What is the Story Behind the Famous Baltimore Orioles Baseball Team?

Baseball is America’s national pastime, and its stories often remain embedded in our culture. For the residents of Baltimore, Maryland, their beloved Baltimore Orioles have a rich history that many of us are unaware of. This article will dive into the story of the Orioles’ start and progress throughout the years and explain why the Baltimore Orioles have become so near and dear to their fans.

The Beginning

The original Baltimore Orioles was was an American Association team formed in 1882. The team was named after Maryland’s official state bird of the same name. The name “Orioles” stayed constant when they joined the National League in 1892. Their overall success was uneven and after numerous managerial changes they were moved to New York in 1903 and became the current day New York Yankees. The move to New York was temporary as the Orioles reign in Baltimore was soon to be restored. The Major League Baseball team we now know and love as the Baltimore Orioles were formed in 1954 as a member of the American League.

The Drama of 1954

The 1954 season truly marked a historic change for Baltimore. On November 8, 1953 a group of people known as the St. Louis Browns moved their franchise from Missouri to Baltimore, Maryland. After 11 long losing seasons, this move brought them new life as the newly re-branded Baltimore Orioles, reviving their MLP presence.This new team, however, proved to be just as unlucky as their St. Louis namesake. In their first season, they finished seventh in their division with a record of 54-100. But this only marked their beginning.

From 1954-1970

The team went through a period of trial and error, with six managers taking charge throughout ten years. They found some luck when Paul Richards (the seventh manager) took charge in 1955 and quickly built a winning line up. He led the team to its first success by taking the team to third place in both 1958 and 1959. Their luck came to an end in the 1960s with a new management and ownership, who despite their best efforts could not turn around the team’s performance. So, with eight miserable years on the rosters and six last-place finishes, the team granted ownership over to Jerold Hoffberger in 1965.

1971: Change is Brewing

The story changed for the better in 1971, when Hoffberger hired Frank Cashen and established his General Manager for a ten year period. This ushered an era of success that remained unrivalled until 2002. Their first breakthrough came in 1969 when they moved to the new Memorial Stadium and punched their ticket to the 1971 World Series Division title and claimed it again in 1973. American league East titles were also won in 1974, 1975, 1979 and 1983–1989. Unfortunately for them, none of these titles translated into a World Championship win but that was about to change soon enough.

The Orioles Under Peter Angelos

Hoffberger sold his stake in his team in 1993 to Peter Angelos who quickly set this team on the rise with big budget signings of high quality players like Cal Ripkin Jr., winning four American League East Division Championships from ’96-00 and going for a multi-year run for being one of the best teams in baseball. In 1996, the story of the Orioles continued when they reached the conclusion all Orioles fans had been waiting for: During game 6 of the 1996 American League Championship against the Yankees, something special happened, Ralph Garr’s single sent home Jeff King to score what would become an entirely memorable event at Camden Yards-the first appearance by an Oriole at The World Series in more than 20 years.

The Modern Era

While Angelos continues to remain owner of the team, there are still occasional coaching changes and minor tactical adjustments that are taken as part of his attempt to maximize their performance once more. Unfortuantely, without Cal Ripken Jr. at bat nothing will be quite like it used to be from 96-00, but that doesn’t discount from the persistent efforts to make the team great again for Orioles fans around the world by bringing in exciting players like Adam Jones who won three Gold Gloves from 2012-2014 or Trey Mancini who had a team-high 24 homers in 2017 or Jonathan Villar who is currently leading AL second basemen with 10 home runs (as of July 2020). The Oreos also made a big jump up from last season when they went 47-115 in 2018 to compete above .500 so far this season (as of July 2020). The success is due in part to manager Brand Connors, who took over as manager in 2019 and heads up “The Oriole Way” — a multidimensional approach focused on utilizing technology and data to help make well-informed decisions throughout all areas of the franchise.

A Rich History Founded on Tradition

Despite having their share of ups and downs throughout their long tenure in MLB, one constant still remains: Orioles’ fans never give up on the Birds. This unwavering loyalty has been noticed by teams around the league and shows just how deeply these fans are entrenched with their team; they’re willing to stick with them through thick and thin and continue to support them no matter what they face on or off the field. From their humble beginnings as America Association’s original Baltimore Orioles some 130 years ago, this franchise has left a significant mark on baseball – Not only through their successes on field but also through their passionate fan support throughout the decades. The Baltimore Oriole baseball team are second to none when it comes to having a storied franchise filled with awards, accomplishments, legends and history. Here at Official Orioles Shop, we proudly cheer on our Birds every season . Go O’s!