Baltimore’s Orioles pitcher Mike Cuellar was attempting to keep the Pittsburgh Pirates from winning the 1971 World Series in the eighth inning.
He had won 20 games in the regular season and another in the Orioles’ sweep of the Oakland A’s in the American League Championship Series with his left-handed pitching.
The Orioles’ bullpen was in high gear as Cuellar worked through the inning. Nonetheless, this was not the ordinary Birds’ back-up team.
Right-hander Pat Dobson and lefty Dave McNally warmed up before game seven of the season instead of the regular season’s relievers or even the majority of the postseason’s prior games, as did the regular season’s 20-game winners.
The Orioles’ regular season’s fourth 20-game winner, Jim Palmer, had pitched nine innings in Game 6 before Dobson and McNally came to the rescue in the 10th inning.
Two 20-game winners warming up in the bullpen to relieve another pair of 20-game winners starting the next two games back to back. Imagine the possibilities!
Orioles trio started 142 of 158 games played in 1971. Cuellar had 38 appearances, Dobson had 37, and Palmer had 30. (he missed five weeks with an injury).
70 of the team’s 71 games were played by this quartet. At McNally, there were only 11 regulars. For the second time in Orioles history, there were no complete games in Major League Baseball in 2019.
Shane Bieber of Cleveland and Lucas Giolito of Chicago each had three hits to lead the Major Leagues.
How Many Complete Games Did The Orioles Have In 1971?
The Orioles have 71 complete games. Orioles trio started 142 of 158 games played in 1971. Cuellar had 38 appearances, Dobson had 37, and Palmer had 30.