Baltimore Orioles (AA)

Baltimore Orioles

• Win-Loss Record: 1210-1073-56-1 (.530)

Ballparks: Newington Park (May 9-September 30, 1882); Oriole Park I (May 1, 1883-October 10, 1889); Oriole Park II (May 1890-May 9, 1891);

The Baltimore Orioles were one of the founding franchises in the American Association. They were originally known as the "Baltimore Lord Baltimores" for the inaugural season. The Orioles nickname came into use for the 1883 season. After eight mediocre seasons in the American Association, the team dropped down to the Atlantic Association for the 1890 season. However, when their replacement franchise, the Brooklyn Gladiators, folded in mid-year, the Orioles rejoined the American Association on August 3rd and finished out the Gladiators' season. The team would join the National League following the 1891 season.

Further Reading

• Charles C. Alexander: John McGraw, University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, NE, 1995 (Originally published in 1988).
• Peter Filichia: Green Cathedrals: The Ultimate Celebrations of All 273 Major League and Negro League Ballparks Past and Present, Addison Wesley Publishing Company, 1993.
• Frederick G. Lieb: The History of a Colorful Team in Baltimore and St. Louis, G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1955.
• Marty Payne: "Beer Tanks and Barbed Wire: Bill Barnie and Baltimore", in The Baseball Research Journal, SABR, Volume 42, Number 1 (Spring 2013), pp. 25-29.