Metroplex bracket: 1973 Orioles defeat 1973 Phillies in six games

Game One: Orioles 10, Phillies 1
WP: Palmer (1-0)
LP: Carlton (0-1)
HR: Luzinski (1), T Davis (1), E Williams (1)

Game Two: Orioles 4, Phillies 3 (11 innings)
WP: Watt (1-0)
LP: Wallace (0-1)
HR: Grich (1)

Game Three: Orioles 5, Phillies 0
WP: McNally (1-0)
LP: Brett (0-1)

Game Four: Phillies 5, Orioles 2
WP: Lonborg (1-0)
LP: Alexander (0-1)
HR: E Williams (2), Bumbry (1)

Game Five: Phillies 10, Orioles 9 (10 innings)
WP: Ruthven (1-0)
LP: Pena (0-1)
HR: Bi Robinson (1), Blair (1), Schmidt (1)

Game Six: Orioles 6, Phillies 4
WP: Cuellar (1-0)
LP: Twitchell (0-1)
HR: Grabarkewitz (1), Coggins (1), Baylor (1)

This series opened in Baltimore's Memorial Stadium with a matchup of chronic Cy Young winners and first ballot Hall of Famers: Jim Palmer for Baltimore, Steve Carlton for Philadelphia. The O's hammered Carlton for three runs in the second inning, with Andy Etchebatten driving in a pair with a double. Earl Williams doubled, homered and scored three runs. The Phillies didn't score until Greg Luzinski homered with two out in the eighth.

The Orioles made it two in a row with an extra-inning win in Game Two. Eddie Watt threw four scoreless innings of relief and pinch-hitter Merv Rettemund drove in the game-winning run with a sac fly in the bottom of the 11th. Bobby Grich hit a two-run homer in the eighth off Wayne Twitchell to tie the game at 3.  All three runs scored off Mike Cuellar were unearned,surprising given the quality of the Baltimore fielders.

The series moved north to Veterans Stadium for the next three games, and Dave McNally threw a four-hit shutout for Baltimore in Game Three. McNally drove in the first two runs with a bases-loaded single off loser Ken Brett. Bobby Grich drove in two more in the seventh with a bases-loaded double.

Jim Lonborg went the distance for the Phillies in Game Four, allowing solo homers to Williams and Al Bumbry but just five other singles. Doyle Alexander took the loss with four earned runs on 10 hits in six innings.

The Phillies took the series back to Baltimore with a 10-inning win in Game Five. Neither Palmer nor Carlton pitched well. Carlton was pulled in the sixth after allowing seven earned runs (and one unearned; Palmer was knocked out in the Phillies' six-run seventh. Bill Robinson hit a pinch-hit grand slam off reliever Grant Jackson to briefly give the Phillies the lead in that inning. Brooks Robinson evened the score in the eighth with his second RBI single of the game, and the Phillies won it after Mark Belanger committed a two-base error in the bottom of the the 10th and Mike Schmidt followed with a single, Schmidt's third RBI of the game.

The series went back to Baltimore for Game Six. Rich Coggins scored three runs, including a two-run homer in the eighth to put the Birds on top, and Cuellar went the distance despite conceding three runs in the first inning. He allowed only three hits the rest of the way, one a homer by Billy Grabarkewitz. Don Baylor homered, doubled, drove in a pair of runs and scored twice for Baltimore.

Player availability: The Baltimore bullpen will be fully rested for the second round.

Projected rotation: Palmer-McNally-Cuellar-Alexander-(Palmer)-(McNally)-(Cuellar)