When were the last five 30 save seasons by an Orioles pitcher?

Zack Britton, 2016, 2015, and 2014

As good as the 30-save milestone is, Zack Britton was so good in the mid-2010s for the Orioles that he surpassed 30 saves three years in a row. Converted to a reliever ahead of 2014, Britton burst onto the scene with 37 saves to go with a 1.65 ERA and 0.904 WHIP across 76 1/3 innings in 71 appearances.

Britton's 2015 season was largely in line with his 2014 campaign, saving 36 games as he finished a league-leading 58 in total, authoring a 1.92 ERA and 0.990 WHIP as his average strikeouts per nine jumped from 7.3 in 2014 to 10.8 in 65 2/3 innings across 64 appearances.

As good as Britton's previous two years were, his 2016 campaign blew them both out of the water. He led the league in games finished with 63 and saves with 47 in 67 innings and 69 appearances. He allowed just one home run all season and walked 18 hitters. He had a dominant 0.54 ERA and 0.836 WHIP as he allowed four earned runs and seven runs total all year.

The unfortunate decision to leave him in the bullpen in the Wild Card Game aside, Britton was arguably the best reliever in baseball during those three years, racking up 120 saves in three seasons and finishing in fourth place in voting for the Cy Young in 2016.

Now officially retired from baseball after injuries took their toll on him the last few seasons, we can fondly look back on Britton's Orioles days as he won't be toeing the rubber for the division-rival Yankees anymore.

Jim Johnson, 2013

The last person on the list is the closer that Britton replaced in Baltimore, that being Jim Johnson. With a pair of over 30-save seasons in 2012 and 2013, the Orioles had five straight 30-save seasons in the 2010s, an incredible feat on its own. Since 2013 is the fifth year, we'll solely be focusing on that year.

After a 51-save season and his only All-Star Game selection in 2012, Johnson was just as dominant in 2013 for the Orioles, who finished 85-77 and third in the AL East. He followed up a top-10 finish in Cy Young voting with 50 saves in 2013, finishing 63 games in total.

Johnson didn't strike out a ton of batters, averaging 7.2 strikeouts per nine that year. It didn't matter too much, as Johnson ended the season with a 2.94 ERA and 1.280 WHIP, averaging 0.6 home runs per nine and 2.3 walks per nine in 70 1/3 innings over 74 appearances.

After his two years of dominance with the Orioles, Johnson was never able to fully replicate those numbers as he bounced between five different teams from 2014 to his last season in 2018. He still goes down as one of the better closers to come through Baltimore, given his 122 saves with the team out of his 178 total.