1954 Baltimore Orioles | |
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Major League affiliations | |
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Location | |
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Results | |
Record | 54–100 (.351) |
League place | 7th |
Other information | |
Owner(s) | Jerold Hoffberger, Joseph Iglehart and Clarence Miles |
General manager(s) | Arthur Ehlers, Paul Richards |
Manager(s) | Jimmy Dykes |
Local television | WMAR-TV/WAAM |
Local radio | WCBM (Ernie Harwell, Howard Williams, Bailey Goss) |
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The 1954 Baltimore Orioles season saw the return of Major League Baseball to Baltimore after a 51-year absence, and the debut of the current edition of the MLB Oriole franchise. In reality, its first year in Baltimore was the 54th season in the history of the American League team originally founded as the Milwaukee Brewers in 1901, then transferred to Missouri as the St. Louis Browns, who played from 1902 to 1953. Baltimore thus returned to the Junior Circuit over a half century after the Orioles of 1901–02 departed for New York City, where they eventually became the Yankees.
Inheriting the playing personnel of the 1953 Browns, the 1954 Orioles finished seventh in the eight-team American League with a record of 54 wins and 100 losses, 57 games behind the AL champion Cleveland Indians. The team was managed by Jimmy Dykes, and played its home games at Baltimore's Memorial Stadium, where it attracted 1,060,910 fans, fifth in the Junior Circuit but a massive 257 percent improvement over the 1953 Browns' totals.[1] The new Orioles' games were broadcast over television and radio by the trio of Ernie Harwell, Howard Williams and Bailey Goss on WMAR-TV/WAAM (television) and WCBM (radio).
5 | Bobby Young | 2B |
3 | Eddie Waitkus | 1B |
16 | Gil Coan | CF |
20 | Vic Wertz | RF |
15 | Sam Mele | LF |
4 | Vern Stephens | 3B |
6 | Billy Hunter | SS |
11 | Clint Courtney | C |
27 | Don Larsen | P[6] |
American League | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cleveland Indians | 111 | 43 | 0.721 | — | 59–18 | 52–25 |
New York Yankees | 103 | 51 | 0.669 | 8 | 54–23 | 49–28 |
Chicago White Sox | 94 | 60 | 0.610 | 17 | 45–32 | 49–28 |
Boston Red Sox | 69 | 85 | 0.448 | 42 | 38–39 | 31–46 |
Detroit Tigers | 68 | 86 | 0.442 | 43 | 35–42 | 33–44 |
Washington Senators | 66 | 88 | 0.429 | 45 | 37–41 | 29–47 |
Baltimore Orioles | 54 | 100 | 0.351 | 57 | 32–45 | 22–55 |
Philadelphia Athletics | 51 | 103 | 0.331 | 60 | 29–47 | 22–56 |
Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | BAL | BOS | CHW | CLE | DET | NYY | PHA | WSH | |||||
Baltimore | — | 11–11 | 7–15 | 3–19 | 8–14 | 5–17 | 10–12 | 10–12 | |||||
Boston | 11–11 | — | 5–17 | 2–20–2 | 14–8 | 9–13 | 15–7 | 13–9 | |||||
Chicago | 15–7 | 17–5 | — | 11–11 | 12–10–1 | 7–15 | 17–5 | 15–7 | |||||
Cleveland | 19–3 | 20–2–2 | 11–11 | — | 14–8 | 11–11 | 18–4 | 18–4 | |||||
Detroit | 14–8 | 8–14 | 10–12–1 | 8–14 | — | 6–16 | 13–9 | 9–13 | |||||
New York | 17–5 | 13–9 | 15–7 | 11–11 | 16–6 | — | 18–4–1 | 13–9 | |||||
Philadelphia | 12–10 | 7–15 | 5–17 | 4–18 | 9–13 | 4–18–1 | — | 10–12–1 | |||||
Washington | 12–10 | 9–13 | 7–15 | 4–18 | 13–9 | 9–13 | 12–10–1 | — |
1954 Baltimore Orioles | |||||||||
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Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers
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Catchers
Infielders |
Outfielders
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Manager
Coaches
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Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
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C | Clint Courtney | 122 | 397 | 107 | .270 | 4 | 37 |
1B | Eddie Waitkus | 95 | 311 | 88 | .283 | 2 | 33 |
2B | Bobby Young | 130 | 432 | 106 | .245 | 4 | 24 |
3B | Vern Stephens | 101 | 365 | 104 | .285 | 8 | 46 |
SS | Billy Hunter | 125 | 411 | 100 | .243 | 2 | 27 |
LF | Jim Fridley | 85 | 240 | 59 | .246 | 4 | 36 |
CF | Chuck Diering | 128 | 418 | 108 | .258 | 2 | 29 |
RF | Cal Abrams | 115 | 423 | 124 | .293 | 6 | 25 |
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
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Bob Kennedy | 106 | 323 | 81 | .251 | 6 | 45 |
Dick Kryhoski | 100 | 300 | 78 | .260 | 1 | 34 |
Gil Coan | 94 | 265 | 74 | .279 | 2 | 20 |
Jim Brideweser | 73 | 204 | 54 | .265 | 0 | 12 |
Sam Mele | 72 | 230 | 55 | .239 | 5 | 32 |
Les Moss | 50 | 126 | 31 | .246 | 0 | 5 |
Chico García | 39 | 62 | 7 | .113 | 0 | 5 |
Vic Wertz | 29 | 94 | 19 | .202 | 1 | 13 |
Ray Murray | 22 | 61 | 15 | .246 | 0 | 2 |
Don Lenhardt | 13 | 33 | 5 | .152 | 0 | 1 |
Dick Kokos | 11 | 10 | 2 | .200 | 1 | 1 |
Joe Durham | 10 | 40 | 9 | .225 | 1 | 3 |
Frank Kellert | 10 | 34 | 7 | .206 | 0 | 1 |
Neil Berry | 5 | 9 | 1 | .111 | 0 | 0 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
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Bob Turley | 35 | 247.1 | 14 | 15 | 3.46 | 185 |
Joe Coleman | 33 | 221.1 | 13 | 17 | 3.50 | 103 |
Don Larsen | 29 | 201.2 | 3 | 21 | 4.37 | 80 |
Duane Pillette | 25 | 179.0 | 10 | 14 | 3.12 | 66 |
Bob Kuzava | 4 | 23.2 | 1 | 3 | 4.18 | 15 |
Vern Bickford | 1 | 4.0 | 0 | 1 | 9.00 | 0 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
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Lou Kretlow | 32 | 166.2 | 6 | 11 | 4.37 | 82 |
Billy O'Dell | 7 | 16.1 | 1 | 1 | 2.76 | 6 |
Dave Koslo | 3 | 14.1 | 0 | 1 | 3.14 | 3 |
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
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Bob Chakales | 38 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 3.73 | 44 |
Howie Fox | 38 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3.67 | 27 |
Mike Blyzka | 37 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 4.69 | 35 |
Marlin Stuart | 22 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4.46 | 13 |
Dick Littlefield | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10.50 | 5 |
Jay Heard | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13.50 | 2 |
Ryne Duren | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9.00 | 2 |
See also: Minor League Baseball |
Level | Team | League | Manager |
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AA | San Antonio Missions | Texas League | Don Heffner |
A | Wichita Indians | Western League | Herb Brett and Les Layton |
A | Lewiston Broncs | Western International League | Larry Barton, Sr. |
B | York White Roses | Piedmont League | George Staller |
B | Anderson Rebels | Tri-State League | Virgil Stallcup, Fred Boiko and Bob Knoke |
C | Pine Bluff Judges | Cotton States League | Frank Lucchesi and Bill Enos |
C | Aberdeen Pheasants | Northern League | Barney Lutz |
C | Thetford Mines Mineurs | Provincial League | Bill Krueger |
D | Wytheville Statesmen | Appalachian League | Joe Murray, Bill Enos and Jim Cisternelli |
D | Americus-Cordele Orioles | Georgia–Florida League | Cliff Melton and Jack Landis |
D | Ada Herefords/Cementers | Sooner State League | Louis Brower and John Densmore |
D | Marion Marauders | Tar Heel League | Bob Knoke |
Tar Heel League disbanded, June 21, 1954