The 1972

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

season was a season in American

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

. It involved the Orioles finishing third in the

American League East The American League East is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. MLB consists of an East, Central, and West division for each of its two 15-team leagues, the American League (AL) and National League (NL). This division was created before ...

with a record of 80 wins and 74 losses.

Offseason

* October 22, 1971:

Mike Ferraro Michael Dennis Ferraro (born August 18, 1944) is an American former Major League Baseball third baseman. He played for the New York Yankees (; ) and the Seattle Pilots/Milwaukee Brewers (; ). Ferraro threw and batted right-handed, stood tall a ...

and Mike Herson (minors) were traded by the Orioles to the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

for

Tom Matchick John Thomas Matchick (September 7, 1943January 4, 2022) was an American professional baseball infielder who played six seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Br ...

and

Bruce Look Bruce Michael Look (born June 9, 1943) is an American former professional baseball player and catcher who appeared in 59 games played in Major League Baseball as a member of the Minnesota Twins. The native of Lansing, Michigan, threw right-h ...

. * November 29, 1971: Tom Walker was drafted from the Orioles by the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...

in the 1971 rule 5 draft. * December 2, 1971:

Frank Robinson Frank Robinson (August 31, 1935 – February 7, 2019) was an American professional baseball outfielder and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for five teams, from to . The only player to be named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of bot ...

and

Pete Richert Peter Gerard Richert (born October 29, 1939) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher with the Los Angeles Dodgers (1962–64, 1972–73), Washington Senators (1965–67), Bal ...

were traded by the Orioles to the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

for

Doyle Alexander Doyle Lafayette Alexander (born September 4, 1950) is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves, San Francisco Giants, Toronto Blue J ...

Bob O'Brien Robert Allen O'Brien (born April 23, 1949) is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball. He pitched in 14 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers during the 1971 season, including four starts and one shutout. He played college ball at three different ...

, Sergio Robles, and

Royle Stillman Royle Eldon Stillman (born January 2, 1951) is an American former professional baseball player whose career lasted for 3 seasons (1975–1977). Beginnings An outfielder, he appeared in 75 Major League Baseball games, and played all or part of thr ...

. * December 9, 1971:

Curt Motton Curtell Howard Motton ( ; September 24, 1940 – January 21, 2010) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder from through , most notably as a member of the Baltimore Orioles dynasty that ...

was traded by the Orioles to the Milwaukee Brewers for a player to be named later and cash. The Brewers completed the deal by sending Bob Reynolds to the Orioles on March 25, 1972. * Prior to 1972 season: Lew Beasley was acquired from the Orioles by the Texas Rangers.

Regular season

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Opening Day lineup

Notable transactions

* April 2, 1972: Dave Boswell was released by the Orioles. * August 18, 1972:

Elrod Hendricks Elrod Jerome "Ellie" Hendricks (December 22, 1940 – December 21, 2005) was a U.S. Virgin Islander professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from through , most notably as a member of the Baltimore ...

was traded by the Orioles to the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

for Tommy Davis. * August 22, 1972:

Chico Salmon Ruthford Eduardo "Chico" Salmon (December 3, 1940 – September 17, 2000) was a Panamanian professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a utility player from through , most notably as a member of the Baltimore Orioles team ...

was released by the Orioles.

Draft picks

* June 6, 1972:

Bobby Brown Robert Barisford Brown (born February 5, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter and dancer. Brown, alongside frequent collaborator Teddy Riley, is noted as one of the pioneers of new jack swing: a fusion of hip hop and R&B. Brown started h ...

was drafted by the Orioles in the 11th round of the

1972 Major League Baseball Draft First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1972 Major League Baseball draft. ''*'' Did not sign Other notable selections ''*'' Did not sign Background The Montreal Expos had perhaps their best draft in franc ...

.Bobby Brown page at Baseball Reference
/ref>

Roster

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

''Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in''

Other batters

''Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in''

Pitching

Starting pitchers

''Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''

Other pitchers

''Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''

Relief pitchers

''Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''

Awards and honors

Brooks Robinson Brooks Calbert Robinson Jr. (born May 18, 1937) is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Baltimore Orioles from 1955 to 1977. Nicknamed "the Human Vacuum Cleaner" or "Mr. Hoover", he is generally c ...

Commissioner's Award The Commissioner's Award is presented annually by the Commissioner of the Canadian Football League to an individual or individuals who have demonstrated dedication and made a significant contribution to Canadian Football. The award was first introd ...

Farm system

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Miami, Lewiston

Notes

References

*
1972 Baltimore Orioles team page at Baseball Reference1972 Baltimore Orioles season at baseball-almanac.com
{{Baltimore Orioles Baltimore Orioles seasons Baltimore Orioles season