now things start heating up...

April 3rd


1960 The Orioles trade second baseman Billy Gardner to Washington for Clint Courtney. Courtney, nicknamed "Scrap Iron" and still holder of the club mark for the fewest strikeouts in a season (seven in 437 at bats in 1954), begins his second of three tours of duty in Baltimore, hitting only .227 in 83 games for the 1960 Orioles.

1989 The new season dawns with heavy rains and the opener with Boston is in doubt, but at 11:30 A.M. the clouds disappear, the sun comes out, and it becomes one of Baltimore's best weather openers ever, the first of many miracles for the improbable '89 Orioles. After President George Bush tosses out the ceremonial first pitch, the Orioles proceed to nip the Red Sox, 5-4 in 11 innings. Cal Ripken Jr. hits a three-run homer off Roger Clemens and rookie Craig Worthington singles in the game winner in the 11th in front of 52,161 fans. There would be no 0-21 start this year. The win snaps a four-game Presidential losing streak, three with Ronald Reagan and one with Jimmy Carter.

I was there in 1989. Section 11 Upper Deck. Bus trip from The Old Lighthouse Inn on Barney and Light Streets. Wow! Great times!

haha, so cool! like Career200 says, maybe next year you can run us a Forum on 1989 :nice: i'd love that

April 4th

1994 Rafael Palmeiro, the most celebrated of the Orioles off-season acquisitions, hits a seventh-inning homer to help Mike Mussina beat Keven Appier and the Royals on Opening Day, 6-3. The 29-year-old Palmeiro had homered in his first intrasquad game, his first exhibition game, his first game as an Oriole at Camden Yards in an exhibition game against the Phillies, and now on Opening Day.

April 5th

1982 The Orioles hit four home runs, including a grand slam by Eddie Murrayand three-run shots by Cal Ripken Jr. and newcomer Don Ford, to beat Kansas City, 13-5, before a record crowd of 51,958.

1989 The crowd of 22,041, the second biggest second-day house in club history, watches the Orioles beat Boston, 6-4, and suddenly the O's are two games over .500 for the first time since June 1987. Jose Bautista uses only 94 pitches and retires 16 straight at one point to get the win.

Maybe in 2009.

I love this site!

April 8th

1963 The Orioles win the Presidential Opener in Washington, 3-1, scoring all their runs in the second inning off Don Rudolph on a solo homer by Jim Gentile and Boog Powell's two-run belt.

April 9th

1959 Vice President Nixon throws out the first ball at Griffith Stadium. The Orioles lose the Presidential Opener, 9-2, to the Senators.

1970 Tom Phoebus wins his first of the year and the Birds take their third straight with a 13-1 bombing of Cleveland. Don Buford hits two of the Orioles' four homers, one from each side of the plate.

1976 A record opening-day crowd of 46,425 at Memorial Stadium watches the Orioles blank Boston, 1-0, with Jim Palmer and Dyar Miller combining on the shutout.

1983 Cleveland wins its home opener, 8-4, as Tippy Martinez, who would enjoy his best season in the majors, gives up his first career grand slam, to George Vukovich. Julio Franco follows with a solo shot as Tippy gives up two homers in one game for the first time.

1990 Sam Horn, signed to a minor league contract after being released by Boston in February, enjoys the greatest Opening Day and Orioles debut in club history. Horn belts a pair of three-run homers to help the Orioles defeat the Kansas City Royals in come-from-behind fashion, 7-6, in 11 innings at KC. His first homer comes off Cy Young winner Bret Saberhagen. It was the most RBI by a major league player on Opening Day since Jim Presley had six for Seattle in 1986. Brant Alyea had seven for the Twins against Chicago on April 7, 1970.

1992 Ben McDonald tosses a two-hitter and beats the Indians, 2-0. It's the third shutout in as many games to inaugurate Camden Yards. It's just the second time in major league history shutouts are thrown in the first three games of a new ballpark. The other time it happened was way back in 1913 when Ebbetts Field opened. The O's two complete-game shutouts after three games matches their total from the entire '91 season. Mike Devereaux hits the Birds' first homer in their new park off Jack Armstrong.

1998 Joe Carter drives home the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and the Orioles tie a club record with five double plays in winning their seventh straight, 2-1, over the Royals in Kansas City. The 7-1 start equals the best start in club history.

1999 Jerold C. Hoffberger, former President of the National Brewing Co. and principle owner of the Orioles from 1965 until 1979, dies suddenly just two days after celebrating his 80th birthday. Under Hoffberger's leadership, the Orioles won five American League pennants, two World Championships in 1966 and 1970 and six divisional crowns. Hoffberger sold the Orioles to Edward Bennet Williams after the 1979 season for when the Williams family sold to Eli Jacobs. Hoffberger, a great philanthropist, was called one of the most generous men in America by Town and Country magazine. He gave over $10 million to various charities.

April 10th

1968 Brooks Robinson hits his third straight opening-day home run in a 3-1 win over Oakland.

1970 Brooks Robinson's hit scores the winning run in the last of the 10th as the Birds beat Detroit, 3-2, in the O's home opener.

1975 Lee May smashes a three-run homer in his first at bat in the American League, connecting off Joe Coleman. Jim Palmer pitches a 10-0 shutout in Detroit on opening day.

1983 Eddie Murray has four hits, scores four runs, and drives in four as the Orioles pound Cleveland.

1987 The Orioles edge Cleveland, 12-11, in 10 innings in the Indians home opener. The crowd is 64,540, the largest number of people ever to watch the Orioles in a regular season game.

April 11th

1963 Milt Pappas pitches a five-hitter as the Birds beat Whitey Ford and the Yankees, 4-1, in the first meeting between the two teams. Boog Powell hits two home runs.

i finally got Boog's autograph. it's on the underside of the brim of my cap. i'm quite happy about that.

1970 A four-run outburst in the eighth lifts the Os' to their fifth straight win, 5-3, over Detroit. The win sets a club record for most victories at the start of the season.

1973 The Orioles help the Tigers open their home season before more than 46,000 fans in Detroit. But the Birds spoil the occasion with a 3-1 win in 12 innings. Jim Palmer, Grant Jackson, and Eddie Watt hold the Tigers hitless over the last eight innings.

1974The Orioles spoil Boston's home opener by coming back to win, 7-6, in 11 innings. The game had been postponed twice because of four inches of snow that fell in Boston.

1998 Mike Mussina allows only two hits through eight innings, striking out nine and notching his 1000th career strikeout as the Orioles blank the Tigers, 2-0, at Tiger Stadium. Mussina required just two outfield putouts in winning his second game of the season.

April 12th

1966 The Orioles beat Boston, 5-4. Jim Lonborg balks home the winning run with the bases loaded and two outs in the 13th inning.

1974 Two straight wild pitches by Jim Slaton with the bases loaded in the fourth inning give the O's a 5-3 win over Milwaukee.

1989 The Orioles break a 15-game losing streak to the Royals with a 5-4 win in 15 innings in Kansas City in the longest game in Royals history, 5:07. Leading, 4-1, in the ninth, KC ties the game, but Mark Williamson comes to the rescue and retires all 14 Royals he faces. Mike Devereaux' sac fly off Steve Parr scores the game winner.

April 13th

1954 The Orioles play their first game since returning to the major leagues in Detroit before 46,994, and lose to the Tigers, 3-0, as Steve Gromek beats Don Larsen.

1966 Jim Palmer pitches his first career complete game and hits a two-run homer to help his cause as the Orioles beat Boston, 8-1, at Fenway Park. Frank and Brooks hit back-to-back homers in the first inning.

1968 Elrod Hendricks, in his first major league at bat, singles home the first run of the game in the seventh, as the Orioles and Jim Hardin beat California, 3-0.

1969 Comebacking Jim Palmer, making his first appearance since September 19, 1967, strikes out eight Senators, including Frank Howard four times, blanking Washington, 2-0. Frank Robinson's two-run homer in the third accounts for the Oriole scoring. In the second game of the twin-bill, Tom Phoebus wins his first of the season and extends the O's scoreless-inning streak to 30.

1975 Mike Torrez, making his first start in the American League, benefits from 15 hits as the Birds bomb Boston 11-3. :biggrin:

1991 Cal Ripken bangs out four hits, including a triple and two home runs while driving in seven in an 11-4 rout of the Rangers in Arlington.

1997 Jimmy Key blanks the Rangers, 9-0, at Camden Yards. It's his first complete game since May 6, 1994, and his first shutout since May 28, 1993.