The 1969 Baltimore Orioles came into the season just three years removed from winning the franchise’s first World Series title in 1966, but still in the midst of change. Hank Bauer had managed the ’66 champs. But after slipping under .500 in 1967, then being a middling 43-37 halfway through 1968, Bauer had been replaced […]
The 1974 Baltimore Orioles were looking for the franchise’s fifth division title in the last six years. They were hoping to get back to the World Series for the first time since 1971, and to win it for the first time since 1970. They came up short on the latter two goals, but a sizzling […]
Baltimore was the American League’s dominant team from 1969 through 1971. Each year, they blew away the AL East and swept through the American League Championship Series. In 1970, they won the World Series. By those lofty standards, 1972 was a disappointment. The Orioles failed to win the AL East, even in a year when […]
Earl Weaver’s Orioles had dominated the American League for three consecutive seasons. From 1969 through 1971, they won an average of 106 games each year. They swept through the best-of-five ALCS with a combined 9-0 record to win the pennant each year. In 1970, they won the World Series. But some big names were getting […]
The 1971 Baltimore Orioles came into the season riding high. They were fresh off winning their second World Series title in five years. With a lineup in its prime, they were poised for a repeat effort. The ’71 Orioles came awfully close to doing just that. An excellent team that again rolled the rest of […]
The 1970 Baltimore Orioles were a team in search of redemption. Yes, this was a franchise with a recent World Series title, in 1966. Yes, they had enjoyed a dominant run in 1969 under first-year manager Earl Weaver, easily winning the AL East and then the American League pennant. But as heavy favorites in the […]
The great baseball city of Baltimore was at the peak of its glory coming into 1984. Over the past 23 seasons, the Orioles had 22 winning seasons. They won the rigorous AL East seven times. There were multiple near-misses that would have been easy playoff seasons by the standards of today. They had a reputation […]
Johnny Oates had a nice three-year run as manager in Baltimore. He took over a team that had a couple subpar years in 1990 and 1991, with Cal Ripken’s ‘91 MVP campaign being the only bright spot. Oates won more games than he lost in each of his three seasons and the 1992 Baltimore Orioles […]
The Baltimore Orioles were coming off a disastrous year in 1988. They opened that season by losing their first 21 games, firing manager Cal Ripken Sr. just six games in (and in the process antagonizing his son, Cal Jr., merely the face of the franchise) and finishing with a record 54-107. The 1989 Baltimore Orioles […]
Earl Weaver had become a legend in Baltimore since he became the manager of the Orioles in 1968. The ensuing fourteen years had seen five 100-win seasons, six AL East titles, four American League pennants and a World Series title. The 1982 Baltimore Orioles were his last real ride. They were an excellent team who […]
The 1980 Baltimore Orioles were coming off a season where they got within three innings of winning the World Series. They were even better in 1980, but it didn’t translate into a championship. It didn’t even add up to a postseason appearance. The Orioles won 100 games, but were outlasted in the AL East by […]
The Baltimore Orioles had made the American League Championship Series a regular part of their schedule in the early 1970s with five appearances from 1969-74. After a three-year hiatus, the Orioles returned to the 1979 ALCS. The California Angels were novices at this postseason baseball thing, having won their first AL West title. It was […]