Remembering the 2014 Baltimore Orioles & the AL East Championship

The 2014 Baltimore Orioles were exciting and gave fans some great thrillers.

The 2014 Baltimore Orioles season was one to remember. That team was loaded with talent and potential to be great giving fans lots of lasting memories.

The Orioles made it all the way to the AL Championship Series before losing to the Kansas City Royals. Oriole Park at Camden Yards was electric during the regular season and in the playoffs giving the Orioles a great home-field advantage.

Staying Hot Through July

The Orioles went 96-66 in 2014 and the best month of their season was July. The O’s went 17-8 in July with a .680 winning percentage. August was also an outstanding month for the O’s as they went 19-9 with a .679 winning percentage. During a typical season, July is the time to be on a hot streak because June-July is the halfway point of the season. I’ve seen teams lose their tempo and go downhill and out of the playoff race. It’s so crucial to win in July and the Orioles made sure to not get into a slump that year.

Against AL East opponents, the Orioles went 11-8 (.579) to the Boston Red Sox, 13-6 (.684) to the New York Yankees, 12-7 (.632) to the Tampa Bay Rays, and 11-8 (.579) to the Toronto Blue Jays. Overall, the O’s went 47-29 (.618) against the AL East in 2014. The Orioles were hotter in the second half of the season as they went 44-24 (.647) in the second half compared to 52-42 (.553) in the first half. In extra-inning games, the O’s went 14-6 (.700) and in one-run games, the Orioles went 32-23 (.582).

More from Orioles History

• Baltimore Orioles: 2023 Hall of Fame BBWAA Ballot Features J.J. Hardy
• Baltimore Orioles: Five Treats from the 2022 Season
• Former Orioles Players on Playoff Teams this October
• On This Day: 2012 Ragtag Orioles Win Wild Card Game
• The April Orioles Seem Like a Completely Different Team

Remember These Guys?

The Orioles’ top 5 players in 2014 were Steve Pearce, Adam Jones, Nelson Cruz, JJ Hardy, and Chris Tillman. Pearce batted .293 with 21 home runs and 49 RBI, Jones hit 29 home runs 96 RBI, and a .281 batting average. Cruz batted .271 with 40 home runs and 108 RBI. Hardy hit for 9 HRS and 52 RBI with a batting average of .268. Lastly, Tillman had a win-loss record of 13-6 with a 3.34 ERA and 150 strike outs.

My favorite memory of the 2014 season was when I went to the Game 2 of the ALDS against the Detroit Tigers. I remember getting up at 6:30 AM to get ready to pick up two of my buddies and we got to the parking garage at 8 AM. We were the first people in line by Gate A and as soon as the gates open, we ran to the flag pole as we only had standing room tickets.

It was an incredible experience and what made the game the greatest one I’ve been too was Delmon Young‘s bases-clearing double down the left-field line! I hope to someway witness another game live.