Call to the pen
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Baltimore Orioles: The franchise all-time bracket

By Bill Felber

SARASOTA, FLORIDA - MARCH 20: A general view of the orioles logo before a spring training game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Boston Red Sox at Ed Smith Stadium on March 20, 2019 in Sarasota, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
SARASOTA, FLORIDA - MARCH 20: A general view of the orioles logo before a spring training game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Boston Red Sox at Ed Smith Stadium on March 20, 2019 in Sarasota, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) /
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Cal Ripken,  Baltimore Orioles star.  Doug Pensinger /Allsport
Cal Ripken,  Baltimore Orioles star.  Doug Pensinger /Allsport /

Baltimore Orioles: The All-Time Bracket

No. 4 vs. 5 seed

The 1983 Orioles won the AL East by six games, beat Chicago in the ALCS and then took out the Philadelphia Phillies in a five-game World Series. This was the last great representative of the franchise’s best era.

The strength lay in the pitching staff. Scott McGregor (18-7) and  Mike Flanagan (12-4) were established veterans, and Mike Boddicker (16-8) provided strong support.

The bullpen triumvirate of Tippy Martinez, Sammy Stewart, and Tim Stoddard delivered more than 300 innings of usually solid relief, winning 22 games and saving 37 others.

Offensively the Orioles had budding star Cal Ripken Jr. (.318, 27 home runs, 102 RBIs) alongside established star Eddie Murray  (.306, 33 homers, 111 RBIs).

The 2014 Orioles won 96 games for manager Buck Showalter. DH Nelson Cruz hit 40  home runs with 108 RBIs to pace the offense. The mound staff lacked a dominant presence, Wei-Yin Chen leading at 16-6, 3.54 in 31 starts. Closer Zack Britton was the stabilizing force, saving 37 games.

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Game 1: The 1983 club had a 98-64 .605 regular-season percentage, two games better than 2014’s 96-66 .593.

Game 2: The 2014 Orioles swept the Detroit Tigers in a three-game division series, they were swept by the Kansas City Royals in the ALCS. That’s a .429 post-season percentage. The 1983 club played .778 ball in post-season.

Game 3: In 1983, Orioles hitters combined for a 111 OPS+. The 2014 Orioles only got to 104.

Game 4: The 2014 team avoids a sweep by winning the ERA+ battle. Their 115 mark is six points better than 1983’s 109.

Game 5: The 2014  ballclub had 46.1 WAR, That was about two points better than 1983’s 44.4 WAR.

Game 6: The two teams are closely matched in fielding percentage. In 2014 the Orioles fielded .986, 1.867 points better than the American League average. In 1983, they fielded .981, 1.576  points better than the league average. This series may have started out as a 3-0 lead for 1983, but it’s going to a seventh game.

Game 7: The 1983 Orioles produced three Hall of Famers: Ripken, Murray, and pitcher Jim Palmer. To count three future Hall of Famers among the 2014 roster, you have to grant future immortality to Manny Machado, Nelson Cruz, and Zack Britton. At least two of those seem highly unlikely.

Winner: 1983 in seven games

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