My friend Dan tipped me off to the fact that MLB posted a 15 minute video "celebrating" the 30th Anniversary of the Orioles season opening losing streak:
I also discovered today that Grant Brisbee over at SB Nation did an article on the streak as well.
Monday, April 30, 2018
April 30 at the White Sox
Opponent: Chicago White Sox
Outcome: L
Score: 1-4
Streak: L1
Record: 1-22
Rank: 7th
GB: 15.5
For the fifth consecutive game the Orioles scored first although unlike the previous four games they didn't do it until the second inning. Tito Landrum hit a one out triple and then scored on Carl Nichols' sacrifice fly. The lead didn't last long - Ivan Calderon led off the bottom of the second with a home run to tie the game up and a double by Greg Walker and a single by Carlton Fisk but the White Sox up 2-1. The White Sox scored their third run two innings later when Ken Williams tripled and Dan Pasqua reached on an error by second baseman Pete Stanicek which brought Williams in with an unearned run. Chicago scored their fourth and final run in the bottom of the eighth when Gary Redus hit a triple (the third one of the game between the two teams) and Ozzie Guillen brought him in with a sacrifice fly.
The Orioles wrapped up the month of April with a 1-22 record. They were outscored by their opponents 133 to 54.
Outcome: L
Score: 1-4
Streak: L1
Record: 1-22
Rank: 7th
GB: 15.5
For the fifth consecutive game the Orioles scored first although unlike the previous four games they didn't do it until the second inning. Tito Landrum hit a one out triple and then scored on Carl Nichols' sacrifice fly. The lead didn't last long - Ivan Calderon led off the bottom of the second with a home run to tie the game up and a double by Greg Walker and a single by Carlton Fisk but the White Sox up 2-1. The White Sox scored their third run two innings later when Ken Williams tripled and Dan Pasqua reached on an error by second baseman Pete Stanicek which brought Williams in with an unearned run. Chicago scored their fourth and final run in the bottom of the eighth when Gary Redus hit a triple (the third one of the game between the two teams) and Ozzie Guillen brought him in with a sacrifice fly.
The Orioles wrapped up the month of April with a 1-22 record. They were outscored by their opponents 133 to 54.
Sunday, April 29, 2018
April 29 at the White Sox - Hallelujah At Last
Opponent: Chicago White Sox
Outcome: W
Score: 9-0
Streak: W1
Record: 1-21
Rank: 7th
GB: 15.5
In the end it was a laugher.
It might be hard to tell from the fact that I'm writing a blog about the Orioles but my favorite team actually is the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox famously went 86 years between World Series Championships. Before they won in 2004 I always assumed that when they did finally win the Series that it would be in a tight, hard fought Series that would go the full seven games. Instead it was almost anti-climatic - they won in a four game sweep in which they never trailed in any game. (The ALCS that year was a different story however.)
For the Orioles the first win of the 1988 season was also anti-climatic although I'm sure no one was complaining. For the fourth consecutive game the Orioles scored in the top of the first - Eddie Murray had a two run home run - but this time they kept the other team from scoring at all. The O's made it 3-0 in the fifth when Pete Stanicek scored on a wild pitch and then exploded for four runs in the top of the seventh when the White Sox experienced the kind of pitching and defensive lapses that the Orioles were unfortunately familiar with. Joe Orsulak led off the inning with a walk and Stanicek doubled to knock him in and White Sox starter Jack McDowell out of the game. Reliever John Davis hit Bill Ripken with a pitch - apparently hard enough to put Ripken out of the game as Tito Landrum came in to pinch run for him. Cal Ripken then hit a grounder to third base which Ken Williams committed a throwing error on bring Stanicek in to score and moving Landrum to third. Murray hit a grounder to first for a fielder's choice that resulted in Landrum being thrown out at the plate. After Fred Lynn walked to load the bases, Larry Sheets reached on what was scored as a fielders choice but I have no idea what actually happened. Ripken scored and no outs were recorded. Terry Kennedy brought in Murray with a sacrifice fly before Craig Worthington grounded out to end the inning. The Orioles scored four runs on one hit, two walks, a hit-by-pitch and an error. The Orioles capped their scoring with two in the top of the ninth on a solo home run by Cal and an RBI single by Terry Kennedy. Mark Williamson and Dave Schmidt combined to shut out the White Sox on four hits and no walks.
Here's the play that ended the game:
At WIYY in Baltimore, Bob Rivers, who had been on the air now for 258 hours "uncorked champagne and drank deeply from his Orioles souvenir cup, cued up “I’m Free” by The Who and screamed into the mike, 'I’m going home!'"
Outcome: W
Score: 9-0
Streak: W1
Record: 1-21
Rank: 7th
GB: 15.5
In the end it was a laugher.
It might be hard to tell from the fact that I'm writing a blog about the Orioles but my favorite team actually is the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox famously went 86 years between World Series Championships. Before they won in 2004 I always assumed that when they did finally win the Series that it would be in a tight, hard fought Series that would go the full seven games. Instead it was almost anti-climatic - they won in a four game sweep in which they never trailed in any game. (The ALCS that year was a different story however.)
For the Orioles the first win of the 1988 season was also anti-climatic although I'm sure no one was complaining. For the fourth consecutive game the Orioles scored in the top of the first - Eddie Murray had a two run home run - but this time they kept the other team from scoring at all. The O's made it 3-0 in the fifth when Pete Stanicek scored on a wild pitch and then exploded for four runs in the top of the seventh when the White Sox experienced the kind of pitching and defensive lapses that the Orioles were unfortunately familiar with. Joe Orsulak led off the inning with a walk and Stanicek doubled to knock him in and White Sox starter Jack McDowell out of the game. Reliever John Davis hit Bill Ripken with a pitch - apparently hard enough to put Ripken out of the game as Tito Landrum came in to pinch run for him. Cal Ripken then hit a grounder to third base which Ken Williams committed a throwing error on bring Stanicek in to score and moving Landrum to third. Murray hit a grounder to first for a fielder's choice that resulted in Landrum being thrown out at the plate. After Fred Lynn walked to load the bases, Larry Sheets reached on what was scored as a fielders choice but I have no idea what actually happened. Ripken scored and no outs were recorded. Terry Kennedy brought in Murray with a sacrifice fly before Craig Worthington grounded out to end the inning. The Orioles scored four runs on one hit, two walks, a hit-by-pitch and an error. The Orioles capped their scoring with two in the top of the ninth on a solo home run by Cal and an RBI single by Terry Kennedy. Mark Williamson and Dave Schmidt combined to shut out the White Sox on four hits and no walks.
Here's the play that ended the game:
At WIYY in Baltimore, Bob Rivers, who had been on the air now for 258 hours "uncorked champagne and drank deeply from his Orioles souvenir cup, cued up “I’m Free” by The Who and screamed into the mike, 'I’m going home!'"
Saturday, April 28, 2018
April 28 at the Twins
Opponent: Minnesota Twins
Outcome: L
Score: 2-4
Streak: L21
Record: 0-21
Rank: 7th
GB: 16.0
For the third game in a row the Orioles took the lead in the first inning but couldn't hold it. In this game the Orioles took a 1-0 lead when an Eddie Murray groundout brought in Tito Landrum who had led off the game with a single. The Twins went ahead in the bottom of the fourth - Kirby Puckett led off the inning with a walk and then Kent Hrbek hit a two run home run. It was Hrbek's fourth home run in the three game series against the Orioles. The Twins scored two more in the bottom of the sixth when a John Moses double brought in Gene Larkin and Randy Bush. Oddly enough the hit by Moses was the only hit of the inning - Larkin had reached by being hit by a pitch and Bush was walked. The Orioles followed this oddity up in the top of the seventh by scoring a run without getting a hit at all. After leadoff hitter Larry Sheets walked and Carl Nichols struck out, the Twins went to their bullpen and replaced starter Allan Anderson with Mike Mason. Mason walked the next two batters - Craig Worthington and Keith Hughes - to load the bases and then walked Tito Landrum to bring in Sheets. The Twins went to their bullpen again and brought in Mark Portugal, their first non-alliteratively named pitcher on the day. Portugal struck out pinch hitter Fred Lynn and then got Cal Ripken to fly out to end the inning. Ripken would be the only one of the seven batters the Orioles sent up in the inning to put a ball into play. That ended the scoring for the day although both teams mounted threats of varying degrees in each of their remaining at bats.
Hrbek had come into the series with the Orioles hitting .222 with no home runs, three RBIs and three runs scored in 15 games. He went 7 for 15 in the three game series with two doubles, four home runs, six RBIs and five runs scored, raising his average to .292.
With the streak at 21 the Orioles now had the record for most consecutive losses ever by an American League team. They were now just two losses behind the 1961 Phillies for longest losing streak in modern (since 1900) baseball history.
Outcome: L
Score: 2-4
Streak: L21
Record: 0-21
Rank: 7th
GB: 16.0
For the third game in a row the Orioles took the lead in the first inning but couldn't hold it. In this game the Orioles took a 1-0 lead when an Eddie Murray groundout brought in Tito Landrum who had led off the game with a single. The Twins went ahead in the bottom of the fourth - Kirby Puckett led off the inning with a walk and then Kent Hrbek hit a two run home run. It was Hrbek's fourth home run in the three game series against the Orioles. The Twins scored two more in the bottom of the sixth when a John Moses double brought in Gene Larkin and Randy Bush. Oddly enough the hit by Moses was the only hit of the inning - Larkin had reached by being hit by a pitch and Bush was walked. The Orioles followed this oddity up in the top of the seventh by scoring a run without getting a hit at all. After leadoff hitter Larry Sheets walked and Carl Nichols struck out, the Twins went to their bullpen and replaced starter Allan Anderson with Mike Mason. Mason walked the next two batters - Craig Worthington and Keith Hughes - to load the bases and then walked Tito Landrum to bring in Sheets. The Twins went to their bullpen again and brought in Mark Portugal, their first non-alliteratively named pitcher on the day. Portugal struck out pinch hitter Fred Lynn and then got Cal Ripken to fly out to end the inning. Ripken would be the only one of the seven batters the Orioles sent up in the inning to put a ball into play. That ended the scoring for the day although both teams mounted threats of varying degrees in each of their remaining at bats.
Hrbek had come into the series with the Orioles hitting .222 with no home runs, three RBIs and three runs scored in 15 games. He went 7 for 15 in the three game series with two doubles, four home runs, six RBIs and five runs scored, raising his average to .292.
With the streak at 21 the Orioles now had the record for most consecutive losses ever by an American League team. They were now just two losses behind the 1961 Phillies for longest losing streak in modern (since 1900) baseball history.
Friday, April 27, 2018
April 27 at the Twins
Opponent: Minnesota Twins
Outcome: L
Score: 6-7
Streak: L20
Record: 0-20
Rank: 7th
GB: 16.0
Outcome: L
Score: 6-7
Streak: L20
Record: 0-20
Rank: 7th
GB: 16.0
Another would-a, should-a, could-a game. The Orioles exploded for three runs in the top of the first off of Bert Blyleven. Jeff Stone walked to lead off the game and the Ripken brothers hit back to back singles - the latter of which by Cal scoring Stone. After Eddie Murray and Fred Lynn struck out, Larry Sheets walked to load the bases and then Keith Hughes singled to bring in the Ripkens. Terry Kennedy then struck out to end the inning (so Blyleven struck out the side but also gave up three hits and two walks). The Twins got two runs back in the bottom of the first though as Dan Gladden, Tom Herr and Kirby Puckett hit three consecutive singles to lead off (Puckett's single brought Gladden in) and Gary Gaetti's sacrifice fly then brought in Herr. The Orioles got a break when Puckett was thrown out trying to steal second with Kent Hrbek at the plate to end the inning. A Craig Worthington home run leading off the top of the second put the O's up 4-2 but the Twins got a run back in the bottom of the second when Hrbek led off the inning with a double and later scored on a Mark Davidson ground out. The Twins would tie the game up in the bottom of the fourth when Al Newman singled to knock in Tim Laudner. That hit knocked Orioles starter Scott McGregor out of the game - this would be the last appearance of McGregor's career.
Jose Bautista relieved McGregor and he kept the Twins off the board for the next three innings. Bill Scherrer replaced Bautista on the mound in the bottom of the eighth and immediately lost the lead by giving up back-to-back home runs to Hrbek and Laudner. It was Hrbek's third home run in two days against the Orioles. John Moses then walked and moved to second when Scherrer balked while pitching to Newman. Doug Sisk came into relieve Scherrer mid-batter. Newman laid down a bunt up the third baseline which Sisk fielded and then threw away. The error brought Moses in with the third run of the inning but Newman was thrown out trying to make it to third. Sisk got out of the inning without any more damage but the run scoring on the throwing error ended up being costly as the Orioles staged a two out rally in the top of the ninth. Singles by Joe Orsulak, Cal Ripken and Murray with a walk to Bill Ripken sandwiched in between Orsulak and Cal brought the score to 7-6 with the tying run on third before Fred Lynn grounded out to end the game.
With this loss the Orioles had tied the 1906 Red Sox, and 1916 and 1943 Philadelphia Athletics for longest losing streak in American League history.
Jose Bautista relieved McGregor and he kept the Twins off the board for the next three innings. Bill Scherrer replaced Bautista on the mound in the bottom of the eighth and immediately lost the lead by giving up back-to-back home runs to Hrbek and Laudner. It was Hrbek's third home run in two days against the Orioles. John Moses then walked and moved to second when Scherrer balked while pitching to Newman. Doug Sisk came into relieve Scherrer mid-batter. Newman laid down a bunt up the third baseline which Sisk fielded and then threw away. The error brought Moses in with the third run of the inning but Newman was thrown out trying to make it to third. Sisk got out of the inning without any more damage but the run scoring on the throwing error ended up being costly as the Orioles staged a two out rally in the top of the ninth. Singles by Joe Orsulak, Cal Ripken and Murray with a walk to Bill Ripken sandwiched in between Orsulak and Cal brought the score to 7-6 with the tying run on third before Fred Lynn grounded out to end the game.
With this loss the Orioles had tied the 1906 Red Sox, and 1916 and 1943 Philadelphia Athletics for longest losing streak in American League history.
Thursday, April 26, 2018
April 26 at the Twins
Opponent: Minnesota Twins
Outcome: L
Score: 2-4
Streak: L19
Record: 0-19
Rank: 7th
GB: 15.0
Another game where the Orioles lead early but ended up losing. Fred Lynn lead the game off with a home run against Frank Viola and Baltimore extended their lead to 2-0 when Cal Ripken doubled in his brother Bill in the third inning. But Kent Hrbek tied the game up in the bottom of the sixth with a two run home run and Randy Bush followed up with a solo shot three batters later to put the Twins up 3-2. Hrbek hit a second home run in the bottom of the eighth to extend the lead to 4-2 which was the final score. These were Hrbek's first two home runs of the season.
One other note about the game - the coaching staff decided to try to loosen the team up by taking batting practice before the game. This included manager Frank Robinson. Robinson had hit 586 home runs during his major league career but he was now 52 years old. "I knew I should not have done it," Robinson told Jane Leavy of the Washington Post a few months later.* "I didn't have the heart, maybe the guts, to say 'no, I can't do it.'" He ended up rupturing a disk in his back "I came up short. Warning-track power. It didn't quite go out. But I knew my back had gone out." He would remain in pain for the rest of the season - so 1988 would end up being physically painful for Frank Robinson as well as professionally.
*The linked article is from the LA Times archive but Leavy is/was with the Washington Post
Here's a video clip from WBAL-TV (Channel 2) from the next day which shows highlights from this game.
Longtime Baltimore sportscaster Vince Bagli mentions something called "Fantastic Fans Night". I'm not sure exactly when or where this idea came from although I think Bob Rivers and WIYY were behind it. The plan was to get fans to show their support for the team by coming out for the game on Monday, May 2nd against the Rangers. This would be the first home game after the road trip that they were currently on.
Outcome: L
Score: 2-4
Streak: L19
Record: 0-19
Rank: 7th
GB: 15.0
Another game where the Orioles lead early but ended up losing. Fred Lynn lead the game off with a home run against Frank Viola and Baltimore extended their lead to 2-0 when Cal Ripken doubled in his brother Bill in the third inning. But Kent Hrbek tied the game up in the bottom of the sixth with a two run home run and Randy Bush followed up with a solo shot three batters later to put the Twins up 3-2. Hrbek hit a second home run in the bottom of the eighth to extend the lead to 4-2 which was the final score. These were Hrbek's first two home runs of the season.
One other note about the game - the coaching staff decided to try to loosen the team up by taking batting practice before the game. This included manager Frank Robinson. Robinson had hit 586 home runs during his major league career but he was now 52 years old. "I knew I should not have done it," Robinson told Jane Leavy of the Washington Post a few months later.* "I didn't have the heart, maybe the guts, to say 'no, I can't do it.'" He ended up rupturing a disk in his back "I came up short. Warning-track power. It didn't quite go out. But I knew my back had gone out." He would remain in pain for the rest of the season - so 1988 would end up being physically painful for Frank Robinson as well as professionally.
*The linked article is from the LA Times archive but Leavy is/was with the Washington Post
Here's a video clip from WBAL-TV (Channel 2) from the next day which shows highlights from this game.
Longtime Baltimore sportscaster Vince Bagli mentions something called "Fantastic Fans Night". I'm not sure exactly when or where this idea came from although I think Bob Rivers and WIYY were behind it. The plan was to get fans to show their support for the team by coming out for the game on Monday, May 2nd against the Rangers. This would be the first home game after the road trip that they were currently on.
Wednesday, April 25, 2018
April 25th - Off Day
The Orioles were off on April 25th. They spent the day in the Minneapolis-St Paul area as they would begin a three game series against the Twins on the 26th.
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
April 24 at the Royals
Opponent: Kansas City Royals
Outcome: L
Score: 1-3
Streak: L18
Record: 0-18
Rank: 7th
GB: 14.0
Outcome: L
Score: 1-3
Streak: L18
Record: 0-18
Rank: 7th
GB: 14.0
Not much to say about this game other than it had the unusual distinction of all the runs scoring on home runs. Mark Thurmond started for the O's against Bret Saberhagen and the game was scoreless until the bottom of the fifth when Kurt Stillwell hit a solo home run. The Royals extended their lead in the bottom of the sixth when Danny Tartabull hit a two run home run. The Royals threatened to score more in that inning - Frank White hit a double following Tartabull's home run and after Steve Balboni flew out for the second out, manager Frank Robinson brought Oswaldo Peraza in to relieve Thurmond. Peraza walked Bo Jackson and then balked while pitching to Mark Macfarlane to move White and Jackson up a base. He then walked Macfarlane to load the bases. The Orioles went to the bullpen again and brought in Jose Bautista who got Stillwell to pop up to end the inning. The Orioles sole run came on a home run by Cal Ripken in the top of the ninth, his second on the season.
Monday, April 23, 2018
April 23 at the Royals
Opponent: Kansas City Royals
Outcome: L
Score: 3-4
Streak: L17
Record: 0-17
Rank: 7th
GB: 14.0
Another frustrating loss in a game that the Orioles never trailed in until the last play. The Orioles took the lead in the top of the first when Eddie Murray doubled in Cal Ripken. The Royals tied it in the bottom of the third when Kurt Stillwell scored on Kevin Seitzer's double but the Orioles would go back ahead in the top of the fourth on a Ken Gerhart home run. The Royals tied it back up in the bottom of the fourth on a Bo Jackson sacrifice fly. The Orioles again took the lead in the top of the fifth when Bill Ripken doubled and Rene Gonzalez knocked him in with a single. The Royals got a rally going in the bottom of the sixth after George Brett and Danny Tartabull hit singles to start the inning but after Mark Macfarlane hit a one-out single to tie the game up, Jackson hit into a double play that kept the score at 3-3. That's how it remained until the bottom of the ninth. Doug Sisk had come in to relieve starter Mark Williamson in the eighth and he got Macfarlane to ground out to open the inning. But Jackson then hit a triple and after an intentional walk to pinch hitter Thad Bosley, Stillwell singled to bring him in with the winning run.
Outcome: L
Score: 3-4
Streak: L17
Record: 0-17
Rank: 7th
GB: 14.0
Another frustrating loss in a game that the Orioles never trailed in until the last play. The Orioles took the lead in the top of the first when Eddie Murray doubled in Cal Ripken. The Royals tied it in the bottom of the third when Kurt Stillwell scored on Kevin Seitzer's double but the Orioles would go back ahead in the top of the fourth on a Ken Gerhart home run. The Royals tied it back up in the bottom of the fourth on a Bo Jackson sacrifice fly. The Orioles again took the lead in the top of the fifth when Bill Ripken doubled and Rene Gonzalez knocked him in with a single. The Royals got a rally going in the bottom of the sixth after George Brett and Danny Tartabull hit singles to start the inning but after Mark Macfarlane hit a one-out single to tie the game up, Jackson hit into a double play that kept the score at 3-3. That's how it remained until the bottom of the ninth. Doug Sisk had come in to relieve starter Mark Williamson in the eighth and he got Macfarlane to ground out to open the inning. But Jackson then hit a triple and after an intentional walk to pinch hitter Thad Bosley, Stillwell singled to bring him in with the winning run.
Sunday, April 22, 2018
April 22 at the Royals
Opponent: Kansas City Royals
Outcome: L
Score: 1-13
Streak: L16
Record: 0-16
Rank: 7th
GB: 13.0
This one was over quickly. Mike Morgan started for the Orioles and he gave up singles to the first six Royal batters. Dave Schmidt relieved him and promptly gave up yet another single. After finally getting an out (Mike Macfarlane grounded out) Schmidt then gave up back to back triples to Kurt Stillwell and Willie Wilson - a throwing error by Cal Ripken allowed Wilson to score as well. The Royals sent 12 men to the plate in the bottom of the first and scored nine runs on nine hits with two Orioles throwing errors. The Orioles offense was anemic that night as well - they only got three hits and one run against Royals starter Mark Gubicza who pitched a complete game.
Outcome: L
Score: 1-13
Streak: L16
Record: 0-16
Rank: 7th
GB: 13.0
This one was over quickly. Mike Morgan started for the Orioles and he gave up singles to the first six Royal batters. Dave Schmidt relieved him and promptly gave up yet another single. After finally getting an out (Mike Macfarlane grounded out) Schmidt then gave up back to back triples to Kurt Stillwell and Willie Wilson - a throwing error by Cal Ripken allowed Wilson to score as well. The Royals sent 12 men to the plate in the bottom of the first and scored nine runs on nine hits with two Orioles throwing errors. The Orioles offense was anemic that night as well - they only got three hits and one run against Royals starter Mark Gubicza who pitched a complete game.
Saturday, April 21, 2018
April 21 at the Brewers
Opponent: Milwaukee Brewers
Outcome: L
Score: 1-7
Streak: L15
Record: 0-15
Rank: 7th
GB: 12.0
The Orioles never really were in this game. Scott McGregor made his third start of the season. After giving up a couple of walks in the first two innings he ran into problems in the bottom of the third. After getting Jim Gantner to line out to start the inning he gave up three consecutive singles to Paul Molitor, Robin Yount and Glenn Braggs to give up a run. Rob Deer and Glenn Brock then hit back to back doubles to bring in three more runs. After Joey Meyer ground out to third Bill Schroeder then knocked McGregor out of the game with a two run home run. Oswaldo Peraza struck out Dale Sveum to end the inning but the Brewers scored six runs. They would score a seventh and final run in the bottom of the fourth when Gantner scored on a wild pitch by Peraza. The Orioles scored their lone run in the top of the eighth when Terry Kennedy doubled and Rene Gonzalez knocked him in with a single.
Outcome: L
Score: 1-7
Streak: L15
Record: 0-15
Rank: 7th
GB: 12.0
The Orioles never really were in this game. Scott McGregor made his third start of the season. After giving up a couple of walks in the first two innings he ran into problems in the bottom of the third. After getting Jim Gantner to line out to start the inning he gave up three consecutive singles to Paul Molitor, Robin Yount and Glenn Braggs to give up a run. Rob Deer and Glenn Brock then hit back to back doubles to bring in three more runs. After Joey Meyer ground out to third Bill Schroeder then knocked McGregor out of the game with a two run home run. Oswaldo Peraza struck out Dale Sveum to end the inning but the Brewers scored six runs. They would score a seventh and final run in the bottom of the fourth when Gantner scored on a wild pitch by Peraza. The Orioles scored their lone run in the top of the eighth when Terry Kennedy doubled and Rene Gonzalez knocked him in with a single.
Friday, April 20, 2018
April 20 at the Brewers
Opponent: Milwaukee Brewers
Outcome: L
Score: 6-8
Streak: L14
Record: 0-14
Rank: 7th
GB: 11.5
Outcome: L
Score: 6-8
Streak: L14
Record: 0-14
Rank: 7th
GB: 11.5
Another game that had promise and that tantalized a vision of the team winning. The Brewers struck first with a three run home run by Glenn Braggs putting them up in the bottom of the second. But the Orioles immediately came back and tied it up in the top of the third with five singles from Jeff Stone, Bill Ripken, Eddie Murray, Fred Lynn and Larry Sheets bringing in three runs. They took the lead in the top of the fourth on a Bill Ripken sacrifice fly and increased the lead in the top of the fifth on a solo home run by Sheets. But in the bottom of the fifth the Brew Crew came up with four runs on a solo home run by Robin Yount and singles by Greg Brock and Rob Deer, a walk to Ernie Riles, and two more singles by Jim Gantner and Dale Sveum. An RBI single by Brock in the bottom of the sixth capped the scoring for the Brewers. The Orioles got their sixth and final run in the top of the eighth when Dan Plesac committed a balk while pitching to Bill Ripken with Terry Kennedy on third.
With this loss, the Orioles broke the record for most losses at the beginning of the season that had been held by the 1904 Senators and the 1920 Tigers. The new question was how much further would they take the record?
Thursday, April 19, 2018
April 19 at the Brewers
Opponent: Milwaukee Brewers
Outcome: L
Score: 5-9
Streak: L13
Record: 0-13
Rank: 7th
Outcome: L
Score: 5-9
Streak: L13
Record: 0-13
Rank: 7th
GB: 10.5
For a very brief time this evening, it looked the Orioles were going to be able to avoid tying the record for longest losing streak to begin a season. The team "exploded" for three runs in the top of the first with back to back doubles by Eddie Murray and Rick Schu bringing in the Ripkens (and Murray). The Brewers however came back with two in the bottom of the first and then took the lead for good with three runs in the bottom of the second courtesy of Paul Molitor's first home run of the season. Another future Hall Of Famer Cal Ripken hit his first home run of the season in the top of the fourth to bring the Orioles within a run but a three run rally by Milwaukee in the bottom of the fifth (aided by errors by Joe Orsulak and Eddie Murray) but the game out of reach. The teams traded single runs late in the game to bring the final score to 9-5. And with that loss the Orioles had tied the record.
At 5:30 that morning in Baltimore, WIYY (98 Rock) morning DJ Bob Rivers went on the air like he usually did. He announced that he would remain on the air until the Orioles won. He thought it would only be a day or two. He was wrong.
As you might expect, the Orioles losing streak had become a national story at this point. I found a compilation of newscasts about the streak on YouTube. The earliest newscast in the video covers today's game so don't watch it if you don't want spoilers for the next week or so's games. The last segment on the video features Bob Rivers getting interviewed by Harry Smith and Mark McEwen of CBS This Morning. McEwen's younger brother Kirk appears in the clip as he was the evening DJ on 98 Rock at the time. Kirk would later be part of the morning team on 98 Rock as part of first Kirk, Mark and Lopez and later Kirk, Mark and Speigel before leaving the Baltimore market for a few years. He's back on 98 Rock now as the afternoon drive time DJ.
For a very brief time this evening, it looked the Orioles were going to be able to avoid tying the record for longest losing streak to begin a season. The team "exploded" for three runs in the top of the first with back to back doubles by Eddie Murray and Rick Schu bringing in the Ripkens (and Murray). The Brewers however came back with two in the bottom of the first and then took the lead for good with three runs in the bottom of the second courtesy of Paul Molitor's first home run of the season. Another future Hall Of Famer Cal Ripken hit his first home run of the season in the top of the fourth to bring the Orioles within a run but a three run rally by Milwaukee in the bottom of the fifth (aided by errors by Joe Orsulak and Eddie Murray) but the game out of reach. The teams traded single runs late in the game to bring the final score to 9-5. And with that loss the Orioles had tied the record.
At 5:30 that morning in Baltimore, WIYY (98 Rock) morning DJ Bob Rivers went on the air like he usually did. He announced that he would remain on the air until the Orioles won. He thought it would only be a day or two. He was wrong.
As you might expect, the Orioles losing streak had become a national story at this point. I found a compilation of newscasts about the streak on YouTube. The earliest newscast in the video covers today's game so don't watch it if you don't want spoilers for the next week or so's games. The last segment on the video features Bob Rivers getting interviewed by Harry Smith and Mark McEwen of CBS This Morning. McEwen's younger brother Kirk appears in the clip as he was the evening DJ on 98 Rock at the time. Kirk would later be part of the morning team on 98 Rock as part of first Kirk, Mark and Lopez and later Kirk, Mark and Speigel before leaving the Baltimore market for a few years. He's back on 98 Rock now as the afternoon drive time DJ.
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
April 18th - Off Day
The Orioles had the day off on April 18th before embarking on their longest road trip of the season - a 13 day, 12 game, four city trip that would take them to Milwaukee, Kansas City, Minnesota and Chicago.
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
April 17 vs the Indians
Opponent: Cleveland Indians
Outcome: L
Score: 1-4
Streak: L12
Record: 0-12
Rank: 7th
Outcome: L
Score: 1-4
Streak: L12
Record: 0-12
Rank: 7th
GB: 10.5
A fairly unremarkable game. The Indians took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second when Dave Clark singled Brook Jacoby in. The Orioles tied it up in the bottom of the third (a Joe Orsulak ground out scored Terry Kennedy) but the Tribe went ahead for good in the top of the fourth by scoring two more runs (Mel Hall knocked Jacoby in on a ball Fred Lynn misplayed in right - Hall got credit for a double and went to third on the error and then scored on Cory Snyder's sacrifice fly). They scored another run in the seventh when Jay Bell brought Hall in with a groundout.
A fairly unremarkable game. The Indians took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second when Dave Clark singled Brook Jacoby in. The Orioles tied it up in the bottom of the third (a Joe Orsulak ground out scored Terry Kennedy) but the Tribe went ahead for good in the top of the fourth by scoring two more runs (Mel Hall knocked Jacoby in on a ball Fred Lynn misplayed in right - Hall got credit for a double and went to third on the error and then scored on Cory Snyder's sacrifice fly). They scored another run in the seventh when Jay Bell brought Hall in with a groundout.
Monday, April 16, 2018
April 16 vs the Indians
Opponent: Cleveland Indians
Outcome: L
Score: 0-1
Streak: L11
Record: 0-11
Rank: 7th
Outcome: L
Score: 0-1
Streak: L11
Record: 0-11
Rank: 7th
GB: 9.5
This was an incredibly frustrating game. Mike Morgan pitched an absolutely beautiful game. He scattered two hits and two walks in nine innings. No Indian batter made it to second base while Morgan was on the mound. Unfortunately the Orioles batters couldn't do much better against Greg Swindell. They rallied in the bottom of the ninth when Fred Lynn and Eddie Murray hit back-to-back singles to start the inning. But the inning ultimately ended with the winning run stuck on third as Rick Schu flew out for the third out. The Indians took the lead in the top of the eleventh when Cory Snyder (who had reached on a walk) scored on Willie Upshaw's single off Dave Schmidt.
The Orioles made it interesting in the bottom of the 11th. Bill Ripken led off the inning with a single off of Swindell who was still in the game after 10 innings(!). Swindell got lifted for Doug Jones who got Jim Traber to hit into a fielder's choice for the first out. Eddie Murray followed with a double to right field that Traber stopped at third on. Frank Robinson inexplicably did not pinch run for Traber until after Murray's double, bringing in Rene Gonzalez who could not help but be faster than Traber. After Cal Jr lined out to Jones for the second out, Larry Sheets was intentionally walked to load the bases. Terry Kennedy came in to pinch hit for Rick Schu and struck out to end the game.
That's three straight nights of one-run losses that the Orioles simply could not get a break in. It would be another week before they'd get that close again.
This was an incredibly frustrating game. Mike Morgan pitched an absolutely beautiful game. He scattered two hits and two walks in nine innings. No Indian batter made it to second base while Morgan was on the mound. Unfortunately the Orioles batters couldn't do much better against Greg Swindell. They rallied in the bottom of the ninth when Fred Lynn and Eddie Murray hit back-to-back singles to start the inning. But the inning ultimately ended with the winning run stuck on third as Rick Schu flew out for the third out. The Indians took the lead in the top of the eleventh when Cory Snyder (who had reached on a walk) scored on Willie Upshaw's single off Dave Schmidt.
The Orioles made it interesting in the bottom of the 11th. Bill Ripken led off the inning with a single off of Swindell who was still in the game after 10 innings(!). Swindell got lifted for Doug Jones who got Jim Traber to hit into a fielder's choice for the first out. Eddie Murray followed with a double to right field that Traber stopped at third on. Frank Robinson inexplicably did not pinch run for Traber until after Murray's double, bringing in Rene Gonzalez who could not help but be faster than Traber. After Cal Jr lined out to Jones for the second out, Larry Sheets was intentionally walked to load the bases. Terry Kennedy came in to pinch hit for Rick Schu and struck out to end the game.
That's three straight nights of one-run losses that the Orioles simply could not get a break in. It would be another week before they'd get that close again.
Sunday, April 15, 2018
April 15 vs the Indians
Opponent: Cleveland Indians
Outcome: L
Score: 2-3
Streak: L10
Record: 0-10
Rank: 7th
Outcome: L
Score: 2-3
Streak: L10
Record: 0-10
Rank: 7th
GB: 9.0
For the second night in a row the Orioles lost a game that they could have easily won. The Indians went ahead in the second inning on a solo home run by Cory Snyder but the Orioles countered in the bottom of the inning with a two run shot from Larry Sheets. Scott McGregor pitched much better in his second start of the season, allowing only the one run on five hits and three walks in the first seven innings with six strikeouts. The eighth inning, however, was his downfall. After getting Pat Tabler to ground out to Cal Jr to start the inning McGregor gave up a game tying home run to Joe Carter. After Ron Kittle followed Carter with a double, Frank Robinson brought in Doug Sisk in relief. Sisk immediately gave up a single to Brook Jacoby that brought pinch runner Dave Clark around with the eventual winning run. Sisk then got Snyder to hit into an inning ending double play but the damage was done. Despite pitching well for most of the game McGregor was saddled with his second loss of the season.
With their season opening losing streak now at 10 games, the Orioles had tied the 1968 White Sox for worst start to a season in 67 years. The record for most losses at the start of a season was 13, set by the 1904 Senators and matched by the 1920 Tigers. The Orioles had three more chances to avoid making history.
For the second night in a row the Orioles lost a game that they could have easily won. The Indians went ahead in the second inning on a solo home run by Cory Snyder but the Orioles countered in the bottom of the inning with a two run shot from Larry Sheets. Scott McGregor pitched much better in his second start of the season, allowing only the one run on five hits and three walks in the first seven innings with six strikeouts. The eighth inning, however, was his downfall. After getting Pat Tabler to ground out to Cal Jr to start the inning McGregor gave up a game tying home run to Joe Carter. After Ron Kittle followed Carter with a double, Frank Robinson brought in Doug Sisk in relief. Sisk immediately gave up a single to Brook Jacoby that brought pinch runner Dave Clark around with the eventual winning run. Sisk then got Snyder to hit into an inning ending double play but the damage was done. Despite pitching well for most of the game McGregor was saddled with his second loss of the season.
With their season opening losing streak now at 10 games, the Orioles had tied the 1968 White Sox for worst start to a season in 67 years. The record for most losses at the start of a season was 13, set by the 1904 Senators and matched by the 1920 Tigers. The Orioles had three more chances to avoid making history.
Saturday, April 14, 2018
April 14 vs the Royals
Opponent: Kansas City Royals
Outcome: L
Score: 3-4
Streak: L9
Record: 0-9
Rank: 7th
Outcome: L
Score: 3-4
Streak: L9
Record: 0-9
Rank: 7th
GB: 8.0
Ugh, this one was painful. It was "Three Buck Night" and I was out at the game by myself. It was a dazzling pitching matchup - Mike Boddicker against Bret Saberhagen - and both pitchers actually pitched well. Boddicker actually outpitched Saberhagen - he went all nine with 10 strikeouts and gave up five hits and only one earned run. Unfortunately it was the unearned runs that would do him and the Orioles in.
The Royals went ahead 1-0 in the second inning on a balk by Boddicker that scored Jim Eisenreich from third. They scored two more in the third on a somewhat bizarre combination of two hits, two Oriole errors and another Boddicker balk.
The Orioles battled back for the first time all season though. Saberhagen had been perfect into the fifth inning before Fred Lynn hit his first home run of the season. Then in the sixth the Orioles had an attempt at small ball fail. After Rick Schu singled to start the inning, Jeff Stone attempted to sacrifice him to second but apparently bunted the ball right back to Saberhagen who threw to second to force Schu. With Joe Orsulak at the plate Saberhagen then picked Stone off of first for the second out in the inning. Orsulak then singled, stole second and then scored on Bill Ripken's double. Cal Ripken then hit a ball through Kevin Seitzer's legs at third for a run scoring error. The game was now tied at three all.
Meanwhile Boddicker was dealing. After giving up the third run in the third he retired the next 18 batters in order until Eisenreich singled with two outs in the top of the ninth. The next batter Frank White lifted a fly ball to left field which Stone lost in the lights. The ball got by him and Eisenreich scored all the way from first with the winning run. The O's made it interesting in the bottom of the ninth - Eddie Murray lead off the inning with a single. After Fred Lynn and Tito Landrum stuck out, Carl Nichols walked to move the tying run to second. But pinch hitter Jim Dwyer grounded out to end the threat and the game.
Once again I've saved my clippings from the Washington Post for this game:
Ugh, this one was painful. It was "Three Buck Night" and I was out at the game by myself. It was a dazzling pitching matchup - Mike Boddicker against Bret Saberhagen - and both pitchers actually pitched well. Boddicker actually outpitched Saberhagen - he went all nine with 10 strikeouts and gave up five hits and only one earned run. Unfortunately it was the unearned runs that would do him and the Orioles in.
The Royals went ahead 1-0 in the second inning on a balk by Boddicker that scored Jim Eisenreich from third. They scored two more in the third on a somewhat bizarre combination of two hits, two Oriole errors and another Boddicker balk.
The Orioles battled back for the first time all season though. Saberhagen had been perfect into the fifth inning before Fred Lynn hit his first home run of the season. Then in the sixth the Orioles had an attempt at small ball fail. After Rick Schu singled to start the inning, Jeff Stone attempted to sacrifice him to second but apparently bunted the ball right back to Saberhagen who threw to second to force Schu. With Joe Orsulak at the plate Saberhagen then picked Stone off of first for the second out in the inning. Orsulak then singled, stole second and then scored on Bill Ripken's double. Cal Ripken then hit a ball through Kevin Seitzer's legs at third for a run scoring error. The game was now tied at three all.
Meanwhile Boddicker was dealing. After giving up the third run in the third he retired the next 18 batters in order until Eisenreich singled with two outs in the top of the ninth. The next batter Frank White lifted a fly ball to left field which Stone lost in the lights. The ball got by him and Eisenreich scored all the way from first with the winning run. The O's made it interesting in the bottom of the ninth - Eddie Murray lead off the inning with a single. After Fred Lynn and Tito Landrum stuck out, Carl Nichols walked to move the tying run to second. But pinch hitter Jim Dwyer grounded out to end the threat and the game.
Once again I've saved my clippings from the Washington Post for this game:
Friday, April 13, 2018
April 13 vs the Royals
Opponent: Kansas City Royals
Outcome: L
Score: 3-9
Streak: L8
Record: 0-8
Rank: 7th
Outcome: L
Score: 3-9
Streak: L8
Record: 0-8
Rank: 7th
GB: 7.0
This was a game in which the Orioles got behind early and never had much of a chance of a comeback. The Royals scored a run in the first by getting three straight singles although Frank White hit into a double play to stop any further damage. They scored two more in the third and three more in the fourth, knocking starter Mark Thurmond out. Then they got two more in the sixth and one more in the seventh. The Orioles highlight was Eddie Murray's first home run of the season, a solo shot in the eighth to end the scoring.
This was a game in which the Orioles got behind early and never had much of a chance of a comeback. The Royals scored a run in the first by getting three straight singles although Frank White hit into a double play to stop any further damage. They scored two more in the third and three more in the fourth, knocking starter Mark Thurmond out. Then they got two more in the sixth and one more in the seventh. The Orioles highlight was Eddie Murray's first home run of the season, a solo shot in the eighth to end the scoring.
Thursday, April 12, 2018
April 12 vs the Royals
Opponent: Kansas City Royals
Outcome: L
Score: 1-6
Streak: L7
Record: 0-7
Rank: 7th
The Royals scored another three in the fifth off Mark Williamson.
Attendance that night at Memorial Stadium was 11,160. I'm pretty sure this was the smallest home crowd the Orioles had that season. Considering how bad the team was, that's actually pretty impressive.
Outcome: L
Score: 1-6
Streak: L7
Record: 0-7
Rank: 7th
GB: 6.0
The big news on this day was off the field - in the afternoon the Orioles decided to fire manager Cal Ripken Sr. and replace him with Frank Robinson. I always felt that Cal Sr. had been treated pretty shabby by the team he had worked for since 1957. He had been passed over for manager after Earl Weaver retired after 1982 when the team hired Joe Altobelli instead and passed over again when the team fired Altobelli (who deserved better also) in 1985 to bring Weaver back. Once he finally got the job going into 1987 he was faced with an impossible situation. He deserved better than to be dismissed six games into the season and given how the rest of the year went it's pretty clear he wasn't the problem.
The change in leadership didn't make any difference. The Orioles actually took the lead in the game in the bottom of the first on a sacrifice fly by Cal Jr that scored Joe Orsulak. The Royals came back and took the lead in the fourth on back-to-back home runs by Frank White and Bo Jackson of losing pitcher Oswaldo Peraza.
The change in leadership didn't make any difference. The Orioles actually took the lead in the game in the bottom of the first on a sacrifice fly by Cal Jr that scored Joe Orsulak. The Royals came back and took the lead in the fourth on back-to-back home runs by Frank White and Bo Jackson of losing pitcher Oswaldo Peraza.
The Royals scored another three in the fifth off Mark Williamson.
Attendance that night at Memorial Stadium was 11,160. I'm pretty sure this was the smallest home crowd the Orioles had that season. Considering how bad the team was, that's actually pretty impressive.
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
April 11 at the Indians
Opponent: Cleveland Indians
Outcome: L
Score: 2-7
Streak: L6
Record: 0-6
Rank: 7th
Outcome: L
Score: 2-7
Streak: L6
Record: 0-6
Rank: 7th
GB: 5.5
In their sixth game of the season the Orioles had the fourth complete game thrown against them, this time by Greg Swindell. The biggest positive for the O's from this game was that they had their first home run of the season - a two run shot by Rick Schu in the fifth. Mike Morgan took the loss, giving up seven earned runs in 6 2/3 innings.
In their sixth game of the season the Orioles had the fourth complete game thrown against them, this time by Greg Swindell. The biggest positive for the O's from this game was that they had their first home run of the season - a two run shot by Rick Schu in the fifth. Mike Morgan took the loss, giving up seven earned runs in 6 2/3 innings.
Tuesday, April 10, 2018
April 10 at the Indians
Opponent: Cleveland Indians
Outcome: L
Score: 3-6
Streak: L5
Record: 0-5
Rank: 7th
Outcome: L
Score: 3-6
Streak: L5
Record: 0-5
Rank: 7th
GB: 5.0
Another game that was over relatively quickly. Scott McGregor made his first start of the season and gave up five runs (although only four were earned) on seven hits and a walk over 3 1/3 innings. The former 20 game winner (1980) took the loss while the Indians' Rich Yett went 6 1/3 innings to get the win. Dan Schatzeder got the save - he was the first pitcher to get a save against the Orioles in 1988.
Another game that was over relatively quickly. Scott McGregor made his first start of the season and gave up five runs (although only four were earned) on seven hits and a walk over 3 1/3 innings. The former 20 game winner (1980) took the loss while the Indians' Rich Yett went 6 1/3 innings to get the win. Dan Schatzeder got the save - he was the first pitcher to get a save against the Orioles in 1988.
Monday, April 9, 2018
April 9 at the Indians
Opponent: Cleveland Indians
Outcome: L
Score: 1-12
Streak: L4
Record: 0-4
Rank: 7th
Outcome: L
Score: 1-12
Streak: L4
Record: 0-4
Rank: 7th
GB: 4.0
Another day, another dozen runs given up. The Indians put this one out of the way pretty quick, scoring five in the bottom of the second and four in the bottom of the third to go up 9-0 after three innings. Tom Candiotti pitched the third consecutive complete game victory against the Orioles. He lost the shutout in the ninth inning on a Larry Sheets RBI single. At this point the Orioles have now been outscored in four games 30-2! Mike Boddicker took the loss for the Orioles, dropping his record to 0-2.
Another day, another dozen runs given up. The Indians put this one out of the way pretty quick, scoring five in the bottom of the second and four in the bottom of the third to go up 9-0 after three innings. Tom Candiotti pitched the third consecutive complete game victory against the Orioles. He lost the shutout in the ninth inning on a Larry Sheets RBI single. At this point the Orioles have now been outscored in four games 30-2! Mike Boddicker took the loss for the Orioles, dropping his record to 0-2.
Sunday, April 8, 2018
April 8 at the Indians
Opponent: Cleveland Indians
Outcome: L
Score: 0-3
Streak: L3
Record: 0-3
Rank: 7th
GB: 3.0
Outcome: L
Score: 0-3
Streak: L3
Record: 0-3
Rank: 7th
GB: 3.0
First road game of the season and second shutout in three games. It was the Indians' home opener and they drew 53,738 for the game. It was scoreless into the seventh when the Indians staged a two out rally off Orioles starter Mark Thurmond. A single by Cary Snyder was followed up by walks to Mel Hall and Jay Bell to load the bases. Manager Cal Ripken Sr. replaced Thurmond with Doug Sisk who promptly walked the first batter he faced (Andy Allanson) to force in Snyder. Julio Franco followed with an infield single that somehow knocked in both Hall and Bell although Allanson was thrown out at third to end the inning and the scoring. Indians pitcher Scott Bailes threw a complete game shutout to get the win.
Saturday, April 7, 2018
April 7 vs the Brewers - Rained Out
The Orioles game against the Brewers on April 7th was rained out and I don't believe it was ever made up CORRECTION - It was made up as part of a double-header on August 5th. This was going to be the Orioles' first "Three Buck Night" of the season - all Upper Reserved, Lower Reserved Grandstand or Adult General Admission tickets were only $3 (normally the Upper Reserved seats were $6.50, the Lower Reserved Grandstand were $5.50 and the Adult General Admission were $4.75). Keep in mind that at the time the most expensive seats in the ballpark were $9.50. It was indeed a different time.
Being less than two years out of college and working for the government I wasn't making a lot of money at the time so I took advantage of "Three Buck Night" as much as possible. I had gone to five or six of them in 1987 and I'm pretty sure I made it to every one in 1988 and 1989. After the O's success in 1989 the ticket prices went up and "Three Buck Night" was no more.
Being less than two years out of college and working for the government I wasn't making a lot of money at the time so I took advantage of "Three Buck Night" as much as possible. I had gone to five or six of them in 1987 and I'm pretty sure I made it to every one in 1988 and 1989. After the O's success in 1989 the ticket prices went up and "Three Buck Night" was no more.
Friday, April 6, 2018
April 6 vs the Brewers
Opponent: Milwaukee Brewers
Outcome: L
Score: 1-3
Streak: L2
Record: 0-2
Rank: 7th
GB: 2.0
Not a lot to say about this game. I didn't attend it. The Orioles got their first lead of the season in the bottom of the second when Eddie Murray scored on a groundout by Larry Sheets. The Brewers tied it in the sixth on Dale Sveum's second home run in as many games and then when ahead on BJ Surhoff's two run double later in the inning. Both starters (Chris Bosio for Milwaukee and Mike Morgan for the Orioles) threw complete games.
Outcome: L
Score: 1-3
Streak: L2
Record: 0-2
Rank: 7th
GB: 2.0
Not a lot to say about this game. I didn't attend it. The Orioles got their first lead of the season in the bottom of the second when Eddie Murray scored on a groundout by Larry Sheets. The Brewers tied it in the sixth on Dale Sveum's second home run in as many games and then when ahead on BJ Surhoff's two run double later in the inning. Both starters (Chris Bosio for Milwaukee and Mike Morgan for the Orioles) threw complete games.
Thursday, April 5, 2018
April 5 - Off Day
The Orioles were off on April 5th but they made two transactions - they released catcher Jamie Nelson and signed free agent catcher Mickey Tettleton and assigned him to their AAA team in Rochester. Tettleton would become the regular catcher for the big league team later in the season.
Wednesday, April 4, 2018
April 4 vs the Brewers - Opening Day
Opponent: Milwaukee Brewers
Outcome: L
Score: 0-12
Streak: L1
Record: 0-1
Rank: 5th (Tied)
GB: 1.0
This was the first ever Opening Day I attended. My friend Steve and his mother came with me - originally my co-worker Tony was going to attend but he backed out after discovering that the game was in the afternoon rather than the evening. It was very festive - they had a crowd of 52,395 for the game - the largest regular season crowd ever at an Orioles game and governor William Donald Schaefer, longtime mayor of Baltimore (we always used to joke he was actually the "governor of Baltimore"), throw out the first pitch. Everybody was excited. Then the game started.
To be fair, it wasn't an immediate disaster. The game was scoreless until the fourth inning before Rob Deer doubled in BJ Surhoff. The Brewers would score a second run in the inning but the Orioles did pull off a nifty double play - nailing Greg Brock at the plate when he tried to score on a fly ball by Glenn Braggs. The Brewers put up two more in the sixth - one of them on a steal of home by Paul Molitor - and two more in the seventh (a bizarre inning that featured two more steals by Molitor and a two RBI infield single by Braggs - actually the only hit in the inning). The wheels completely came off in the eighth when the Brewers doubled their scoring with six more runs - two of which came on a home run by Dale Sveum, another coming on a Dave Schmidt wild pitch. The final for the game was 12-0 Brewers. The Orioles only managed five hits in the game off of Teddy Higuera, Mark Clear and Dan Plesac.
We sat in the left field bleachers for the game and the crowd grew increasingly rowdy as the game went on. I remember beer being thrown and at least one fight breaking out. But we stayed until the bitter end. We had some interesting logistics to deal with after the game - Steve had tickets for the Bruce Springsteen concert at the Capital Center in Landover, Maryland that night*. Steve was living in Delaware at the time and had left his ticket with his housemates (Chris, Tom and Harry) who were also going to the concert. Steve was planning on meeting up with them before the show but had not taken into consideration the delays he would have both in us getting out of the parking lot at the game (we had parked in the Eastern High School parking lot just across 33rd Street from Memorial Stadium for the game - for a game with this many people we were "sardined" in the lot - all cars were parked bumper to bumper so if the car in front of you hadn't left yet, you weren't going anywhere) and in navigating in rush hour traffic from the middle of Baltimore to my apartment in Silver Spring. I ended up driving his mother back to her home in Olney, Maryland while Steve headed for the concert. He met up with Chris outside the arena just a few minutes before Chris was going to give up on him (keep in mind this was in the days before cell phones so Steve had no way of getting hold of Chris while he was on his way).
*The five of us plus my co-worker Tony had spent a night outside the Capital Center a few months earlier waiting in line for Springsteen tickets. Each person was going to be allowed to buy two tickets. Only three of us actually got to the ticket window - two of Harry, Tom, Chris and Steve (can't remember which two) and Tony. Somehow we ended up with only five tickets. Four for this show on April 4th that the four of them went to and one for April 5th that Tony went to. Tony claimed that by the time he got to the ticket window he could only buy one. I've never quite understood how that happened but between that and his backing out of going to Opening Day I kind of stopped inviting him along on things.
Once again I saved the clippings from the Washington Post for the game from the next day:
One thing point out - this was actually the only time all season that the team was not in seventh place. They were in a three way tie for fifth with the Red Sox and Indians who both also lost on April 4th. They were a game behind the Blue Jays, Brewers and Tigers who were tied for first and a half game behind the Yankees who would not play their first game until the 5th.
Tuesday, April 3, 2018
The Opening Day Roster
According to the scorebook for the Opening Day game, this was the Orioles roster at the start of the 1988 season:
| Uniform # | Name | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeff Stone | OF |
| 3 | Bill Ripken | 2B |
| 6 | Joe Orsulak | OF |
| 7 | Cal Ripken Sr | Manager |
| 8 | Cal Ripken Jr | SS |
| 9 | Jim Dwyer | OF |
| 10 | Terry Crowley | Batting Coach |
| 11 | Wade Rowdon | OF |
| 12 | Mike Morgan | P |
| 15 | Terry Kennedy | C |
| 16 | Scott McGregor | P |
| 17 | Pete Stanicek | IF-OF |
| 18 | Larry Sheets | OF |
| 19 | Fred Lynn | OF |
| 21 | Mark Thurmond | P |
| 23 | Oswaldo Peraza | P |
| 24 | Dave Schmidt | P |
| 25 | Rick Schu | IF |
| 26 | Carl Nichols | C |
| 27 | Lee Lacy | OF |
| 28 | Jim Traber | 1B, OF |
| 30 | Keith Hughes | OF |
| 31 | Herm Starrette | Pitching Coach |
| 32 | Mark Williamson | P |
| 33 | Eddie Murray | 1B |
| 38 | Ken Gerhart | OF |
| 39 | Doug Sisk | P |
| 40 | Minnie Mendoza | 1st Base Coach |
| 41 | Don Aase | P |
| 44 | Ellie Hendricks | Bullpen Coach |
| 47 | John Hart | 3rd Base Coach |
| 48 | Jose Bautista | P |
| 49 | Tom Niedenfuer | P |
| 52 | Mike Boddicker | P |
| 58 | Rene Gonzalez | IF |
There's 29 players listed here but only 24* were actually on the Opening Day roster - I'm not sure who wasn't actually in uniform on April 4th.
*As a cost-cutting measure in the mid to late 1980's MLB teams usually only had 24 guys on their 25 man roster during the season.
April 3 vs the New York Mets
The Orioles wrapped up their 1988 spring training schedule with a game against the New York Mets at RFK Stadium in Washington DC on Easter Sunday. It had been 16 years since the Washington Senators had departed the nation's capital for Texas and this would be I believe only the third time major league teams played at RFK since then (an exhibition game in 1972 and the rain-and-snow shortened exhibition game between the Mets and the Phillies in 1987). A preseason exhibition game at RFK would become a tradition for the next decade or so - I know I went to game here as late as 1999 - before the Expos would become the Nationals in 2005.
My friend Steve and I attended this game. It was not a pretty game for the Orioles, not that should have been a surprise. The Mets were two years removed from a World Series Championship and would win the NL East again in 1988. As I recall the Orioles came into the game needing to cut just one more player before Opening Day. Starter Jose Mesa made it easy for them - giving up seven runs in 2 2/3 innings. He gave up three home runs - a three run shot by Daryl Strawberry, a two run homer by opposing pitcher (and future Oriole) Sid Fernandez and a solo shot by Kevin McReynolds. The home runs by Fernandez and McReynolds were cheap shots to left field - because the stadium was still in football configuration the left field line was only 245 feet. As Mesa departed in the bottom of the third, Steve and I did our best Jack Benny impressions while calling out "Oh, Rochester!"*
*Rochester was the home of the Orioles AAA team that season
The final for the game was 10-7 - the Orioles had a couple cheap home runs themselves off the bats of Rick Schu and Jeff Stone. They had actually tied the game at 7 in the sixth inning before Lee Mazzilli put the Mets up for good with a two run home run off of Mark Williamson who took the loss.
The Orioles finished the 1988 preseason with a record of 9-19, worst in the American League and only better than the Atlanta Braves 8-21 record.
I had saved the newspaper clippings for the game from the Washington Post (April 4, 1988):
Monday, April 2, 2018
Season Preview
I want to try to put the Orioles' 1988 season in context. It's hard to believe now but going into the 1988 season the Orioles had been one of the most successful teams over the previous 20 seasons or so. From 1966 to 1983 the team won three World Championships, six American League pennants and seven AL East titles. They only finished under .500 once during that stretch (1967) and their lowest finish for the season in the divisional era (1969 and later) was fourth (in 1978). But after the championship in 1983, things started to fall apart. The team dropped to fifth in 1984 although they still finished above .500 at 85-77 (the AL West only had one team above .500 that year). They moved up to fourth in 1985 although their record dropped to 83-78.
1986 looked like it was going to turn the team's fortunes around. On the morning of August 6th, the Orioles were 59-47 and in second place, 2.5 games behind the Red Sox. That night they took on the Texas Rangers at home. The Rangers went out to a 6-0 lead after three innings behind a grand slam by Toby Harrah. The Orioles came back with a 9 run fourth inning that featured a pair of grand slams of their own - one by Larry Sheets and one by Jim Dwyer. They added two more runs in the bottom of the sixth to go up 11-6. The Rangers came storming back with six more runs in the top of the eighth and one more in the top of the ninth to win the game 13-11. During the Rangers' eighth inning rally play had to be stopped because of a black cat running on to the field.
Following their loss in the "black cat game", the bottom dropped out of the Orioles season. They went 14-42 the rest of the season, finishing the 1986 season dead last with a record of 73-89. It was the first time the team had finished last since 1953 when they were still the St. Louis Browns (that was the franchise's final season in St. Louis).
While the team moved up to sixth place in 1987, it really wasn't an improvement. Their record that year was 67-95 - they only escaped the cellar because the Cleveland Indians (who were picked to win the division by Sports Illustrated that season*) lost over 100 games. It was the Orioles' worst record since they went 57-97-2 in 1955, their second season in Baltimore.
*It's easy to make fun of Sports Illustrated for that pick but I've always believed there was an unacknowledged factor in their decision making. From 1981 to 1986 the other six teams in the American League East all finished first once - the Yankees in 1981, the Brewers in 1982, the Orioles in 1983, the Tigers in 1984, the Blue Jays in 1985 and the Red Sox in 1986. If Cleveland had won the division in 1987, all seven teams would have won in seven year stretch.
The "Baseball Preview" publications in early 1988 weren't very optimistic on the Orioles chances for the coming season. The 1988 edition of "The Complete Handbook Of Baseball" picked the team for last. They didn't think much of the team's hitting ("The Orioles, for all their home runs, have trouble scoring runs") or pitching ("This is the Orioles' greatest downfall"). Their team preview ended ominously with "Another disaster lies ahead". Sports Illustrated picked them seventh as well saying basically it was a shame that manager Cal Ripken Sr. had only had two baseball playing sons - the team would have a better shot if he'd "only fathered a few more players".* In his Baseball Abstract that year (his last one), Bill James wrote an essay discussing how the Orioles got to this point - after winning the Series in 1983 they basically kept replacing young players in their lineup with older ones - for example in 1985 they replaced 27 year old John Shelby with 33 year old Fred Lynn in center field. None of these moves paid off, at least not in the long run. James finishes the first column of his essay with "It has been said that there is no event on record which a competent historian cannot make seem inevitable once it has transpired. I do not want to argue that the dissolution of the Oriole tradition was an inevitable consequence of these decisions. It was not inevitable. It was merely exceedingly probable."
*Hall Of Famer Cal Jr. was coming into his seventh season in 1988. Brother Bill had debuted in 1987 and was one of the few highlights of the year for the Orioles.
Going into the 1988 season there really wasn't any reason to be optimistic but a lot of us in the Baltimore area were thinking that there was no way the team could be as bad as the 1986 and 1987 teams were. As it turns out we were correct but just not in the way we thought.
1986 looked like it was going to turn the team's fortunes around. On the morning of August 6th, the Orioles were 59-47 and in second place, 2.5 games behind the Red Sox. That night they took on the Texas Rangers at home. The Rangers went out to a 6-0 lead after three innings behind a grand slam by Toby Harrah. The Orioles came back with a 9 run fourth inning that featured a pair of grand slams of their own - one by Larry Sheets and one by Jim Dwyer. They added two more runs in the bottom of the sixth to go up 11-6. The Rangers came storming back with six more runs in the top of the eighth and one more in the top of the ninth to win the game 13-11. During the Rangers' eighth inning rally play had to be stopped because of a black cat running on to the field.
Following their loss in the "black cat game", the bottom dropped out of the Orioles season. They went 14-42 the rest of the season, finishing the 1986 season dead last with a record of 73-89. It was the first time the team had finished last since 1953 when they were still the St. Louis Browns (that was the franchise's final season in St. Louis).
While the team moved up to sixth place in 1987, it really wasn't an improvement. Their record that year was 67-95 - they only escaped the cellar because the Cleveland Indians (who were picked to win the division by Sports Illustrated that season*) lost over 100 games. It was the Orioles' worst record since they went 57-97-2 in 1955, their second season in Baltimore.
*It's easy to make fun of Sports Illustrated for that pick but I've always believed there was an unacknowledged factor in their decision making. From 1981 to 1986 the other six teams in the American League East all finished first once - the Yankees in 1981, the Brewers in 1982, the Orioles in 1983, the Tigers in 1984, the Blue Jays in 1985 and the Red Sox in 1986. If Cleveland had won the division in 1987, all seven teams would have won in seven year stretch.
The "Baseball Preview" publications in early 1988 weren't very optimistic on the Orioles chances for the coming season. The 1988 edition of "The Complete Handbook Of Baseball" picked the team for last. They didn't think much of the team's hitting ("The Orioles, for all their home runs, have trouble scoring runs") or pitching ("This is the Orioles' greatest downfall"). Their team preview ended ominously with "Another disaster lies ahead". Sports Illustrated picked them seventh as well saying basically it was a shame that manager Cal Ripken Sr. had only had two baseball playing sons - the team would have a better shot if he'd "only fathered a few more players".* In his Baseball Abstract that year (his last one), Bill James wrote an essay discussing how the Orioles got to this point - after winning the Series in 1983 they basically kept replacing young players in their lineup with older ones - for example in 1985 they replaced 27 year old John Shelby with 33 year old Fred Lynn in center field. None of these moves paid off, at least not in the long run. James finishes the first column of his essay with "It has been said that there is no event on record which a competent historian cannot make seem inevitable once it has transpired. I do not want to argue that the dissolution of the Oriole tradition was an inevitable consequence of these decisions. It was not inevitable. It was merely exceedingly probable."
*Hall Of Famer Cal Jr. was coming into his seventh season in 1988. Brother Bill had debuted in 1987 and was one of the few highlights of the year for the Orioles.
Going into the 1988 season there really wasn't any reason to be optimistic but a lot of us in the Baltimore area were thinking that there was no way the team could be as bad as the 1986 and 1987 teams were. As it turns out we were correct but just not in the way we thought.
Introduction
Hello and welcome to my blog about the 1988 Baltimore Orioles' season. The 1988 season was a historically painful one for the Orioles but the year of 1988 was a very good one for me personally and the Orioles were part of that. I went to something like 25 games at Memorial Stadium that season and I have a lot of great memories of really bad baseball from that season.
I'm going to try to do a post pretty much every day between now and the end of the season. Some of the posts won't be much more than links to Baseball-Reference's boxscore but I'll try to throw in personal memories from games I went to and other things as well.
It's hard to believe it's been 30 years since 1988 but it's also amazing looking back at how things have changed.
I'm going to try to do a post pretty much every day between now and the end of the season. Some of the posts won't be much more than links to Baseball-Reference's boxscore but I'll try to throw in personal memories from games I went to and other things as well.
It's hard to believe it's been 30 years since 1988 but it's also amazing looking back at how things have changed.
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