The 1971 Oakland Athletics season involved the A's finishing first in the American League West with a record of 101 wins and 60 losses (their best record in the Swingin' A's era). In their first postseason appearance of any kind since 1931, the A's were swept in three games by the Baltimore Orioles in the American League Championship Series. Offseason January 13, 1971: 1971 Major League Baseball Draft (January Draft) notable picks: Round 5: Rich Dauer (did not sign) Secondary Phase Round 1: Phil Garner Round 3: Steve Staggs (did not sign) Regular season Vida Blue became the first black player in the history of the American League to win the American League Cy Young Award. He was also the youngest AL player in the 20th century to win the MVP Award. During the year, Vida Blue was on the cover of Sports Illustrated and Time magazine. Season standings Record vs. opponents Opening Day starters 1B Don Mincher 2B Dick Green 3B Sal Bando SS Bert Campaneris LF Felipe Alou CF Rick Monday RF Reggie Jackson C Dave Duncan P Vida Blue Notable transactions May 8, 1971: Frank Fernández, Don Mincher, Paul Lindblad, and cash were traded by the Athletics to the Washington Senators for Darold Knowles and Mike Epstein. May 26, 1971: Rob Gardner was traded by the Athletics to the New York Yankees for Curt Blefary. June 12, 1971: Champ Summers was signed by the Athletics as an amateur free agent. Roster Player stats Batting Starters by position Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in Other batters Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in Pitching Starting pitchers Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts Other pitchers Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts Relief pitchers Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts Awards and honors Vida Blue, P, American League Cy Young Award Vida Blue, P, American League Most Valuable Player Award.