Feb. 25, 1975: On this day in Orioles history the team traded first baseman Boog Powell and pitcher Don Hood to the Cleveland Indians in exchange for catcher Dave Duncan and minor leaguer Alvin McGrew. The deal reunited Powell with former O’s teammate Frank Robinson, who was managing the Indians by then.
In 13 full seasons for the Orioles (he played four games at age 19 in 1961) Powell slashed .266/.362/.465 and amassed 1,574 hits, 303 home runs (third most in team history), and 1,063 RBI (fourth most in team history). He was a four-time All Star in Baltimore, won the MVP in 1970, played in four World Series and was part of two championship teams. He entered the Orioles Hall of Fame in 1979.
Powell slugged 27 home runs during his first season in Cleveland. It was the most homers he had hit since 1970. He batted .297 with a .377 on-base percentage and a .524 slugging percentage.
Here’s how the AP’s lede read after the trade was announced: “The Baltimore Orioles, trying for more than a year to trade Boog Powell, finally have found someone willing to gamble that the big first baseman will somehow regain his lost power.
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