1970 National League Championship Series
| 1970 National League Championship Series | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teams | |||||||||||||
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| Dates | October 3–5 | ||||||||||||
| Umpires | John Grimsley, Fred Blandford, Hank Morgenweck, George Grygiel (Game 1); Stan Landes, Paul Pryor, Doug Harvey, Bob Engel, Harry Wendelstedt, Nick Colosi (Games 2–3) | ||||||||||||
| Broadcast | |||||||||||||
| Television | NBC | ||||||||||||
| TV announcers |
Curt Gowdy, Tony Kubek (Games 1–2) Jim Simpson, Sandy Koufax (Game 3) |
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| Team (Wins) | Manager | Season | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds (3) | Sparky Anderson | 102–60, .630, GA: 14½ | |
| Pittsburgh Pirates (0) | Danny Murtaugh | 89–73, .549, GA: 5 |
The 1970 National League Championship Series was a match-up between the East Division champion Pittsburgh Pirates and the West Division champion Cincinnati Reds. The Reds swept the Pirates three games to none and went on to lose the World Series to the Baltimore Orioles.
The series was notable for featuring the first postseason baseball played on artificial turf (which was used in both ballparks). It was also the first of ten NLCS series between 1970 and 1980 that featured either the Philadelphia Phillies or the Pittsburgh Pirates. The only time neither team appeared in the NLCS during that period was in 1973, when the New York Mets won the NL East.
(Note: Due to a one-day strike by major league umpires, the series was begun using four minor league umpires, with the regularly assigned crew—including union president Wendelstedt—returning for Games 2 and 3.)
Cincinnati won the series, 3–0.
Saturday, October 3, 1970, at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Cincinnati boasted dual heroes in subduing the Pirates in the opening game. Gary Nolan, an 18-game winner during the regular season, pitched nine shutout innings to edge Dock Ellis. Nolan departed for pinch-hitter Ty Cline in the 10th, which turned out to be a stroke of genius by Reds manager Sparky Anderson. Cline socked a triple to lead off the inning. He scored the decisive run on Pete Rose's single, and Lee May doubled to provide two insurance tallies, sealing Ellis' fate. Reliever Clay Carroll protected Nolan's victory by holding Pittsburgh hitless in the 10th.
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