1970 Milwaukee Brewers season

The 1970 Milwaukee Brewers season was the second season for the franchise. The team finished fourth in the American League West with a record of 65 wins and 97 losses, 33 games behind the Minnesota Twins. This was the team's inaugural season in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, after spending its first year of existence in Seattle, Washington as the Pilots.

Offseason

Relocation to Milwaukee

During the offseason, Dewey Soriano, president of the financially strapped Seattle Pilots, crossed paths with Bud Selig, a Milwaukee car dealer who had been working to bring baseball back to Milwaukee since the Braves (of which he'd been a minority owner) left for Atlanta after the 1965 season. They met in secret for over a month after the end of the season, and during Game 1 of the World Series, Soriano agreed to sell the Pilots to Selig for $10 to $13 million (depending on the source). Selig would then move the team to Milwaukee and rename it the Brewers. However, the owners turned it down in the face of pressure from Washington's two senators, Warren Magnuson and Henry (Scoop) Jackson, as well as state attorney general Slade Gorton. MLB asked Soriano and chairman William Daley to find a local buyer.

Local theater chain owner Fred Danz came forward in October 1969 with a $10 million deal, but it fizzled when the Bank of California called in a $4 million loan it had made to Soriano and Daley for startup costs. In January 1970, Westin Hotels owner Eddie Carlson put together a nonprofit group to buy the team. However, the owners rejected the idea almost out of hand since it would have devalued the other clubs' worth. A more traditional deal came one vote short of approval.

After a winter and spring full of court action, the Pilots reported for spring training under new manager Dave Bristol unsure of where they would play. The owners had given tentative approval to the Milwaukee group, but the state of Washington got an injunction on March 17 to stop the deal. Soriano immediately filed for bankruptcy — a move intended to forestall any post-sale legal action. At the bankruptcy hearing a week later, general manager Marvin Milkes testified there was not enough money to pay the coaches, players and office staff. Had Milkes been more than 10 days late in paying the players, they would have all become free agents and left Seattle without a team for the 1970 season. With this in mind, Federal Bankruptcy Referee Sidney C. Volinn declared the Pilots bankrupt on March 31—seven days before Opening Day—clearing the way for them to move to Milwaukee. The team's equipment had been sitting in Provo, Utah, with the drivers awaiting word on whether to drive toward Seattle or Milwaukee. MLB returned to Seattle in 1977, when the Mariners began play at the Kingdome.

Coincidentally, Milwaukee had gained its previous team under circumstances similar to some of those surrounding this move. The Braves had moved from Boston to Milwaukee only a few weeks before the 1953 season.

Notable transactions

November 21, 1969: Mike Marshall was purchased from the Seattle Pilots by the Houston Astros.
December 7, 1969: Diego Seguí and Ray Oyler were traded by the Seattle Pilots to the Oakland Athletics for George Lauzerique and Ted Kubiak.
January 15, 1970: Don Mincher and Ron Clark were traded by the Seattle Pilots to the Oakland Athletics for Phil Roof, Mike Hershberger, Lew Krausse Jr., and Ken Sanders.

Regular season

Opening Day starters

Season standings

v
t
e
AL West
Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
Minnesota Twins	98	64	.605	—	51‍–‍30	47‍–‍34
Oakland Athletics	89	73	.549	9	49‍–‍32	40‍–‍41
California Angels	86	76	.531	12	43‍–‍38	43‍–‍38
Kansas City Royals	65	97	.401	33	35‍–‍44	30‍–‍53
Milwaukee Brewers	65	97	.401	33	38‍–‍42	27‍–‍55
Chicago White Sox	56	106	.346	42	31‍–‍53	25‍–‍53

Record vs. opponents

1970 American League record v t e Sources:
Team	BAL	BOS	CAL	CWS	CLE	DET	KC	MIL	MIN	NYY	OAK	WSH
Baltimore	—	13–5	7–5	9–3	14–4	11–7	12–0	7–5	5–7	11–7	7–5	12–6
Boston	5–13	—	5–7	8–4	12–6	9–9	7–5	5–7	7–5	10–8	7–5	12–6
California	5–7	7–5	—	12–6	6–6	6–6	10–8	12–6	8–10	5–7	8–10	7–5
Chicago	3–9	4–8	6–12	—	6–6	6–6	7–11	7–11	6–12	5–7	2–16	4–8
Cleveland	4–14	6–12	6–6	6–6	—	7–11	8–4	7–5	6–6	8–10	7–5	11–7
Detroit	7–11	9–9	6–6	6–6	11–7	—	6–6	8–4	4–8	7–11	6–6	9–9
Kansas City	0–12	5–7	8–10	11–7	4–8	6–6	—	12–6	5–13	1–11	7–11	6–6
Milwaukee	5–7	7–5	6–12	11–7	5–7	4–8	6–12	—	5–13	3–9–1	8–10	5–7
Minnesota	7–5	5–7	10–8	12–6	6–6	8–4	13–5	13–5	—	5–7	13–5	6–6
New York	7–11	8–10	7–5	7–5	10–8	11–7	11–1	9–3–1	7–5	—	6–6	10–8
Oakland	5–7	5–7	10–8	16–2	5–7	6–6	11–7	10–8	5–13	6–6	—	10–2
Washington	6–12	6–12	5–7	8–4	7–11	9–9	6–6	7–5	6–6	8–10	2–10	—

Notable transactions

April 1, 1970: Steve Barber was released by the Brewers.
May 11, 1970: Wayne Comer was traded by the Brewers to the Washington Senators for Hank Allen and Ron Theobald.
May 18, 1970: John Donaldson was traded by the Brewers to the Oakland Athletics for Roberto Peña.
June 4, 1970: John Tamargo was drafted by the Brewers in the 4th round of the secondary phase of the 1970 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign.
June 11, 1970: Steve Hovley was traded by the Brewers to the Oakland Athletics for Al Downing and Tito Francona.
June 15, 1970: John O'Donoghue was traded by the Brewers to the Montreal Expos for José Herrera.
August 20, 1970: Floyd Wicker was purchased by the Brewers from the Montreal Expos.

Roster

1970 Milwaukee Brewers
Roster
Pitchers 46 Dave Baldwin 39 Bobby Bolin 32 Gene Brabender 31 Bruce Brubaker 36 Al Downing 49 Dick Ellsworth 25 John Gelnar 47 Bob Humphreys 24 Lew Krausse 49 George Lauzerique 23 Bob Locker 42 Skip Lockwood 38 Bob Meyer 35 John Morris 43 John O'Donoghue 33 Marty Pattin 41 Ray Peters 20 Ken Sanders 48 Wayne Twitchell		Catchers 15 Jerry McNertney 5 Phil Roof Infielders 10 Max Alvis 9 Tito Francona 16 Gus Gil 34 Greg Goossen 21 Tommy Harper 8 Mike Hegan 11 John Kennedy 1 Ted Kubiak 28 Roberto Peña 9 Rich Rollins 45 Fred Stanley		Outfielders 44 Hank Allen 19 Bob Burda 20 Wayne Comer 6 Mike Hershberger 36 Steve Hovley 17 Pete Koegel 11 Dave May 2 Ted Savage 22 Bernie Smith 7 Russ Snyder 28 Sandy Valdespino 12 Danny Walton 40 Floyd Wicker		Manager 4 Dave Bristol Coaches 27 Cal Ermer (Third base) 26 Roy McMillan (First base) 30 Jackie Moore (Bullpen) 18 Wes Stock (Pitching)

1970 Milwaukee Brewers

Roster

Pitchers

Catchers

15 Jerry McNertney
5 Phil Roof

Infielders

Outfielders

Manager

4 Dave Bristol

Coaches

27 Cal Ermer (Third base)
26 Roy McMillan (First base)
30 Jackie Moore (Bullpen)
18 Wes Stock (Pitching)

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

Pos	Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
C	Phil Roof	110	321	73	.227	13	37
1B	Mike Hegan	148	476	116	.244	11	52
2B	Ted Kubiak	158	540	136	.252	4	41
3B	Tommy Harper	154	604	179	.296	31	82
SS	Roberto Peña	121	416	99	.238	3	42
LF	Danny Walton	117	397	102	.257	17	66
CF	Dave May	100	342	82	.240	7	31
RF	Bob Burda	78	222	55	.248	4	20

Other batters

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

Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
Jerry McNertney	111	296	72	.243	6	22
Ted Savage	114	276	77	.279	12	50
Russ Snyder	124	276	64	.232	4	31
Steve Hovley	40	135	38	.281	0	16
Gus Gil	64	119	22	.185	1	12
Max Alvis	62	115	21	.183	3	12
Mike Hershberger	49	98	23	.235	1	6
Bernie Smith	44	76	21	.276	1	6
Tito Francona	52	65	15	.231	0	4
Hank Allen	28	61	14	.230	0	4
John Kennedy	25	55	14	.255	2	6
Greg Goossen	21	47	12	.255	1	3
Floyd Wicker	15	41	8	.195	1	3
Rich Rollins	14	25	5	.200	0	5
Wayne Comer	13	17	1	.059	0	1
Sandy Valdespino	8	9	0	.000	0	0
Pete Koegel	7	8	2	.250	1	1
Fred Stanley	6	0	0	----	0	0

Pitching

Starting pitchers

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

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
Marty Pattin	37	233.1	14	12	3.39	161
Lew Krausse Jr.	37	216.1	13	18	4.75	130
Skip Lockwood	27	173.2	5	12	4.30	93
Gene Brabender	29	128.2	6	15	6.02	76
Al Downing	17	94.1	2	10	3.34	53
Ray Peters	2	2.0	0	2	31.50	1

Other pitchers

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

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
Bobby Bolin	32	132.0	5	11	4.91	81
John Morris	20	73.1	4	3	3.93	40
George Lauzerique	11	35.0	1	2	6.94	24

Relief pitchers

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

Player	G	W	L	SV	ERA	SO
Ken Sanders	50	5	2	13	1.75	64
John Gelnar	53	4	3	4	4.19	48
Dave Baldwin	28	2	1	1	2.55	26
Bob Locker	28	0	1	3	3.41	19
John O'Donoghue	25	2	0	0	5.01	13
Bob Humphreys	23	2	4	3	3.15	32
Dick Ellsworth	14	0	0	1	1.72	9
Bob Meyer	10	0	1	0	6.38	20
Wayne Twitchell	2	0	0	0	10.80	5
Bruce Brubaker	1	0	0	0	9.00	0

Farm system

Level	Team	League	Manager
Triple-A	Portland Beavers	Pacific Coast League	Al Federoff
Double-A	Jacksonville Suns	Southern League	Gus Niarhos
Class A	Clinton Pilots	Midwest League	Earl Torgeson
Class A Short Season	Newark Co-Pilots	New York–Penn League	Sandy Johnson

Notes

Mike Marshall at Baseball Reference
Diego Seguí at Baseball Reference
Phil Roof at Baseball Reference
1970 Milwaukee Brewers Roster by Baseball Almanac
Steve Barber at Baseball Reference
Hank Allen at Baseball Reference
John Donaldson at Baseball Reference
John Tamargo at Baseball Reference
Steve Hovley at Baseball Reference
José Herrera at Baseball Reference
Floyd Wicker at Baseball Reference
^ 1970 Milwaukee Brewers Statistics and Roster Baseball-Reference.com
"1970 Milwaukee Brewers Minor League Affiliates". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
^ "Niarhos to Manage Jacksonville Club". The Racine Journal-Times Sunday Bulletin. Racine, Wisconsin. January 18, 1970. p. 4C – via Newspapers.com.

References

1970 Milwaukee Brewers at Baseball Reference
1970 Milwaukee Brewers at Baseball Almanac

1970 MLB season by team

AL East	Baltimore Boston Cleveland Detroit New York Washington
AL West	California Chicago Kansas City Milwaukee Minnesota Oakland

NL East	Chicago Montréal New York Philadelphia Pittsburgh St. Louis
NL West	Atlanta Cincinnati Houston Los Angeles San Diego San Francisco

Milwaukee Brewers

Established in 1969
Formerly the Seattle Pilots
Based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Franchise

Ballparks

Culture

Lore

Rivalries

Chicago Cubs

Key personnel

Owner: Mark Attanasio
President of Baseball Operations: Matt Arnold
General Manager: Matt Arnold
Manager: Pat Murphy

League pennants

American League:
- 1982
National League:
- none

Division titles

AL East:
- 1981 (second half)
- 1982
NL Central:
- 2011
- 2018
- 2021
- 2023
- 2024

Wild Card berths

National League:
- 2008
- 2019
- 2020

Minor league affiliates

Broadcasting

Television	Bally Sports Wisconsin
Radio	WTMJ (AM) Radio Network
Broadcasters	Bob Uecker Jeff Levering Brian Anderson Bill Schroeder Sophia Minnaert Tim Dillard

Seasons (55)
1960s	1960 · 1961 · 1962 · 1963 · 1964 · 1965 · 1966 · 1967 · 1968 · 1969
1970s	1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
1980s	1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
1990s	1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
2000s	2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
2010s	2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
2020s	2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025

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