The earliest version of Cincinnati's Big Red Machine debuted this year. George "Sparky" Anderson was hired as the manager before the season, and the team responded by winning 102 games. They then swept the Pirates in the league playoffs, but some work still needed to be done; the Reds were crushed in the World Series by Earl Weaver's mighty Orioles team.
        There was no surprise about who the best pitchers in the league were. The Cy Young Award winners from the previous two seasons, Tom Seaver and Bob Gibson, both had outstanding years; Gibson won his second award. Two fellow Hall Of Famers, Fergie Jenkins and Gaylord Perry, were also outstanding.

         Gibson was 34 this year, and perhaps didn't pitch quite as well as in previous seasons, though I think he still deserved the award. This was the only season in which Gibson led the league in wins; it was also his fifth 20+ win season in six years, and the last time he would win 20 games. Gibson had three more outstanding seasons before he lost his fastball; he finished his career in 1975 with 251 career wins, and a legacy of being one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball history when he was in his prime.
        Seaver, on the other hand, was just 25. After their miraculous championship in 1969, the Mets followed up with a solid season. They didn't make the playoffs, but they had a winning record, and their pitching was still the best in the league. In the Cy Young balloting, Seaver received only four votes, placing behind Jim Merritt, Gary Nolan, and Dave Giusti, among others. The voters are entitled to their opinions; if they would rather have Jim Merritt on their team than Tom Seaver; that's their business. He may not have won 20 games, but a pretty good argument can be made that Seaver was again the NL's best pitcher.
        Ferguson Jenkins won 20 games for the fourth straight season. It was also the Cubs' fourth straight winning season; after losing 103 games in 1966, the Cubs had had a winning team ever since Jenkins emerged on the scene. Jenkins was only 26 this year, and followed up with two more 20+ seasons. The Cubs also continued to win. But good fortune was too much for the Cubbies; after Jenkins had a bit of an off year in in 1973, at age 29, the Cubs shipped him to Texas. Fergie would win 25 games for Texas the next season, while the Cubs would sink to last place for the rest of the decade.
        Gaylord Perry also had one of his best seasons. In the American League, Perry's brother, Jim, won 24 games and the Cy Young Award. The Perry brothers combined to win 47 games this year, which I think is a record. Gary Nolan of the Reds also had a great season; Nolan had won 14 games for the Reds in 1967, when he was just 19 years old. This year, he was still just 22 years old; he had two more fine seasons before chronic arm problems developed; Nolan missed two entire years, then returned to pitch for the Reds during their glory years in 1975 and 1976.
        Another Reds pitcher who had a good year was Wayne Granger. For a short time, Granger was a record-setting reliever; he joined the Reds in 1969, and became the first pitcher to appear in 90 games in a season. This year, Granger set a new saves record, with 35 (though I'm not sure if anyone was actually counting at the time). Granger's effectiveness diminished the next two seasons, and arm problems completely wrecked his career.
        Incredibly, the Cubs had both Jenkins and Ken Holtzman on their staff at this time, but dumped both of them within a couple of seasons. Holtzman was just 24, and had been with the Cubbies since he was 19. He won 17 games for the second straight year; but 1971 was a bit of a struggle, so the Cubs dealt Holtzman to the Athletics. With Oakland, Ken won 59 games over the next three seasons, and helped the Athletics win three straight World Series. For the Cubs, a long, long history of mismanagement lived on.