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As we move into the 1970's, we see a change in leads in both divisions from May. We'll start with the American League. Two teams are actually tied for the lead at 49-33. The first team is the 1972 Oakland A's. The '72 A's are led at the plate by RF Matty Alou, who is hitting .304. SP Catfish Hunter (9-3, 3.76 ERA) leads a below average starting rotation. However, if the team can keep it close, CL Bob Locker (0-1, 1.42 ERA, 26 Saves) is slamming the door shut on opponents. Locker is 2nd in the AL in saves. The 1972 A's won their first eight games of June and lost only one series, finishing the month of June with an 18-7 record. The second team in first place is the 1974 Oakland A's. The '74 squad is led at the dish by RF Reggie Jackson (.299, 23 HR, 61 RBI) and 1B Joe Rudi (.297, 13 HR, 58 RBI). The starting pitching is ranked 6th in the AL with a 3.15 combined ERA. SP Ken Holtzman (10-5, 3.08 ERA), SP Vida Blue (8-6, 2.86 ERA) and SP Glenn Abbott (9-2, 2.36 ERA) are having great years so far. Two players made headlines for the '74 club this month. LF Claudell Washington (.276, 1 HR, 34 RBI) made the news on June 1 with a 5 for 5 performance in a 10-1 win over the 1982 Milwaukee Brewers (23-35). On June 16, Vida Blue threw a 7-0 shutout win over the 1937 New York Yankees (34-38) in which he allowed only four hits, struck out seven and walked three.

In third place at 48-34, 1 GB, are the 1979 Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles are led by RF Ken Singleton (.291, 18 HR, 56 RBI) at the plate and SP Dennis Martinez (10-4, 2.61 ERA) on the mound. Two players made news for Baltimore in June. On June 19, C Rick Dempsey (.259, 2 HR, 27 RBI) went 5 for 6 against the 1949 New York Yankees (33-41). While the Orioles lost the game 6-5 in 12 innings, Dempsey hit three singles, a double and a triple. On June 29, SP Mike Flanagan (8-5, 2.97 ERA) threw a 4-0 shutout win over the 1915 Boston Red Sox (44-37). Flanagan held Boston to one hit, struck out ten and walked none.

The 1971 Baltimore Orioles are in fourth place at 47-35, 2 GB. CF Paul Blair leads the team with his .297 batting average. SP Jim Palmer and SP Pat Dobson lead the team in pitching and both made the headlines in June. On June 24, Dobson (10-5, 2.90 ERA) threw a 6-0 win over the 1931 Philadelphia A's (39-37). Dobson allowed four hits, struck out four and walked one. Not to be outdone by his teammate, Palmer (12-5, 2.61 ERA) threw a 11-0 shutout over the same '31 A's (39-38) on June 25. Palmer allowed five hits, struck out five and walked two. Palmer is currently 2nd in the AL in wins.

In fifth place in the division are the 1970 Baltimore Orioles at 46-36, 3 GB. The 1970 Orioles are tied for 6th in the AL in runs scored with 433 and tied for 10th in the AL in home runs with 93. Four players have hit well in the first half of the year:

LF Merv Rettenmund .342, 13 HR, 50 RBI
1B Boog Powell .325, 22 HR, 79 RBI
RF Frank Robinson .301, 14 HR, 60 RBI
3B Brooks Robinson .299, 13 HR, 54 RBI

Powell is tied for 3rd in the AL in RBI. SP Dave McNally (9-4, 3.85 ERA) leads the pitchers and made news for the club on June 26. McNally threw a 4-0 shutout over the 2006 Detroit Tigers (24-54), holding them to four hits, striking out six and walking two.

The 1978 New York Yankees are in sixth place at 40-42, 9 GB. The Yankees have the AL's 5th best defense. There are no .300 hitters on the team and SP Dick Tidrow (8-4, 2.81 ERA) leads an above average pitching staff. SP Jim Beattie (7-5, 3.70 ERA) made headlines for the team on June 7 with a 4-0 shutout over the 1965 Minnesota Twins (25-38). Beattie held the Twins to five hits, struck out five and walked one.

In seventh place are the 1973 Oakland A's at 38-44, 11 GB. The A's are an offensive nightmare...or their hitting could be considered offensive to some. Oakland is dead last (108th) in the AL in runs scored (256) and batting average (.222). The A's are 106th in OBP (.297). Needless to say, no one is hitting .300. SP Vida Blue (8-7, 3.66 ERA) and SP Dave Hamilton (8-6, 3.83 ERA) are doing what they can to keep the team competitive. Blue made headlines on June 30 with a 7-0 win over the 1999 New York Yankees (46-36). Blue allowed only three hits, struck out eight and walked one.

Three teams are fighting for eighth place...or fighting to stay out of the division basement at 35-47, 14 GB. The first team are the 1975 Boston Red Sox. Boston is great offensively, but their pitching has been offensive to most. The Red Sox are 8th in the AL in runs scored (432), but have also allowed 469 runs against (106th). They are also 9th in the AL with 95 home runs. RF Dwight Evans (.323, 13 HR, 54 RBI) leads a lineup with six players in double digit home runs. Boston's pitching is currently ranked 103rd in the AL with a 5.39 combined ERA. The second team in the tie are the 1976 New York Yankees. The Yankees are 102nd in OBP at .304. There are no .300 hitters and the pitching staff is average. SP Catfish Hunter, however, was not average on June 16. Hunter (6-6, 4.07 ERA) threw a no-hitter against the 1942 New York Yankees (34-38), striking out 12 and walking four. The final team is the 1977 New York Yankees. The '77 Yankees are led by CF Mickey Rivers .312 average at the plate, while SP Ron Guidry is 9-6 with a 2.08 ERA to lead the pitching staff.

In the National League, the team in the lead is the 1976 Cincinnati Reds at 53-29. The '76 Reds are 1st in the NL in OBP (.365) and 2nd in the NL in average (.290) and runs scored (454). RF Ken Griffey Jr. (.362, 2 HR, 46 RBI) and LF George Foster (.348, 17 HR, 70 RBI) lead the team in hitting. Griffey is 5th in the NL in batting average and 3rd in hits. SP Pat Zachary (7-3, 2.56 ERA) leads the club on the mound. SP Don Gullett, however, made news for the team on June 7. Gullett (8-3, 4.24 ERA) threw an 8-0 shutout over the 1981 Los Angeles Dodgers, allowing only three hits, striking out four and walking none. The Reds put together an 18-7 month, moving from third place into first place.

Two teams are tied for second place at 52-30, 1 GB. The first are the 1975 Cincinnati Reds. The '75 team lost the lead with a 13-12 June record. The Reds are 5th in the NL in runs scored (436), 7th in OBP (.349), 8th in average (.279) and tied for 10th in home runs (87). SS Dave Concepcion (.334, 3 HR, 31 RBI) leads the team for average, while C Johnny Bench (.306, 18 HR, 65 RBI) and LF George Foster (.297, 19 HR, 64 RBI) add the power punch. SP Gary Nolan leads the pitching staff with a 10-2 record and 2.99 ERA. SP Fred Norman (5-4, 5.11 ERA) made headlines for the team on June 2 with a 10-0 win over the 1922 New York Giants (26-33). Norman allowed only four hits, struck out five and walked none in the game. The second team in the tie is the 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates. Pittsburgh is 1st in the NL in average (.307), 4th in OBP (.356) and 4th in runs scored (448). The Pirates are led by none other than RF Roberto Clemente (.399, 6 HR, 57 RBI) and LF Willie Stargell (.325, 39 HR, 80 RBI). Clemente is 2nd in the NL in average and 1st in the Majors in hits with 140. Stargell is 1st in the Majors in HR and 1st in the NL in RBI. Stargell was also named NL Player of the Week on June 3 after going .440 with 4 HR and 9 RBI. Six players in the Pirates lineup are hitting .300 or higher. SP Dock Ellis (9-4, 2.81 ERA) leads the Pittsburgh pitching staff.

In fourth place, with a record of 50-32, 3 GB, are the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates. The '79 Pirates are led by RF Dave Parker, who is hitting .307 with 12 HR and 60 RBI. SP Bruce Kison (8-5, 1.99 ERA) leads a staff ranked 10th in the NL with a 3.15 combined ERA. SP John Candelaria (5-4, 3.87 ERA) made news for the club on June 14 with a 6-0 win over the 1990 Cincinnati Reds (35-35). Candelaria held the Reds to six hits, struck out five and walked one.

Two teams are tied for fifth place at 46-36, 7 GB. The first team is the 1972 Cincinnati Reds. CF Bobby Tolan leads the team with a .313 batting average. SP Jim McGlothlin (8-3, 2.36 ERA) leads a pitching staff ranked 8th in the NL with a 2.96 ERA. C Johnny Bench made headlines for the team on June 6 in a 10-6 win over the 1923 New York Giants (28-34). Bench (.282, 19 HR, 60 RBI) hit for the cycle against the Giants, going 5 for 5 with a single, a double, a triple, two home runs and eight runs batted in. The second team in this tie are the 1978 Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers are 4th in the NL in home runs with 101. RF Reggie Smith (.327, 21 HR, 66 RBI) is the team's best hitter, while SP Burt Hooton (12-4, 2.69 ERA) leads the pitching staff. Smith and CF Rick Monday made news for the team on June 16 in a 24-4 beat down win over the 2009 Philadelphia Phillies (27-45). Both players hit three home runs in the game. Smith finished 4 for 6 with 8 RBI, while Monday was 3 for 3 with 6 RBI and 2 walks.

The 1977 Los Angeles Dodgers are in seventh place with a record of 43-39, 10 GB. The Dodgers are 106th in the NL in average at .232. RF Reggie Smith (.289, 18 HR, 51 RBI) leads the team in hitting, while SP Burt Hooton (10-5, 1.96 ERA) and SP Tommy John (10-6, 3.14 ERA) lead the team on the mound. John made headlines on June 6 with a 8-0 shutout over the 1959 Los Angeles Dodgers (18-44). John allowed five hits, struck out six and walked none in the win. The '77 Dodgers had their first winning month this season, going 17-8.

In eighth place are the 1970 Cincinnati Reds at 41-41, 12 GB. LF Bernie Carbo (.301, 13 HR, 45 RBI) and RF Pete Rose, Sr. (.301, 8 HR, 38 RBI) lead the team in hitting. SP Wayne Simpson (8-6, 3.34 ERA) is the team's best pitcher.

The 1974 Los Angeles Dodgers are in ninth place at 39-43, 14 GB. The Dodgers are 101st in the NL in average at .236. RF Willie Crawford (.320, 11 HR, 41 RBI) leads the team in hitting. SP Don Sutton (10-2, 2.40 ERA) leads the pitching staff. SP Tommy John (7-5, 2.94 ERA) made headlines on June 11 with a 2-0 win over the 1940 Cincinnati Reds (39-28). John allowed five hits, struck out four and walked three in the contest.

Sorry Met lovers, but the 1973 New York Mets are in last place at 35-47, 18 GB. The Mets have no .300 hitters. They are 100th in the NL in runs scored (277) and average (.236), 103rd in OBP (.293) and are tied for 105th in stolen bases (6). 2B Felix Millan (.272, 0 HR, 15 RBI) made news for the team on June 11 in a 2-1 win in 13 innings over the 1968 St. Louis Cardinals (30-37). Millan went 5 for 7 in the game, all singles. SP Jerry Koosman (7-5, 2.33 ERA) is the team's best pitcher. Koosman made headlines for the club on June 12 with a 4-0 win over the '68 Cardinals (30-38). Koosman allowed only five hits, struck out eight and walked none. On June 25, SP Jon Matlack (4-5, 3.18 ERA) threw a 5-0 shutout win over the 1999 Atlanta Braves (47-30). Matlack held Atlanta to one hit, struck out nine and walked none.