The Orioles franchise can trace its roots back to the original
Milwaukee Brewers of the
Western League (WL), beginning in 1894 when the league reorganized. The Brewers were still league members when the WL renamed itself the
American League (AL) 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 (NL) 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. The
1944 season saw the Browns winning their only St. Louis-based American League pennant, becoming the last of the 16 teams that made up the major leagues from 1901 to 1960, to play in a
World Series. In 1951,
Bill Veeck purchased the Browns and introduced a series of promotions and wild antics. Veeck's efforts to drive the Cardinals out of St. Louis failed when
Anheuser-Busch purchased the Cardinals. Veeck attempted to move the Browns to
Milwaukee and then
Baltimore, but both moves were initially blocked by other American League owners. Eventually, Veeck sold his stake to a group of Baltimore investors, and the team moved to Baltimore for the
1954 season, renaming themselves the Baltimore Orioles. The name has a rich history in Baltimore, having been used by Baltimore baseball teams since the late 19th century. The Orioles' early years in Baltimore were marked by a gradual climb to respectability, leading to their first
World Series title in 1966. The Orioles enjoyed a period of sustained success from 1966 to 1983, winning three World Series titles and six
American League pennants. After the 1983 World Series win, the Orioles experienced a decline, culminating in the 1988 season where they lost the first 21 games. In 1989, the Orioles showed improvement with the "Why Not?" Orioles finishing second in the AL East. The opening of
Oriole Park at Camden Yards in 1992 marked a new era, and the team returned to the playoffs in 1996 and 1997. However, the late 1990s and 2000s were characterized by losing seasons and rebuilding efforts. The Orioles saw a resurgence in the 2010s, making the playoffs in 2012, 2014, and 2016, with
Buck Showalter as manager. The team struggled again towards the end of the decade, leading to a major rebuild. The 2020s have been marked by rebuilding efforts and developing young talent, aiming for future competitiveness.
Return to success and ownership changes (2022–present) In 2022, anticipated first-round pick catcher
Adley Rutschman made his major-league debut in addition to rookie closer
Félix Bautista. The Orioles finished the 2022 season with a 83–79 record, becoming the second team in MLB history to have a winning season only one year after losing 110 or more games. On June 9, 2022, Louis Angelos sued his brother, Orioles chairman and CEO John P. Angelos, and mother Georgia Angelos in Baltimore County Circuit Court. Louis Angelos claims that their father intended for the brothers and their mother to share control of the team. The lawsuit states the elder Angelos collapsed in 2017 due to heart problems and established a trust with his wife and sons as co-trustees. Louis Angelos is seeking to have his brother and mother removed as co-trustees of the trust that controls the Orioles and removed as co-agents of Peter Angelos' power of attorney. The suit claims Georgia Angelos wants to sell the team and an advisor attempted to negotiate a sale in 2020 but John Angelos vetoed a potential deal. The suit claims Angelos unilaterally fired long-time employees loyal to his father, including former center fielder
Brady Anderson, the longtime special assistant to the executive vice president for baseball operations. The suit claims John Angelos transferred tens of millions of dollars' worth of property out of his father's law firm and into a limited liability company controlled by his personal attorney. In the event of any sale, Major League Baseball has reportedly encouraged Cal Ripken Jr to be part of any incoming ownership group that may take control of the team.
2023 In April 2023, the Orioles went 19–9, setting a franchise record for wins in the month of April. By August 2023, the Orioles, led by a core of first-and-second-year players
Adley Rutschman,
Gunnar Henderson,
Félix Bautista and
Kyle Bradish, were in first place in the division and described in
The Athletic as "young, fun and arguably the best story in baseball." However, the front office went under scrutiny when it was reported that play-by-play announcer Kevin Brown had been suspended indefinitely by the Orioles for his pregame remarks on
MASN, the team-owned network, two weeks earlier. During a "seemingly benign" introduction to a game against the
Tampa Bay Rays, Brown observed that the team had not won a series at
Tropicana Field in the past several seasons. It was described in
The Athletic as a "petty" move by John Angelos, "the only person [in the organization] with enough power that no one dare question the validity of anything he says and does, no matter how foolish it is." Several broadcasters came to Brown's defense after the news broke.
Gary Cohen said the team had "draped itself in utter humiliation" and
Michael Kay said the suspension made "the Orioles look so small and insignificant and minor league." Brown returned to broadcasting for the team and stated in a public message that "recent media reports [had] mischaracterized my relationship with my adopted hometown Orioles" and that his relationship with the team was "wonderful". In May 2023, following the team's new water-themed celebrations, Camden Yards created a Bird Bath splash zone in left field, where fans in one section had the opportunity get sprayed by the water hose-wielding "Mr. Splash" following an Orioles extra base hit. The Orioles finished the 2023 season with a record of 101–61, winning the
American League East division for the first time since 2014, and claiming their first 100+ win season since 1980. On July 30, the pitching staff of
Dean Kremer,
Mike Baumann,
Shintaro Fujinami,
Danny Coulombe, and
Yennier Canó combined to set a franchise record for the most strikeouts in a 9-inning game against the Yankees. The 2023 pitching staff also broke the Orioles franchise record of single-season strikeouts on September 6. However, the team's successful season ended in the postseason American League Division Series, with the Orioles losing three straight games to the Texas Rangers. The series sweep was the first time since the 2022 season that the Orioles had been swept in a series. Manager
Brandon Hyde was awarded 2023 AL Manager of the Year, and players Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson both were awarded the
Silver Slugger Award. Additionally, Henderson was voted unanimous AL
Rookie of the Year, marking the first time the team had a ROY winner since
Gregg Olson in 1989.
2024 In January 2024, John Angelos reached a $1.7 billion deal to sell the Orioles to a group led by
David Rubenstein, a Baltimore native and founder of
The Carlyle Group. The group includes Cal Ripken, New York investment manager Michael Arougheti, former Baltimore mayor
Kurt Schmoke, businessman
Michael Bloomberg and NBA hall of famer
Grant Hill. For tax reasons, the group would acquire 40% of the team with the Angelos family selling the remainder of Peter Angelos' stake after his death. The deal includes the Orioles' majority stake in MASN. Peter Angelos died aged 94 on March 23, 2024; his death occurred four days before the sale of the Orioles was finalized. On August 1, 2024, the Orioles' majority ownership group led by private equity billionaire David Rubenstein took full control of the team, when a deal closed for the group to purchase the remainder of the organization. ==Regular season home attendance==