The Orioles 5 best games of the 2023 season

2023 was a memorable year for O's fans. The young squad won over 100 games and secured both the American League East and the best record on their side of the playoffs. Here are the most memorable moments looking back.

Top five Orioles' games in 2023

When you win 101 games, it can be hard to choose the best from the rest. Some contests were tight and took grit and determination, others were a good old-fashioned blowout. Still, Brandon Hyde and his youthful squad of ballers put in some master-class performances that are worth revisiting. These wins, coupled with all the others, brought playoff baseball back to Camden Yards for the first time since 2014.

Game #5: Opening Day in Boston (10-9)

The O's played a memorable first game of the season against the Red Sox in Fenway. Adley Rutschman, en route to putting up arguably the best statistics of any catcher in the majors this year, went 5-5 with four RBIs.

Heading into the bottom of the 8th Birdland was up 10-4. Unconvincing relief pitching brought the game to within one run, but Felix Bautista closed the game out and Baltimore got off to a running start in 2023.

Game #4: Detroit in extra innings (2-1)

This 10-inning thriller gave Baltimore a sweep over the Tigers. It was the club's second sweep in a row and brought their season record to 14-7. No one was sleeping on the O's after this matchup. Each team scored in the top of the 8th after producing little offense before then.

Despite giving up only one run, Hyde chose to utilize seven different pitchers, all of whom played fairly well. In the bottom of the 10th, a wild pitch scored Adam Frazier and Camden Yards erupted.

Game #3: Crushing the Twins (15-2)

Baltimore rode into the All-Star Break burning rubber. Only three days before their demolition of Minnesota they had topped the Yankees 14-1. Kyle Gibson, Nick Vespi and Eduard Bazardo all delivered strong outings to stifle the Twins' bats.

Meanwhile, 10 Orioles combined for 17 hits. Anthony Santander smacked two home runs and Austin Hays, who would steal a late spot in the All-Star Game, finished the first half of the season with a .314 average.

Game #4: Getting shut out and still winning? (1-0)

As the Orioles charged towards winning the AL East, multiple obstacles stood in their way. One of them was a very strong Seattle Mariners team. At the end of nine innings, both teams had yet to score, sending the game to extras knotted up at 0-0.

Each squad only recorded four hits for the night, but one stood out above the rest. Following 10 innings of near-flawless pitching, Ryan Mountcastle finally did what no one else was able to. Mountcastle, in the bottom of the 10th, hit an RBI single to get the win, inching the Birds closer to 30 games above .500.

Game #5: Full Circle (2-0)

The Orioles' first win of the season was against the Red Sox, so it was only fitting that #100 came against them too. It clinched the AL East and top seed in the American League playoffs. Multiple O's who had stellar seasons showed off at Camden Yards that night.

Dean Kremer notched his 13th win and Santander hit another home run. Birdland went wild after the final out, as few fans had predicted that the team would perform at such a high level only two years after a season where that "100" number was in the loss column.