‍–‍43 |
| Houston Astros | 79 | 83 | .488 | 23 | 44‍–‍37 | 35‍–‍46 |
| Atlanta Braves | 76 | 86 | .469 | 26 | 42‍–‍39 | 34‍–‍47 |
| San Diego Padres | 63 | 99 | .389 | 39 | 31‍–‍50 | 32‍–‍49 |

## Postseason
### Bracket

| League Championship Series (ALCS, NLCS) | League Championship Series (ALCS, NLCS) | League Championship Series (ALCS, NLCS) | World Series | World Series | World Series |
| East | Baltimore | 3 | | | |
| West | Minnesota | 0 | | | |
| West | Minnesota | 0 | AL | Baltimore | 4 |
| | | | NL | Cincinnati | 1 |
| East | Pittsburgh | 0 | NL | Cincinnati | 1 |
| West | Cincinnati | 3 | | | |

## Managerial changes
### Off-season

| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
| Boston Red Sox | Eddie Popowski | Eddie Kasko |
| Cincinnati Reds | Dave Bristol | Sparky Anderson |
| Kansas City Royals | Joe Gordon | Charlie Metro |
| Milwaukee Brewers | Joe Schultz Jr. (Seattle Pilots) | Dave Bristol |
| Minnesota Twins | Billy Martin | Bill Rigney |
| Philadelphia Phillies | George Myatt | Frank Lucchesi |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | Alex Grammas | Danny Murtaugh |

### In-season

| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
| Chicago White Sox | Don Gutteridge | Bill Adair |
| Chicago White Sox | Bill Adair | Chuck Tanner |
| Kansas City Royals | Charlie Metro | Bob Lemon |
| San Francisco Giants | Clyde King | Charlie Fox |

## League leaders
### American League

Hitting leaders :
| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Alex Johnson (CAL) | .329 |
| OPS | Carl Yastrzemski (BOS) | 1.044 |
| HR | Frank Howard (WSH) | 44 |
| RBI | Frank Howard (WSH) | 126 |
| R | Carl Yastrzemski (BOS) | 125 |
| H | Tony Oliva (MIN) | 204 |
| SB | Bert Campaneris (OAK) | 42 |
Pitching leaders :
| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Mike Cuellar (BAL) Dave McNally (BAL) Jim Perry (MIN) | 24 |
| L | Mickey Lolich (DET) | 19 |
| ERA | Diego Seguí (OAK) | 2.56 |
| K | Sam McDowell (CLE) | 304 |
| IP | Sam McDowell (CLE) Jim Palmer (BAL) | 305.0 |
| SV | Ron Perranoski (MIN) | 34 |
| WHIP | Fritz Peterson (NYY) | 1.102 |

### National League

Hitting leaders :
| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Rico Carty (ATL) | .366 |
| OPS | Willie McCovey (SF) | 1.056 |
| HR | Johnny Bench (CIN) | 45 |
| RBI | Johnny Bench (CIN) | 148 |
| R | Billy Williams (CHC) | 137 |
| H | Pete Rose (CIN) Billy Williams (CHC) | 205 |
| SB | Bobby Tolan (CIN) | 57 |
Pitching leaders :
| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Bob Gibson (STL) Gaylord Perry (SF) | 23 |
| L | Steve Carlton (STL) | 19 |
| ERA | Tom Seaver (NYM) | 2.82 |
| K | Tom Seaver (NYM) | 283 |
| IP | Gaylord Perry (SF) | 328.2 |
| SV | Wayne Granger (CIN) | 35 |
| WHIP | Ferguson Jenkins (CHC) | 1.038 |

## Awards and honors
### Regular season

Baseball Writers' Association of America Awards :
| BBWAA Award | National League | American League |
| Rookie of the Year | Carl Morton (MTL) | 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 (LA) | 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) |
| Outfield | Roberto Clemente (PIT) | Paul Blair (BAL) |
| Outfield | Pete Rose (CIN) | Mickey Stanley (DET) |

### Other awards

* Sport Magazine's World Series Most Valuable Player Award: Brooks Robinson (BAL)
* Babe Ruth Award (BBWAA World Series MVP): Brooks Robinson (BAL)
* Hutch Award: Tony Conigliaro (BOS)
The Sporting News Awards :
| Award | National League | American League |
| Player of the Year | Johnny Bench (CIN) | — |
| Pitcher of the Year | Bob Gibson (STL) | Sam McDowell (CLE) |
| Fireman of the Year (Relief pitcher) | Wayne Granger (CIN) | Ron Perranoski (MIN) |
| Rookie Player of the Year | Bernie Carbo (CIN) | Roy Foster (CLE) |
| Rookie Pitcher of the Year | Carl Morton (MTL) | Bert Blyleven (MIN) |
| Comeback Player of the Year | Jim Hickman (CHC) | Clyde Wright (CAL) |
| Manager of the Year | Danny Murtaugh (PIT) | — |
| Executive of the Year | — | Harry Dalton (BAL) |

### Monthly awards
#### Player of the Month

| Month | National League |
| May | Rico Carty (ATL) |
| June | Tommie Agee (NYM) |
| July | Bill Singer (LA) |
| August | Bob Gibson (STL) |

### Baseball Hall of Fame

* Lou Boudreau
* Earle Combs
* Jesse Haines
* Ford Frick (executive)

## Home field attendance

| Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game |
| New York Mets | 83 | −17.0% | 2,697,479 | 24.0% | 32,896 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 102 | 14.6% | 1,803,568 | 82.5% | 22,266 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 87 | 2.4% | 1,697,142 | −4.9% | 20,952 |
| Chicago Cubs | 84 | −8.7% | 1,642,705 | −1.9% | 20,534 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 76 | −12.6% | 1,629,736 | −3.2% | 20,120 |
| Boston Red Sox | 87 | 0.0% | 1,595,278 | −13.0% | 19,695 |
| Detroit Tigers | 79 | −12.2% | 1,501,293 | −4.8% | 18,534 |
| Montreal Expos | 73 | 40.4% | 1,424,683 | 17.5% | 17,809 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 89 | 1.1% | 1,341,947 | 74.4% | 16,365 |
| Minnesota Twins | 98 | 1.0% | 1,261,887 | −6.5% | 15,579 |
| Houston Astros | 79 | −2.5% | 1,253,444 | −13.1% | 15,475 |
| New York Yankees | 93 | 16.3% | 1,136,879 | 6.4% | 14,036 |
| Atlanta Braves | 76 | −18.3% | 1,078,848 | −26.0% | 13,319 |
| California Angels | 86 | 21.1% | 1,077,741 | 42.1% | 13,305 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 108 | −0.9% | 1,057,069 | −0.5% | 13,050 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 65 | 1.6% | 933,690 | 37.7% | 11,527 |
| Washington Senators | 70 | −18.6% | 824,789 | −10.2% | 10,183 |
| Oakland Athletics | 89 | 1.1% | 778,355 | 0.0% | 9,609 |
| San Francisco Giants | 86 | −4.4% | 740,720 | −15.2% | 9,145 |
| Cleveland Indians | 76 | 22.6% | 729,752 | 17.7% | 9,009 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 73 | 15.9% | 708,247 | 36.4% | 8,853 |
| Kansas City Royals | 65 | −5.8% | 693,047 | −23.2% | 8,773 |
| San Diego Padres | 63 | 21.2% | 643,679 | 25.5% | 7,947 |
| Chicago White Sox | 56 | −17.6% | 495,355 | −16.0% | 5,897 |

## Television coverage

NBC was the exclusive national TV broadcaster of MLB, airing the weekend Game of the Week, the All-Star Game, both League Championship Series, and the World Series.

## Retired numbers

* Lou Boudreau had his No. 5 retired by the Cleveland Indians on July 9. This was the second number retired by the team.
* Casey Stengel had his No. 37 retired by the New York Yankees on August 8. This was the fifth number retired by the team. Stengel previously had his No. 37 retired by the New York Mets in 1965.

## Events

* January 16 – Curt Flood, Gold Glove outfielder of the St. Louis Cardinals, files a civil lawsuit challenging Major League Baseball's reserve clause, a suit that will have historic implications. Flood refused 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.
* 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.
* 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 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 will last three months; it was indefinite for a while before its length was set.
* April - National League umpires began wearing blue coats and short sleeved light blue shirts with the league's logo on the left pocket and a number (assigned alphabetically) on the right sleeve.
* April 1 – The Milwaukee Brewers organization, headed by Bud Selig, purchases the Seattle Pilots franchise for $10,800,000. Although negotiations were conducted over a period of months, it was not until March 31 when a federal bankruptcy referee declared the Pilots bankrupt. Brewers tickets go on sale the next day. Team equipment is shipped to Milwaukee County Stadium, where the Pilots insignia is ripped off of the uniforms; the move came so abruptly and there was no time for new uniforms as a result.
* April 7 – Major League Baseball returns to Wisconsin after a four-year absence as the Brewers play their first game in Milwaukee, losing to the California Angels 12–0 before a crowd of 37,237.
* April 7 – Pitcher Dave McNally strikes out 13 in nine innings as the Baltimore Orioles rip the Indians, 8–2, on Opening Day at Cleveland Stadium. Paul Blair leads the offensive attack, driving in a pair of runs and scoring 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 to account for Cleveland's only runs.
* 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 22 – The New York Mets' Tom Seaver strikes out 19 San Diego Padres, including the last 10 in succession, in a 2–1 Mets win. Mike Corkins takes the loss. In this century, no pitcher had ever struck out 10 in a row, a major league record. Counting the 10 whiffs, the Padres have struck out 29 times in two games, a National League record that will be topped in 1998 when the Houston Astros miss 31 times in two days. Jerry Grote adds one foul fly catch to his 19 putouts via strikeouts.
* May 10 – Hoyt Wilhelm makes his 1,000th pitching appearance, the first pitcher in history to do so.
* May 12 – At Chicago's Wrigley Field, Ernie Banks becomes the eighth member of the 500 home run club, connecting off Atlanta Braves pitcher Pat Jarvis during a 4–3, 11-inning Chicago Cubs win over the Braves. It is also his 1,600th career RBI. Ex-Cub Frank Secory umpires this game; he was one of the umpires in the 1953 game in which Banks hit his first home run. Billy Williams' homer in the ninth ties the game and Ron Santo's RBI single in the 11th wins it. Atlanta's Rico Carty, meanwhile, has three singles and has hit in 30 consecutive games.
* May 17 – In the second game of a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds, Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves gets his 3,000th career hit, and is the founding member of the 3000-500 Club.
* June 12 – In the first game of a doubleheader at San Diego Stadium, Dock Ellis of the Pittsburgh Pirates no-hits the San Diego Padres 2–0. Years later, Ellis would claim that he was under the influence of LSD the entire game.
* June 21 – The Detroit Tigers' César Gutiérrez gets seven hits in seven at bats in 12 innings against the Cleveland Indians, setting an American League mark and tying a major league record for most hits in one game.
* June 24 – The Cincinnati Reds defeat the San Francisco Giants, 5–4, in the Reds' final game at Crosley Field.
* June 26 – Frank Robinson of the Baltimore Orioles hits grand slams in consecutive innings, the fourth and fifth, in a 12–2 victory over the Washington Senators at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium. The same runners are on base both times: Dave McNally on third, Don Buford on second, and Paul Blair on first.
* June 28 – The Pittsburgh Pirates defeat the Chicago Cubs in both games of a doubleheader, 3–2 and 4–1, in the last two games played at Forbes Field.
* June 30 – Riverfront Stadium opens with the Cincinnati Reds losing to the Atlanta Braves, 8–2.
* July 3 – Clyde Wright of the California Angels has a doubly memorial day. In the afternoon, the former star pitcher at Carson-Newman College is inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame. Hours later, he no-hits the Oakland Athletics 4–0, the first no-hitter ever pitched at Anaheim Stadium.
* July 14 – At Riverfront Stadium, the National League wins its eighth straight All-Star Game, a thrilling 12-inning, 5–4 victory. Pete Rose crashes into Cleveland Indians catcher Ray Fosse to score the controversial winning run on Jim Hickman's single. Fosse, who never had the ball, hurts his right shoulder and is taken to the hospital. The game is scoreless until the sixth inning, with the NL limited to three hits in the first eight innings. In the ninth, the NL tees off on Catfish Hunter, driving in three runs to tie. Dick Dietz hits a leadoff home run in the inning. Claude Osteen pitches the 10th for the win, and Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox captures the MVP trophy for the American League.
* July 16 – Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Stadium opens to the public, but the Cincinnati Reds spoil the party as they beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4–3 before a crowd of 48,846. Pittsburgh's Richie Hebner records the first hit in the new stadium, and Cincinnati's Tony Pérez smacks the first home run.
** Additionally, the Pirates debut new uniforms made of polyester with pullover shirts and beltless pants. This begins a trend away from wool flannel uniforms, which had been standard since the 19th century. By the start of the 1973 season, all 24 teams will be wearing knits.
* July 18 – Willie Mays of the San Francisco Giants records his 3,000th career hit.
* July 20 – Bill Singer of the Los Angeles Dodgers no-hits the Philadelphia Phillies 5–0 at Dodger Stadium. Singer's catcher, Jeff Torborg, had caught Sandy Koufax's perfect game in 1965, and will later catch the first of Nolan Ryan's seven no-hitters, in 1973.
* July 26 – Johnny Bench of the Cincinnati Reds hits three straight homers off Steve Carlton of the St. Louis Cardinals. On the same day, Orlando Cepeda of the Atlanta Braves connects for three consecutive homers in an 8–3 victory over the Chicago Cubs.
* August 11 – Philadelphia's Jim Bunning beats the Houston Astros 6–5 to become the first pitcher to win 100 games in both leagues since Cy Young.
* September 3 – Billy Williams of the Chicago Cubs asks to be kept out of the lineup, snapping his National League record of 1,117 consecutive games played. His record is broken in 1983 by Steve Garvey.
* September 21 – Vida Blue of the Oakland Athletics no-hits the Minnesota Twins 6–0 at Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, the only baserunner coming on Harmon Killebrew's second-inning walk. The no-hitter caps a season that witnesses four no-hitters, all pitched in California-based Major League stadiums; Candlestick Park is the only one of the five not to have a no-hitter pitched in it.
* October 1 – Vic Davalillo of the St. Louis Cardinals breaks the National League single-season pinch hitting record against the Pittsburgh Pirates and ties the Major League record with his 24th pinch hit of the year.
* October 15 – For the third time in the 1970 World Series, the Baltimore Orioles overcome a 3–0 deficit to bury the Cincinnati Reds 9–3, and win the World Championship four games to one. Frank Robinson and Merv Rettenmund each homer and drive in two runs. Third baseman Brooks Robinson, the "human vacuum cleaner", easily wins the Series MVP award.