Jim Palmer, Mike Cuellar and Dave McNally won a combined 68 games between them, helping the Orioles post 108 wins in 1970, on their way to a World Championship over the Cincinnati reds.
Those 108 wins would end up being the high-mark for wins by a team during the decade, matched by the 1975 “Big Red Machine” Reds, who also took home the title that year.
For future Hall of Fame pitcher Palmer, it would be the first of eight 20-win seasons, with only the 1974 and 1979 seasons where he didn’t win at least 20 during the wild-70’s.
McNally and Cuellar would finish second and fourth respectively in the Cy Young race at the end of year, behind winner Jim Perry of the Minnesota Twins, with Palmer following right behind at number 5.
What a magnificent stable of young arms!
As an aside to the way the game has changed over the generations, the Orioles only used six starters all season in 1970, with one of them, Marcelino Lopez, starting only three games.
Their other five starters accounted for 159 of 162 starts that season. Incredible.
