About Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball as a member of the American League 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. 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 1944 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 1966, 1970, and 1983. 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 , seven pennants , and three wild card berths . 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. 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 Brandon Hyde, 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 2023, the franchise's overall win–loss record is 9,029–10,013–110 . Since moving to Baltimore in 1954, the Orioles have an overall win–loss record of 5,567–5,459–12 through the end of 2023.
The Orioles franchise can trace its roots back to the original Milwaukee Brewers of the Western League , beginning in 1894 when the league reorganized. The Brewers were still league members when the WL renamed itself the American League 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 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.
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