Sometimes you're just one piece away from you team going from contender to champion. Despite already having such Hall of Fame talent like Brooks Robinsom, Jim Palmer and Luis Aparicio, the 1965 Orioles only managed 94 wins and a 3rd place finish in the American League. What they needed was something extra to make up the ground in the future. What they needed was a sparkplug for their roster. What they needed was Gene "Lurch" Brabender to get the call up the the majors...oh, and *checks notes* that Frank Robinson guy helped out as well.
With the acquisition of Frank, the 1966 Orioles had no equal in the AL. Manager Hank Bauer led the team to a 97-63 record, 9 games better than the defending AL champs in Minnesota and the first pennant for the franchise since their relocation from St. Louis. Opposing them in the World Series were the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers. It was here that Frank Robinson continued to be the difference maker, winning the World Series MVP as the Orioles swept their way to the title.
With the championship secured, the Orioles became the final team of the 8 original American League franchises to win a title, and leaving only the Philadelphia Phillies as the only member of the original 16 modern era teams without a ring. This season also laid the foundation of a future run of dominance for the O's, with them claiming the AL flags and an additional championship between 1969 and 1971.
Frank Robinson had a dominating debut in the American League. Already the NL MVP from 1961, he became the first player to win the award in both leagues as the AL MVP in '66. He did it in style as well, winning the AL Triple Crown with a .316 BA, 122 RBI and a majors leading 49 Home Runs. He also led the majors with 122 Runs and was an all star along with winning the World Series MVP, going 4-14 with a Triple, 2 Home Runs (including the homer that made the difference in the clinching Game 4 1-0 victory) and 3 RBI in the sweep of the Dodgers.
Just a tad bit overshadowed by Frank, Brooks Robinson came in 2nd for the MVP while winning his 7th consecutive Gold Glove with a leading 313 Assists and .976 Fielding Percentage. The all star would have a World Series MVP of his own to claim when the Orioles won it all again in
1970.
Luis is best known as one of the
greatest White Sox players, but the Hall of Famer's lone ring came with his brief stint with the Orioles. And he wasn't around just for show, either. The Gold Glove winner racked up a few MVP votes of his own as he helped lead the O's to their first title. He also led the team with 25 Stolen Bases and tied Frank Robinson with 182 Hits.
Other regulars in the lineup. Powell ensured the Orioles claimed the top 3 MVP spots with his own outstanding season (he'd claim his own MVP award in the next title season of 1970). Etchebarren would also head to the all star game. Davey Johnson took home 3rd place in Rookie of the Year voting. Paul Blair was known more for defense rather than power, but he muscled up and went deep in Game 3 against the Dodgers, providing the games only run.
The bench reserves of the Orioles. Snyder put in some solid time, but your undisputed top choice for pinch hitting is Charley Lau. His 6 Hits in 12 At Bats (1 Triple) means his card is absolutely broken if you can afford him.
The face of Orioles pitching during their run of dominance, Palmer led the staff with 15 Wins. The Hall of Famer also rocked 6 Complete Games in addition to a pitching a shutout in Game 2 of the World Series sweep.
Wally Bunker might have gotten lost in the shuffle of his own rotation, dealing with an injury during the season sure didn't help, but he saved best pitching performance of the year for when it counted most when he took the mound in Game 3 against the Dodgers and conducted a 1-0 complete game shutout.
Other major starters in the rotation. McNally led the staff with 213 Innings Pitched, and while he stumbled in Game 1 of the World Series and had to be relieved early, he rebounded by going the distance in Game 4 in the 1-0 series clinching win. Steve Barber found himself as the lone pitcher on staff who won a spot on the all star team.
Bullpen and other such arms on staff. Drabowsky was the only man called out of the bullpen in the World Series, coming into Game 1 and shutting down the Dodger threat. Watt split time between the pen and the rotation.
One of the better Closers of his era, Stu Miller still had one more great season in him as he closed out 18 Saves for the champions. Because of their stifling pitching, he didn't get the chance to close out any World Series games. He was such a presence in '66 that the Reliever got some rare MVP votes.
