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BALTIMORE — Baseball season has just begun, and the Baltimore Orioles are once again taking to the field for a year of action-packed sports. The orange-centric team offers a lot of history to discover, as they’ve been playing for many decades. Between record-breaking athlete trades and a visit from the Catholic pope, here are five fun facts you may never have known about Maryland’s top baseball team and its rich history.
Babe Ruth Played For The Orioles Minor League Team
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Babe Ruth is one of the most legendary athletes in the history of MLB, and he got his start when he signed on to play for the Baltimore Orioles minor league team when he was only 19 years old in 1914. The Orioles team Ruth joined wasn’t the team you know today, but it was still a previous iteration of the Baltimore Orioles in name.
Ruth actually spent much of his formative years in Baltimore, as he was born in the Pigtown neighborhood. As such, Babe Ruth has a deep connection to Baltimore’s baseball history, and he’s one of the most notable MLB players who spent his childhood in Maryland.
After a few months of playing for the Baltimore Orioles, Babe Ruth transferred to the Boston Red Sox due to a sale made by Jack Dunn, kick-starting Ruth’s impressive career in the major leagues.
The Oriole Bird Mascot Was “Hatched” From An Egg
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The Oriole Bird is one of Baltimore’s most important mascots, but did you know that his debut came in the form of a hatching egg? The black and orange bird hatched from an egg at Memorial Stadium nearly 50 years ago on April 6, 1979.
The MLB website lists the Oriole Bird’s favorite food as bird seed, while its hobbies include running bases and catching foul baseballs. These little tidbits signal the deep personality built around the Baltimore bird throughout the last half-century.
With an extensive personality and decades of continuous appearances on the field, the Oriole Bird will likely continue to be the mascot of baseball in Baltimore for years to come.
Fun fact: You can hire the Oriole Bird to make an appearance at your party or event.
The Orioles Were Once The Milwaukee Brewers
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The Baltimore Orioles moved around the country quite a bit before finding their final nest in Baltimore. Initially, the Orioles began their journey as the Milwaukee Brewers in 1901, but after a single season, the team moved to the city of St. Louis and became the Browns.
Once again, in 1954, the team moved to Baltimore and took on the Orioles as their name. Though it’s not uncommon to switch cities, the Orioles stand out because they’ve moved around and rebranded repeatedly, though they haven’t moved in more than 70 years now.
It’s unlikely that the Orioles will move again within the next few decades, as they’ve become an iconic part of Baltimore culture and have even signed a contract keeping them in the Maryland city until the 2050s.
A Pope Once Visited Oriole Park
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Pope John Paul II took a trip to Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Oct. 8, 1995, allowing him to celebrate a Mass alongside tens of thousands of local citizens.
During the papal visit, Pope John Paul II also participated in a parade and addressed the public, offering a special event for Catholics in Maryland. Pope John Paul II’s trip marked a noteworthy papal visit to the Archdiocese of Baltimore, too, which is highly uncommon.
It was rare for a pope to visit an American sports stadium prior to Pope Leo XIV, so even though many don’t remember the event, Maryland will never let the world forget the day that Catholic pope John Paul II visited Oriole Park!
MLB’s Largest Two-Team Trade Ever
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The New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles conducted the largest trade of players between two teams in MLB history in November 1954, trading around 17 athletes in total.
Highlights from the trade include the addition of Gene Woodling and Gus Triandos to the Orioles, both of whom were incredibly impressive athletes. The huge trade between the two teams came just after the St. Louis Browns relocated and rebranded as the Baltimore Orioles, so it offered the team a chance to switch up their roster before gaining mass recognition.
To this day, there has never been a larger trade of players between two teams in one period than the trade between the Yankees and Orioles, though nothing is impossible in the future.
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