Beginnings (1858-1867)

Prior to the Civil War, there were several cricket clubs playing in the Baltimore area, including the Atlantics, Ivanhoes, and Monumentals. However, the popularity of what would become the national pastime quickly supplanted cricket, with players and fans from both sides of the political spectrum (and battlefield) soon coming together on the ball field.

The advent of baseball in Baltimore really began in 1958. That summer, Baltimore grocer George F. Beam visited Brooklyn on business, and after being invited to attend a baseball game there became enamored by the game. Upon his return to Baltimore, he quickly formed the city's first club, the Excelsiors of Baltimore (named in honor of the Excelsiors of Brooklyn) in July of 1859. Henry Polhemus, an outfielder with the Brooklyn team, was brought in to teach, coach, and otherwise promote the game in Baltimore. The team initially played on a diamond established on "Flat Rock" near Madison Avenue. In 1860, the city of Baltimore purchased and designated Druid Hill Park (which included the Flat Rock area), just the third public park in the nation, which ultimately became Baltimore's first baseball park. The first intercity game played in Baltimore took place there in September of 1860 between the two Excelsior clubs.

The Excelsiors were not Baltimore's only team to form during this time - the Waverlys and the Maryland Club both also formed in 1860, and in 1861 the Baltimore Base Ball Convention was formed, with 38 teams attending from the metro area. The game continued to be played with enthusiasm both north and south of the Mason Dixon line throughout the Civil War.

Lord Baltimores / Canaries (1872-1874)

In 1872 the Baltimore Canaries (aka the Lord Baltimores) were established as a franchise in the National Association...the city's first club in a professional league. For this, a new ballpark, called Newington Park (later known as the Peabody Grounds), was erected at Pennsylvania Avenue and Baker Street. The team was sometimes referred to as the "Baltimore Canaries", due to their bright yellow uniforms. The team's most popular player, Lipman Emanuel "Lip" Pike (1845-1893), was also the first Jewish major leaguer. Known as the "Iron Batter," the left-hander was a homerun king at a time when dingers were only an occasional treat. Unfortunately, the Panic of 1873 deeply impacted the team's finances, and the Canaries folded in 1874.

Baltimore Orioles (1882-1899)

The first Baltimore team to be called the Orioles were a 19th-century professional baseball team that competed from 1882 to 1899, first in the American Association and later in the National League. This early Orioles franchise, which featured six players (Wilbert Robinson, Dan Brouthers, Hughie Jennings, John McGraw, "Wee Willie" Keeler, and Joe Kelley) and a manager (Ned Hanlon) who were later inducted to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, finished in first place for three consecutive seasons (1894-1896) and won the Temple Cup national championship series in 1896 and 1897. Despite their success, the dominant Orioles were contracted out of the National League after the 1899 season, when the league reduced in size from 12 members to eight.

The Babe (1895)

George Herman Ruth Jr. was born on February 6, 1895 at 216 Emory Street in the Pigtown neighborhood of Baltimore. Although the "Babe" would go on to play for those other teams in the AL East, his roots are in Baltimore, where he was born, grew up, and learned to play the game. The house he was born in is now the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum, restored and opened to the public in 1974, and houses many artifacts from Ruth's life. Additionally, a statue depicting a young Babe Ruth is located in front of Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

Baltimore Orioles (1903-1914)

In 1903, an Oriole minor league team joined the Eastern League (renamed the International League in 1911, and not to be confused with the present day 'Double AA' level, minor league Eastern League). This Orioles team stayed mediocre for the first few years of its existence, but after the arrival of Jack Dunn (1872-1928), as manager, it won the Eastern League pennant in 1908. This E.L./I.L. Orioles team played at the old American League Park (a.k.a. Oriole Park) at the southwest corner of Greenmount Avenue and 29th Street in the Waverly neighborhood of northeast Baltimore.

The 1914 season featured the professional debut of local son, George Herman "Babe" Ruth, but competition from the Baltimore Terrapins of the new Federal League challenge for major league status, with their more modern steel-beamed ballpark across the street, forced Dunn to sell Ruth (to the Boston Red Sox) later in the 1914 season and many of his other players, and eventually temporarily relocate the team to Richmond, Virginia, as the Richmond Climbers, for the 1915 and 1916 seasons.

Baltimore Terrapins (1914-1915)

The Baltimore Terrapins were one of the most successful teams in the short-lived Federal League of professional baseball from 1914 to 1915, but their brief existence led to litigation that led to an important legal precedent in baseball. The team played its home games at Terrapin Park.

While the 1914 team posted a respectable 84-70 record and finished only 4½ games out of first place under player-manager Otto Knabe, the team was less than successful at the box office, even though four of the eight teams in the league (Chicago, Brooklyn, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis) were competing with one and even two (Chicago and St. Louis) other major league teams in the same cities.

The team folded in 1915 when the owners were not offered any part of the buyout offer made to most Federal Leagues teams by the American and National Leagues.

Baltimore Elite Giants (1920-1950)

One of the most prominent teams in Negro League baseball was the Baltimore Elite Giants. Founded in 1920 as the Baltimore Black Sox, the team eventually changed its name to the Elite Giants in the 1930s. Led by owner Tom Wilson and manager Biz Mackey, the Elite Giants became a powerhouse in Negro League baseball. The Elite Giants played their home games at various stadiums throughout Baltimore, including Bugle Field and Maryland Baseball Park. They were known for their exceptional talent, attracting star players like Leon Day, Roy Campanella, and Joe Black.

The Elite Giants experienced both success and struggles throughout their existence. They won several Negro National League championships and competed in multiple Negro League World Series. However, like many Negro League teams, the Elite Giants faced financial challenges and discrimination due to segregation. Despite these obstacles, the Elite Giants remained a beloved institution in Baltimore, providing opportunities for African-American players to showcase their talents and served as a source of pride for the city.

1958

The Orioles hosted the first of two all-star games in Baltimore (so far) on July 8, 1958 at Memorial Stadium, the 25th playing of the midsummer classic. The attendance at the game was 48,829, and the ceremonial first pitch was thrown by Vice President Richard Nixon.

The first hit of the game was by legendary center fielder Willie Mays. Catcher Gus Triandos was the sole Orioles representative at the all-star game that year. Later on in the season Triandos was behind the plate when Orioles pitcher Hoyt Wilhelm threw a no hitter against the Yankees on September 20, 1958 - the first no-hitter in Orioles history.

1969

Jim Palmer's dominance was on display as he fired off an 11-game win streak in the summer of '69. The O's finished 109-53 and played the Minnesota Twins in the first American League Championship series, which they promptly swept in 3 games. The World Series pitted the favored Birds against the Miracle Mets who shocked all of baseball with a 4-1 victory in the Fall Classic.

1979

Orioles Magic came to town for the 1979 season as the Birds always seemed to find a way. If it wasn't a home run from someone you least expected, it was a late-inning rally that willed the O's to victory. Mike Flanagan took over as the ace of the staff going 23-9 with 16 complete games, five shutouts, and a 3.08 ERA on his way to the Cy Young Award. The team finished 102-57 and faced the Pirates in the World Series where history repeated itself as the "We Are Family" Bucs overcame a 3-1 series deficit to win the Championship on an RBI single by Willie Stargell in the eighth inning of the decisive seventh game.

On a night where 50,402 turned out to welcome the 1-23 Orioles back from a 1-11 road trip, Governor William Donald Schaefer announced that owner Edward Bennett Williams and the Maryland Stadium Authority had agreed upon a long-term lease for a new downtown ballpark to be built in time for the 1992 season. Williams, who was very ill, never attended another game after that and lost his battle with cancer on August 13, 1988. The season was a lost one as the Birds went 54-107, but the process of rebuilding had begun.

Oriole Park at Camden Yards

The dawn of a new era of Orioles baseball began as Camden Yards was introduced to the world on April 3, 1992. It became the first of the "retro" major league ballparks constructed during the 1990s and 2000s and has been widely hailed as one of the best stadiums in baseball. Prior to Camden Yards, the predominant design trend of big league ballparks was the symmetrical multi-purpose stadium. Memorial Stadium, the Orioles' home since they moved from St. Louis in 1954, was an early example of such a design.

Despite many comments about how hitter-friendly the park was, the first three games played there were low-scoring shutouts with the O's winning two of them. At the end of the '92 season, Cal Ripken Jr.'s consecutive games streak had reached 1,735 and Lou Gehrig's record was in sight.

1995

On September 5th and 6th at Oriole Park at Camden Yards against the California Angels, Cal Ripken Jr. became baseball's all-time "Iron Man", tying and breaking Lou Gehrig's consecutive games played record of 2,130. Cal's streak began on May 30, 1982. In the games Cal went a combined 5-9 and hit home runs in each. Ceremonies were held after the tying game and included a "roast" of Cal to congratulate him on his achievement, but the best celebration was to come during the record breaking game. After the game was in the books as an official game, play was halted for over 20 minutes and Cal made a victory lap as the fans showed their appreciation for baseball's new "Iron Man".

After a 15-year postseason drought, the Orioles finally made it back to the playoffs in 2012. Led by manager Buck Showalter and a talented roster, the team knocked off the Rangers in the AL East Wild Card Game before being eliminated by the Yankees in the ALDS. This also marked the team's 59th season in Baltimore and their 20th season playing in Camden Yards.

It was a season to forget for the Orioles as they finished with the worst record in club history and worst in the majors at 47-115. After winning on Opening Day, the Orioles lost five straight games - the first of 11 times in which they lost at least five in a row. The beginning of a rebuild period for the team, they set club records for most players (56), most pitchers (29), and most players making their MLB debuts (15) during the season. At season's end, the Orioles were 61 games behind division-winning Boston, the most games back by any team in the expansion era. Buck Showalter, the second winningest manager in club history (669-684), was not re-signed after his contract expired in the offseason.

After posting a 101 win season in 2023, expectations for the Orioles were high going into 2024. The first half of the season supported those expectations - the team led the AL East with a 58-38 record at the All-Star break. Five players were selected for the All-Star game - Corbin Burnes, Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, Anthony Santander, and Jordan Westburg - the most for the O's since 2016.

Although the team struggled a bit in the middle of the season, they garnered home field advantage in the AL Wild Card Series. This marked the first time the Orioles earned consecutive postseason appearances since 1996/1997. However, like 2023, their playoff run ended early after being swept by the Royals.

2024 backed up what was achieved in 2023 and provided a promising look at what will hopefully be a continued stint of success in the future.