View source for Baltimore Orioles (1882–1899)

{{Short description|1882–1899 baseball team in Baltimore, Maryland, United States}}
{{Infobox sports team
| name              = Baltimore Orioles
| full_name         = Baltimore Base Ball and Exhibition Company
| founded           = {{start date and years ago|1882}}
| folded            = {{start date and years ago|1899}}
| league            = {{plainlist|
*[[National League (baseball)|National League]] (1892–1899)
*[[American Association (1882–1891)|American Association]] (1882–1891)
}}
| ballpark          = {{plainlist|
*[[Union Park (Baltimore)|Union Park]] (1891–1899)
*[[Oriole Park]] (1883–1890)
*[[Newington Park]] (1882)
}}
| city              = [[Baltimore, Maryland]]
| colors            = Orange/yellow/gold, black, white<br>
{{color box|#ffa500}} {{color box|black}} {{color box|white}}
| owner             = [[Harry Von der Horst]]
| manager           = {{plainlist|
* [[John McGraw]] (1899)
* [[Ned Hanlon (baseball)|Ned Hanlon]] (1892–1898)
* [[John Waltz (baseball)|John Waltz]] (1892)
* [[George Van Haltren]] (1892)
* [[Billy Barnie]] (1883–1891)
* [[Henry Myers (shortstop)|Henry Myers]] (1882)
}}
| league_titles     = '''3''' ([[1894 Baltimore Orioles season|1894]], [[1895 Baltimore Orioles season|1895]], [[1896 Baltimore Orioles season|1896]])
| blank_label       = [[Temple Cup]]
| blank_data        = '''2''' ([[1896 Baltimore Orioles season|1896]], [[1897 Baltimore Orioles season|1897]])
}}
The '''Baltimore Orioles''' were a 19th-century [[professional baseball]] team that competed from 1882 to 1899, first in the [[American Association (1882–1891)|American Association]] and later in the [[National League (baseball)|National League]]. This early Orioles franchise, which featured six players ([[Wilbert Robinson]]—C, [[Dan Brouthers]]—1B, [[Hughie Jennings]]—SS, [[John McGraw]]—3B, [[Willie Keeler|"Wee Willie" Keeler]]—RF, and [[Joe Kelley]]—LF) and a manager ([[Ned Hanlon (baseball)|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. Most of the Orioles' best players moved to the [[Brooklyn Dodgers|Brooklyn Superbas]]—Baltimore owner [[Harry Von der Horst]] also had an ownership stake in Brooklyn.
Upon the foundation of the [[American League]] in 1901, a reorganized [[Baltimore Orioles (1901–1902)|Baltimore Orioles]] franchise competed as a charter member for two seasons, before folding and being replaced by the [[New York Highlanders]], later renamed the [[New York Yankees]].
==History==
{{refimprove|section|date=October 2024}}
===American Association===
The team, formally the "Baltimore Base Ball and Exhibition Company",<ref>{{cite web |url=https://collection.baseballhall.org/PASTIME/john-mcgraw-baltimore-base-ball-and-exhibition-company-articles-agreement-1895-3#page/1/mode/1up |title=John McGraw Baltimore Base Ball and Exhibition Company articles of agreement, 1895 |website=National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum |access-date=April 10, 2021 }}</ref> was founded in 1882 as a charter member of the [[American Association (1882–1891)|American Association]] (AA), considered a major league. The Orioles finished last in the league in four of their first five season, the exception being a sixth-place finish in 1884 when 13 different teams played in the league.<ref name=seasons/> The team then had its best positional finish, third place, in 1887, followed by two seasons finishing fifth in the then eight-team league.
The Orioles dropped out of the league after the 1889 season, and began the 1890 season playing in the [[Minor League Baseball|minor-league]] [[Atlantic Association]].
{{main|Baltimore Orioles (Atlantic Association)}}
However, when the last-place [[Brooklyn Gladiators]] of the AA folded in late August, the Orioles re-joined the AA and played 38 games to complete the 1890 season, posting a record of 15–19 with four ties.<ref name=seasons/> The Orioles remained in the AA for 1891, finishing sixth among nine teams in the AA's final season.<ref name=seasons/>
Overall, during 10 seasons of AA play, the Orioles had a cumulative record of {{winpct|489|602|record=y}}.<ref name=seasons>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BLO/ |title=Baltimore Orioles Team History & Encyclopedia |website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]] |accessdate=October 13, 2024}}</ref>
===National League===
[[File:1896 Baltimore Orioles.jpg|thumb|right|1896 team photo]]
[[File:Ned Hanlon (portrait).jpg|thumb|right|upright=.66|[[Ned Hanlon (baseball)|Ned Hanlon]]]]
The Orioles were one of four AA clubs (the others being the [[Louisville Colonels]], [[History of the St. Louis Cardinals (1875–1919)|St. Louis Browns]], and [[Washington Senators (1891–1899)|Washington Statesmen]]) merged into the [[National League (baseball)|National League]] (NL) in 1892, formally as a 12-member "League Association". The beginnings of the team can be traced to June 1892, when owner [[Harry Von der Horst]] hired [[Ned Hanlon (baseball)|Ned Hanlon]] to be [[Manager (baseball)|manager]] of the Orioles, giving him stock in the team and full authority over baseball operations. Hanlon moved his growing family to a house that stood a block away from the team's ballpark.
After finishing last in the league in 1892 and eighth in 1893, the Orioles won three consecutive pennants during 1894–1896,<ref name=seasons/> featuring several future [[Baseball Hall of Fame|Hall of Fame]]rs under manager Hanlon. They followed up the title run with two second-place finishes, in 1897 and 1898.<ref name=seasons/> Accordingly, they participated in all four editions of the post-season [[Temple Cup]] series, held from 1894 through 1897 between the NL's top two teams, winning in 1896 and 1897.
After the team's 1898 second-place finish, most of the team's stars were moved to the [[Brooklyn Bridegrooms]], who were renamed as the Superbas for 1899 and eventually became known as the Dodgers. The players moved when Von der Horst and Hanlon became part owners of the Brooklyn team, with Hanlon also becoming Brooklyn's manager. Third baseman [[John McGraw]] and catcher [[Wilbert Robinson]] remained in Baltimore, with McGraw remaining as first-year [[player-manager]]. Following a fourth-place finish in 1899,<ref name=seasons/> the Orioles were one of four clubs eliminated by the NL (the others being the [[Cleveland Spiders]], Louisville Colonels, and the aforementioned Washington Statesmen, then known as the Washington Senators).
During their eight seasons of play in the NL, the Orioles compiled an overall record of {{winpct|644|447|record=y}}.<ref name=seasons/>
===Later developments===
In the eight-team NL of 1900, McGraw and Robinson joined the [[St. Louis Cardinals]].
In 1901, McGraw followed through on his threats to abandon the NL and form a club in the rival [[American League]] (AL), being formed by new president [[Ban Johnson]] out of the former minor-league [[Western League (1885–1900)|Western League]]. These newly formed Orioles of the AL only stayed in Baltimore for two seasons.
{{main|Baltimore Orioles (1901–1902)}}
In 1903, a team was established in New York City as "the price of peace" as agreement between the older circuit (the NL) and its new upstart rival (the AL) allowing the "Americans" to have a team based in the city as a sign of respectability. The AL team in New York became known as the [[New York Highlanders]] (or occasionally the New York Americans), later renamed in 1913 as the [[New York Yankees]]. The Yankees do not consider the 1901–1902 Baltimore team as part of their history.
In 1903, an Orioles franchise in the old minor-league [[International League|Eastern League]] filled the void left by the departure of the major-league Orioles.
{{main|Baltimore Orioles (minor league)}}
These minor-league Orioles included local product and future baseball icon [[Babe Ruth]] and [[Lefty Grove]]. The team won a string of seven straight titles, 1919–1925, at the then highest level of the minor leagues in the reorganized [[International League]] (known as such from 1912 onward).
A major-league franchise did not return to Baltimore until the [[St. Louis Browns]] (not the Browns of the AA, but a team that had its origins in [[Milwaukee]]) relocated to the city in 1954 and was renamed as the current [[Baltimore Orioles]] of [[Major League Baseball]].
===Ballparks===
[[File:Baltimore Union Baseball Park, 1895 1a.jpg|thumb|right|upright=.8|[[Union Park (Baltimore)|Union Park]] entrance]]
{{see also|List of baseball parks in Baltimore, Maryland}}
The Orioles of the American Association first played at [[Newington Park]] for the 1882 season.
Starting in 1883, the team played at the old [[Oriole Park]], in [[List of Baltimore neighborhoods|Harwood]], south of the [[Waverly, Baltimore|Waverly]] neighborhood at 29th and Barclay Streets, just a block west from [[Maryland Route 45|Greenmount Avenue]], remaining there into the 1891 season. The 1901–1902 American League team played at Oriole Park a decade later.
During the 1891 season, the Orioles moved a few blocks away to [[Union Park (Baltimore)|Union Park]] on Huntington Avenue (later renamed 25th Street) and Greenmount Avenue. The team remained at Union Park for its entire time in the National League, 1892 through 1899.
==Stars==
[[File:Stars players of the Baltimore Orioles.jpg|thumb|right|upright=.8|Back row: [[Willie Keeler]] (left) and [[John McGraw]]. Front row: [[Joe Kelley]] (left) and [[Hughie Jennings]]]]
The original Orioles were one of the most storied teams in the history of the game. Managed by [[Ned Hanlon (baseball)|Ned Hanlon]], they won NL pennants in 1894, 1895, and 1896, and sported some of the most colorful players in history including [[John McGraw]], [[Willie Keeler|Wee Willie Keeler]], [[Hughie Jennings]], [[Joe Kelley]], [[Wilbert Robinson]], and [[Dan Brouthers]].
They were rough characters who practically invented "scientific" baseball, the form of baseball played before the [[home run]] became the norm in the 1920s.  Like the style known today as "[[small ball (baseball)|small ball]]", the "[[Inside Baseball (strategy)|inside baseball]]" strategy of Orioles featured tight [[pitcher|pitching]], [[hit and run (baseball)|hit and run]] tactics, [[stolen base]]s, and precise [[Bunt (baseball)|bunting]]. One such play, where the batter deliberately strikes the pitched ball downward onto the infield surface with sufficient force such that the ball rebounds skyward, allowing the batter to reach first base safely before the opposing team can field the ball, remains known as a [[Baltimore chop]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Klingaman |first1=Mike |title=In the rough-and-tumble baseball of the 1890s, Baltimore rose to the top with skill and guile |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/bs-da-longball-1890s-story.html |access-date=26 June 2021 |work=[[The Baltimore Sun]] |date=7 July 1996 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108000232/https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/bs-da-longball-1890s-story.html |archive-date=8 November 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref>
[[Matt Kilroy]] pitched a [[no-hitter]] for the Orioles on October 6, 1886; [[Bill Hawke]] threw one on August 16, 1893, the first from the modern pitching distance of 60{{nbsp}}feet, 6{{nbsp}}inches; and [[Jay Hughes]] threw a no-hitter for the Orioles on April 22, 1898.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/pitching/official-no-hitters.shtml |title=Official No-Hitters |website=[[Baseball Almanac]] |accessdate=October 13, 2024}}</ref>
==Baseball Hall of Famers==
{{multiple image
| footer    = [[John McGraw]] (left) and [[Hughie Jennings]] (right) anchored the left side of the infield for Orioles teams that won three straight [[National League (baseball)|National League]] pennants (1894–1896). Later, both were successful managers.
| align     = right
| total_width = 250
| image1    = John J. McGraw, New York Giants, baseball card portrait LCCN2008677361.jpg
| image2    = Hugh Jennings, Detroit Tigers, baseball card portrait LCCN2008677861.jpg
}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center
|-
! colspan=4 style="background:black; color:#ffa500;"|Baltimore Orioles Hall of Famers
|-
! style="background:#ffa500;"|Inductee
! style="background:#ffa500;"|Position
! style="background:#ffa500;"|Tenure
! style="background:#ffa500;"|Inducted
|-
| [[Dan Brouthers]] || [[First baseman|1B]] || 1894–1895 || {{bhofy|1945}}
|-
| [[Ned Hanlon (baseball)|Ned Hanlon]] || [[Center fielder|CF]] / Manager || 1892–1898 || {{bhofy|1996}}
|-
| [[Hughie Jennings]] || [[Shortstop|SS]]/[[First baseman|1B]] || 1893–1899 || {{bhofy|1945}}
|-
| [[Willie Keeler]] || [[Right fielder|RF]] || 1894–1898 || {{bhofy|1939}}
|-
| [[Joe Kelley]] || [[Left fielder|LF]] || 1892–1898 || {{bhofy|1971}}
|-
| [[Joe McGinnity]] || [[Pitcher|P]] || 1899 || {{bhofy|1946}}
|-
| [[John McGraw]] || [[Third baseman|3B]] / Manager || 1891–1899 || {{bhofy|1937}}
|-
| [[Wilbert Robinson]] || [[Catcher]] / Manager || 1890–1899 || {{bhofy|1945}}
|-
|}
==See also==
<!--do not list any wikilinks already in the article-->
*[[History of the Baltimore Orioles]]
*[[History of the New York Yankees]]
==Sources==
* Solomon, Burt (1999), ''Where They Ain't: The Fabled Life And Untimely Death Of The Original Baltimore Orioles.'' New York: Free Press. {{ISBN|0-684-85451-1}}
*Rosenberg, Howard W. (2005); ''Cap Anson 3: Muggsy John McGraw and the Tricksters: Baseball's Fun Age of Rule Bending.'' Arlington, Virginia: Tile Books. {{ISBN|0-9725574-2-3}}
==References==
{{reflist}}
== External links ==
* [https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BLO/ Team index] at Baseball Reference
* Excerpt from ''Where They Ain't: The Fabled Life And Untimely Death Of The Original Baltimore Orioles'' by Burt Solomon at [https://web.archive.org/web/20080725124653/http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/excerpts/where_they_aint.stm BaseballLibrary.com]
{{Baltimore Orioles (19th century)}}
{{1894 Baltimore Orioles}}
{{1895 Baltimore Orioles}}
{{1896 Baltimore Orioles}}
{{American Association (1882–1891)}}
{{MLBHistory}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baltimore Orioles (1882-99)}}
[[Category:Baltimore Orioles (1882–1899)| ]]
[[Category:Baseball teams established in 1882]]
[[Category:Baseball teams disestablished in 1899]]
[[Category:Baseball teams in Baltimore]]
[[Category:American Association (1882–1891) teams]]
[[Category:1882 establishments in Maryland]]
[[Category:1899 disestablishments in Maryland]]
[[Category:Defunct baseball teams in Maryland]]
[[Category:Professional baseball teams in Maryland]]