Total Classics 1971 2.0

Total Classics 1971
Original release by BRobby05
Revised by Jim825 & dennisjames71
 

The 1971 baseball season was Vida Blue's year -- until October, when the veteran Baltimore Orioles showed the 21-year-old Oakland pitcher what pressure baseball was.  They themselves were then taught a lesson by the Pittsburgh Pirates, World Series winners for the first time since 1960.

Blue's phenomenal first full season -- 24-8, 301 strikeouts, a league-leading 1.82 ERA, eight shutouts -- earned him both the American League's Cy Young and Most Valuable Player Awards. 

Pittsburgh's speed, power, defense and pitching were too much for the National League East. Roberto Clemente led with a .341 average. His 86 RBI ranked second on the team, right behind Willie Stargell's 125.  Although no Pirate pitcher won 20 games, the hurlers were well-balanced and had an ace in the hole in Dave Giusti, whose palmball brought in five wins and a league-high 30 saves.

In the NLCS, the Pirates overpowered the Giants, who had followed Bobby Bonds (.288 average, 33 home runs, 102 RBI) to a division title.  After losing game one to the Giants, the Pirates turned on the power. They surged to a 3-1 series victory that featured a three-homer second game by first baseman Bob Robertson and homers by Richie Hebner in games three and four.

With Catfish Hunter's 21-11, 2.96 ERA season and the muscle of Reggie Jackson, Sal Bando, Rick Monday and Mike Epstein, Blue and the A's marched to a 101-60 record and a 16-game edge over Kansas City for the AL West title.  The Orioles won 101 games as well, on the pitching of a record-tying four 20-game winners: Dave McNally (21-5), Mike Cuellar (20-9), Pat Dobson (20-8), and Jim Palmer (20-9).  The Orioles also led the American League in runs scored for a convincing 12-game lead over second-place Detroit.

Orioles pitching was the key to their 3-0 sweep of the A's in the ALCS. Baltimore's hitting, however, couldn't keep pace in the 1971 World Series, and Pittsburgh won in seven games behind two complete game wins by Steve Blass.  Blass was called upon after Baltimore whipped the Bucs at home 5-3 and 11-3. The Pittsburgh pitcher responded with a three-hitter and a 5-1 win.

Baltimore scored three runs in the top of the first inning of the next game -- but it was 22 innings before the Orioles scored again, as Bruce Kison and then Nelson Briles and Bob Moose kept them in check (Briles pitched a shutout in game five).

The Orioles came back to win game six in ten innings, but Blass slammed the door in game seven with a four-hit, 2-1 win.

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The Total Classics 1971 mod brings you the sights and sounds of the 1971 baseball season. Besides rosters, portraits and audios, the mod provides themed menu screens and loading screens, stadium select screens with actual stadium photos, 1971 jukebox music, 1971 batter walkup music, an accurate 1971 schedule, a 1970's era overlay and correct 1970's era stadiums for every team.

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*** INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS ***

- After you download the total_classics_1971.7z file, double-click to open it.

- Extract the contents of the file into a folder.

- Double-click the explodeme.exe file

- Find the location of a CLEAN (or patched) copy of MVP Baseball 2005 and click "Extract".

- Allow the program to extract all of the new content.

- Play the new Total Classics 1971 mod.