Each week, The Baltimore Sun will chronicle the Orioles’ march to their first world championship in 1966, along with an archived cartoon of the Orioles bird drawn by the late Jim Hartzell, artist for The Baltimore Sun.

A cartoon drawing of the Oriole bird by Baltimore Sun artist Jim Hartzell. (Baltimore Sun)

By Mike Klingaman

The Baltimore Sun

Make it nine victories in a row for the surging Orioles (11-1), the hottest team in baseball. Sturdy pitching and nine home runs — three by rookie second baseman Davey Johnson — help the Orioles to four wins this week as they outscore opponents 20-7.

Johnson hits his first major league homer in a 7-3 win over the California Angels and takes off in a sprint. “He rounded the bases almost as swiftly as if he were running out an inside-the-park job,” The Sun reports.

Johnson hits two more homers in a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers and ace Denny McLain. That game gives left-hander Dave McNally his third win and seventh in a row over two seasons.

“I’m just a lucky Irishman,” McNally says afterward.

Two pitchers with a history of sore arms go the distance: Steve Barber stops the New York Yankees, 2-1, and 21-year-old Wally Bunker defeats the Tigers, 8-1. Stu Miller picks up his league-leading fifth save. And the Robinsons continue their batting rampage. Brooks Robinson (.367) runs his hitting streak to 11 games and his RBI count to 19, tops in the majors. Frank Robinson lifts his average to .463, having scored at least one run in 11 consecutive games.

Against Detroit, the 30-year-old outfielder is felled by a brushback pitch. He gets up, and on the next swing, finds the left-field seats at Tiger Stadium — Robinson’s fifth home run of the year.