Last year, “Baltimore Bracketology” was a huge success. We totaled over 13,000 votes in our March Madness-style tournament of our favorite Orioles players from the drought years of 1998-2011. Brian Roberts came out on top, defeating Melvin Mora in the championship.

This year, we’re bringing it back for its second year. This time, however, we’re inviting readers to vote for something a little different. We’ve compiled a list of, in our opinion, the greatest 64 games in the history of the Baltimore Orioles.

I want to preface this by saying that so much of this was inspired by my father. Sitting down and talking baseball with him is a simple pleasure that I have learned to take advantage of to the fullest. He has so many memories of great Orioles games he attended with his father and is always willing to share those memories. I consider myself very lucky to have a relationship with my Dad that is so enriched by baseball and the Orioles.

If you have someone in your life who is willing to share their stories with you, listen. It doesn’t matter if it’s about baseball, fighting in a war, being taught by nuns in grade school, or anything else. Just listen. I can’t stress that enough.

On a less sentimental note, let’s dive into this tournament. The Orioles have been in Baltimore since 1954 and have played a total of 9,923 games, including the playoffs. As I’m sure you can imagine, picking 64 games out of nearly 10,000 was an extremely difficult task. Over the years, there have been plenty of playoff victories, milestones achieved, and nights memorable for countless other reasons. Seeding them was just as hard.

I’m sure there are games that should be on this list but are not. Similarly, a few of the games listed may not be worthy. We tried our best to level the playing field in terms of the generational gap but, since we were both born in the 1990s, it was tough to be completely unbiased. It took a lot of research to find memorable games from before our time. We hope that the 64 with which we ended up are good enough to keep you entertained throughout the voting process. Like last year, half of the bracket will be here, and half will be on Charm City Sports Network (formerly O’s Uncensored).

At this point, I guess there’s nothing left to do but get the voting underway! Vote for which game you think should move onto the next round of Greatest Games in Orioles History!

Wild Bill Hagy Region

#16 Frank’s Two Grand Slams vs #1 DeCinces Starts Orioles Magic

(#16) June 26, 1970 – In a 12-2 victory over the Washington Senators, Frank Robinson belted grand slams in back-to-back innings, scoring Dave McNally, Don Buford, and Paul Blair each time. McNally went the distance for his 11th win of the season and Baltimore improved to 46-25 as they worked toward their second World Series title.

(#1) June 22, 1979 – Trailing 5-3 entering the bottom of the ninth, Ken Singleton cut the deficit in half with a solo shot. After an Eddie Murray single, Doug DeCinces blasted a two-out, two-run walk-off homer that is said to have truly begun the idea of “Orioles Magic.” Two weeks earlier, the O’s had erased a 4-2 ninth inning deficit, thanks in part to a throwing error made on a sacrifice bunt attempt. The night after DeCinces’ memorable home run, the O’s pulled off two more come-from-behind wins in a doubleheader. Murray ended Game 1 with a walk-off three-run blast and Game 2 was won on RBI singles by Singleton and Terry Crowley in the seventh and eighth innings, respectively. These were a truly memorable couple of weeks in Orioles history.

https://youtu.be/e1gPTfaUcIc

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#15 Combined No-No Lost vs #2 Tippy Picks Off Three

(#15) April 30, 1967 – Steve Barber and Stu Miller combine to no-hit the Detroit Tigers. This was the Orioles’ second no-hitter and the first since Hoyt Wilhelm 11 years earlier. The O’s lost the game, however, thanks to three ninth inning walks, a wild pitch, and an error on second baseman Mark Belanger (an earlier version of this post mistakenly credited the error to Larry Haney), who had entered the game as a defensive replacement in the ninth.

(#2) August 24, 1983 – Tippy Martinez pulled off one of the most ridiculous feats in the history of baseball when he picked three runners off first base in the tenth inning. Lenn Sakata, a middle infielder, was behind the plate for his only career inning as a catcher. The Blue Jays were eager to run on the weak-armed Sakata but Tippy kept them in check. As if the top of the inning wasn’t crazy enough, Cal Ripken tied the game in the bottom half of the tenth with a solo homer before Sakata belted a walk-off three-run shot. It was one of just three homers that season for Sakata, who homered just 25 times in 1,423 career plate appearances.

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#14 O’s Break Curfew vs #3 Davis gets the W

(#14) May 18, 1957 – This one probably isn’t worth being in the top 64 but I thought it was funny so here we are. The O’s trailed the Chicago White Sox 4-3 in the waning seconds of a curfew. The Sox needed to catch a train, so the game was due to end at 10:20. Instead of holding onto the ball or throwing a couple pitches out of the strike zone in order to end the game, Sox pitcher Paul LaPalme delivered to Dick Williams, who tied the game with a solo home run. Due to the tie, the game had to be replayed at a later date, and the Orioles ended up winning.

(#3) May 6, 2012 – Entering the 16th inning in Boston, deadlocked at 6-6, the Orioles were out of pitchers, so they sent Chris Davis to the bullpen to warm up. He came into the game and pitched two scoreless innings, striking out slugger Adrian Gonzalez and getting some help from his defense. After starting a relay from the base of the Green Monster to nail Marlon Byrd at home to end the bottom of the 16th, Adam Jones belted a three-run shot over the Monster to give the O’s the lead and the win.

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#13 Four O’s No-Hit Oakland vs #4 Game 162

(#13) July 13, 1991 – Bob Milacki, Mike Flanagan, Mark Williamson, and Gregg Olsen combined to no-hit the Oakland Athletics. The O’s won the game, 2-0, aided by a Mike Devereaux home run and a Chris Hoiles RBI single. This will remain the most recent no-hitter thrown by the Orioles until Kevin Gausman in 2016.

(#4) September 28, 2011 – This was the most fun I’ve ever had at Camden Yards. The magnitude and suspense of the night was incredible. As rain put the Red Sox 3-2 lead on hold, players and fans watched in amazement as the Tampa Bay Rays erased a 7-0 deficit to tie the New York Yankees in a game that would help determine Boston’s fate. When play resumed in Baltimore, the O’s knocked three consecutive hits off Jonathan Papelbon, capped by a Robert Andino walk-off RBI single. Despite being just the 69th win of the season for the O’s, the team went crazy on the field as if they had just won the World Series. Just minutes later, as Red Sox players and fans lingered to watch the Rays game on the jumbotron, Evan Longoria hit a walk-off homer that officially knocked the Red Sox out of the playoffs.

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#12 Palmer Throws No-No vs #5 Largest Comeback in O’s History

(#12) August 13, 1969 – Jim Palmer walked six and struck out eight en route to his only career no-hitter. He even helped his cause at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, an RBI and a run scored. The O’s handled the Athletics 8-0. Palmer had just come off the disabled list four days prior to this start. The no-no was just his 34th win as an Oriole. and he went on to win another 234 games before he retired.

(#5) June 30, 2009 – Trailing the Red Sox 10-1 entering the 7th inning, the Orioles were making opposing fans feel quite welcome at Fenway South. All of a sudden, though, the tables turned, and the Orioles pulled off the largest comeback win in franchise history, scoring five in the seventh and five in the eighth. An Oscar Salazer three-run homer was the highlight of the seventh inning and a Nick Markakis two-run double capped the rally in the bottom of the eighth. George Sherrill recorded the save and the comeback was complete.

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#11 Largest Victory in O’s History vs #6 Fight to the Finish

(#11) September 28, 2000 – The Orioles defeated the Blue Jays by a score of 23-1, marking the largest victory in the franchise’s history. Delino DeShields, Brady Anderson, and Brook Fordyce led the attack, each with a home run and 5, 4, and 2 RBI, respectively. Patt Rapp went seven innings, allowing just two hits and one run. Fun fact: In 1934, the Baltimore Orioles of the International League defeated the Buffalo Bisons by a score of 23-0, the largest shutout victory in major or minor league Baltimore baseball history. Exactly 50 years later, Cal Ripken hit for the cycle.

(#6) October 2-4, 1982 – Down three games with four left to play, the O’s needed to sweep the Milwaukee Brewers in order to make the playoffs. They won the first three games of the series 8-3, 7-1, and 11-3. The comeback fell short, though, as the Brewers won the finale 10-2 despite Jim Palmer’s best efforts. Despite the disappointment, the final week of the 1982 season was one that O’s fans will never forget.

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#10 Worst Loss Ever vs #7 First Win of 1988

(#10) August 22, 2007 – This game only made the list because of how funny it is in hindsight. In the first game of a single-admission doubleheader, the Texas Rangers set an MLB record with 30 runs against the O’s at Camden Yards. I arrived at the game in the fifth inning when the score was 5-3. I thought we had a shot. It got to the point where fans started rooting for the Rangers to keep scoring runs and set the record. Such was the sad state of the 2007 Baltimore Orioles. The Rangers’ 8 and 9th place hitters combined for 14 RBI. Yes, fourteen.

(#7) April 29, 1988 – The Orioles started the 1988 season by losing their first 21 games. Cal Ripken, Sr. lost his job as manager six games into the season and was replaced by Frank Robinson. On the second to last day of the month, the Orioles finally sniffed the Win Column, defeating the White Sox by a score of 9-0. I wasn’t there, but I’m sure O’s fans were glad to finally see a victory. The Birds went 53-86 over the rest of the season.

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#9 First Game at Camden Yards vs #8 First Game at Memorial Stadium

(#9) April 6, 1992 – After a celebration that included a ceremonial first pitch by President George H.W. Bush, the O’s defeated the Indians 2-0 in the inaugural game at “the ballpark that forever changed baseball.” Rick Sutcliffe pitched a complete game shutout, outdueling Charles Nagy of the Tribe. Fans were sad to see Memorial Stadium go but the time for change had come.

(#8) April 15, 1954 – The St. Louis Browns became the Baltimore Orioles and were welcomed in their new city by a parade of thousands of fans, excited to have a professional baseball team in their hometown. The O’s won the game 3-1. Clint Courtney and Vern Stephens homered as Bob Turley went the distance on the mound.

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