1996 Baltimore Orioles season

The 1996 Baltimore Orioles season in which the Orioles finishing second in the American League East with a record of 88 wins and 74 losses and qualifying for the post-season as the Wild Card team. The Orioles broke the all-time record for most home runs hit by a team (set at 240 by the 1961 New York Yankees) with 257. During the season, four Orioles scored at least 100 runs, four drove in at least 100 runs and seven hit at least 20 home runs. The Orioles pitching staff allowed 209 home runs, 1,604 hits and had an ERA of 5.15. The Orioles defeated the Cleveland Indians in the ALDS and then lost in the ALCS to the New York Yankees.

Offseason

 * November 22, 1995: Clay Bellinger was signed as a free agent with the Baltimore Orioles.
 * December 14, 1995: Randy Myers signed as a free agent with the Baltimore Orioles.
 * December 20, 1995: B. J. Surhoff was signed as a free agent with the Baltimore Orioles.
 * December 23, 1995: Billy Ripken was signed as a free agent with the Baltimore Orioles.
 * March 13, 1996: Sherman Obando was traded by the Baltimore Orioles to the Montreal Expos for Tony Tarasco.

Regular season

 * On September 27 in Toronto, Roberto Alomar spat at home-plate umpire John Hirschbeck after getting thrown out of a game for arguing a called third strike.

Opening Day starters

 * Roberto Alomar
 * Brady Anderson
 * Bobby Bonilla
 * Jeffrey Hammonds
 * Chris Hoiles
 * Mike Mussina
 * Rafael Palmeiro
 * Cal Ripken Jr.
 * B. J. Surhoff
 * Tony Tarasco

Notable transactions

 * December 21, 1995: Roberto Alomar was signed as a free agent.
 * December 26, 1995: Traded Curtis Goodwin and Trovin Valdez to Cincinnati Reds for David Wells.
 * April 19, 1996: Luis Polonia was signed as a free agent with the Baltimore Orioles.
 * June 6, 1996: Todd Frohwirth was signed as a free agent with the Baltimore Orioles.
 * August 12, 1996: Luis Polonia was released by the Baltimore Orioles.
 * August 23, 1996: Gregg Zaun was sent by the Baltimore Orioles to the Florida Marlins to complete an earlier deal made on August 21, 1996. The Baltimore Orioles sent a player to be named later to the Florida Marlins for Terry Mathews. The Baltimore Orioles sent Gregg Zaun (August 23, 1996) to the Florida Marlins to complete the trade.
 * August 29, 1996: Traded Calvin Maduro and Garrett Stephenson to Philadelphia Phillies for Todd Zeile and Pete Incaviglia.

Game log
Bold = Orioles team member''
 * ''Legend:      = Win       = Loss       = Tie
 * ''Legend:      = Win       = Loss       = Tie

Batting
''Note: G = Pos = Position; Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; Avg. = Batting average''

Other batters
''Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; Avg. = Batting average''

Return of Eddie Murray
On July 21, 1996, the Baltimore Orioles re-acquired longtime Oriole Eddie Murray from the Cleveland Indians in exchange for pitcher Kent Mercker. Murray, a member of the 1983 World Series Champion Baltimore Orioles, would subsequently hit his 500th career home run later in the season. As a commemoration of this event, an orange seat was installed in the outfield stands where Murray's 500th home run landed. The Orioles had a record of 49 wins and 46 losses before the trade, and 39–28 after the trade, not including the playoffs. During the 1996 playoffs, Eddie Murray hit .333 and hit a home run while producing 3 RBI.

The trade for Eddie Murray sparked the Orioles to have a better record after his arrival, than before. One can attribute that to his great leadership, which is well documented, as a Sporting News correspondent, Michael P. Geffner said, "To think of Murray as anything other than a great player these days is not to have a dissenting opinion anymore but to be dead wrong, blind not only to the inner game but to an understanding of what truly raises baseball to something classic and beautiful--when the game is executed purely and seamlessly. Which is Eddie Murray to a T.". The Orioles success after the trade can also be attributed to the theory of "Power, worth, and recognition, " which Thomas S. Parish who is an associate professor of psychology at Upper Iowa University, Fayette, Iowa, describes as a type of motivation where athletes attempt to out do or "show off" to each other, which leads to better statistics, and more wins. In Eddie Murray's last at-bat with the Orioles he hit a home run off of New York Yankee pitcher, Andy Pettitte.

Game 1, October 1
Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, Maryland

Game 2, October 2
Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, Maryland

Game 3, October 4
Jacobs Field, Cleveland, Ohio

Game 4, October 5
Jacobs Field, Cleveland, Ohio

Jeffrey Maier incident
During Game 1 of the ALCS, New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter hit a deep fly ball to right field. Orioles outfielder Tony Tarasco camped under the ball and prepared to make a catch. However, a 12-year-old boy seated in the first row of the bleachers named Jeffrey Maier reached over the wall and caught the ball just above Tarrasco, costing the Orioles an out. Although it was fan interference, the umpire ruled the ball to be a home run. While Maier became a hero to Yankees fans, he immediately became a "symbol of the Orioles futility." The Orioles would go on to lose the series in five games.

Farm system
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Bluefield