For the season, Bumbry appeared mostly as a pinch runner during the first month of the season. In May he began to play more, usually batting as the leadoff hitter, then in June he appeared in all but one game the team played, as he was hitting well. At the All-Star break in July he had a .304 average, at the end of August he was batting .312, and he finished the season with a .337 average, and had 34 RBIs, 73 runs scored, 23 stolen bases, and 7 home runs. He also had a league-leading 11 triples, including three on September 22 against the Milwaukee Brewers, tying both the American League (AL) and MLB records for most triples in a single game. Defensively, Bumbry started 82 games in the outfield (58 in left field, 24 in right field) and had a .978 fielding average. The Orioles won the AL East division, but lost to the Oakland Athletics in the ALCS. Bumbry played left field in the third and fifth game of the series; he had a walk in each game, but was hitless in seven at bats. Bumbry was named the AL Rookie of the Year, receiving 13 of 23 first place votes.