Baltimore Orioles: The All-Time Bracket
No. 1 vs. 8 seed
Among the great Orioles teams of the 1970 era dynasty, the 1969 club was probably the best. Granted, it famously was upset by the New York Mets in that fall’s World Series. But the Orioles won a franchise-record 109 games.
Frank Robinson and Brooks Robinson were the on-field leaders. Frank batted .308 with 32 home runs and 100 RBIs, while Brooks added 84 RBIs and played a spectacular third base. At first, Boog Powell batted .304 with 37 homers and 121 RBIs.
The pitching staff was deep. Left-handers Mike Cuellar and Dave McNally combined for 43 victories in 559 innings of work. Jim Palmer added a 16-4 record from the right side.
The 1944 St. Louis Browns were the only American League pennant winner in that portion of the franchise’s history. Their reputation is tainted by the fact that the Browns won while some of the American League’s best stars – Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio – were in military service. But if the Browns were not a great team, they were at least a solid one for the era.
Outfielder Mike Kreevich batted .301 and shortstop Vern Stephens added 109 RBIs to lead the offense. Nelson Potter was 19-7 in 29 starts and Jack Kramer added a 17-13 record, the two combining for 490 innings.
Game 1: The 1969 club’s 109-53 record translates to a .673 regular-season percentage. The 1944 Browns won the pennant at 89-65 .578.
Game 2: The 1969 club swept Minnesota in the first division series before losing to the Mets in five. That’s a .500 postseason record. The 1944 Browns lost the World Series to the Cardinals in six games.
Game 3: The 1944 Browns had an 87 team OPS+. Offense, clearly, was not their strength. The 1969 Orioles put together a 110 OPS+. They lead 3-0.
Game 4: The 1969 Orioles rely on a deep pitching staff to finish off the 1944 Browns. Their 126 staff ERA+ is superior to St. Louis’ 115.
Result: 1969 in four games