Relive the 1966 Baltimore Orioles World Series Championship (Videos)
As the 2017 World Series shifts to Houston for Game 3 of the thrilling Astros-Dodgers matchup, let’s flashback to the Baltimore Orioles first World Series title in franchise history.
The fans of the Baltimore Orioles are looking forward to 2018 after a setback season, but with the thrilling Astros-Dodgers World Series battle taking place, let’s flashback to the Orioles first championship from the 1966 World Series.
The journey for the Orioles first World Series title began after completing the 1966 regular season with an MLB-best 97-63.
The 1966 Orioles roster featured some of the most prominent players in MLB history including Triple Crown winner Frank Robinson, who hit .316 and smashed 49 home runs with 122 RBIs, 20-year-old right-handed pitching phenom Jim Palmer, and 18-time All-Star Brooks Robinson.
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However, those weren’t the only Orioles players that played a vital role in the franchise’s first World Series title. The unforgettable 1966 Orioles roster also carried slugger Boog Powell, who clobbered 34 home runs with 109 RBIs, and leader of the O’s rotation, southpaw Dave McNally.
Unlike today’s MLB playoffs system, only the top two teams from the American League and National League compete in a seven-game series, also known as the World Series without any other series involved.
In the 1966 World Series, the Orioles had the difficult task of taking down the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
Game 1: Baltimore Orioles at Los Angeles Dodgers
The highly-anticipated 1966 World Series and the start of many magical years to come embarked on Oct. 5, 1966, in front of 55,941 at Dodger Stadium.
Before Orioles Game 1 starter Dave McNally could even throw a pitch, the Orioles delivered back-to-back home runs in the top of the first inning to put the road team on top for an early 3-0 lead. Frank Robinson kickstarted the Orioles home run tear to open the World Series as he sent Dodgers starter Don Drysdale‘s pitch over the left field wall for a two-run home trot.
Next at-bat, Brooks mirrored Frank’s moonshot to the left-field seats to supply McNally a three-run cushion in the bottom of the first inning.
After a clean first inning, McNally unraveled in the second and third inning, forcing Orioles manager Hank Bauer to apply his bullpen early and called on right-handed reliever Moe Drabowsky.
After allowing an unearned run to cross the plate in his first inning of work, Drabowsky finished Game 1 of the World Series by tossing 6.2 innings of one-hit baseball with 11 strikeouts to lift the Orioles to a 1-0 series lead.