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The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the American League's eight charter teams in 1901, the franchise spent its first year as a major league club in Milwaukee as the Milwaukee Brewers before moving to St. Louis to become the St. Louis Browns in 1902. After 52 years in St. Louis, the franchise was purchased in 1953 by a syndicate of Baltimore business and civic interests, led by attorney and civic activist Clarence Miles and Mayor Thomas D'Alesandro Jr. The team's current owner is David Rubenstein. The Orioles' home ballpark is Oriole Park at Camden Yards, which opened in 1992 in downtown Baltimore.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The oriole is the official state bird of Maryland; the name has been used by several baseball clubs in the city, including another AL charter member franchise which folded after the 1902 season and was replaced the next year by the New York Highlanders, later the Yankees. Nicknames for the team include the "O's" and the "Birds".

The franchise's first World Series appearance came in Template:Wsy when the Browns lost to the St. Louis Cardinals. The Orioles went on to make six World Series appearances from 1966 to 1983, winning three in Template:Wsy, Template:Wsy, and Template:Wsy. This era of the club featured several future Hall of Famers who would later be inducted representing the Orioles, such as third baseman Brooks Robinson, outfielder Frank Robinson, starting pitcher Jim Palmer, first baseman Eddie Murray, shortstop Cal Ripken Jr., and manager Earl Weaver. The Orioles have won a total of ten division championships (1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1979, 1983, 1997, 2014, 2023), seven pennants (1944 while in St. Louis, 1966, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1979, 1983), and four wild card berths (1996, 2012, 2016, 2024). The franchise was the last charter member of the American League to win a pennant, and the last charter member to win a World Series.

After 14 consecutive losing seasons between 1998 and 2011, the team qualified for the postseason three times under manager Buck Showalter and general manager Dan Duquette, including a division title and advancement to the American League Championship Series for the first time in 17 years in 2014. Four years later, the Orioles lost 115 games, the most in franchise history.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Orioles chose not to renew the expired contracts of Showalter and Duquette after the season, ending their respective tenures with Baltimore. The Orioles' current manager is Tony Mansolino serving as interim, while Mike Elias serves as general manager and executive vice president. Two years after finishing 52–110 in 2021, the Orioles went 101–61 in 2023, en route to winning the AL East for the first time since 2014.

From 1901 through the end of 2024, the franchise's overall win–loss record is Template:Win–loss record (Template:Winpct). Since moving to Baltimore in 1954, the Orioles have an overall win–loss record of Template:Win–loss record (Template:Winpct) through the end of 2024.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

History

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File:Orioles Mascot.jpg
The "Oriole Bird", which has been the official mascot figure since April 6, 1979<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
File:2131 on the warehouse wall.jpg
The numbers on the Orioles' warehouse changed from 2130 to 2131 to celebrate Cal Ripken Jr. passing Lou Gehrig's consecutive games played streak.

The Orioles franchise can trace its roots back to the original Milwaukee Brewers of the Western League (WL), beginning in 1894 when the league reorganized. The Brewers were still league members when the WL renamed itself the American League (AL) in 1900. At the end of the 1900 season, the AL removed itself from baseball's National Agreement, the formal understanding between the National League (NL) and the minor leagues, and declared itself a competing major league. During 1901, the first season the AL operated as a major league, the Brewers finished last among the league's eight teams.

In 1902, the team moved to St. Louis and became the "Browns", named after the original name of the 1880s club now known as the Cardinals. Although they usually fielded mediocre teams, they were very popular at the gate. In 1916, after years of prosperity at the gate, Robert Hedges sold the team to Phil Ball, who made a considerable effort to make the Browns competitive. However, Ball's tenure was marked by errors, including the firing of Branch Rickey, which eventually benefited the Cardinals, who shared Sportsman's Park with the Browns.

The 1944 season saw the Browns winning their only St. Louis-based American League pennant, becoming the last of the 16 teams that made up the major leagues from 1901 to 1960, to play in a World Series. In 1951, Bill Veeck purchased the Browns and introduced a series of promotions and wild antics. Veeck's efforts to drive the Cardinals out of St. Louis failed when Anheuser-Busch purchased the Cardinals. Veeck attempted to move the Browns to Milwaukee and then Baltimore, but both moves were initially blocked by other American League owners. Eventually, Veeck sold his stake to a group of Baltimore investors, and the team moved to Baltimore for the 1954 season, renaming themselves the Baltimore Orioles. The name has a rich history in Baltimore, having been used by Baltimore baseball teams since the late 19th century. The Orioles' early years in Baltimore were marked by a gradual climb to respectability, leading to their first World Series title in 1966. The Orioles enjoyed a period of sustained success from 1966 to 1983, winning three World Series titles and six American League pennants.

After the 1983 World Series win, the Orioles experienced a decline, culminating in the 1988 season where they lost the first 21 games. In 1989, the Orioles showed improvement with the "Why Not?" Orioles finishing second in the AL East. The opening of Oriole Park at Camden Yards in 1992 marked a new era, and the team returned to the playoffs in 1996 and 1997. However, the late 1990s and 2000s were characterized by losing seasons and rebuilding efforts. The Orioles saw a resurgence in the 2010s, making the playoffs in 2012, 2014, and 2016, with Buck Showalter as manager. The team struggled again towards the end of the decade, leading to a major rebuild. The 2020s have been marked by rebuilding efforts and developing young talent, aiming for future competitiveness.

Return to success and ownership changes (2022–present)

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In 2022, anticipated first-round pick catcher Adley Rutschman made his major-league debut in addition to rookie closer Félix Bautista. The Orioles finished the 2022 season with a 83–79 record, becoming the second team in MLB history to have a winning season only one year after losing 110 or more games.

On June 9, 2022, Louis Angelos sued his brother, Orioles chairman and CEO John P. Angelos, and mother Georgia Angelos in Baltimore County Circuit Court.<ref name="banner lawsuit">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Louis Angelos claims that their father intended for the brothers and their mother to share control of the team. The lawsuit states the elder Angelos collapsed in 2017 due to heart problems and established a trust with his wife and sons as co-trustees. Louis Angelos is seeking to have his brother and mother removed as co-trustees of the trust that controls the Orioles and removed as co-agents of Peter Angelos' power of attorney.

The suit claims Georgia Angelos wants to sell the team and an advisor attempted to negotiate a sale in 2020 but John Angelos vetoed a potential deal. The suit claims Angelos unilaterally fired long-time employees loyal to his father, including former center fielder Brady Anderson, the longtime special assistant to the executive vice president for baseball operations. The suit claims John Angelos transferred tens of millions of dollars' worth of property out of his father's law firm and into a limited liability company controlled by his personal attorney.<ref name="banner lawsuit" /> In separate statements released by the team, Georgia and John Angelos refuted the claims.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In the event of any sale, Major League Baseball has reportedly encouraged Cal Ripken Jr to be part of any incoming ownership group that may take control of the team.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

2023

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In April 2023, the Orioles went 19–9, setting a franchise record for wins in the month of April.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> By August 2023, the Orioles, led by a core of first-and-second-year players Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Félix Bautista and Kyle Bradish, were in first place in the division and described in The Athletic as "young, fun and arguably the best story in baseball." However, the front office went under scrutiny when it was reported that play-by-play announcer Kevin Brown had been suspended indefinitely by the Orioles for his pregame remarks on MASN, the team-owned network, two weeks earlier. During a "seemingly benign" introduction to a game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Brown observed that the team had not won a series at Tropicana Field in the past several seasons. It was described in The Athletic as a "petty" move by John Angelos, "the only person [in the organization] with enough power that no one dare question the validity of anything he says and does, no matter how foolish it is."<ref name="brown-ghiroli">Template:Cite news</ref> Several broadcasters came to Brown's defense after the news broke. Gary Cohen said the team had "draped itself in utter humiliation" and Michael Kay said the suspension made "the Orioles look so small and insignificant and minor league."<ref name="gardner">Template:Cite news</ref> Brown returned to broadcasting for the team and stated in a public message that "recent media reports [had] mischaracterized my relationship with my adopted hometown Orioles" and that his relationship with the team was "wonderful".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In May 2023, following the team's new water-themed celebrations, Camden Yards created a Bird Bath splash zone in left field, where fans in one section had the opportunity get sprayed by the water hose-wielding "Mr. Splash" following an Orioles extra base hit.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The Orioles finished the 2023 season with a record of 101–61,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> winning the American League East division for the first time since 2014, and claiming their first 100+ win season since 1980. On July 30, the pitching staff of Dean Kremer, Mike Baumann, Shintaro Fujinami, Danny Coulombe, and Yennier Canó combined to set a franchise record for the most strikeouts in a 9-inning game against the Yankees.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The 2023 pitching staff also broke the Orioles franchise record of single-season strikeouts on September 6.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> However, the team's successful season ended in the postseason American League Division Series, with the Orioles losing three straight games to the Texas Rangers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The series sweep was the first time since the 2022 season that the Orioles had been swept in a series.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Manager Brandon Hyde was awarded 2023 AL Manager of the Year, and players Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson both were awarded the Silver Slugger Award. Additionally, Henderson was voted unanimous AL Rookie of the Year,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> marking the first time the team had a ROY winner since Gregg Olson in 1989.

2024

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In January 2024, John Angelos reached a $1.7 billion deal to sell the Orioles to a group led by David Rubenstein, a Baltimore native and founder of The Carlyle Group. The group includes Cal Ripken, New York investment manager Michael Arougheti, former Baltimore mayor Kurt Schmoke, businessman Michael Bloomberg and NBA hall of famer Grant Hill. For tax reasons, the group would acquire 40% of the team with the Angelos family selling the remainder of Peter Angelos' stake after his death. The deal includes the Orioles' majority stake in MASN.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Peter Angelos died aged 94 on March 23, 2024;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> his death occurred four days before the sale of the Orioles was finalized.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On August 1, 2024, the Orioles' majority ownership group led by private equity billionaire David Rubenstein took full control of the team, when a deal closed for the group to purchase the remainder of the organization.[1]

Regular season home attendance

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Memorial Stadium

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colspan=5 style="Template:Baseball primary style;"|Home Attendance at Memorial Stadium<ref name="attendance figures">Template:Cite web</ref>
Year Total attendance Game average AL rank
1954 1,060,910 13,778 5th
1955 852,039 10,785 7th
1956 901,201 11,704 6th
1957 1,029,581 13,371 5th
1958 829,991 10,641 5th
1959 891,926 11,435 7th
1960 1,187,849 15,427 3rd
1961 951,089 11,599 5th
1962 790,254 9,637 6th
1963 774,343 9,560 7th
1964 1,116,215 13,612 4th
1965 781,649 9,894 6th
1966 1,203,366 15,232 3rd
1967 955,053 12,403 6th
1968 943,977 11,800 6th
1969 1,062,069 13,112 5th
1970 1,057,069 13,050 6th
1971 1,023,037 13,286 3rd
1972 899,950 11,688 6th
1973 958,667 11,835 9th
1974 962,572 11,884 8th
1975 1,002,157 13,015 9th
1976 1,058,609 13,069 6th
1977 1,195,769 14,763 10th
1978 1,051,724 12,984 10th
1979 1,681,009 21,279 6th
1980 1,797,438 22,191 6th
1981 1,024,247 18,623 8th
1982 1,613,031 19,671 8th
1983 2,042,071 25,211 5th
1984 2,045,784 25,257 5th
1985 2,132,387 26,326 6th
1986 1,973,176 24,977 6th
1987 1,835,692 22,386 9th
1988 1,660,738 20,759 10th
1989 2,535,208 31,299 4th
1990 2,415,189 30,190 5th
1991 2,552,753 31,515 5th

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Oriole Park at Camden Yards

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colspan=5 style="Template:Baseball primary style;"|Home Attendance at Oriole Park at Camden Yards<ref name="attendance figures"/>
Year Total attendance Game average AL rank
1992 3,567,819 44,047 2nd
1993 3,644,965 45,000 2nd
1994 2,535,359 46,097 2nd
1995 3,098,475 43,034 1st
1996 3,646,950 44,475 1st
1997 3,711,132 45,816 1st
1998 3,684,650 45,490 1st
1999 3,433,150 42,385 2nd
2000 3,297,031 40,704 2nd
2001 3,094,841 38,686 4th
2002 2,682,439 33,117 3rd
2003 2,454,523 30,303 5th
2004 2,744,018 33,877 5th
2005 2,624,740 32,404 5th
2006 2,153,139 26,582 10th
2007 2,164,822 26,726 11th
2008 1,950,075 24,376 10th
2009 1,907,163 23,545 9th
2010 1,733,019 21,395 10th
2011 1,755,461 21,672 11th
2012 2,102,240 25,954 7th
2013 2,357,561 29,106 8th
2014 2,464,473 30,426 6th
2015 2,281,202 29,246 8th
2016 2,172,344 26,819 10th
2017 2,028,424 25,042 12th
2018 1,564,192 19,311 14th
2019 1,307,807 16,146 14th
2020 N/A N/A N/A
2021 793,229 9,793 13th
2022 1,368,367 16,893 11th
2023 1,936,798 23,911 9th
2024 2,281,129 28,162 8th

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Logos and uniforms

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File:ALE-Uniform-Orioles.png
The 2012 uniforms. Left to right: home, away, Saturday (away with gray pants), Friday (away with gray pants).

The Orioles' home uniform is white with the word "Orioles" written across the chest. The road uniform is gray with the word "Baltimore" written across the chest. This style, with noticeable changes in the script, striping and materials, has been worn for much of the team's history, but with a few exceptions:

  • In 1954, 1989–94 (road) and 1995–2003 (home), the scripted word "Orioles" and block letters are rendered in black with orange trim. The 1995–2003 style featured orange numbers in front but black letters in the back.
  • From 1963 to 1965, the home uniforms featured "Orioles" in block lettering instead of the more familiar cursive script style. It was also rendered in black with orange trim.
  • The underline below the word "Orioles" disappeared from 1966 to 1988.
  • Road uniforms bore the team name from 1954 to 1955 and from 1973 to 2008.
  • Extra white trim was added to the road and alternate uniforms from 1995 to 2000.
  • Sleeveless home alternate uniforms were used in the 1968 and 1969 seasons.
  • Player names were added to the uniforms in 1966, but the home uniforms originally featured black block letters. It would not match the road uniform lettering until 1971, which were orange with black trim.

A long campaign of several decades was waged by numerous fans and sportswriters to return the name of the city to the "away" jerseys which was used since the 1950s and had been formerly dropped during the 1970s era of Edward Bennett Williams when the ownership was continuing to market the team also to fans in the nation's capital region after the moving of the former Washington Senators in 1971. After several decades, approximately 20% of the team's attendance came from the metro Washington area.Template:Source?

In 2013, ESPN ran a "Battle of the Uniforms" contest between all 30 Major League clubs. Despite using a ranking system that had the Orioles as a #13 seed, the Birds beat the #1 seed Cardinals in the championship round.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Caps

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The Orioles' cap design have alternated between the team's iconic "cartoon bird" logo and the full-bodied bird logo. Initially, the caps had the full-bodied bird logo between 1954 and 1965, alternating between an all-black cap and an orange-brimmed black cap. They also wore a black cap with an orange block-letter "B" for part of the 1963 season. The "cartoon bird" was first used in 1966, and with minor tweaks, was prominently featured on the team's caps until 1988. Initially, the Orioles kept the orange-brimmed black cap with the "cartoon bird" but switched to a white-paneled black cap with orange brim in 1975. Also that same year, they wore orange-paneled black caps to pair with the orange alternates, but these lasted only two seasons.

In 1989, the full-bodied bird logo returned along with the all-black cap, with a few tweaks along the way. Initially the cap was used regardless of home or road games, but in 2002 the caps were worn only on the road until 2008. An orange-brimmed variety was also introduced in 1995. Initially exclusive to the team's black uniforms, this style became the home cap in 2002 and became the team's regular cap (home or away) from 2009 to 2011.

In 2012, the Orioles brought back a modernized version of the "cartoon bird" along with the white-paneled and orange-brimmed black cap for home games and the orange-brimmed black cap for road games.

File:Paul Blair 1966.jpg
Paul Blair shown with the full-bodied bird logo between 1954 and 1965

Alternate Uniforms

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An alternate uniform is black with the word "Orioles" written across the chest. They first wore black uniforms in the 1993 season and continue to do so since; the current style with the letters lacking additional trim was first used in 2000. The Orioles wear their black alternate jerseys for Friday night games with the alternate "O's" cap (first introduced in 2005), whether at home or on the road; the regular batting helmet is still used with this uniform. In 2017, the Orioles began to use their batting practice caps for select games with the black uniforms. The aforementioned caps resemble their regular road caps save for the black bill. Occasionally, the Orioles would also wear the black alternates on other days of the week, often pairing them with the home or road "cartoon bird" caps. After the "City Connect" uniforms became the team's Friday home uniform (see below), the black alternates were only used on Friday road games and on home games depending on the preference of the starting pitcher.

The Orioles also wore orange alternate uniforms at various points in their history. The orange alternates were first used in the 1971 season and were paired with orange pants, but these lasted only two seasons. The second orange uniform, which was a pullover style, was worn from 1975 to 1987, but were not worn at all in the 1983, 1985 and 1986 seasons. A third orange uniform was used from 1988 to 1992, returning to the button-down style. In 2012, the Orioles brought back the orange uniforms as a second alternate uniform; the team currently wears them on Saturdays at home or on the road, though they've also worn them on other days of the week either due to pitcher's preference or a previously postponed contest. For 2025, the Orioles brought back the all-orange alternate for select games, while keeping the orange uniform/white pants option for a few other games.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2023, the Orioles introduced a City Connect uniform, inspired by the art and culture of Baltimore and its neighborhoods. The uniform is mostly black base from the jersey to pants. Across the chest, it features the city name "BALTIMORE" in white lettering, and on the collar and sleeves features a small batch of colors and shapes, representing the neighborhoods of Baltimore. The cap, which is also on a black base, features an italic white "B". In 2024, the City Connect uniform was worn with the home white pants for select games.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Uniform Advertisements

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The Orioles announced its first-ever jersey sponsorship deal with T. Rowe Price on June 10, 2024. A circular dark blue, aqua and white sleeve patch with the investment management firm's bighorn sheep logo debuted in a home game against the Atlanta Braves the following night on June 11.<ref>Rill, Jake. "Orioles announce jersey patch deal with T. Rowe Price," MLB.com, Monday, June 10, 2024. Retrieved June 10, 2024.</ref><ref>T. Rowe Price press release announcing its jersey sponsorship deal with the Baltimore Orioles on Monday, June 10, 2024. Retrieved June 10, 2024.</ref>

Radio and television coverage

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Radio

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In Baltimore, Orioles radio broadcasts can be heard on WBAL-AM and WIYY, both owned by Hearst Television. Geoff Arnold, Melanie Newman, Brett Hollander, Scott Garceau and Kevin Brown alternate as play-by-play announcers. WBAL feeds the games to a network of 36 stations, covering Washington, D.C., and all or portions of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina.

This is WBAL's fourth stint as the Orioles flagship. WBAL has carried Orioles games for most of the team's time in Baltimore. Prior to WBAL and WIYY, Orioles games were broadcast locally on WJZ-FM from 2015 to 2021. WJZ had earlier carried broadcasts from 2007 to 2010.

Six former Orioles franchise radio announcers have received the Hall of Fame's Ford C. Frick Award for excellence in broadcasting: Chuck Thompson (who was also the voice of the old NFL Baltimore Colts); Jon Miller (now with the San Francisco Giants); Ernie Harwell, Herb Carneal; Bob Murphy and Harry Caray (as a St. Louis Browns announcer in the 1940s<ref>The Sporting News, March 22, 1945, p. 16.</ref>).

Other former Baltimore announcers include Josh Lewin (currently with New York Mets), Bill O'Donnell, Tom Marr, Scott Garceau (returned in 2020 season), Mel Proctor, Michael Reghi, former major league catcher Buck Martinez (now Toronto Blue Jays play-by-play), Joe Angel and former Oriole players including Brooks Robinson, pitcher Mike Flanagan and outfielder John Lowenstein. In 1991, the Orioles experimented with longtime TV writer/producer Ken Levine as a play-by-play broadcaster. Levine was best noted for his work on TV shows such as Cheers and M*A*S*H, but lasted only one season in the Orioles broadcast booth.

Television

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MASN, co-owned by the Orioles and the Washington Nationals, is the team's exclusive television broadcaster. MASN airs almost the entire slate of regular season games. Some exceptions include Saturday games on either Fox (via its Baltimore affiliate, WBFF) or Fox Sports 1, or Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN. Many MASN telecasts in conflict with Nationals' game telecasts air on an alternate MASN2 feed.

Veteran sportscaster Gary Thorne served as lead television announcer from 2007 to 2019, with Jim Hunter as his backup along with Hall of Fame member and former Orioles pitcher Jim Palmer and former Oriole infielder Mike Bordick as color analysts, who almost always work separately. In 2020, Thorne and Palmer were removed from the television booth due to COVID-19 concerns and replaced with Scott Garceau. In 2021, MASN let go Thorne, Hunter, analysts Mike Bordick and Rick Dempsey, and studio host Tom Davis, and added Ben McDonald as a secondary analyst.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Starting in 2022, Kevin Brown became the primary TV play-by-play announcer, with Garceau, Arnold or Newman the backups.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The Orioles severed their ties with Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic (now NBC Sports Washington) at the end of the 2006 season in favor of MASN, a joint venture with the Washington Nationals. It had been the Orioles' cable partner since 1984, when it was known as Home Team Sports. The Orioles and the Washington Nationals have been in a dispute since the early 2010s, MASN is owned by both teams with the Orioles holding an 80% stake. The dispute which is ongoing as of October 2020 contends that the Nationals deserves a greater fee from MASN due to the team's recent success and market growth. When fees paid to each team were first negotiated, both teams were paid the same fees.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

WJZ-TV was the Orioles' broadcast TV home, completing its latest stint from 1994 through 2017. Since MASN acquired rights in 2007, its coverage was simulcast on WJZ-TV under the branding "MASN on WJZ 13". MASN elected not to syndicate any Orioles or Washington Nationals games to broadcast television for the 2018 season, marking the first time since the Orioles' arrival that their games are not on local broadcast television.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Previously, WJZ-TV carried the team from their arrival in Baltimore in 1954 through 1978. In the first four seasons, WJZ-TV shared coverage with Baltimore's other two stations, WMAR-TV and WBAL-TV. The games moved to WMAR from 1979 through 1993 before returning to WJZ-TV. From 1994 to 2009, some Orioles games aired on WNUV.

Musical traditions

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"O!"

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Since its introduction at games by the "Roar from 34", led by Wild Bill Hagy and others, in the late 1970s, it has been a tradition at Orioles games for fans to yell out the "Oh" in the line "Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner yet wave" in "The Star-Spangled Banner".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> "The Star-Spangled Banner" has special meaning to Baltimore historically, as it was written during the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812 by Francis Scott Key, a Baltimorean.

The tradition is often carried out at other sporting events, both professional and amateur, and even sometimes at non-sporting events where the anthem is played, throughout the Baltimore/Washington area and beyond. Fans in Norfolk, Virginia, chanted "O!" even before the Tides became an Orioles affiliate. The practice caught some attention in the spring of 2005, when fans performed the "O!" cry at Washington Nationals games at RFK Stadium. The "O!" chant is also common at sporting events for the various Maryland Terrapins teams at the University of Maryland, College Park. At Cal Ripken Jr.'s induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the crowd, composed mostly of Orioles fans, carried out the "O!" tradition during Tony Gwynn's daughter's rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner". Additionally, a faint but audible "O!" could be heard on the television broadcast of Barack Obama's pre-inaugural visit to Baltimore as the national anthem played before his entrance. A resounding "O!" bellowed from the nearly 30,000 Ravens fans who attended the November 21, 2010, away game at the Carolina Panthers' Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A similar loud "O!" was heard from fans attending Super Bowl XLVII between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The "O!" chant was also heard during the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, when Baltimore native Michael Phelps received his gold medal for the [[Swimming at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay|Template:Nowrap freestyle]] on August 9, 2016.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In recent years, when the Orioles host the Toronto Blue Jays, fans have begun to shout out the multiple instances of the word "O" in "O Canada". Washington Capitals fans will do the same when they play one of the NHL's Canadian teams.

"Thank God I'm a Country Boy"

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It has been an Orioles tradition since 1975 to play John Denver's "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" during the seventh-inning stretch.

In the edition of July 5, 2007, of Baltimore's weekly sports publication Press Box, an article by Mike Gibbons covered the apocryphal details of how this tradition came to be.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> During "Thank God I'm a Country Boy", Charlie Zill, then an usher, would put on overalls, a straw hat, and false teeth and dance around the club level section (244) that he tended to. He also has an orange violin that spins for the fiddle solos. He went by the name Zillbilly and had done the skit from the 1999 season until shortly before he died in early 2013. Of course, that does nothing to explain why the Orioles' Audio staff began playing the song during every game's seventh inning stretch beginning in August 1975.

In reality, the song was tremendously successful nationwide, topping the Billboard Top 100 for one week in 1975, and was played in stadiums across the country. The Orioles were chasing the Red Sox for the American League East Division title and incorporated numerous "good luck charms." After an inspiring comeback win, Oriole staff began playing this song at the seventh inning stretch of every home game as one of the good-luck charms, beginning in August.

During a nationally televised game on September 20, 1997, Denver himself danced to the song atop the Orioles' dugout, one of his final public appearances before dying in a plane crash three weeks later.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

"Orioles Magic" and other songs

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Songs from notable games in the team's history include "One Moment in Time" for Cal Ripken's record-breaking game in 1995, as well as the theme from Pearl Harbor, "There You'll Be" by Faith Hill, during his final game in 2001. The theme from Field of Dreams was played at the last game at Memorial Stadium in 1991, and the song "Magic to Do" from the stage musical Pippin was used that season to commemorate "Orioles Magic" on 33rd Street. During the Orioles' heyday in the 1970s, a club song, appropriately titled "Orioles Magic (Feel It Happen)", was composed by Walt Woodward,<ref name=BaltSun>Template:Cite news</ref> and played when the team ran out until Opening Day of 2008. Since then, the song (a favorite among all fans, who appreciated its references to Wild Bill Hagy and Earl Weaver) is played (along with a video featuring several Orioles stars performing the song) only after wins. In the 2010s, "Seven Nation Army" was often played as a hype song while the fans chant the signature bass riff as a rally cry during key moments of a game or after a walk-off hit. In the 2023 season, closer Felix Bautista would come out of the bullpen to the ominous whistle of The Wire character Omar Little.<ref name="t844">Template:Cite web</ref>

The First Army Band

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During the Orioles' final homestand of the season, it is a tradition to display a replica of the 15-star, 15-stripe American flag at Camden Yards. Prior to 1992, the 15-star, 15-stripe flag flew from Memorial Stadium's center-field flagpole in place of the 50-star, 13-stripe flag during the final homestand. Since the move to Camden Yards, the former flag has been displayed on the batters' eye. During the Orioles' final home game of the season, The United States Army Field Band from Fort Meade performs the National Anthem prior to the start of the game. The Band has also played the National Anthem at the finales of three World Series in which the Orioles played: 1970, 1971 and 1979. They are introduced as the "First Army Band" during the pregame ceremonies.

PA announcer

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For 23 years, Rex Barney was the PA announcer for the Orioles. His voice became a fixture of both Memorial Stadium and Camden Yards, and his expression "Give that fan a contract", uttered whenever a fan caught a foul ball, was one of his trademarksTemplate:Sndthe other being his distinct "Thank YooooouTemplate:Nbsp..." following every announcement. (He was also known on occasion to say "Give that fan an error" after a dropped foul ball.) Barney died on August 12, 1997, and in his honor that night's game at Camden Yards against the Oakland Athletics was held without a public–address announcer.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Barney was replaced as Camden Yards' PA Announcer by Dave McGowan, who held the position from 1998 to 2011, after Chris Ely finished out the 1997 season.

Lifelong Orioles fan and former MLB Fan Cave resident Ryan Wagner soon took over as the PA announcer. He was chosen out of a field of more than 670 applicants in the 2011–12 offseason. He held the job from 2012 to 2020. He was dismissed just hours before the team's 2021 home opener, reportedly because of his conduct on Twitter.<ref>Template:Cite web and did so through the end of the 2020 season.</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Adrienne Roberson, at the time the public address announcer for the Bowie Baysox and Wagner's primary substitute, has been the team's announcer from 2021 onward.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She became the second woman to be named an MLB team's primary PA announcer, following Renel Brooks-Moon of the San Francisco Giants.

Postseason appearances

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Of the eight original American League teams, the Orioles were the last of the eight to win the World Series, doing so in 1966 with its four–game sweep of the heavily favored Los Angeles Dodgers. When the Orioles were the St. Louis Browns, they played in only one World Series, the 1944 matchup against their Sportsman's Park tenants, the Cardinals. The Orioles won the first-ever American League Championship Series in 1969, and in 2012 the Orioles beat the Texas Rangers in the inaugural American League Wild Card game, where for the first time two Wild Card teams faced each other during postseason play.

File:Earl Weaver with trophy.jpg
Earl Weaver with the 1970 World Series trophy
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1944Template:Ref label colspan=6 Template:N/A St. Louis Cardinals Template:No
1966Template:Ref label colspan=6 Template:N/A Los Angeles Dodgers Template:Yes
1969 colspan=4 Template:N/A Minnesota Twins Template:Yes New York Mets Template:No
1970 colspan=4 Template:N/A Minnesota Twins Template:Yes Cincinnati Reds Template:Yes
1971 colspan=4 Template:N/A Oakland Athletics Template:Yes Pittsburgh Pirates Template:No
1973 colspan=4 Template:N/A Oakland Athletics Template:No
1974 colspan=4 Template:N/A Oakland Athletics Template:No
1979 colspan=4 Template:N/A California Angels Template:Yes Pittsburgh Pirates Template:No
1983 colspan=4 Template:N/A Chicago White Sox Template:Yes Philadelphia Phillies Template:Yes
1996 colspan=2 Template:N/A Cleveland Indians Template:Yes New York Yankees Template:No
1997 colspan=2 Template:N/A Seattle Mariners Template:Yes Cleveland Indians Template:No
2012 Texas Rangers Template:Yes New York Yankees Template:No
2014 colspan=2 Template:N/A Detroit Tigers Template:Yes Kansas City Royals Template:No
2016 Toronto Blue Jays Template:No
2023 colspan=2 Template:N/A Texas Rangers Template:No
2024 Kansas City Royals Template:No
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Baseball Hall of Famers

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File:Eddie Murray - Baltimore Orioles - 1983.jpg
Eddie Murray
File:Jim Palmer - Baltimore Orioles - 1983.jpg
Jim Palmer
File:Cal Ripken, Jr honored at Camden Yards 2007.jpg
Cal Ripken Jr.
File:Brooks Robinson 1966.jpg
Brooks Robinson

Template:Baseball hall of fame list

Ford C. Frick Award (broadcasters only)

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Template:Ford C. Frick award list

Retired numbers

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Template:See also The Orioles will retire a number only when a player has been inducted into the Hall of Fame with Cal Ripken Jr. being the only exception.Template:Refn However, the Orioles have placed moratoriums on other former Orioles' numbers following their deaths (see note below).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> To date, the Orioles have retired the following numbers:

Template:Retired number list

Note: Elrod Hendricks' number 44 has not officially been retired, but a moratorium has been placed on it and it has not been issued by the team since his death. Cal Ripken Sr.'s number 7 and Mike Flanagan's number 46 had similar moratoriums until 2024 when they were worn by Jackson Holliday and Craig Kimbrel respectively.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

†Jackie Robinson's number 42 is retired throughout Major League Baseball

Maryland State Athletic Hall of Fame

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Template:Main

colspan="5" style="Template:Baseball primary style;"|Orioles in the Maryland State Athletic Hall of Fame
style="Template:Baseball secondary style;"|No. style="Template:Baseball secondary style;"|Name style="Template:Baseball secondary style;"|Position style="Template:Baseball secondary style;"|Tenure style="Template:Baseball secondary style;"|Notes
9, 16 Brady Anderson OF 1988–2001 Born in Silver Spring
3, 10 Harold Baines DH/RF 1993–1995
1997–1999
2000		 Elected on his performance with Chicago White Sox and the Orioles, born in Easton
13, 29, 59 Steve Barber P 1960–1967 Born in Takoma Park
22, 48 Jack Fisher P 1959–1962 Born in Frostburg
29 Ray Moore P 1955–1957 Born in Meadows
36 Tom Phoebus P 1966–1970 Attended Mount Saint Joseph College, born in Baltimore
3, 7 Billy Ripken 2B 1987–1992, 1996 Born in Havre de Grace, raised in Aberdeen
8 Cal Ripken Jr. SS/3B 1981–2001 Born in Havre de Grace, raised in Aberdeen
5 Brooks Robinson 3B 1955–1977

Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame

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Template:Main The Orioles' official team hall of fame is located on display on Eutaw Street at Camden Yards.

Team captains

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Roster

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Template:Baltimore Orioles roster

Minor league affiliates

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Template:Main

The Baltimore Orioles farm system consists of seven minor league affiliates.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

scope="col" style="text-align:center; Template:Baseball primary style;"|Level scope="col" style="text-align:center; Template:Baseball primary style;"|Team scope="col" style="text-align:center; Template:Baseball primary style;"|League scope="col" style="text-align:center; Template:Baseball primary style;"|Location
Triple-A Norfolk Tides International League Norfolk, Virginia
Double-A Chesapeake Baysox Eastern League Bowie, Maryland
High-A Aberdeen IronBirds South Atlantic League Aberdeen, Maryland
Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds Carolina League Salisbury, Maryland
Rookie FCL Orioles Florida Complex League Sarasota, Florida
DSL Orioles Black Dominican Summer League San Antonio de Guerra, Santo Domingo
DSL Orioles Orange

Franchise records and award winners

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Template:Main

Season records

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Individual records – batting

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Individual records – pitching

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Rivalries

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Washington Nationals

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Template:Main The Orioles have a minor regional rivalry<ref name="Orioles-Nats weekend series gives beltway something to be excited about">Template:Cite web</ref> with the nearby Washington Nationals nicknamed the Beltway Series or Battle of the Beltways. Baltimore currently leads the series with a 55–39 record over the Nationals. They have divisional rivals within the American League East, predominately with the New York Yankees<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> in the past and in more recent years with the Toronto Blue Jays.<ref name="u054">Template:Cite news</ref>

Notes

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Template:Reflist

References

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Template:Reflist

Bibliography

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  • Bready, James H. The Home Team. 4th ed. Baltimore: 1984.
  • Eisenberg, John. From 33rd Street to Camden Yards. New York: Contemporary Books, 2001.
  • Hawkins, John C. This Date in Baltimore Orioles & St. Louis Browns History. Briarcliff Manor, New York: Stein & Day, 1983.
  • Miller, James Edward. The Baseball Business: Pursuing Pennants and Profits in Baltimore. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press, 1990.
  • Patterson, Ted. The Baltimore Orioles. Dallas: Taylor Publishing Co., 1994.
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