On October 5th, 2022, the Orioles lost the final game of the season 5-1 against the Toronto Blue Jays. The club finished with a record of 83-79, which was their best record since the 2016 season where they went 89-73. Heading into the offseason, general manager Mike Elias and manager Brandon Hyde saw the vision: the rebuild was coming to a close. After years of bad baseball (including three 100+ loss seasons), the Orioles were taking steps forward to becoming a powerhouse in the American League East. The core of young players, headlined by Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson, were finally in the majors. Complimenting those young stars were Anthony Santander, Ramon Urias and Cedric Mullins. After acquiring free agents Kyle Gibson, Adam Frazier and James McCann, the Orioles were ready for 2023.
Their first series of the season was in Fenway Park to face the Boston Red Sox. The O’s won the first game 10-9, propelled by a 5-5 day for Adley Rutschman. The moment all Birdland fans remember was Adley’s home run on the first pitch he saw. There was another notable moment in that series, but it’s one that fans want to forget. Clinging to a one-run lead in the bottom of the ninth, outfielder Ryan McKenna dropped a fly ball that would’ve been the final out of the game. A few pitches later, Red Sox hitter Adam Duvall (who all O’s fans hate) hit a walk-off home run against Felix Bautista. After the poor play in Fenway, not a lot of Orioles fans thought the team would win 101 games and a division title.
In early April against the Athletics, star first baseman Ryan Mountcastle went 3-4 with 2 HR’s and 9 RBI. His second home run of the game was a grand slam that gave the Orioles a 12-7 lead. The home run was measured at a distance of 456 feet, conquering the Great Wall of Baltimore. The Orioles held the lead in that game and went on to win 12-8.
Later that month, we saw the debut of top-pitching prospect Grayson Rodriguez. After struggling out of the gate, Rodriguez struck out 8 en route to an 8-4 Baltimore win. Cedric Mullins also had a memorable performance collecting 3 hits and 4 RBI.
Fast-forward to May. The 29-7 Tampa Bay Rays were coming to Camden Yards for a three-game set. After dropping game one 3-0, the O’s rallied and won games 2 and 3 to win the series 2-1. Grayson Rodriguez had a strong outing in game 2, allowing just two earned runs over 5.2 innings pitched. He kept what many thought was the best offense in the majors in check.
June will forever be known as the month of Gunnar Henderson. After really struggling to find his footing in April/May, Henderson hit .320 with 24 hits, 6 homers, 16 RBI’s and 10 runs scored. He continued his success throughout the rest of the season, and he’s the odds-on favorite to win the AL ROY.
Heading into their game against the Yankees on July 6th, the Orioles had dropped 6 of their last 7 games. Angry from their last few games, the offense exploded for 7 runs in the 3rd and 5 runs in the 4th to win 14-1. It was the largest win at Yankee Stadium for the Orioles in the history of the rivalry. Gunnar Henderson went 4-7 with 2 HR and 5 RBI. Just three days later, they blew out the Minnesota Twins 15-2 in their last game before the all-star break. All-stars Adley Rutschman and Austin Hays combined to go 4-9 with 2 HR and 4 RBI.
The club started their second half with a sweep of the Miami Marlins, and it was full steam ahead from that point on. The team headed down to Tampa for a four-game series with the first place Rays on Thursday, July 20th. Baltimore was tied with the Rays for first place, and they claimed soul possession with an electrifying 4-3 win in 10 innings. After losing the second game of the series 3-0, the O’s never looked back and took the next two to secure a 2-game lead of first place. It was a lead that they would never give up.
On August 13th, Cedric Mullins had arguably the best game of his career against the Seattle Mariners. Mullins came off of the bench in the 9th inning to rob a home run that would’ve given the Mariners a walk-off win. The Mariners tied the game, and it was heading to extras. In his second at-bat of the game, Cedric Mullins hit a towering two-run homerun to put the Orioles on top 5-3. The bullpen would lock it down, and the O’s went on to win 5-3.
Baltimore met up with Tampa Bay in the middle of September, this time with a playoff berth on the line. After losing the first two games of the series, the Orioles rallied to win the third game 8-0. On Sunday, September 17th, Baltimore won 5-4 in the eleventh inning off of a Cedric Mullins sacrifice fly to send the Birds back to the postseason. It would be their first appearance since the 2016 season.
Just eleven days later, the Red Sox came to town. The Orioles needed on more win to secure the division, which would be their first division crown since 2014. Righty Dean Kremer took the bump and threw 5.1 scoreless innings in a 2-0 win. The Orioles got a solo home run by Anthony Santander in the first, and a Heston Kjerstad RBI-double that scored Frazier in the 8th. That was all the offense that was needed, and the Orioles were at the top of the AL East mountain.
There were lots of ups and downs in the 2023 season. This included losing the best closer in baseball Felix Bautista in late-August. The Orioles didn’t let this stop them, and they rallied together to win the fourth-most games in franchise history. Although the postseason didn’t go how Orioles fans wanted it to, there’s no doubt that this team is ahead of schedule. What a season it was, and Birdland can’t wait for 2024.
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