On This Date in Sports September 26, 1971: Orioles Four 20
In collaboration with the Sportescyclopedia.com
The Baltimore Orioles blank the Cleveland Indians 5-0 at Municipal Stadium, as Jim Palmer earns his 20th win with a complete-game three-hit shutout. Palmer joins teammates Dave McNally, Pat Dobson, and Mike Cuellar as the second Major League foursome to win 20 games in a season. The Chicago White Sox previously had four 20-game winners in 1920, with Red Faber, Eddie Ciccote, Lefty Williams, and Dickey Kerr. No team has accomplished the feat since and will unlikely ever happen again, with 20-win seasons becoming a rarity.
In the early days of divisional play, it was the Baltimore Orioles who owned the American League Eastern Division. On their way to the World Series in each season, the Orioles won the East by more than ten games in 1969, 1970, and 1971 while topping 100 wins. After winning their second World Championship in 1970, the Orioles added Pat Dobson to their already stacked starting rotation. Dave McNally and Mike Cuellar each won 24 games in 1970, while Jim Palmer had his first 20-win season.
Pat Dobson had a breakout season in 1970, pitching with the second-year San Diego Padres. After three seasons with the Detroit Tigers, Dobson won 14 games with San Diego and was traded to the Orioles, who looked to add more pitching after beating the Cincinnati Reds in the 1970 Fall Classic. The Orioles spent most of the 1971 season in first place, pulling away in June. The Orioles were looking forward to their third straight ALCS appearance by September, as their four aces neared 20 wins.
Dave McNally reached 20 wins for the fourth straight season on September 21st, as the Orioles beat the New York Yankees 5-0 at Yankee Stadium. Mike Cuellar and Pat Dobson each reached 20 wins on September 24th, as the Orioles swept the Cleveland Indians in a doubleheader at Municipal Stadium. For Cuellar, who earned a 9-2 win, it was his third consecutive 20-win season, while Dobson earned 20 wins for the first time in his career with a 7-0 complete-game shutout win. Jim Palmer had his second straight 20-win season to complete the foursome. As the regular season ended three days later, only Dave McNally would get to 21 wins, with the Orioles finishing at 101-57.
The Orioles played in their third straight World Series but lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates in seven games, as Roberto Clemente had a series for the ages, earning MVP honors for the Pirates.
Dave McNally would not win 20 games again, as he struggled to find run support over the next three seasons in Baltimore before finishing his career with the Montreal Expos in 1975. Mike Cuellar remained one of the top pitchers in the American League, winning 18 games in 1972 and 1973 before his final 20-win season in 1974. Cuellar finished his career with the California Angels in 1977. Pat Dobson would lead the American League with 18 losses in 1972 and was traded to the Atlanta Braves. He ended up on the Yankees and had 19 wins in 1974 but never found consistency and ended his career with the Cleveland Indians in 1977. Jim Palmer would become the top hurler in the American League in the 1970s, winning three Cy Young awards in 1973, 1975, and 1976. He would win 20 games seven times in eight years. Spending his entire career with the Orioles, Jim Palmer would retire in 1984 and entered the Hall of Fame in 1990.
The Chicago White Sox of 1920 was the only team with four 20-win seasons (Red Faber, Eddie Ciccote, Lefty Williams, and Dickey Kerr). It was the final season for both Ciccote and Williams as both pitchers were exiled from baseball after conspiring to throw the 1919 World Series.