Game One in our series of classic baseball match-ups sees the 1957 Milwaukee Braves visiting Baltimore's Memorial Stadium to take on the 1970 Orioles.
Before listening to the broadcast, here are some things to know.
Memorial Stadium
The Orioles moved into Memorial Stadium in 1954 after the franchise had re-located from St. Louis.
Memorial Stadium was a multi-purpose facility.
In other words, it was built to host both football and baseball games.
Now, American football fields have very strict dimensions.
100 yards long.
53 yards wide.
With end zones that are ten yards deep.
Standard measurements in every stadium.
No wiggle room whatsoever.
But baseball fields are different.
They have personality.
Sure, infields are all the same.
But once you step onto the outfield grass, all bets are off.
And since Memorial Stadium served primarily as a football stadium, its outfield dimensions when it first opened for baseball were a bit strange.
It was just 309 feet down each foul line.
Which seems inviting.
But there was a drastic change as soon as a ball approached the power alleys.
It was 446 feet to the fence in left-center and right-center field.
Dead center field was 445 feet from the batter's box.
That's practically a short bus ride away from home plate.
So, unless a batter pulled the ball right down the line, well, it was going to be tough to clear the fences.
Memorial Stadium was home for the Baltimore Orioles until the end of the 1991 season.
The Teams
The 1957 Milwaukee Braves won the National League pennant by finishing with a 95-59 won-loss record.
The team had a perfect balance of hitting, pitching and fielding.
In the World Series, Milwaukee defeated the Yankees in seven games to become the first team outside of the city of New York to win it all since 1948.
More than 2.2 million fans flocked to County Stadium in Milwaukee to cheer on their team.
In 1969, the Baltimore Orioles were upset in the World Series by an upstart New York Mets team.
When 1970 rolled around, the Orioles were in no mood to come up short again.
They posted a regular season record of 108 wins and just 54 losses to win the American League East pennant.
In the post-season, Baltimore put their foot on the gas.
They quickly disposed of the Minnesota Twins in three straight games.
Then, in the World Series, the Orioles defeated Cincinnati's Big Red Machine in just five games.
Key Players
On April 8, 1974, Hank Aaron hit his 715th career home run.
One more than the legendary Babe Ruth.
That made Hammerin' Hank the greatest home run hitter in major league history.
He finished his career with 755 home runs.
Aaron is also the all-time RBI leader with 2,297 runs batted in.
In 1957, Milwaukee's World Series winning year, Aaron was unstoppable.
Playing impeccable right field, Aaron hit .322 including 44 home runs.
Forty-four for #44!
An American politician named George Young said of Hank Aaron, "Through his long career, Hank Aaron has been a model of humility, dignity and quiet competence."
Exactly.
Eddie Mathews was a third baseman who played most of his career with the Milwaukee Braves.
He was an all-star for nine seasons.
Mathews hit 512 home runs during his 17 years in the major leagues.
Putting him in 23rd place on the all-time home run list.
That's 23rd place on a list that includes over 23,000 names.
Not bad.
In 1957, Mathews was on top of his game.
Hitting 32 home runs, he was the "two" in the 1-2 punch that was Hank Aaron and Eddie Mathews.
He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1978.
Brooks Robinson played third base.
Wait.
Let's re-phrase that.
Brooks Robinson played third base like no-one else.
Considered by many to be the greatest defensive third baseman in major league history, Robinson spent his entire career with the Baltimore Orioles.
His nickname was The Human Vacuum Cleaner.
In other words, if a ball was hit in the vicinity of third, Robinson was going to scoop it up.
The 1970 World Series saw Robinson dominate.
Sure, he hit well.
But it was his spectacular defensive play that really stood out.
In each of the five games it took for the Orioles to defeat the Reds, Robinson made the near impossible seem routine.
Brooks Robinson was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983.
Winning twenty games in a single season is a benchmark for pitching excellence.
Well, Jim Palmer won at least twenty games in eight different years for the Baltimore Orioles.
He spent his entire 19 year career with the O's.
By the time he hung up his cleats, Palmer had won 268 games for Baltimore.
In 1970, Palmer won 20 games and was the winning pitcher in Game One of the World Series.
Jim Palmer was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990.
Other Nuggets to Know
- Braves pitcher Warren Spahn won 21 games in 1957
- Baltimore outfielder Frank Robinson went on the become the first black manager in the major leagues when he took over the Cleveland club in 1975
- Lew Burdette was the winning pitcher in Games Two, Five and Seven in the '57 World Series
- After his playing days were over, first baseman Boog Powell owned a food vending business at the Orioles home in Camden Yards called Boog's Barbecue
By the Numbers
92 - the number of times Baltimore manager Earl Weaver was kicked out of a game for arguing with an umpire
16 - the number of times Milwaukee manager Fred Haney was tossed from a game.
0 - or never ... the number of times Hank Aaron was ejected during his distinguished career
After You Listen
Find video of the 1970 World Series and look for some of the amazing plays Brooks Robinson made
Learn more about Hank Aaron's 715th home run and his chase to break Babe Ruth's record
Read Henry Aaron's Dream by Matt Tavares
Now, grab some popcorn, sit back & enjoy the game!
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