History of the Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles, a powerful force in major league baseball in the late 1960s and 1970s, has not won an American League pennant or World Series since 1983. They won a Wild Card spot in 2012 and 2016, and the AL East division title and AL division series in 2014, but those were the team's only postseason wins in the last 21 years. Their best season was in 1969, when they had 109 wins and 53 losses. The most postseasons they had in one decade was five from 1970 to 1979.
1901-1909
The Baltimore Orioles began as a minor league team, the Milwaukee Brewers, in 1894. When the American League was formed in 1900, the Milwaukee Brewers were part of the new league. They played at Lloyd Street Grounds in 1901.
In 1902, the Milwaukee Brewers moved to St. Louis and became the St. Louis Browns. They played in Sportsman's Park from 1902 through 1953.
The Brewers/Browns were a losing team for their first five years. They finally had a winning season in 1906, when they had 76 wins and 73 losses. They had their best season in 1908, with 83 wins and 69 losses.
From 1901 through 1909, the Brewers/Browns had two managers. Future Hall of Famer Hugh Duffy managed them in their first season and Jimmy McAleer managed them from 1902 through 1909.
Two key players for the Browns in the first decade of the team were future Hall of Famer Bobby Wallace and outfielder George Stone. Wallace played with them from 1902 through 1916, and Stone, who led the American League in batting average in 1906, played with them from 1905 through 1910.
1910-1919
In their second decade as a major league team, the Browns had just one winning season. They had 79 wins and 75 losses in 1916, but they didn't go to the postseason.
The Browns had seven managers from 1910 through 1919. Four were player-managers: Jack O'Connor (1910), Bobby Wallace (1911-1912), George Stovall (1912-1913), and Jimmy Austin (1913, 1918). The other managers were Branch Rickey (1913-1915), Fielder Jones (1916-1918), and Jimmy Burke (1918-1920).
Future Hall of Famer George Sisler joined the Browns in 1915. He played with them through 1922, and then again from 1924 through 1927.
1920-1929
The Browns started to play better in the 1920s, and they had five winning seasons (1921, 1922, 1925, 1928, 1929). Their best season was 1922, when they had 93 wins and 61 losses. Although that was a good record, it wasn't good enough to take them to the World Series.
The Browns continued to change managers frequently from 1920-1929. Their five managers were Jimmy Burke (1920), Lee Fohl (1921-1923), Jimmy Austin (player-manager in 1923), George Sisler (player-manager from 1924 to 1926), and Dan Howley (1927-1929).
Another future Hall of Famer, Heinie Manush, joined the Browns in 1928. He played with them through 1930.
1930-1939
The 1930s were a dismal time for the Browns and their fans. They had no winning seasons and in their best season, 1934, they had only 67 wins to 85 losses. Their only bright spot was perhaps the addition of future Hall of Famer Goose Goslin in 1930. He stayed with the team through 1932.
In the 1930s, the Browns once again had five managers in a single decade. The first was Bill Killefer from 1930 to 1933. He was followed by future Hall of Famer Rogers Hornsby from 1934 to 1937. Another future Hall of Fame player, Jim Bottomley, was the team's player-manager in 1937. The final two managers were Gabby Street in 1938 and Fred Haney from 1939 through 1941.
1940-1949
The Browns had three winning seasons in the 1940s (1942, 1944, and 1945), but they went to only one World Series. Their best season was 1944, when they had 89 wins and 65 losses. They won the AL pennant but they lost the World Series to their rival St. Louis team, the Cardinals. That was the last time the team had a winning season as the St. Louis Browns.
The Browns four managers from 1940 through 1949 were Fred Haney (1940-1941), Luke Sewell (1942-1946), Zack Taylor (1946, 1948-1951), and Muddy Ruel (1947).
1950-1959
In 1951, the St. Louis Browns were sold to Bill Veeck, former owner of the Cleveland Indians. Veeck spent three years trying to improve the Browns and build up their fan base in St. Louis or move them to a new city. Veeck failed in all his efforts, and, in 1954, he sold the Browns to a group based in Baltimore. The sale resulted in a move and the birth of the modern-day Baltimore Orioles.
The new Orioles' owners began their team's transformation by trading most of their players to the New York Yankees. The revamped Baltimore Orioles played their first game on April 15, 1954 at Memorial Stadium.
Although the Browns/Orioles had no winning seasons from 1950 through 1959, they did improve their line-up with the addition of two future Hall of Fame players. Hoyt Wilhelm joined the team in 1958 and he played with the Orioles through 1962. Brooks Robinson, who joined the team in 1955, would be a powerful force in the Orioles' dominance of the American League in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1951, the great Negro League pitcher, Satchel Paige, was added to the Browns' roster. He played with them through 1953.
Zack Taylor continued to manage the team through 1951. The following year, Marty Marion took over as the team's player-manager. The Orioles' first manager in Baltimore was Jimmy Dykes. He was followed in 1955 by Paul Richards, who continued to manage the team through 1961.
1960-1969
The Orioles struggled their first few years in Baltimore, but the 1960s saw a change with top players, such as Boog Powell, joining the team. Another Robinson and future Hall of Famer, Frank Robinson, joined the team in 1966. Pitcher Jim Palmer, who would also one day be inducted into the Hall of Fame, joined the team's starting rotation in 1965. He continued to pitch for the Orioles through 1984.
The Orioles had six winning seasons in the 1960s, starting with the first year of the new decade. They ended the decade with their best season, with 109 wins and 53 losses in 1969. They went to the World Series twice, first in 1966 and again in 1969. They won the first series against the Los Angeles Dodgers but they lost the 1969 series to the New York Mets.
Although the Orioles changed managers several times during the 1960s, they finally achieved stability in 1968, when they hired Earl Weaver, who managed the team through 1982. Prior to Weaver, the team was managed by Paul Richards (1960-1961), Billy Hitchcock (1962-1963), and Hank Bauer (1964-1968).
1970-1979
From 1970 to 1974, the Orioles won the American League East division title four times (1970, 1971, 1973, 1974), two American League pennants (1970, 1971), and one World Series (1970). Their best season was 1970, when they had 108 wins and 54 losses. They defeated the Cincinnati Reds in the World Series that year.
The Orioles had winning seasons every year from 1970 through 1979. However, after winning the World Series in 1970, they lost the series to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1971. They lost the ALCS twice (1973 and 1974) to the Oakland Athletics.
The Orioles didn't make it to postseason play again until 1979, when they won the American League East division title and the American League pennant, defeating the Los Angeles Angels in the ALCS. However, they fell to the Pirates in the World Series.
The Orioles' roster was strengthened in the 1970s by the addition of another future Hall of Famer. Eddie Murray played with the team from 1977 through 1988.
1980-1989
From 1980 through 1989, the Orioles had seven winning seasons, but they only went to the postseason once. Their best season was 1980, when they had 100 wins and 62 losses. Despite having a very strong record, they didn't get to the postseason that year.
The Orioles next season with postseason play was 1983, when they won their third World Series. This success, however, was the last the Orioles had for many years. The team fell apart after the 1983 season and they had four different managers from 1984 to 1991.
Earl Weaver managed the Orioles from 1980 to 1982 and again from 1985 to 1986. The other managers in the 1980s were Joe Altobelli (1983-1985), Cal Ripken, Sr. (1987-1988), and former Orioles player Frank Robinson (1988-1991). Robinson won the AL Manager of the Year award in 1989.
In 1981, the Orioles added a player who would become one of the team's best players for two decades. Cal Ripken, Jr. played with the team from 1981 through 2001.
1990-1999
The Orioles had losing seasons in 1990 and 1991 but their fortunes changed in 1992 after they moved to Camden Yards. They had a winning season that year, finishing with 89 wins and 73 losses.
In 1993, the team was sold to Peter Angelos. They had winning seasons in 1993 and 1994, but they didn't make it to the postseason. Their next winning season was 1996 and their 88-74 record was enough to earn them the Wild Card spot. They then defeated the Indians in the ALDS, but lost the ALCS to the Yankees.
The Orioles won the American League East division title in 1997 with 98 wins and 64 losses. They defeated the Seattle Mariners in the ALDS but, once again, they lost the pennant race, this time to the Indians.
As in earlier decades, the Orioles changed managers several times in the 1990s. They started with Frank Robinson in 1990 and 1991, followed by Johnny Oates in 1991 through 1994. Phil Regan came next in 1995. Davey Johnson, who won the AL Manager of the Year award in 1997, managed the team in 1996 and 1997. The decade ended with Ray Miller as the Orioles' manager.
A pitching addition to the Orioles' starting rotation in 1991 was Mike Mussina. He led all major league pitchers in wins in 1995. He was also a good defensive player and he won a Gold Glove each year from 1996 through 1999.
2000-2009
The Orioles struggled in the first ten years of the new century. They had no winning seasons from 2000 to 2009, and in their best season, 2004, they had just 78 wins to 84 losses.
The Orioles had four managers from 2000 to 2009. The first was Mike Hargrove (2000-2003), followed by Lee Mazzilli (2004-2005), Sam Perlozzo (2005-2007), and Dave Trembley (2007-2010).
Although the Orioles were not a successful team from 2000 to 2009, they did have a few strong players on their roster. In the infield, they had Melvin Mora at third base and Brian Roberts at second base. Mora won a Silver Slugger award in 2004, and Roberts led the AL in stolen bases in 2007. They added outfielder Nick Markakis to the roster in 2006, and he continued to play with them through 2014.
2010-2018
Buck Showalter was hired as manager of the Orioles in 2010, and he turned the team around, helping them earn the American League Wild Card in 2012. They had winning seasons in 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2016. Under Showalter's leadership, they went to the postseason three times (2012, 2014, 2016).
The Orioles finished the 2012 season with 93 wins and 69 losses. They won the AL Wild Card spot and defeated the Texas Rangers in the Wild Card game. They lost the ALDS to the Yankees.
In 2013, the Orioles tied the Yankees for third place in the AL East division. They had 85 wins and 77 losses. They played extremely well defensively, going 119 games with no errors.
Showalter won the AL Manager of the Year award in 2014 for leading the Orioles to a first place finish in the AL East division. They had 96 wins and 66 losses. They defeated the Detroit Tigers in the ALDS in three games, but they lost the ALCS to the Kansas City Royals in four games.
The Orioles started to decline in 2015, finishing in third place in the AL East division, with 81 wins and 81 losses. They fared better in 2016, when they had 89 wins and 73 losses. They tied the Toronto Blue Jays for second place in the division and for a Wild Card spot. They lost the Wild Card game.
The 2017 season was another losing one for the Orioles. They finished in fifth place in the AL East division with 75 wins to 87 losses. However, that season was a good one compared to the 2018 season. They had the worst record in baseball that year, with just 47 wins and 115 losses. After the season ended, the Orioles and Buck Showalter parted ways.
The Orioles acquired some very good, young players from 2010 to 2018. Outfielder Adam Jones and catcher Matt Wieters first joined the Orioles in the previous decade (Jones in 2008, Wieters in 2009), but they made their greatest impact on the team after 2010. Shortstop/third baseman Manny Machado was added in 2012, followed a year later by second baseman Jonathan Schoop.
Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Baltimore Orioles
Baseball Reference - Baltimore Orioles