Whether you're a longtime baseball fan or newly interested in it, there's no time like the present to brush up on your O's facts! Our local birds have some pretty interesting achievements and history, and we've got a few fun facts to share. How many of these did you know?
1. History was made by Cal Ripken in 1995
Okay, if you're a long-time O's fan, you definitely know this fact! But if you're young and new to baseball, you may not realize that Cal Ripken Jr broke the record for most consecutive games played. In September of 1995, he played his 2,131st game in a row, leading to a standing ovation in Camden Yards that was nearly a half hour long! Here's another fun fact -- current O's stars Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman weren't even born when this took place.
2. Let's go...Brewers?
Before there were Orioles to root for, there were the Milwaukee Brewers -- and yes, we know, it's confusing, given that there's currently a modern team called the Milwaukee Brewers. Even more confusingly, the team that's now known as the Milwaukee Brewers used to be a team from Seattle called the Pilots. The old Brewers went to St. Louis before finally heading to Baltimore in 1954.
3. Bird is the word
The Oriole Bird (that's his name, per the Orioles website) was hatched out of an enormous egg on April 6, 1979 (making him an Aries, if you're curious). But the team has had connections to the real oriole for longer than that. Connections have long been made between the colors of the bird's feathers and the colors of the Baltimore family herald. We think our fans look pretty great in orange!
4. There's a fun new twist on the hot dog race
If you've been to an O's game lately, you've definitely seen the hot dog race -- an animated video on the screen featuring hot dogs topped with ketchup, mustard, and relish racing through the streets of Baltimore. But there's a new race to run, this time featuring live hot dog mascots running around the stadium! It's an update to a beloved tradition that's not to be missed. Check out when they're running here.
