Editing 1966 World Series

{{Short description|63rd edition of Major League Baseball's championship series}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2013}}
{{Infobox World Series Expanded
| image =
| country = World
| year = 1966
| champion = [[1966 Baltimore Orioles season|Baltimore Orioles]] (4)
| champion_manager = [[Hank Bauer]]
| champion_games = 97–63, {{winpct|97|63}}, GA: 9
| runnerup = [[1966 Los Angeles Dodgers season|Los Angeles Dodgers]] (0)
| runnerup_manager = [[Walter Alston]]
| runnerup_games = 95–67, {{winpct|95|67}}, GA: {{frac|1|1|2}}
| date = October 5–9
| venue = [[Dodger Stadium]] (Los Angeles)<br />[[Memorial Stadium (Baltimore)|Memorial Stadium]] (Baltimore)
| MVP = [[Frank Robinson]] (Baltimore)
| television = [[Major League Baseball on NBC|NBC]]
| announcers = [[Curt Gowdy]]<br>[[Vin Scully]] (in Los Angeles)<br>[[Chuck Thompson]] (in Baltimore)
| radio_network = [[Major League Baseball on NBC|NBC]]
| radio_announcers = [[Bob Prince]]<br>[[Chuck Thompson]] (in Los Angeles)<br>[[Vin Scully]] (in Baltimore)
| umpires = [[Bill Jackowski]] (NL), [[Nestor Chylak]] (AL), [[Chris Pelekoudas]] (NL), [[Johnny Rice]] (AL), [[Mel Steiner]] (NL), [[Cal Drummond]] (AL)
| HOFers = '''Umpire:'''<br />[[Nestor Chylak]]<br />'''Orioles:'''<br />[[Luis Aparicio]]<br />[[Jim Palmer]]<br />[[Brooks Robinson]]<br />[[Frank Robinson]]<br />'''Dodgers:'''<br />[[Walt Alston]] (manager)<br />[[Don Drysdale]]<br />[[Sandy Koufax]]
| ALCS =
| NLCS =
| image2 =
}}
The '''1966 World Series''' was the [[World Series|championship series]] of [[Major League Baseball]]'s (MLB) [[1966 Major League Baseball season|1966 season]]. The 63rd edition of the World Series, it was a [[best-of-seven playoff]] between the [[American League]] (AL) champion [[1966 Baltimore Orioles season|Baltimore Orioles]] and [[National League (baseball)|National League]] (NL) champion (and defending World Series champion) [[1966 Los Angeles Dodgers season|Los Angeles Dodgers]]. The Orioles swept the series in four games to capture their first championship in franchise history. It was the last World Series played before MLB introduced the [[Commissioner's Trophy (MLB)|Commissioner's Trophy]] [[1967 World Series|the following year]]. The Dodgers suffered record low scoring, accumulating just two [[Run (baseball)|runs]] over the course of the series (both of which were in the first game), the lowest number of runs ever scored by any team in a World Series.

This World Series marked the end of the Dodgers' dynasty of frequent postseason appearances stretching back to 1947. Conversely, it marked the beginning of the Orioles' dynasty of frequent postseason appearances that continued until 1983.

==Background==
Despite the general consensus that the Orioles were short of pitching compared to the Dodgers and their star hurlers [[Don Drysdale]] and [[Sandy Koufax]], Baltimore pitching allowed only two [[Run (baseball)|runs]] in the entire series and ended up with a 0.50 team [[earned run average]] (ERA), the second-lowest in World Series history. The Orioles scored more runs in the first inning of the first game than the Dodgers would score in the whole series.

The Orioles got a substantial assist from long-time [[Scout (sport)|scout]] Jim Russo, who spent the first two weeks of September following the Dodgers as they won 12 of 14 games. One of the observations in his 16-page scouting report was that Dodger batters had trouble with the [[fastball]] against [[Gaylord Perry]] and [[Larry Dierker]]. Other points included [[Maury Wills]] being the lone [[Bunt (baseball)|bunt]] threat; left-handed pitchers forcing switch hitters to bat right-handed and [[Ron Fairly]] out of the lineup, both to the detriment of the Dodgers; and that Orioles batters should avoid swinging at Koufax's rising fastball above the strike zone. [[Frank Robinson]] also added suggestions based on his experiences in the National League when the team went over the scouting report a day prior to the start of the Series.<ref>[https://vault.si.com/vault/1966/10/24/the-reasons-why-the-orioles-won Leggett, William. "The Reasons Why the Orioles Won," ''Sports Illustrated'', October 24, 1966.] Retrieved October 17, 2020</ref>

Boog Powell from the Orioles and [[Jim Barbieri]] from the Dodgers were the first players to play in the Little League World Series and the World Series. Each played against each other in Game 1 of the [[1954 Little League World Series]].<ref>[https://www.baseball-almanac.com/legendary/little_league_world_series_major_league_world_series.shtml Baseball Almanac Little League World Series and Major League World Series] Retrieved November 1, 2022</ref> Barbieri pinch-hit for Dodger relief pitcher [[Joe Moeller]] in Game 1 of the series. Barbieri struck out in what would be the final appearance of his brief career.

==Route to the World Series==

===Orioles===
After the 1965 season that saw the Orioles finish in third place, they acquired Hall of Famer [[Frank Robinson]] from the [[Cincinnati Reds]] in exchange for starting pitcher [[Milt Pappas]]. Robinson won the Triple Crown and A.L. MVP honors in leading the Orioles to the A.L. pennant by nine games over the Minnesota Twins.

===Dodgers===
The Dodgers were in a tight pennant race for the fourth time in five years. Going into a season ending double header in Philadelphia, the Dodgers led the [[San Francisco Giants]] by two games.  The Giants were in Pittsburgh for a single game, and if they won that game and the Dodgers lost twice, the Giants would have headed to Cincinnati to play a make up game of an earlier rain-out; a win there would force a tie for first place.

In the first game of the double header, the Dodgers made two errors in the bottom of the eighth inning to turn a 3–2 win into a 4–3 loss. Meanwhile, in Pittsburgh, the Giants kept their slim hopes alive by getting a run in the ninth to tie, and four in the 11th to win, 7–3.  The Dodgers needed to win the second game of the doubleheader. [[Sandy Koufax]] pitched the Dodgers to a 6–3 win to clinch the pennant (this appearance, which turned out to be Koufax' last in a regular season game, caused him not to be available for Game 1 of the World Series).

==Summary==
{{MLB Playoff Summary
| summary = AL [[Baltimore Orioles]] (4) vs. NL [[Los Angeles Dodgers]] (0)
| winner =
| score =
| score1 = '''Baltimore Orioles''' – 5, Los Angeles Dodgers – 2
| date1 = October 5
| loc1 = [[Dodger Stadium]]
| time1 = 2:56
| att1 = 55,941
| ref1 = <ref name="Game1">{{cite web|url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1966/B10050LAN1966.htm|title=1966 World Series Game 1 – Baltimore Orioles vs. Los Angeles Dodgers|access-date=September 13, 2009|publisher=Retrosheet}}</ref>
| score2 = '''Baltimore Orioles''' – 6, Los Angeles Dodgers – 0
| date2 = October 6
| loc2 = Dodger Stadium
| time2 = 2:26
| att2 = 55,947
| ref2 = <ref name="Game2">{{cite web|url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1966/B10060LAN1966.htm|title=1966 World Series Game 2 – Baltimore Orioles vs. Los Angeles Dodgers|access-date=September 13, 2009|publisher=Retrosheet}}</ref>
| score3 = Los Angeles Dodgers – 0, '''Baltimore Orioles''' – 1
| date3 = October 8
| loc3 = [[Memorial Stadium (Baltimore)|Memorial Stadium]]
| time3 = 1:55
| att3 = 54,445
| ref3 = <ref name="Game3">{{cite web|url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1966/B10080BAL1966.htm|title=1966 World Series Game 3 – Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Baltimore Orioles|access-date=September 13, 2009|publisher=Retrosheet}}</ref>
| score4 = Los Angeles Dodgers – 0, '''Baltimore Orioles''' – 1
| date4 = October 9
| loc4 = Memorial Stadium
| time4 = 1:45
| att4 = 54,458
| ref4 = <ref name="Game4">{{cite web|url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1966/B10090BAL1966.htm|title=1966 World Series Game 4 – Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Baltimore Orioles|access-date=September 13, 2009|publisher=Retrosheet}}</ref>
}}

==Matchups==

===Game 1===
[[File:Brooks Robinson 1966.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Brooks Robinson]]]]

{{Linescore
|Date=Wednesday, October 5, 1966
|Time=1:00 pm ([[Pacific Time Zone|PT]])
|Location=[[Dodger Stadium]] in [[Los Angeles]], [[California]]
|Road='''Baltimore'''|RoadAbr=BAL
|R1=3|R2=1|R3=0|R4=1|R5=0|R6=0|R7=0|R8=0|R9=0|RR=5|RH=9|RE=0
|Home=Los Angeles|HomeAbr=LAD
|H1=0|H2=1|H3=1|H4=0|H5=0|H6=0|H7=0|H8=0|H9=0|HR=2|HH=3|HE=0
|RSP=|HSP=
|WP=[[Moe Drabowsky]] (1–0)|LP=[[Don Drysdale]] (0–1)|SV=
|RoadHR=[[Frank Robinson]] (1), [[Brooks Robinson]] (1)|HomeHR=[[Jim Lefebvre]] (1)
|}}
In the top of the first inning, after [[Russ Snyder]] drew a one-out walk, [[Frank Robinson]] and [[Brooks Robinson]] hit back-to-back home runs off of [[Don Drysdale]] to give the Orioles an early 3–0 lead. In the bottom half of the frame, [[Dave McNally]] walked Dodger leadoff man [[Maury Wills]], who subsequently stole second. However, the Dodgers failed to score. In the second inning, [[Andy Etchebarren]] drew a leadoff walk, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by McNally, and scored on a single by Snyder to widen the lead to 4–0.

However, McNally soon began to struggle with his command. In the bottom of the second inning, second baseman [[Jim Lefebvre]] hit a long home run to make it 4-1. First baseman [[Wes Parker]] then hit a fair ball down the right-field foul line, but a fan reached over the wall and picked the ball out of the dirt, turning a possible triple into a [[fan interference]] double. After McNally walked [[Jim Gilliam]], [[John Roseboro]] hit a fly ball to right center, but Snyder saved at least a run with a lunging catch, and Baltimore escaped the inning without further damage.

McNally wouldn’t last much longer, though, as he was taken out with one out in the bottom of the third inning after loading the bases on walks. [[Moe Drabowsky]] entered the game and struck out Parker, but then walked Gilliam, forcing in a run and making it 4-2. Drabowsky, however, got out of the jam when Roseboro popped out to Etchebarren in foul territory. This third-inning run would be the Dodgers' last run of 1966. 

From there, the Orioles controlled the rest of the game. They added an insurance run in the fourth inning against [[Joe Moeller]] (who replaced Drysdale in the third inning), when [[Davey Johnson]] scored from second on a fielder's choice by [[Luis Aparicio]]. Meanwhile, Drabowsky struck out six consecutive batters in the next two innings, tying [[Hod Eller]]'s record from Game 5 of the scandal-tainted [[1919 World Series]]. Drabowsky's total of 11 strikeouts in {{frac|6|2|3}} innings of relief are a record for a relief pitcher in a World Series game. The Orioles won 5–2, and the Dodgers would not get another runner across the plate in the series.

===Game 2===
[[File:Jim Palmer - Baltimore Orioles - 1983.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Jim Palmer]]]]

{{Linescore
|Date=Thursday, October 6, 1966
|Time=1:00 pm (PT)
|Location=Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California
|Road='''Baltimore'''|RoadAbr=BAL
|R1=0|R2=0|R3=0|R4=0|R5=3|R6=1|R7=0|R8=2|R9=0|RR=6|RH=8|RE=0
|Home=Los Angeles|HomeAbr=LAD
|H1=0|H2=0|H3=0|H4=0|H5=0|H6=0|H7=0|H8=0|H9=0|HR=0|HH=4|HE=6
|RSP=|HSP=
|WP=[[Jim Palmer]] (1–0)|LP=[[Sandy Koufax]] (0–1)|SV=
|RoadHR=|HomeHR=
|}}
Game 2 was a matchup between two future Hall of Famers, one whose career was just beginning and the other making his final appearance. The Dodgers started left-handed ace [[Sandy Koufax]], who was pitching in his last season but had won his third [[Cy Young Award]] in four years with 27 wins, 317 strikeouts, 5 shutouts, and his career best 1.73 ERA. The Orioles countered with 20-year-old [[Jim Palmer]], who won 15 games with a 3.46 ERA in his first season in the starting rotation.

Despite the difference in experience, Palmer and Koufax traded zeroes on the scoreboard for four innings. Palmer got into trouble in the second inning when a double by [[Lou Johnson]] put runners on second and third with one out, but he got out of the jam by getting Roseboro to pop out to shortstop Aparicio, and then intentionally walking Parker to face Koufax, who popped out to second base. Surprisingly, Baltimore drew first blood against Koufax, although they were assisted by disastrous defense by Los Angeles center fielder [[Willie Davis (baseball)|Willie Davis]].

[[Boog Powell]] led off with a single to left. [[Paul Blair (baseball)|Paul Blair]] then hit a routine fly ball to center, but Davis lost the ball in the sun and dropped it for an error, putting two runners on with one out. Etchebarren then hit another fly to center, but Davis, again battling the sun, bobbled the ball and then dropped it for another error. Powell scored on the misplay, while Blair attempted to advance to third base; Davis subsequently released a high, rushed throw over the head of third baseman Gilliam. The throwing error - Davis' third of the inning, a World Series record that still stands<ref>{{cite book |last1=Billheimer |first1=John |title=Baseball and the Blame Game: Scapegoating in the Major Leagues |date=2007 |publisher=McFarland & Co Inc |location=United States |isbn=9780786429066 |page=47}}</ref> - allowed Blair to score and Etchebarren to advance to third. Aparicio then cracked a stand-up double to drive in Etchebarren. Davis was charged with three errors in this inning alone, a World Series record, and all three runs were unearned.<ref name=PG1966/>

The O's then earned one from Koufax in the sixth as [[Frank Robinson]] hit a triple on a fly ball that could have been caught but fell in between Davis and [[Ron Fairly]].<ref name=PG1966>[[Al Abrams|Abrams, Al]]. [https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/88145957/ "Highlight on Sports"], ''[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]]'', October 7, 1966. Accessed March 21, 2021, via [[Newspapers.com]]. "There was another 'Sun Play' in which W. Davis and Fairly permitted Frank Robinson's catchable fly ball in the sixth to drop between them for a triple.... Dodger Center Fielder Willie Davis (left) and Right Fielder Ron Fairley let long fly off Baltimore's Frank Robinson fall between litem for triple in sixth inning of yesterday's World Series game at Los Angeles. Davis had set an all-time Series record in previous inning by making three errors during the frame."</ref> Powell drove him in with a single to right-center. Johnson followed with a single to right, and the runners advanced on an error by Fairly. Koufax escaped the inning after walking Blair intentionally to load the bases and getting Etchebarren to ground into a double play. Etchebarren would be the final batter that Koufax ever faced in his career.<ref>Sherman, Ed. [http://jewishbaseballmuseum.com/spotlight-story/fifty-years-ago-final-scouting-report-koufax-provide-clue-decision-retire-30/ "Fifty Years Ago: Does Final Scouting Report On Koufax Provide Clue On His Decision To Retire At 30?"], Jewish Baseball Museum, October 31, 2016. Accessed March 21, 2021. "Struggling, Koufax eventually loaded the bases. However, he got out of the jam when Andy Etchebarren hit into a double play. That would proved to be the final pitch of Koufax’s career. He didn’t come out for the 7th inning."</ref>

Koufax was replaced in the seventh by [[Ron Perranoski]], who set the Orioles down in order. They would get two from him in the eighth, however, on a walk to Frank Robinson, a single by Brooks Robinson, a [[sacrifice bunt]] from Powell and a Johnson single off of Perranoski's glove. Perranoski threw the ball away in an attempt for an out at first, and Brooks scored on the error.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/409379368/ "Second Game Play-by-Play"], ''[[The Billings Gazette]]'', October 7, 1966. Accessed March 21, 2021, via [[Newspapers.com]]. Accessed March 21, 2021. "D. Johnson's single off Perranoski's glove, F. Robinson scoring and when Perranoski threw wildly to first for an error, B. Robinson also scored and D. Johnson went to second."</ref> 

Meanwhile, Palmer was brilliant after escaping the second inning, allowing only one runner to reach second base in the final seven frames. He completed the shutout when Roseboro popped out to Aparicio, the Orioles' shortstop; Palmer, just nine days shy of his 21st birthday, became the youngest pitcher in World Series and MLB postseason history to throw a [[shutout]], a record that still stands. Baltimore won 6–0 to take a 2–0 Series lead.

The Dodgers became the third team to make six errors in one game. The [[Chicago White Sox]], both in Game 5 of the [[1906 World Series]] and in Game 5 of the [[1917 World Series]] were the others, although oddly, the White Sox ''won'' both of these games.

===Game 3===
[[File:Paul Blair Orioles.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Paul Blair (baseball)|Paul Blair]]]]

{{Linescore
|Date=Saturday, October 8, 1966
|Time=1:00 pm ([[Eastern Time Zone|ET]])
|Location=[[Memorial Stadium (Baltimore)|Memorial Stadium]] in [[Baltimore]], [[Maryland]]
|Road=Los Angeles|RoadAbr=LAD
|R1=0|R2=0|R3=0|R4=0|R5=0|R6=0|R7=0|R8=0|R9=0|RR=0|RH=6|RE=0
|Home='''Baltimore'''|HomeAbr=BAL
|H1=0|H2=0|H3=0|H4=0|H5=1|H6=0|H7=0|H8=0|H9=X|HR=1|HH=3|HE=0
|RSP=|HSP=
|WP=[[Wally Bunker]] (1–0)|LP=[[Claude Osteen]] (0–1)|SV=
|RoadHR=|HomeHR=[[Paul Blair (baseball)|Paul Blair]] (1)
|}}
With the Orioles ahead in the series 2-0, the scene shifted to Baltimore’s [[Memorial Stadium (Baltimore)|Memorial Stadium]] for Game 3, the first postseason game the city has hosted in the modern era of baseball. [[Wally Bunker]] of the Orioles faced [[Claude Osteen]] of the Dodgers.

Bunker, plagued with injuries in the regular season, pitched the game of his life, scattering six hits in a complete game gem. Although Osteen allowed only three hits in seven strong innings, but one of those hits was a solo home run from [[Paul Blair (baseball)|Paul Blair]] in the fifth, which turned out to be the game's only run. The Dodgers' defense woke up after Game 2's six-error embarrassment, and they turned several excellent plays, most notably first baseman Wes Parker's spectacular jump to snare [[Curt Blefary]]'s sixth inning line drive and rob him of a base hit. Nonetheless, Bunker, without a shutout in the regular season, completed the Orioles' second consecutive shutout in this World Series by retiring Lou Johnson on a grounder to Aparicio. The 1–0 win gave the Orioles a commanding 3–0 series lead, and on the cusp of their first title.

===Game 4===
[[File:Frank Robinson 1961.jpg|thumb|upright|180px|[[Frank Robinson]]]]

{{Linescore
|Date=Sunday, October 9, 1966
|Time=2:00 pm (ET)
|Location=Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland
|Road=Los Angeles|RoadAbr=LAD
|R1=0|R2=0|R3=0|R4=0|R5=0|R6=0|R7=0|R8=0|R9=0|RR=0|RH=4|RE=0
|Home='''Baltimore'''|HomeAbr=BAL
|H1=0|H2=0|H3=0|H4=1|H5=0|H6=0|H7=0|H8=0|H9=X|HR=1|HH=4|HE=0
|RSP=|HSP=
|WP=[[Dave McNally]] (1–0)|LP=[[Don Drysdale]] (0–2)|SV=
|RoadHR=|HomeHR=[[Frank Robinson]] (2)
|}}
On the brink of a sweep, Game 4 was a rematch of Game 1, pitting the young pitcher [[Dave McNally]] against the veteran [[Don Drysdale]], both of whom had struggled in their previous match-up. However, in this outing, both pitchers excelled as Drysdale and McNally each allowed only four hits. Again, the only run scored was on a home run, this one by [[Frank Robinson]]. [[Willie Davis (baseball)|Willie Davis]] redeemed himself from his miserable Game 2 defensive blunders by robbing [[Boog Powell]] of a home run in the fourth, but to no avail as [[Paul Blair (baseball)|Paul Blair]] did the same to [[Jim Lefebvre]] in the eighth, and the Dodgers were shut out for the third consecutive time and for 33 consecutive innings, a World Series record. With the 1–0 Game 4 victory, the Orioles swept the series and won their first World Series championship in franchise history.

The Orioles became the first American League team other than the Yankees to win the World Series since the [[1948 Cleveland Indians season|1948 Cleveland Indians]]. The Orioles also became the last of the original eight American League teams to win a World Series at all. The Orioles had played in the Fall Classic as the St. Louis Browns in the [[1944 World Series]], in which they were the last original AL team, and the last of the 16 teams that made up the major leagues from 1903 to 1960, to ''participate'' in a World Series. They were also the second-to-last "Original 16" MLB team to win a World Series; the [[1980 Philadelphia Phillies season|1980 Philadelphia Phillies]] became the last team to do so [[1980 World Series|14 years later]].

Ironically, despite the historic dominance of Baltimore’s starting rotation throughout the series, outfielder [[Frank Robinson]] was named [[World Series MVP]]. He became the first position player from a winning World Series team to win World Series MVP honors. ([[Bobby Richardson]] was the first position player to win the award, doing so in the [[1960 World Series]], but his [[New York Yankees]] lost to the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]].)

The Orioles became the second team in World Series history (the 1937 New York Yankees were the first), not to commit an error in a series of any length, handling 141 [[total chances]] (108 [[putout]]s, 33 [[assist (baseball)|assists]]).

As of 2024, this is the only time that the Dodgers have ever been swept in a World Series.

==Composite box==
1966 World Series '''(4–0): [[Baltimore Orioles]] (A.L.)''' over [[Los Angeles Dodgers]] (N.L.)
{{Linescore
|Road='''[[Baltimore Orioles]]'''
|R1=3|R2=1|R3=0|R4=2|R5=4|R6=1|R7=0|R8=2|R9=0|RR=13|RH=24|RE=0
|Home='''[[Los Angeles Dodgers]]'''
|H1=0|H2=1|H3=1|H4=0|H5=0|H6=0|H7=0|H8=0|H9=0|HR=2|HH=17|HE=6
|TotalAttendance=220,791 |AveAttendance=55,198
|WinPlayerShare=$11,683 |LosePlayerShare=$8,189<ref name="wsshares">{{cite web|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/ws/wsshares.shtml|title=World Series Gate Receipts and Player Shares|access-date=June 14, 2009|publisher=Baseball Almanac| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090502011628/http://www.baseball-almanac.com/ws/wsshares.shtml| archive-date= May 2, 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref>
}}

==Broadcasting==
[[Major League Baseball on NBC|NBC]] broadcast the series on both television and radio. In prior years, the local announcers for both the home and away teams had split calling the play-by-play for the telecast of each World Series game; however, beginning this year and continuing through {{wsy|1976}}, only the home-team announcer would do TV for each game, splitting play-by-play and color commentary with a neutral NBC announcer, while the visiting-team announcer would help call the radio broadcast. Thus, in 1966 NBC's [[Curt Gowdy]] (completing his first season as the network's lead baseball voice) worked the telecasts with the Dodgers' [[Vin Scully]] for the games in Los Angeles and with the Orioles' [[Chuck Thompson]] for the games in Baltimore.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://awfulannouncing.com/2016/the-year-vin-scully-was-unhappy-about-his-reduced-role-on-network-television-coverage-of-the-world-series.html|title=The year Vin Scully was unhappy about his reduced role on network television coverage of the World Series|last=Halberstam|first=David J.|website=Awful Announcing|date=October 24, 2016|access-date=November 3, 2019}}</ref> [[Bob Prince]], in turn, worked the radio broadcasts with Thompson (in Los Angeles) and Scully (in Baltimore).

==Aftermath==
This was the last hurrah for the Dodgers of this era. In an eight-year span from 1959 to 1966, they played in four World Series, winning three of them. In addition, they finished second twice (once losing in a playoff) and fourth once. [[Sandy Koufax]], though arguably at the peak of his career, announced his retirement following the World Series because of the chronic arthritis and bursitis in his pitching elbow. In addition, shortstop and 1962 Most Valuable Player [[Maury Wills]] was traded to the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] in December. [[Tommy Davis (outfielder)|Tommy Davis]], the 1962 and 1963 NL batting champion, still not fully recovered from a severely broken ankle suffered in 1965, was traded to the [[New York Mets]] after the 1966 season. Finally, third baseman/utility man [[Jim Gilliam]] announced his retirement.

The Dodgers still had decent pitching, but their offense was among the worst in the majors. They finished in eighth place in 1967 and in seventh in 1968, before a new group of young players led the team back into contention in 1969. For the 20-year period from 1969 to 1988, the Dodgers won two World Series (1981 and 1988), five National League pennants (1974, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1988), and seven [[National League West|National League Western Division]] titles (1974, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1988).

Meanwhile, Baltimore became the dominant American League team in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Injuries slowed the team down in 1967, and they finished second to the 103-win [[Detroit Tigers]] in 1968. They won three straight A.L. pennants from 1969–71 (winning over 100 games each season), as well as the [[1970 World Series]]. The Orioles won the [[American League Eastern Division]] again in 1973 and 1974, but they fell to the [[Oakland Athletics]] [[Swingin' A's|dynasty]], which went to (and won) the World Series three straight years. The Orioles returned to the World Series in [[1979 World Series|1979]], but they lost to the Pirates in 7 games. The Orioles won at least 90 games in all but three seasons from 1968 through 1983, culminating in their [[1983 World Series]] victory over the Phillies. In total, the Orioles won six pennants (1966, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1979, 1983) in that span to go with seven American League Eastern Division titles (1969-1971, 1973, 1974, 1979, 1983) and three World Series championships.

==Record-low scoring==

The 1966 series featured exceptionally low numbers of runs for all concerned, separately and jointly, and also set multiple records for other metrics related to low scoring.

* The series-losing Dodgers scored just 2 runs the entire series, the lowest number of runs ever scored by one team in a World Series, a record unique to 1966. The Orioles were far from productive themselves; scoring only 13 runs, they joined with the Dodgers to log the lowest combined number of runs, 15, ever scored by both teams in a World Series, another record unique to 1966.
* As for series-winning teams, just four other teams have managed to win a World Series while scoring fewer runs<ref name="13runs">No other series-winning team ever produced exactly 13 series runs, although the series loser has produced exactly 13 series runs on five occasions: {{wsy|1911}}, {{wsy|1916}}, {{wsy|1961}}, {{wsy|1985}}, and {{wsy|1998}}.</ref> than the 1966 Orioles: The [[1915 World Series|1915 Boston Red Sox]] and [[1963 World Series|1963 Los Angeles Dodgers]] (12 runs each), the [[1950 World Series|1950 New York Yankees]] (11 runs), and the unique record holder for least runs scored in a World Series by the series winner, the [[1918 World Series|1918 Boston Red Sox]] (9 runs).
* Contributing to the series' low run count, Games 3 and 4 were both 1–0 games. The only other World Series to contain multiple 1–0 games was {{wsy|1949}}.
* The Orioles shut the Dodgers out for a [[World Series]] record 33 consecutive innings – from the fourth inning of Game 1 to the end of the series (Game 4).
* Baltimore's pitching staff only allowed two earned runs and finished with a team [[earned run average|ERA]] of 0.50, allowing a 4-game series low 17 hits and limiting the Dodgers to a team batting average of .142, the lowest team average in a series of any length. This topped the World Series team ERA mark of 1.00 set by the 1963 Dodgers in their 4-game sweep of the Yankees, and is second only to the unbreakable record team ERA of 0.00 set in [[1905 World Series|1905]] by the [[New York Giants (NL)|New York Giants]].
* The Orioles produced only 10 earned runs, including only 2 over the final 2 games. Their team batting average for the series was .200. Both teams combined to hit only .171, lowest in World Series history, and both teams combined for only 41 hits, lowest ever for a 4-game series.
* The Orioles scored more runs (3) in the first inning of Game 1 than the Dodgers did the whole series (2).

'''Top American League ''World Series'' pitching staffs through 1966:'''
{|
|-
! Rank !! A.L. Teams !! ERA !! Year
|-
| 1 || [[Baltimore Orioles]] || 0.50 || 1966
|-
| 2 || [[Cleveland Indians]] || 0.89 || [[1920 World Series|1920]]
|-
| 3 || [[New York Yankees]] || 1.22 || [[1939 World Series|1939]]
|-
| 4 || [[Philadelphia Athletics]] || 1.29 || [[1911 World Series|1911]]
|-
| 5 || [[Philadelphia Athletics]] || 1.47 || [[1905 World Series|1905]]
|-
|&nbsp;|| [[Boston Red Sox]] || 1.47 || [[1916 World Series|1916]]
|-
| 7 || [[Chicago White Sox]] || 1.50 || [[1906 World Series|1906]]
|-
| 8 || [[Boston Red Sox]] || 1.70 || [[1918 World Series|1918]]
|-
| 9 || [[Philadelphia Athletics]] || 1.73 || [[1930 World Series|1930]]
|-
| 10 || [[New York Yankees]] || 1.80 || [[1941 World Series|1941]]
|}

==Notes==
{{Reflist|2}}

==See also==
*[[1966 Japan Series]]

==References==
{{WSRefs|year=1966|reichlerp=2174}}
* {{cite web |author=Forman, Sean L. |title=1966 World Series |work=Baseball-Reference.com – Major League Statistics and Information. |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1966_WS.shtml |access-date=December 9, 2007| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071130235304/http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1966_WS.shtml| archive-date= November 30, 2007 | url-status= live}}

==External links==
{{WSExtLinks|year=1966}}

{{WorldSeries}}
{{1966 Baltimore Orioles}}
{{Baltimore Orioles}}
{{Los Angeles Dodgers}}
{{1966 MLB season by team}}
{{Major League Baseball on NBC}}
{{Major League Baseball on NBC Radio}}

[[Category:1966 Major League Baseball season|World Series]]
[[Category:Baltimore Orioles postseason]]
[[Category:Los Angeles Dodgers postseason]]
[[Category:World Series]]
[[Category:1966 in Los Angeles|World Series]]
[[Category:1966 in sports in Maryland|World Series]]
[[Category:1960s in Baltimore]]
[[Category:October 1966 sports events in the United States]]
[[Category:Baseball competitions in Baltimore]]
[[Category:Baseball competitions in Los Angeles]]
[[Category:1966 in sports in California|World]]