The Baltimore Orioles were a Major League Baseball team that was based in Baltimore, Maryland and played from 1882 through 1899. They played in the American Association from 1882 through 1891 and in the National League from 1892 through 1899. [1] The Orioles used 10 Opening Day starting pitchers in their 18 years as a Major League Baseball franchise. The first game of the new baseball season for a team is played on Opening Day, and being named the Opening Day starter is an honor, which is often given to the player who is expected to lead the pitching staff that season, [2] though there are various strategic reasons why a team's best pitcher might not start on Opening Day. [3] The Orioles had a record of 10 wins and 8 losses in their Opening Day games.
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization, the oldest of the four major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada. A total of 30 teams play in the National League (NL) and American League (AL), with 15 teams in each league. The NL and AL were formed as separate legal entities in 1876 and 1901 respectively. After cooperating but remaining legally separate entities beginning in 1903, the leagues merged into a single organization led by the Commissioner of Baseball in 2000. The organization also oversees Minor League Baseball, which comprises 256 teams affiliated with the Major League clubs. With the World Baseball Softball Confederation, MLB manages the international World Baseball Classic tournament.
The American Association (AA) was a professional baseball league that existed for 10 seasons from 1882 to 1891. Together with the NL, founded in 1876, the AA participated in an early version of the World Series seven times versus the champion of the NL in an interleague championship playoff tournament. At the end of its run, several AA franchises joined the NL. After 1891, the NL existed alone, with each season's champions being awarded the prized Temple Cup (1894-1897).
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest current professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (NAPBBP) of 1871–1875, the NL is sometimes called the Senior Circuit, in contrast to MLB's other league, the American League, which was founded 25 years later.
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The first game in Orioles' history was played on May 2, 1882 against the Philadelphia Athletics at Oakdale Park in Philadelphia. [4] Tricky Nichols was the Orioles' Opening Day starting pitcher for that game, which the Orioles lost by a score of 10–7. [4] The team's first game as a member of the National League was played on April 12, 1892 against the Brooklyn Bridegrooms at Union Park in Baltimore. [5] Sadie McMahon was the Orioles' Opening Day starting pitcher in a game the Orioles lost be a score of 13–3. [5] The last Opening Day game in Orioles' history was played on April 15, 1899 against the New York Giants at Union Park. [6] Frank Kitson was the Orioles' Opening Day starting pitcher and the Orioles won by a score of 5–3. [6]
The Philadelphia Athletics were a professional baseball team, one of six charter members of the American Association, a 19th-century major league, which began play in 1882 as a rival to the National League. The other teams were the Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Red Stockings, Eclipse of Louisville, Pittsburgh Alleghenys, and St. Louis Brown Stockings. The team took its name from a previous team, which played in the National Association from 1871 through 1875 and in the National League in 1876.
Oakdale Park is a former baseball field located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The field was home to the Philadelphia Athletics in their first season of the American Association in 1882. The site of the park had been used for amateur baseball since the Civil War.
Frederick C. "Tricky" Nichols was a pitcher in Major League Baseball for six seasons from 1875 to 1882. He played for six teams: New Haven Elm Citys in 1875, Boston Red Caps in 1876, St. Louis Brown Stockings in 1877, Providence Grays in 1878, Worcester Ruby Legs in 1880, and Baltimore Orioles in 1882. He died in his hometown of Bridgeport, Connecticut at the age of 47, and is interred at Lakeview Cemetery.
Three pitchers made multiple Opening Day starts for the Orioles. McMahon made the most Opening Day starts for the team, five, including four consecutive Opening Day starts from 1891 through 1894. [5] [7] [8] [9] [10] Matt Kilroy was the Orioles' Opening Day starting pitcher four times, every year from 1886 to 1889. [11] [12] [13] [14] Hardie Henderson made two Opening Day starts for the Orioles, in 1884 and 1885. [15] [16]
Matthew Aloysius "Matches" Kilroy was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. In 1886, he had 513 strikeouts, which remains the MLB single-season record.
James Harding "Hardie" Henderson was Major League Baseball pitcher from 1883 to 1888. He played for the Philadelphia Quakers, Baltimore Orioles, Brooklyn Grays, and Pittsburgh Alleghenys, and he finished with a win–loss record of 81-121.
The Orioles won the National League championship three times, in 1894, 1895 and 1896. [1] McMahon was the Orioles' Opening Day starting pitcher in two of those championship seasons, in 1894 and 1896. [9] [10] Duke Esper was the Orioles' Opening Day starting pitcher in 1895. [17]
Charles H. "Duke" Esper was a professional baseball player who played pitcher in the Major Leagues from 1890–1898. He would play for the Philadelphia Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies, Baltimore Orioles, Washington Senators, and St. Louis Browns. He gave up Roger Connor's 100th home run, the second player to do so after Harry Stovey.
