Clear your calendar for July 1 if you want the new Hawaiian shirt
Not much has happened with the Orioles roster season that would sell some tickets that haven’t already been sold. Maybe Tuesday’s announcement of the giveaway calendar for the 2023 O’s season will at least give people a few dates they want to circle to make sure to attend.
If you’ve been a Camden Yards regular in recent years, you’re already familiar with the assortment of stuff. The giveaways are once again heavily concentrated on weekends and holidays. Other than the home opener on April 6 and a Memorial Day giveaway, there’s only one thing being given away on Monday through Thursday games.
Three current Orioles player bobbleheads sit on the giveaway schedule this year. Ryan Mountcastle gets a bobble giveaway on May 27, Adley Rutschman has a Captain America-inspired bobble coming on June 10, and Félix Bautista is set to have a giveaway on August 26. I hope that Bautista is repeating his success from last year so that third one is a great giveaway.
Additionally, there’s an Eddie Murray bobblehead lined up for August 3 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the 1983 Orioles World Series champions. Shoutout to all of my fellow Orioles fans who were not yet born the last time our favorite baseball team won the title.
Last year’s giveaway schedule featured a power weekend where a floppy hat and Birdland Hawaiian shirt were given away on consecutive days. That’s on the calendar once again this season. June 30’s game (a Friday night) has this year’s floppy hat giveaway, with the next night having the Birdland Hawaiian shirt giveaway. The Twins will be the team in town for those games, so there probably won’t be too many being given away to other teams fans, as has happened in the past.
A few giveaways are neither shirts, hats, nor bobbleheads. May 14’s game against the Pirates features a “crossbody bag” giveaway. Maybe it’s even sized so that you can bring it to the stadium in the future. A June 15 game against the Jays – the only weekday giveaway that’s not a holiday or home opener – will see the first 10,000 fans 15 and over receive Orioles visor sunglasses.
Later on in the season, August 25’s contest features a giveaway of an Orioles wearable flag. What makes it wearable is not known to me. Any flag is wearable if you’re determined enough. The design features the cartoon Bird on top of an orange-and-black-heavy Maryland flag design. And then if you find yourself in attendance for the final night game of 2023, September 30 against the Red Sox, you can get an Orioles lightweight hoodie. Hopefully you won’t need a heavier hoodie by then.
Here’s the full list of what was announced, with links to designs that have been revealed:
- Thursday 4/6 vs. Yankees, 3:05. Schedule magnet. All fans.
- Saturday 4/9 vs. Yankees, 1:35. Oriole Bird Nickelodeon bobblehead. First 10,000 14 and under.
- Sunday 5/14 vs. Pirates, 1:35. Orioles crossbody bag. First 15,000 15 and over.
- Saturday 5/27 vs. Rangers, 4:05. Ryan Mountcastle bobblehead. First 20,000 15 and over.
- Monday 5/29 vs. Guardians, 1:05. Orioles t-shirt. First 15,000 15 and over.
- Saturday 6/10 vs. Royals, 4:05. Adley Rutschman bobblehead inspired by Captain America. First 25,000 15 and over.
- Thursday 6/15 vs. Blue Jays, 1:05. Orioles visor sunglasses. First 10,000 15 and over.
- Friday 6/23 vs. Mariners, 7:05. Orioles cap. First 15,000 15 and over.
- Saturday 6/24 vs. Mariners, 4:05. Orioles Purple Pride jersey. First 25,000 15 and over.
- Friday 6/30 vs. Twins, 7:05. Orioles floppy hat. First 20,000 21 and over.
- Saturday 7/1 vs. Twins, 4:05. Birdland Hawaiian shirt. First 30,000 15 and over.
- Saturday 7/15 vs. Marlins, 7:05. Orioles soccer jersey. First 25,000 15 and over.
- Sunday 7/16 vs. Marlins, 1:35. Orioles t-shirt. First 15,000 15 and over.
- Saturday 8/5 vs. Mets, 7:05. Eddie Murray 1983 World Series bobblehead. First 20,000 15 and over.
- Friday 8/25 vs. Rockies, 7:05. Orioles wearable flag. First 15,000 15 and over.
- Saturday 8/26 vs. Rockies, 7:05. Félix Bautista bobblehead. First 20,000 15 and over.
- Friday 9/15 vs. Rays, 7:05. Orioles t-shirt. First 15,000 15 and over.
- Sunday 9/17 vs. Rays, 1:35. Orioles cap. First 20,000 15 and over.
- Saturday 9/30 vs. Red Sox, 7:05. Orioles lightweight hoodie. First 15,000 15 and over.
Which of these are you going to maybe go out of your way to try to get for yourself? Who do you think is deserving of a t-shirt giveaway for the three unannounced days? I think it’ll be a fun season if Grayson Rodriguez pitches his way into that September t-shirt.