The 1968

1968 in baseball

-The Year of the Pitcher:In Major League Baseball, the trend throughout the 1960s was of increased pitching dominance, caused by enforcing a larger strike zone beginning in 1963...

 Baltimore Orioles

Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...

 season was a season in American baseball. The team finished second in the American League

American League

The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...

 with a record of 91 wins and 71 losses, 12 games behind the AL and World Series

1968 World Series

The 1968 World Series featured the defending champion St. Louis Cardinals against the Detroit Tigers, with the Tigers winning in seven games for their first championship since 1945, and the third in their history...

 champion Detroit Tigers

1968 Detroit Tigers season

The Detroit Tigers won the 1968 World Series, defeating the St. Louis Cardinals 4 games to 3. The 1968 baseball season, known as the "Year of the Pitcher," was the Tigers' 68th since they entered the American League in 1901, their eighth pennant, and third World Series championship...

. The team was managed by Hank Bauer

Hank Bauer

Henry Albert "Hank" Bauer was an American right fielder and manager in Major League Baseball. He played with the New York Yankees and Kansas City Athletics ; he batted and threw right-handed...

, until he was replaced right after the All-Star break by Earl Weaver

Earl Weaver

Earl Sidney Weaver is a former Major League Baseball manager. He spent his entire 17-year managerial career with the Baltimore Orioles . Weaver was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996.-Playing career:After playing for Beaumont High School in St...

. The Orioles' home games were played at Memorial Stadium

Memorial Stadium (Baltimore)

Memorial Stadium was a sports stadium in Baltimore, Maryland, that formerly stood on 33rd Street on an over-sized block also bounded by Ellerslie Avenue , 36th Street , and Ednor Road...

.

Following the season, it was announced that the American League, along with the National League

National League

The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...

, would be split into two divisions for the 1969

1969 in baseball

-Expansion:Four expansion teams joined Major League Baseball for this season: the San Diego Padres, the Kansas City Royals, the Seattle Pilots, and the first MLB team in Canada, the Montreal Expos. To accommodate the additional teams, the two leagues were split into two divisions of East and West...

 season in order to accommodate the admittance of two new franchises to each league. The Orioles were assigned to the new American League East

American League East

The American League Eastern Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions . This division was created before the start of the 1969 season along with the Western Division...

 division.

Offseason

• November 28, 1967: Elrod Hendricks
  Elrod Hendricks
  Elrod Jerome "Ellie" Hendricks was a catcher and coach in Major League Baseball. Hendricks played during a 12-year career that lasted from through for the Baltimore Orioles , Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees...
  
   was drafted by the Orioles from the California Angels
  Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
  The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
  
   in the 1967 rule 5 draft
  Rule 5 draft
  The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor league affiliate teams when other teams would be willing to...
  
  .
• November 28, 1967: Eddie Fisher
  Eddie Fisher (baseball)
  Eddie Gene Fisher was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a relief pitcher for the San Francisco Giants , Chicago White Sox , Baltimore Orioles , Cleveland Indians , California Angels and St...
  
   was traded by the Baltimore Orioles with Bob Scott (minors) and John Scruggs (minors) to the Cleveland Indians for Gordy Lund and John O'Donoghue.
• November 29, 1967: Luis Aparicio
  Luis Aparicio
  Luis Ernesto Aparicio Montiel is a former shortstop in professional baseball. His career in Major League Baseball spanned three decades, from through . Aparicio played for the Chicago White Sox , Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox . He batted and threw right-handed...
  
  , Russ Snyder
  Russ Snyder
  Russell Henry Snyder was an outfielder for the Kansas City Athletics , Baltimore Orioles , Chicago White Sox , Cleveland Indians and Milwaukee Brewers ....
  
   and John Matias
  John Matias
  John Matias is a former Major League Baseball player who played for the Chicago White Sox in 1970, playing 58 games and hitting .188 with 2 homers. He was traded at the end of the season to the Kansas City Royals but never played in the majors again.-External links:...
  
   were traded by the Orioles to the Chicago White Sox
  Chicago White Sox
  The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
  
   for Don Buford
  Don Buford
  Donald Alvin Buford is a former Major League Baseball player. An infielder/outfielder, the switch-hitting Buford played for the Chicago White Sox and Baltimore Orioles ....
  
  , Roger Nelson
  Roger Nelson (baseball)
  Roger Eugene Nelson is a former professional baseball pitcher. Nelson pitched all or part of nine seasons in Major League Baseball between 1967 and 1976 with a record of 29 wins, 32 losses, and 5 saves....
  
   and Bruce Howard
  Bruce Howard (baseball)
  Bruce Ernest Howard is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1963 to 1968 for the Chicago White Sox, Baltimore Orioles, and Washington Senators. Listed at 6' 2", 180 lb., Howard was a switch-hitter and threw right-handed. A native of Salisbury, Maryland, he attended...
  
  .
• January 27, 1968: Tom Walker
  Tom Walker (1970s pitcher)
  Robert Thomas Walker is a former professional baseball pitcher. Walker pitched all or part of six seasons in Major League Baseball, from 1972 until 1977, for the Montreal Expos, Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Cardinals and California Angels....
  
   was drafted by the Orioles in the 1st round (9th pick) of the 1968 Major League Baseball Draft
  1968 Major League Baseball Draft
  -First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1968 Major League Baseball draft.* Did not sign- Background :The Los Angeles Dodgers laid the groundwork for their championship clubs of the 1970s with an outstanding draft...
  
  .

Notable transactions

• June 15, 1968: Bruce Howard
  Bruce Howard (baseball)
  Bruce Ernest Howard is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1963 to 1968 for the Chicago White Sox, Baltimore Orioles, and Washington Senators. Listed at 6' 2", 180 lb., Howard was a switch-hitter and threw right-handed. A native of Salisbury, Maryland, he attended...
  
   was traded by the Orioles to the Washington Senators
  Texas Rangers (baseball)
  The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
  
   for Fred Valentine.

Roster

1968 Baltimore Orioles
Roster
Pitchers		Catchers Infielders		Outfielders		Manager Coaches

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Pos	Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
C		74	189	44	.233	5	20
1B		154	550	137	.449	22	85
2B		145	504	122	.242	9	56
3B		162	608	154	.253	17	75
SS		145	472	98	.208	2	21
LF		83	217	43	.198	8	25
CF		141	421	89	.211	7	38
RF		130	421	113	.268	15	52

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
	137	451	90	.200	15	39
	130	426	120	.282	15	46
	84	152	29	.191	0	7
	79	183	37	.202	7	23
	47	91	17	.187	2	5
	38	89	21	.236	1	5
	31	64	19	.297	2	7
	24	18	2	.111	0	0
	6	17	1	.059	0	0
	5	9	1	.111	0	1

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
	35	273	22	10	1.95	202
	35	244	18	13	2.51	160
	36	240.2	15	15	2.62	193
	2	7.2	0	2	9.39	4

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
	28	126.1	7	7	3.13	61
	37	124.2	6	7	3.32	92
	18	71	2	0	2.41	44
	19	71	4	3	2.41	70
	10	31	0	2	3.77	19

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	W	L	SV	ERA	SO
	59	5	5	11	2.27	72
	45	4	4	7	1.91	46
	36	6	3	6	3.47	47
	19	2	0	0	2.56	22
	16	0	0	2	6.14	11
	1	0	0	0	9.00	1

Farm system