1971 World Series | Game 7, Pirates at Orioles (10/17/1971)

Steve Blass tosses a complete game gem and leads the Pittsburgh Pirates to their fourth World Series Championship with a 2-1 victory over Baltimore Orioles at Memorial Stadium on October 17, 1971.
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[@vox1138]

Thanks. This brings back wonderful memories. I was an 8 year old Pittsburgher who was at the house of my 6 year old friend (David G.) on Foxcroft Road in Scott Township then, watching the game. When the Bucs won David suggested we go outside and catch some baseball on the street. From a distance, firecrackers were going off, horns from cars parked in driveways were beeping, and some kids were riding bikes and making noise in celebration. We knew that the Bucs winning the game was a neat thing, but didn't expect that. The Steelers and Bucs provided great victories for a kid growing up in Pittsburgh during the '70s. I moved to Crown Point, Indiana where others of my family were in 1986 - it's a nice place, and the sports teams in nearby Chicago are fine, but it's not and never will be Pittsburgh. (The Cubs winning the World Series in Game 7 in 2016 was reminiscent of the Bucs in '71 and '79; however, where it took the Cubs 108 years to win two championships, it took the Bucs only 8.)

[@BETTERWORLDSGT]

I grew up near Pittsburgh, I saw a Couple games at 3 Rivers, one in 1971 and another around 1975. I saw the greats Willie Stargell and Roberto Clemente, I was a kid, I remember seeing this on TV.

[@BETTERWORLDSGT]

@@bluzzedude2677 Yes, I sure wish I'd kept all the Baseball Cards I had, remember a pack was I think 10 Cents and there was a Bubblegum inside.

[@BETTERWORLDSGT]

@@bluzzedude2677 Yes, I know what You mean! I don't even follow it anymore since the 80s. Then I went to work and was too busy, I couldn't name a couple players now.

[@arbyjack2552]

Bob Nutting has destroyed the franchise. What a pile of $hit.

[@davidburroughs2244]

Watched this live on TV while with my family visited friends who lived in Raton, New Mexico. Someone needs to craft a time machine and we need to figure how to look in with out messing it up.

[@MichaelForte-jn5pn]

​@@BETTERWORLDSGTif I kept all of the baseball cards from the 50s and 60s....I would be well off today..oh well!

[@philiptucci2458]

Great World Series memories, so nice to see again after all these years

[@kevinmiller6380]

1971. The year the World Series was first played in primetime.

[@bathat11165]

Thx for the post. I enjoyed the game in quarantine with hot peanuts fresh from my oven. Pirates were my team back then (living in Cubs country). Couldn't wait for the evening paper to come so I could check the prev days box scores. Had 2 complete sets of '74 Pirates Topps cards. Not to sound like a grandpa, but it was nice to watch a good old game without all the screen banners, crawlers, box score and flash all over the screen, not to mention over-enthusiastic commentators. That was back in the day you could take the entire fam to a game for couch change. More like a week's pay, these days. But after months of no MLB, I'd fer sher be happy with a months pay now lol

[@martinklos7855]

It's ok to sound like a grandpa. I agree it is nice to watch a game without the banners and the constant chatter of more recent commentators

[@michaelfitzgerald3467]

Holy cow that field is a crazy quilt of patches and divots!

[@sportsmedia25]

The Colts played on the same field

[@flintknudsen2155]

It's odd to look beyond an outfield fence of an MLB ballpark and see trees.

[@DrDoom-wo8hb]

I was just thinking the same last night watching the 1979 World Series between these same clubs. Decided to check out the old location in Baltimore, and, assuming it was in a more rural/suburban area of Baltimore County, discovered it was deep in the heart of the city. Guess I learn something new every day.

[@ChildOfThe1970s]

Top of the 4th inning they were playing Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline"! Of course, it was only a couple years old at that time.

[@Dave-ti2ue]

The unsung hero of this world series: Jose Pagan. Made some key defensive plays and drove in the winning run. Clemente gave a performance for the ages. No question of that. Blass pitched two complete game wins, including the clincher. But a very close third was Pagan.

[@ManuelGuzman067]

Roberto clemente was the best ⚾ player on the Pirates team no 21 . He died a legend and a Heroe. rip Roberto & Vera Clemente unidos 🌹

[@tedrowland8672]

hero

[@magnetar3119]

On that day, after religiously following my beloved Pirates since !960, my father made me work. The AM radio was quite poor, with the addition of the loud construction work surrounding me, it was truly impossible to listen to the game. Thank You for letting a 70 year old fart, finally have the moment he has waited over 50 years to fully and finally enjoy.

[@leeh8386]

This brings back memories of the 1st year I started working & at 3 Rivers Stadium ... Great series and outcome - last World Series for my idol Clemente ... During pregame 5 at 3Rivers Jim Palmer was playing pepper with some teammates in left field bullpen and the ball came up over the wall. He asked me to give it back and I did, when they were done playing around he signed the ball and gave it back to me - it was an American League Ball - he was a nice guy!

[@MichaelForte-jn5pn]

I was an Orioles fan because alot of their players including manager Earl Weaver came up thru their double A farm team in our home town of Elmira NY...But seeing the legendary Roberto Clemente turn in a performance for the ages was priceless.....he was a class act on and off the field....RIP Brooks Robinson another legendary super star...

[@OPTIONALWATCH]

I was going to be born just seven days after this WS. In fact, I was just a complete human already preparing to come out, lol.

[@ronaldrayner2933]

Greatest World Series of my lifetime

[@csulb75]

Me too! I'm a Dodger fan, but the '71 world series was the best I've ever seen. Iwas 24 years old at the time.

[@BETTERWORLDSGT]

I remember it, was a little young, but remember more clearly 79 when the pirates and steelers took everything!

[@millypoo7713]

Did you not see the 1975 or 1991 World Series? Those 2 World Series are the best! You're obviously partial to 1971 for whatever reason.

[@magnetar3119]

1960

[@MichaelForte-jn5pn]

​@@millypoo7713I agree you but everyone has an opinion....LOL!!!

[@TheGeneralBraddock]

At 2:26:10 Roberto Clemente tells Bob Prince that he would like to say something to his mother and father in Spanish. I have always wondered exactly what he said. Can anyone translate what he said ? THANK YOU !

[@RobertoAFernandez]

He said: “On this, the greatest day of my life, I send my blessings to my sons and ask my parents to send me their blessings from Puerto Rico.” The guy was unbelievable.

[@antoniohosino145]

THE GREAT ONE “ THE GREATEST RIGHT FIELDER TO EVER GRACE A FIELD “ COMO EL MUNDO TE EXTRAÑO PAPO !!!! “

[@danielgolus4600]

Hours after this Orioles' Game 7 - and 1971 World Series - defeat, manager Earl Weaver had this to say: "We're still the best damn team in baseball." I think the Pirates disagreed... (The "We are Family" Pirates would again defeat Weaver and his Orioles in 1979, also in seven games.)

[@waldolydecker8118]

1:46:20 Boog Powell makes an unwise cut off of the throw home when there was a definite play at home plate to stop Stargell from scoring a critical insurance run for Pittsburgh. You only cut that throw off if the runner is trying to take an extra base and you can easily throw him out - but the Pirates runner was clearly standing still at 2nd base, so there was no reason for Powell to cut off the throw and prevent Elrod Hendricks from having a play at the plate. Hendricks' frustrated reaction says exactly that.

[@millypoo7713]

2:21:39... Blass gets away with a "hanger" to Frank Robinson in the 9th inning

[@chuck1]

I drove Steve Blass in a limousine to the airport in the early 90s we talked about this game, the first thing he said when he got in the car was where’s the vodka

[@kellypringle9815]

I wish the game today would not last as long. This game is a quick game. The first five innings took about an hour.

[@michaelfitzgerald3467]

So much here...the houses and empty bleachers in that home plate POV, reminds me of my high school field...Curt and Tony broadcasting from right next to the O's dugout? cool...

[@jeremycrandall2899]

In the pregame show, I think that Chuck Thompson musta forgotten about then-recent history when he said that you seldom get to Game 7 of the World Series, cuz at that time, 15 of the previous 26 World Series had gone to a Game 7, and it would end up being 19 of 31 World Series between 1945-75.

[@JimWhitakerMusic]

Ironic of him to say that, when he himself called Mazeroski’s winning bomb for the Pirates in game 7, 11 years prior to this lol

[@jeremycrandall2899]

@@JimWhitakerMusic lol yeah. Maybe he was somehow thrown off by the fact the previous two World Series had only gone five games and four games… or maybe he just lost his mind.

[@aboxofbroken8tracks983]

@@jeremycrandall2899 The two previous WS had both gone five games.

[@jeremycrandall2899]

@@aboxofbroken8tracks983 My bad, you’re right. For some crazy reason I was thinking that the Orioles swept the Reds in 1970, but it was 4-1.

[@millypoo7713]

2:23:07... Guy in a red "72" Jersey on top of the dugout reaches down and steals a Pirates cap

[@alejandroberrios3675]

Los últimos 24 meses de la vida de Roberto Clemente fue un libreto perfecto que Dios dispuso para llevarnos un mensaje: "Si uno tiene la oportunidad de mejorar el camino para los que vienen detrás, y uno no lo hace, está malgastando su tiempo en este mundo" palabras de Roberto Clemente.

[@jumpingship3001]

Si, puro verdad. Que grande amor y corazon de Oro

[@stevereber]

Not sure if your able but it's impossible to get games from the 70's . Regular Season Games . All the World series games are out there. Would be nice

[@kkarlson5544]

amazing series victory for pirates beating a orioles squad with 4 ....that be .FOUR! 2O GAME WINNERS with their top pitcher Liquid Acid King Doc Ellis out... using 5 no name pitchers .clemente was the man and timely hittin......orioles went cold surprisingly against that staff......just goes to show u dont need pedigree pitchers ...good pitchin beats cold hitters.....congrats on a great upset!

[@g.t.richardson6311]

Nellie Briles wasn’t a no name pitcher Had thrown a 2 hitter in game 3 1967 World Series for the cardinals, and did it again in game 5 this one

[@robfigulski1139]

Put Murtaugh in the fu@kin Hall now!

[@markgaston4416]

Psyche job on Blass by Weaver. Trying to get him out of his element. Obviously, the final score proved it didn’t work.

[@jakealden2517]

Earl Weaver had a great career, but his teams during this period didn't have any offense. That doomed the Orioles in 71 and 79 against the Pirates.

[@waldolydecker8118]

You don't know how uninformed you sound. The Orioles of this period were the reigning World Champs, having beat Cincinnati's mighty Big Red Machine in 1970, outscoring them 34 runs to 20. In 1971, Baltimore had the #1 ranked offense in the AL, with: Team BA .262, #1; HRs, 158, #4; Total Walks, 672 #1 (100 more than next team); Total Runs Scored, 742, (40 more than next team) #1; Total Hits, 1382, #4; Total RBI, 702, #1. lol, you couldn't be more wrong if you tried.

[@jakealden2517]

@@waldolydecker8118 Those stats are great, but Weaver's teams lost the World Series in 1969, 1971, and 1979 due to poor offensive production in the World Series. During the year they were an offensive powerhouse, but in the Series they didn't produce.

[@waldolydecker8118]

@@jakealden2517-Baltimore may have lost in '69, 71, and '79, but they won in 1966 and 1970. You can't win them all. The 1969 lost was a freak one that happens periodically in sports when underdogs win. Though they were underdogs, the 1969 Mets were an outstanding team of solid players and had a better pitching staff than Baltimore - Tom Seaver, Gerry Koosman, and Gary Gentry were top National league starters of their day and Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan was their relief backup. Both the '71 and '79 series were tight 7-game series that could have gone either way, so the claim that Baltimore didn't produced is ridiculous - if they didn't produce, both series never would have reached 7 games. Roberto Clemente won the '71 series in the 7th game and Willie Stargell won the '79 series in the 7th game - both Hall of Famers. No shame in being beat by a Hall of Famer playing at his best.

[@Wixom2200]

I watched this series live. I look back now and think Weaver didn't play this series right. When Clemente got hot. I would have taken the bat out of his hand. When the situation permitted he should have walked Clemente. You take the bat out of the hand in a close series, of the hot player. Clemente did not have blazing speed. He wasn't a base stealing threat like prime Mays , who could hit 50 and steal 30( no one was greater than Mays) ,buts it's just an example.

[@antoniohosino145]

WITH ALL DUE RESPECT TO ALL THE PLAYERS OF THE PAST DECADES , WILLIE MAYS WAS A TREMENDOUS PLAYER , I HAVE TO SAY HE COULD NOT HOLD A CANDLE TO ROBERTO CLEMENTE’S FIELDING , HE COULD GUN DOWN ANY OF THEM DOWN , WITH ONE SHOT TO HOME PLATE , BARRY BONDS USE TO RUN HIS MOUTH THAT ROBERTO WAS OVERRATED , WELL BARRY WE HAVE SEEN YOU FIELD AND YOUR STERIOD USING CHEATING ASS AND MANY LIKE YOU ARE NOT EVEN WORTH TALKING ABOUT AFTER ALL THESE YEARS !!!

[@robertwesley4416]

Of course Weaver's needling tactics never worked. He was always dumber than Murtaugh and Gil Hodges in 69. Orioles had all the talent but Weaver never was very bright. He just shuts up and they probably win both series. An emotional actor never wins in a game like baseball

[@docadams7099]

The Earl Weaver-led Orioles won the World Series in 1966 and 1970. The 1970 win was against my my favorite team, the Big Red Machine.

[@aboxofbroken8tracks983]

Hank Bauer managed the O’s to the ‘66 title. Weaver’s first year managing was 1968.

[@liberacemurphy3169]

Mr. Powell wasn't a joke!

[@jaliscodiss]

339 lifetime home runs and a four-time All-Star

[@tedrowland8672]

lol Mr. Powell couldn't do it in the clutch

[@kennethprice8710]

Met again 1979 in another 7game WS. A Orioles/Pirates world series in today's MLB is unfathomable as both are low Payroll bottom feeders.😒

[@millypoo7713]

What about Tampa Bay? They have the lowest payroll in MLB every season. However, the last 4 seasons since 2018 they have won 90, 96, (40-20) in shortened season, and 100 Wins in 2021. They made the playoffs in 3 of the 4 seasons, and the World Series in 2020. The Royals are another low payroll team. Yet they made 2 consecutive World Series in 2014-15, and of course won it all in 2015. Meanwhile, the Yankees with one the highest payrolls in MLB every season... have been in only 1 World Series since 2004. Your low payroll theory is just a bad excuse which I just blew out of the water. ✌

[@musicof70scody14]

Get rid of the nutting's so the Pirate's can be great again!!!!

[@atropineman3541]

The US flag has only 15 stars 11:31

[@FlintyCobblestone]

A national tragedy.

[@shawnfakhar7597]

funny how they both are the two worst teams right now