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Baltimore Orioles Cal Ripken Reminisces About Kissing Bandit in 1988

By Kristen Bentley

BALTIMORE, MD - CIRCA 1990: Lou Whitaker #1 of the Detroit Tigers steals second base as the throw comes down to Cal Ripken Jr. #8 of the Baltimore Orioles during a Major League baseball game circa 1990 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. Cal Ripken Jr. played for the Orioles from 1981-2001. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - CIRCA 1990: Lou Whitaker #1 of the Detroit Tigers steals second base as the throw comes down to Cal Ripken Jr. #8 of the Baltimore Orioles during a Major League baseball game circa 1990 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. Cal Ripken Jr. played for the Orioles from 1981-2001. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /
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The 1988 Baltimore Orioles season is one that most might wish to forget, but with the 2020 season becoming even worse – we take what we can get.

This time, the 1988 season reminder comes to us from the Baltimore Orioles favorite son Cal Ripken Jr.and his Twitter account.

The Iron Man joined Twitter less than a month ago, but he looks to be having a good time sharing pictures of his dog, helping feed hungry kids, and discussing memories of his time in the Big League. And, yesterday, he shared a Tweet about an odd moment in 1988.

In 1988, the Orioles were bad. Really bad. Losing 23 out of 24 games bad. In the past two seasons, the Orioles and Tigers have battled for the bottom. But in 1988, the Orioles owned it with their 54-107 record. The Mariners were above them in the final rankings with a season record of 68-93.

The ’88 Orioles got their first win (could you imagine being the team that lost to the Orioles that year?) in Chicago on April 29 with a 9-0 blowout. The O’s lost the next two at Comiskey before returning home for a series against the Rangers. In a move that would not happen today, over 50,000 fans packed Memorial Stadium to urge their team to their second win.

And, it worked. The Rangers became the second victims of the very bad Orioles.

In the Tweet, Ripken shared his memories of hitting a home run and getting the win. He also spoke about the awkward moment when a woman known as the Kissing Bandit met him at home plate to steal a kiss. She actually walked out of the stands, out to the field, and surprised him with a kiss at home plate during the game.

Morganna, the Kissing Bandit, began her life of crime in 1969 when she stole a kiss from Pete Rose during a Reds game. She retired from crime in 2000, but not after being arrested 19 times for jumping the fences and running onto several MLB fields. According to an article from Josh Peter with USA Today, Morganna began her adventure kissing MLB players on a dare from her friends.

dark. Next. Looking Back on the 1988 O's Losing Streak

While it is impossible to imagine anyone jumping onto the fields in the 21st Century, moments like these are what make MLB games so memorable. Now, a staged kissing bandit might be something we see in a minor league game. Apparently, the kiss worked for Ripken, as he hit a solo home run in the fourth off of Jose Guzman.

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