The 100 Most Significant Dates in Modern Orioles History

[Can_of_corn]

2 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I’d probably rank Raffygate higher than this.    The following year, attendance dropped by 470,000, the biggest single season drop in Orioles history (except the strike-shortened seasons).     Attendance has never again reached 2005 levels.   For me, it was the lowest point in my 51 years as an Orioles fan.

For me it was Flanny. 

[Frobby]

Just now, Can_of_corn said:

For me it was Flanny. 

That was terrible on a whole different level.    

[foxfield]

37 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I’d probably rank Raffygate higher than this.    The following year, attendance dropped by 470,000, the biggest single season drop in Orioles history (except the strike-shortened seasons).     Attendance has never again reached 2005 levels.   For me, it was the lowest point in my 51 years as an Orioles fan.

I would have to agree, that this was the low point for me.  The horrible start of 21 losses, the 30-3 rangers game, the boston massacre all hurt, but Raffy waving his finger and then having the rug pulled damaged a franchise in ways that still linger I think.  

33 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

For me it was Flanny. 

This was different but still just terrible.  And unlike any of the above, I think many fans have feel a small twinge of blame or at least a different type of regret.

[SteveA]

It's 39 days until pitchers and catchers report.   Here is the 39th most significant date in modern Orioles history:

#39 August 9, 2012

The Orioles hadn't had a winning season in 15 years.  In mid-July of 2012, they were over .500, barely, at 46-44, 10 games out of first.  The farm system was still rated fairly low, and most people felt they weren't ready to contend yet.  A lot of people believed they should trade veterans for youth at the trade deadline in hopes of maybe taking that final step towards winning in 2013 or 2014.

But the Orioles finished July on a 9-5 run, and they did not sell off.  They started August 5-2 and suddenly were 9 games over .500.  Meanwhile, down the road in Bowie, something was happening that would shortly have a big effect in Baltimore.

Two years earlier, the Orioles had drafted Manny Machado, a tall, power hitting shortstop, out of high school with a high first round pick.  Machado had progressed rapidly through the Orioles' system, and had just turned 20 in July.  He was considered one of the top 10 prospects in all of baseball, and everyone expected him to figure in the Orioles plans in 2013 or 2014.  The 2012 Orioles had veteran JJ Hardy manning shortstop, while Wilson Betemit was the primary 3rd baseman, and not a particularly good one.  

At some point earlier in the season, Machado had begun taking ground balls at third in practice at Bowie, under the watchful eye of roving minor league infield instructor Bobby Dickerson.  But he still played shotrstop primarily, only playing two games at 3rd base for Bowie.  On August 9, the Orioles surprised everybody by calling up Machado and isntalling him as the regular 3rd baseman for the rest of the season

The O's lost that night, but 21,000 fans witnessed his first major league hit, a triple.  The 20 year old would hit .262 with a .739 OPS and dazzling fans with fantastic defensive plays at the position he was just learning.  The Orioles put up a scorching 32-18 record the rest of the season, ending their streak of losing seasons, making the playoffs, winning teh first ever AL Wild Card game, and taking the Yankees to the wire in a taut 5 game divisional playoff series.

The surprise promotion of the barely 20 year old superstar-to-be sparked an unforgettable August/September playoff drive that finally got the Orioles back on the winning side of the ledger and into the postseason, and Orioles fans have continued to enjoy his spectacular defense and great all around play for the five seasons since.

[JohnBKistler]

On 12/27/2017 at 7:47 AM, SteveA said:

 

#48 April 3, 1989

 

Clemens had allowed 3 hits through 5 innings, and a Mike Greenwell HR had given Boston a 3-1 lead in the top of the 6th.  In the bottom of the 6th, Brady Anderson doubled and Phil Bradley walked.   With one out, Cal Ripken blasted a Clemens pitch into the left field bleachers and the underdog Orioles had taken a 4-3 lead!...The team that no one thought would be any good, that people said might be no hit on Opening Day, had, at least for one season, brought dormant Oriole Magic back to life.   WIth the them of "Why Not", the team provided thrills to Oriole fans all summer long and was in the pennant race until the next to last day of the season.

 

Was at this game.  It was my first opening day (couldn't get tickets in prior years).  As I remember, it was the first warm spring day after a dreary spring.  Was in the left field bleachers when Ripken bombed his HR off of Clemons into our section.  Fun game, fun day and fun year.  Memories...

[Redskins Rick]

12 hours ago, Can_of_corn said:

For me it was Flanny. 

I can't agree with you more, that was devastating event.

[JohnBKistler]

19 hours ago, Moose Milligan said:

I loved Raffy, I think we all did.  His first tour of duty with us was dynamite, there was such a...thrill that he brought to the team, a sense that the Orioles were going for it and this was a guy that could really help us compete.  That long, smooth, beautiful lefty swing and good defense at first.  Everyone loved that guy.

Great regular season player.  Probably one of the most "non-clutch" players in Oriole history when it came to the playoffs.

[Frobby]

4 hours ago, SteveA said:

It's 39 days until pitchers and catchers report.   Here is the 39th most significant date in modern Orioles history:

#39 August 9, 2012

That was a truly great day.    Manny has lived up to every inch of his hype, and he supercharged that 2012 team.    No matter what happens, I will always love him for helping to drag the Orioles out of their 14-year losing streak and playoff drought.    He’s truly a special player.

While it doesn’t belong on your top 100 list, August 4, 2012 also was a very consequential day in that season, that I think is often forgotten in the clamor about Manny.    August 4 is the date we called up Nate McLouth, who posted a .777 OPS and was worth 1.0 rWAR over the final third of the season.   Before his arrival, LF had been a revolving door of failure in 2012, with 11 different players posting a .654 OPS there and playing some shaky defense, too.   McLouth didn’t have the long-term importance Manny did, but his addition was extremely important to our 2012 success, and he also played well in 2013.

[SteveA]

It's 38 days until pitchers and catchers report.   Here is the 38th most significant date in modern Orioles history:

#39 June 27, 1967

Frank Robinson took the American League by storm in 1966, winning the Triple Crown and leading the Orioles to their first World Chmpionship.

And in 1967, he was doing it again.  On June 27, he was hitting .337, and he was on pace to hit 50 home runs and knock in 141 runs.  That day, as he was known for, he went in hard and tried to break up a double play and slid into White Sox infielder Al Weis.  His head hit Weis's knee, and Frank was diagnosed with a concussion.

He missed 32 games and was not the same hitter the rest of the season.   In fact, he has claimed that the injury affected the rest of his career.  He had bouts with double vision and later said he hadn't been the same hitter since.   He would hit under .300 the rest of the year and only hit 9 more HRs that year.

The 1967 Orioles finished 76-85, their only losing season in a 23 year stretch from 1963 to 1985, and Frank's injury was a huge part of it (they also had significant pitching injuries)   Carl Yastrzemski took advantage of Frank's situation to win the Triple Crown.

Frank's 1967 injury is probably the most significant in Oriole history.  It cost him a shot at a back to back Triple Crowns, it contributed to the only losing season in a 23 year stretch, and it may have hurt Frank's performance for the remainder of his career.

[Frobby]

1 hour ago, SteveA said:

 

Frank's 1967 injury is probably the most significant in Oriole history.  It cost him a shot at a back to back Triple Crowns, it contributed to the only losing season in a 23 year stretch, and it may have hurt Frank's performance for the remainder of his career.

Frank contends that, although his double vision finally went away, his eyesight was never again as sharp as it was before the injury.   

[OFFNY]

On 1/6/2018 at 2:56 PM, SteveA said:

o

 

It's 38 days until pitchers and catchers report.   Here is the 38th most significant date in modern Orioles history:

 

#39 June 27, 1967

 

Frank Robinson took the American League by storm in 1966, winning the Triple Crown and leading the Orioles to their first World Chmpionship.

And in 1967, he was doing it again.  On June 27, he was hitting .337, and he was on pace to hit 50 home runs and knock in 141 runs.  That day, as he was known for, he went in hard and tried to break up a double play and slid into White Sox infielder Al Weis.  His head hit Weis's knee, and Frank was diagnosed with a concussion.

He missed 32 games and was not the same hitter the rest of the season.   In fact, he has claimed that the injury affected the rest of his career.  He had bouts with double vision and later said he hadn't been the same hitter since.   He would hit under .300 the rest of the year and only hit 9 more HRs that year.

The 1967 Orioles finished 76-85, their only losing season in a 23 year stretch from 1963 to 1985, and Frank's injury was a huge part of it (they also had significant pitching injuries)   Carl Yastrzemski took advantage of Frank's situation to win the Triple Crown.

Frank's 1967 injury is probably the most significant in Oriole history.  It cost him a shot at a back to back Triple Crowns, it contributed to the only losing season in a 23 year stretch, and it may have hurt Frank's performance for the remainder of his career.

 

o

o

 

I remember reading in one of his biographies when I was a kid that Robinson was beaned in the head early in his career when he played for the Reds. Robinson said that for the first time in his life, he actually had a problem with being afraid of the ball (pitch) immediately upon returning to the lineup after the beaning. Fortunately for him, he was able to overcome the fear by simply forcing himself to stand in the batter's box, and the fright gradually dissipated over time.

 

A side-note to Robinson's beaning ...... before the game, Robinson promised a sports reporter that he would give him a post-game interview.

Not wanting to renege on his promise, Robinson actually went to said sportswriter's office after being released from the hospital that night, and gave the interview to the man, who was absolutely stunned to see Robinson walk through the door and say, "Are you ready for the interview?"  )  

 

Fear is Banished

(The Milwaukee Journal, 1961)

https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1499&dat=19610803&id=P2AaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-yYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7404,1454817&hl=en

 

o

[SteveA]

It's 37 days until pitchers and catchers report to Sarasota.   Here is the 37th most significant date in modern Orioles history:

#37  August 7, 2014

When the Expos were allowed to move to Washington in the mid-2000s, the MASN regional sports network was set up, primarily owned by the Orioles, to broadcast both teams' games.    The Orioles were given the primary ownership of MASN and MASN was initially required to pay a fairly low rights fee to the Nats for the first five years.   This agreement, favorable to the Orioles, was part of a quid pro quo for Peter Angelos allowing the Nats into the Orioles territory.

The agreement stated that MASN and the Nationals would negotiate a new rights fee for the years 2012 thru 2016.   They were unable to do so, so they took the case to MLB's Revenue Sharings Definition Committee, which should serve as an impartial arbitrator.   The RSDC rules that MASN should pay the Nationals $300 million for the years 2012-2016.

On August 7, 2014, MASN (in other words Angelos) sued MLB, asking for $800 million in damages, claiming that the RSDC was not impartial, that MLB is clearly on the Nationals' side in this dispute.   Among the claims:  public statements by the commissioner that the Nationals would eventually get the $300mm; the fact that MLB gave the Nats $25 million in 2013 to ensure they wouldn't take legal action to try to get the funds released, with the promise that the Nats did not have to pay back MLB.   Also, there was a methodology called the Bortz methodology that MLB had used 19 times in recent years to determine appropriate rights fees; the Bortz methodology supported the MASN side that the $300 million was too high.   As soon as this happened, MLB dropped the Bortz system.   MASN also presented evidence that the law firm representing the RSDC was tightly tied with major league baseball, thus a conflict of interest.   The Orioles' primary argument was that the RSDC was not an impartial arbitrator but was tightly tied with MLB which was on the side of the Nationals.

The case has been working its way through various parts of the legal system for over 3 years now.   There have been some positive rulings for MASN, where courts and judges have tended to agree that there was conflict of interest and that the RSDC was not an impartial abitrator.   But there has been no ruling that the $300 million figure was inherently wrong, just that the process was flawed.  And the expectation of most is that in the end this will go before another arbitrator or back to the RSDC with the conflicts of interest removed, and the next decision might not be any kinder to MASN.

And of course the issue of rights fees for the NEXT period, starting in 2017 and already underway, is yet to be decided as well!

The MASN lawsuit is the latest incarnation of the schism between Peter Angelos and the rest of major league baseball, which began over two decades ago when he refused to use replacement players.   The amount of rights fees that MASN will have to pay the Nationals will affect Angelos' ability to spend money on the Orioles, and could have a huge impact on future payroll budgets.   And there is no sign of a longterm resolution in sight at this point in time.

[JohnBKistler]

The Orioles have certainly had their ups and downs during the Angelos years.

But nobody...and I mean NOBODY...comes into our court house and pushes us around!!!

[Redskins Rick]

15 years ago today, Eddie went into the HOF on first ballot.

 

Quote

2003	Eddie Murray, the only switch-hitter with 500 home runs and 3,000 hits, is chosen on 85 percent of the ballots cast by the BBWAA, becoming just the 38th player to be elected in his first year of eligibility

 

[SteveA]

It's 36 days until pitchers and catchers report.   Here is the 36th most significant date in modern Orioles history:

#36 September 28, 2011

There were high hopes for the 2011 Orioles.  After hiring Buck Showalter, the 2010 team had finished 34-23, and top prospect Brian Matusz had been fantastic down the stretch.

Unfortunately, Matusz was one of the worst starting pitchers in the history of baseball in 2011 and the Orioles were a terrible team as well.  On September 18, they stood at 62-89, and went into Boston for a 4 game series.  The Red Sox led Tampa by two games for the AL wild card spot, and the Orioles had been 3-8 vs Boston for the year.  The Orioles had been a horrifying 29-72 vs Boston dating back to the start of the 2005 season.

But the Orioles took 3 of 4 in that series from Boston.  A week later, Boston came to Baltimore for the final 3 game series of the season.  Boston was just one game ahead of Tampa for the wild card.  On Monday the 26th, Tampa beat the Yankees.  The Orioles and Red Sox were tied 2-2 in the 6th when Chris Davis doubled in a run and Robert Andino followed with a 3-run inside the park home run.  The Orioles won 6-3 and Boston and Tampa were now tied for the last playoff spot.

The next day, Tampa beat the Yankees again.  The Red Sox led hte Orioles 8-5, but the Orioles got two in the 8th and one in the bottom of the 9th to make it a game.  Adam Jones grounded out to end the game with the tie run on 2nd.

So the AL Wild Card came down to the last day of the season, September 28.  MLB Network was bouncing in an out of both critical games.   In Baltimore, Jon Lester, who had an incredible record of success vs the Orioles at the time, faced Alfredo Simon.  The Red Sox took a 3-2 lead in the 5th and the bullpens started putting up zeroes.  And there was a long, long rain delay.  Meanwhile in Tampa, the starters were Dellin Betances and David Price.  The Yankees blasted Price and led 7-0.  It looked like Boston would win, Tampa would lose, and the Red Sox would go to the playoffs.

Tampa trailed 7-0 into the bottom of the 8th.  According to baseball reference, they had a 0% chance to win the game.  Yankee reliever Boone Logan loaded the bases, and Luis Ayala came out of the pen.  He walked in a run, hit a batter to force in another run, and gave up a 1-out sac fly to make it 7-3.  Evan Longoria then hit a 3-run HR to pull Tampa to within 1 run!  Then in the bottom of the 9th, with two outs and two strikes, Dan Johnson, who had a .108 batting average for hte year, hit a game tying home run to tie the game and send it to extra innings!

After the rain delay the Red Sox took the 3-2 lead into the bottom of the 9th.  The Red Sox brought in closer Jonathan Papelbon and he promptly struck out Adam Jones and Mark Reynolds swinging.  The Red Sox were one out away from the pla yoffs.   Chris Davis laced Papelbon's first pitch for a double.  Nolan Reimold then hit a 2-strike ground rule double into the bleachers and the Orioles had tied the game!  Robert Andino stepped to the plate.  He hit a ball to left field that Carl Crawford couldn't make a sliding catch on it, he short hopped it, bobbled it, and Reimold raced home to score the winning run!  The Orioles had won 3-2.  The team and fans celebrated the moment as if they had made the playoffs.

At Oriole Park, they put the Tampa/Yankee game on the scoreboard.  It was in the 12th inning.  Three minutes after Andino had hit the game winner in Baltimore, Evan Longira hit a walkoff home run and the Rays had completed their miraculous comeback and grabbed the last wild card, eliminating the Red Sox.

Some writers called it the "greatest night in the history of baseball".  THe same night, St Louis edged Atlanta for the NL wild card as the Cardinals won and then the Braves lost in extra innings to the Phillies.

It might only have been a walkoff win for a losing team, but it felt like a lot more to Oriole fans.  And, in fact, the next season the Orioles ended their 14 season losing stretch, made the playoffs.  In the next 5 years they would make the playoffs 3 times, win a division, go to an ALCS, and not have a losing season.  After having an absolutely horrific record in games against Jon Lester, they would turn that around too and win nearly every game he started against them the next two years.  After that amazing 29-73 stretch of Boston, starting with the September 19 game in Boston, the Orioles would go 56-36 in their next 92 games with Boston.

Much like the August 1986 game where the Orioles hit two grand slams and lost, if ever a single major league game can be considered a real turning point game, the September 28, 2011 walkoff win vs Boston certainly fits the bill.

https://youtu.be/vTjPQtNsG04