Baltimore Orioles share a World Series record with Dodgers and Astros

No, the Baltimore Orioles are not going to the World Series in 2017.

But, the Baltimore Orioles share a rather surprising statistic with the 2017 World Series teams. In fact, the Orioles share the statistic twice.

The modern Orioles (not the St. Louis Browns) have won the American League pennant several times: 1966, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1979, and 1983. The team has three World Series titles: 1966, 1970, and 1983.

The 1969 and 1970 Orioles are the two teams with the connection to the 2017 Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers. In 1969 and 1970, two teams with the 100 or more regular-season wins went to the World Series.

This has not happened since the Orioles and Cincinnati Reds met in the World Series in 1970. The previous time it happened was in 1969, when the Orioles and New York Mets faced off in 1969. In 1970, the Orioles had 108 wins and the Red had 102. In 1969, the Orioles had 109 wins and the Mets had 100 wins.

How many 100+ win seasons in Birdland?

Since the team became the Orioles in 1954, the team has only had 100 or more wins five times. The most wins the Orioles have ever had was 109 in 1969. All of the 100-win games were with Earl Weaver as the manager. Sadly, the Orioles have only lost 100 or more games just twice, in 1954 and 1988. In the last years as the Browns, the team also lost 100 games.

The Dodgers have undoubtedly had an unbelievable season with a win-loss record of 104-58. That .642 win percentage put the team in the ranks of the best teams in history. But, the Orioles in 1969 and 1970 were slightly better with win percentages of.667 and .673.

Other notable 100+ wins

Since the start of the Modern Era (1902), neither the Dodgers nor the Orioles have the best record. That honor belongs to the Chicago Cubs, who in 1906 had a record of 116-36 which is a win percentage of .763. Since the advent of the 162-game season, the 2001 Seattle Mariners have the best record with 116-46, translating to a .716 win percentage. The 1906 Cubs lost the World Series and the 2001 Mariners lost in the ALCS.

Reaching the 100-win milestone is not as uncommon as it might appear to be, but 2017 was unusual in the fact that three teams reached the accomplishment. There have only been six seasons with three teams reaching 100 wins. This was the only year where the New York Yankees were not one of the three teams. It is the second time the Astros shared the honor with two other teams – in 1998 in the NL, the Astros had a record of 102-60 and lost in the NLDS to the San Diego Padres. The Dodgers last won 100 or more games in 1974, when the team had a record of 102-60 and lost the World Series to the Oakland Athletics.

Next: Should the Orioles go after CC Sabathia for 2018?

In the history of the MLB, no more than three teams have ever won 100 or more games. Since teams began playing 162 games, only 14 of the teams with 100 or more wins have won the World Series. The Orioles were one of those teams.

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