1971 Season

24 teams competing across 6 divisions

The 1971 Major League Baseball season was played by 24 teams. The Pittsburgh Pirates won the World Series, defeating the Baltimore Orioles. Willie Stargell led with 48 home runs, Joe Torre led with 137 RBI, and Joe Torre led with 230 hits. This page carries the 1971 standings, league leaders, postseason results, and a link to every team's season.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
L (Losses):
Games charged to the pitcher of record when the opposing team took a lead it never surrendered.
Win% (Winning Percentage):
Wins divided by games decided.
GB (Games Back):
How far a team trailed the division or league leader.

Data updated

🏆 Postseason

1971 Bracket
World Series PIT def. BAL (4-3)
AL Championship BAL def. OAK (3-0)
NL Championship PIT def. SFN (3-1)

📂 Quick Links

📊 Full Leaders 📋 Standings ⚾ Batting 🎯 Pitching

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1961 1966 1970 1971 1972 1976 1981

⚾ Batting Leaders

1971 Home Run Leaders

Top 10 — click a bar to view the player.

Batting average and OPS list qualified hitters only: 3.1 plate appearances per team game — 502 plate appearances at 162 team games. Home runs, RBI, hits, runs and stolen bases are counting totals and list every player.

Batting Average qualified

1 Joe Torre .363 2 Ralph Garr .343 3 Glenn Beckert .342 4 Roberto Clemente .341 5 Tony Oliva .337

OPS qualified

1 Hank Aaron 1.079 2 Willie Stargell 1.026 3 Joe Torre .976 4 Bobby Murcer .969 5 Tony Oliva .915

Home Runs all players

1 Willie Stargell 48 2 Hank Aaron 47 3 Lee May 39 4 Deron Johnson 34 5 Bobby Bonds 33

RBI all players

1 Joe Torre 137 2 Willie Stargell 125 3 Harmon Killebrew 119 4 Hank Aaron 118 5 Bobby Bonds 102

Hits all players

1 Joe Torre 230 2 Ralph Garr 219 3 Cesar Tovar 204 4 Lou Brock 200 5 Willie Davis 198

Runs all players

1 Lou Brock 126 2 Bobby Bonds 110 3 Willie Stargell 104 4 Ralph Garr 101 5 Don Buford 99

Stolen Bases all players

1 Lou Brock 64 2 Amos Otis 52 3 Freddie Patek 49 4 Joe Morgan 40 5 Sandy Alomar 39
View Complete Batting Stats →

🎯 Pitching Leaders

1971 Strikeout Leaders

Top 10 — click a bar to view the player.

ERA and WHIP list qualified pitchers only: 1 inning pitched per team game — 162 innings at 162 team games. Wins, strikeouts and saves are counting totals and list every pitcher.

ERA qualified

1 Tom Seaver 1.76 2 Vida Blue 1.82 3 Wilbur Wood 1.91 4 Dave Roberts 2.10 5 Don Wilson 2.45

WHIP qualified

1 Tom Seaver 0.95 2 Vida Blue 0.95 3 Wilbur Wood 1.00 4 Don Wilson 1.02 5 Fergie Jenkins 1.05

Wins all pitchers

1 Mickey Lolich 25 2 Vida Blue 24 3 Fergie Jenkins 24 4 Wilbur Wood 22 5 Catfish Hunter 21

Strikeouts all pitchers

1 Mickey Lolich 308 2 Vida Blue 301 3 Tom Seaver 289 4 Fergie Jenkins 263 5 Bill Stoneman 251

Saves all pitchers

1 Ken Sanders 31 2 Dave Giusti 30 3 Ted Abernathy 23 4 Mike Marshall 23 5 Jim Brewer 22
View Complete Pitching Stats →

📋 Standings

AL East

Baltimore Orioles ★ 101-57 Detroit Tigers 91-71 Boston Red Sox 85-77 New York Yankees 82-80 Washington Senators 63-96 Cleveland Indians 60-102

AL West

Oakland Athletics ★ 101-60 Kansas City Royals 85-76 Chicago White Sox 79-83 California Angels 76-86 Minnesota Twins 74-86 Milwaukee Brewers 69-92

NL East

Pittsburgh Pirates ★ 97-65 St. Louis Cardinals 90-72 Chicago Cubs 83-79 New York Mets 83-79 Montreal Expos 71-90 Philadelphia Phillies 67-95

NL West

San Francisco Giants ★ 90-72 Los Angeles Dodgers 89-73 Atlanta Braves 82-80 Cincinnati Reds 79-83 Houston Astros 79-83 San Diego Padres 61-100

The 1971 season in brief

No 1971 club finished with a better record than the Baltimore Orioles at 101-57. At the other end, the Cleveland Indians went 60-102. Race by race in 1971, the San Francisco Giants (90-72) edged the Los Angeles Dodgers (89-73) in the National League West, the St. Louis Cardinals (90-72) finished a distant second to the Pittsburgh Pirates (97-65) in the National League East, the Baltimore Orioles owned the American League East with a 101-57 mark, the Detroit Tigers next at 91-71, and the Oakland Athletics ran away with the American League West at 101-60. 1971's champions were the Pittsburgh Pirates, World Series winners against the Baltimore Orioles, 4 games to 3. Before that, the bracket shows the Baltimore Orioles over the Oakland Athletics in the AL Championship Series (3-0) and the Pittsburgh Pirates over the San Francisco Giants in the NL Championship Series (3-1). The home run board is topped by Willie Stargell at 48, ahead of Hank Aaron with 47. The qualified batting-average board starts with Joe Torre at .363, with Ralph Garr next at .343. Qualification for that 1971 board is 502 plate appearances at 162 team games. The batting tiles keep returning to Joe Torre, first in batting average, RBI, and hits. Among qualified pitchers, Tom Seaver had the lowest ERA, 1.76; Vida Blue followed at 1.82. Every 1971 hitter and pitcher past the display floor is on the 1971 leaders page.

1971 MLB Season: Frequently Asked Questions

Who won the World Series in 1971?
The Pittsburgh Pirates won the 1971 World Series, beating the Baltimore Orioles.
How many teams played in 1971?
24 teams played in the 1971 major league season.
Who led MLB in home runs in 1971?
Willie Stargell led with 48 home runs in 1971.
Who led MLB in RBI in 1971?
Joe Torre led with 137 RBI in 1971.
Who led MLB in hits in 1971?
Joe Torre led with 230 hits in 1971.
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