MLB: History of the Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team. The team is a part of Major League Baseball. They currently play in the Eastern Division of the American League.

The Orioles were established in 1894. They are one of the baseball franchises that have been around since near the beginning. They were actually part of the American League's charter franchise program in 1901. The league decided to charter 8 franchises in including the Orioles. They did not start off playing in Baltimore however. In their first year they played as the "Milwaukee Brewers." The team didn't last long in Milwaukee.

After a short time the team moved on to St. Louis. The team was in St. Louis for 52 years before moving on. During their time in St. Louis they were known as the St. Louis Browns. The time in St. Louis wasn't exactly a good time for the team formerly known as the Browns.

The Browns found very little success in that time. They managed to win just one AL pennant in those 52 years in St. Louis. That AL pennant came in 1944.

In 1954 the team moved on to Baltimore and was known as the Orioles. The success of the Orioles changed relatively quickly after their relocation.

The team began to be a serious contender in the late 1960's. In 1966 they won their first pennant in Baltimore. It was nice to have this accomplishment, but they wanted more than just a pennant. That year they fought to the World Series and had a dream season. They managed to take home the World Series title. This was the first title in the history of the franchise. They weren't done yet though.

The Orioles continued on success in the 60's and won their first East Division title in 1969. That season the team went on to also win their second AL Pennant in Baltimore. The Orioles were really paving a pathway to success.

1970 brought more excitement than ever before. The team was led by several Hall-of-Fame players like Frank Robinson, Brooks Robinson and Jim Palmer just like they had been in 1966. The team was hungry for another win and so was manager Earl Weaver. They fought hard and won their second consecutive East Division Title. They kept fighting through the playoffs and managed to win the pennant and eventually they took home the World Series Title for the 2nd time in 5 seasons.

The team is probably best known for players like Cal Ripken Jr. and Eddie Murray. These players were Hall-of-Fame players that made a real impact on the Orioles. Ripken Jr. Is known as one of the greatest shortstops of all time and even won a MVP award in 1991. This was an uncommon feat for a shortstop in those days. The duo of Ripken and Murray led the team to their final World Series title in 1983.

The Orioles have had successes since 1983, but they've never won the big game. They have recently hired Buck Showalter to try to turn things around on a team that's struggled for years.