MARYLAND AT A GLANCE

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Pasadena Eagles play at George Fox Middle School, Pasadena, Maryland, September 2016. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

MAJOR LEAGUES
Maryland's major baseball team is the

The Orioles play in Oriole Park at Camden Yards, a retro-styled stadium built to recall early baseball parks. The stadium seats 45,971 people, while adjoining buildings hold the Orioles' offices, shops, and restaurants.

Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays, opening day, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, Maryland, April 9, 2010. Photo by Joseph P. Wantz.

On March 26, 2026, the Orioles opened their 73rd season in Baltimore (their 35th season at Oriole Park).

The 2026 Orioles finished their season with a 79-82 record and placed fourth in the American League East.

In Baltimore, the Orioles team has not been the only professional baseball team.

Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, Maryland, July 2001. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

A team called the Baltimore Orioles played in the American Association from 1882 to 1891 and then in the National League from 1892 to 1899. On the team were Hughie Jennings, Joe Kelley, and John McGraw, as well as manager Ned Hanlon, all of whom later were inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. From 1894 to 1896, the Orioles won three consecutive National League pennants, and, in 1896 and 1897, two Temple Cups (Championship Series). When the National League reduced the number of its teams in 1899, that Orioles team disbanded.

In 1901, a new Baltimore Orioles team formed within the American League. Following disputes and with plans to make the League more competitive, the franchise relocated to New York City following the 1902 season and later would become the New York Yankees.

Louie, Bowie Baysox mascot, Prince George's Stadium, Bowie, Maryland, April 2017. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

The Baltimore Black Sox played from 1916 to 1933. They were part of various leagues, including the Eastern Colored League from 1923 to 1928, the American Negro League in 1929, the East-West League in 1932, and the Negro National League in 1933. The Baltimore Black Sox won the Championship in 1929, but stopped playing in 1933.

The Baltimore Elite Giants were in the Negro National League from 1938 to 1948 and the Negro American League from 1949 to 1950. Formerly the Nashville Standard Giants, the team won the National Title in 1939 and 1949, before disbanding in 1950.

On December 16, 2020, Major League Baseball reclassified the Negro Leagues as major league and will now include records from over 3,400 players who played in the seven leagues from 1920 to 1948.

The current Baltimore Orioles (formerly the St. Louis Browns) made their debut at Memorial Stadium on April 15, 1954. During their first season, more than one million people attended their home games. By 1955, most of the former Browns players were traded. Over the next decade, the Orioles developed into a competitive team, signing Luis Aparicio, Jim Palmer, Boog Powell, Brooks Robinson, and Frank Robinson, among others.

From 1966 to 1983 were the "glory years" for the Orioles. They won three World Series (1966, 1970, 1983), six American League Pennants (1966, 1969-71, 1979, 1983), and seven East Division titles (1969-71, 1973-74, 1979, 1983). Mike Flanagan, Eddie Murray, and Cal Ripken, Jr., were signed during this time.

Gate C entrance, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Eutaw St., Baltimore, Maryland, July 2001. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

Baseball fans at Bowie Baysox vs. Akron Rubberducks game, Prince George's Stadium, Bowie, Maryland, April 2017. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

In the International League, the second Orioles minor league team lasted from 1916 to 1953. The players were League champions from 1919 to 1925. They also won the Championship in 1944 and 1950, as well as the Little World Series in 1920, 1922, and 1925, and the Junior World Series in 1944. After their stadium, Oriole Park (formerly Terrapin Park), burned down in 1944, the team then moved to Municipal Stadium (later Memorial Stadium). When the St. Louis Browns moved to Baltimore in 1953, they acquired the Orioles' name and the minor league team relocated to Richmond.

Minor League baseball is played across Maryland.

In Harford County, the Aberdeen IronBirds affiliated with the Baltimore Orioles in 2002 after relocating to Maryland from Utica, New York. Winning the McNamara Division Championship in 2013, the IronBirds were part of the New York-Penn League from 1977 to 2020. They joined the High-A East in 2021 before moving to the South Atlantic League that same year. Replacing the Frederick Keys, the Ironbirds in 2026 will move to Major League Baseball's Draft League, an amateur league where players can be drafted by any MLB team. The team plays at Ripken Stadium, which opened June 18, 2002, in Aberdeen. The Ironbirds played their first home game on June 5, 2026.

Wicomico County's Delmarva Shorebirds debuted in the South Atlantic League of Class A minor league baseball in 1996. A Baltimore Orioles affiliate, the team plays at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium in Salisbury on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. In 2000, the Shorebirds won the South Atlantic League Championships. The Shorebirds played their first home game on April 7, 2026.

Bowie Baysox vs. Akron Rubberducks, Prince George's Stadium, Bowie, Maryland, April 2017. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

In Washington County, the Hagerstown Suns were part of the South Atlantic League from 1993 to 2020. They played in Hagerstown at Municipal Stadium, built in 1931. The Suns were a Class A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays (1993-2000), the San Francisco Giants (2001-04), and the New York Mets (2005-06), before changing their affiliation to the Washington Nationals in 2007. Following the cancellation of the 2020 season due to the coronavirus, the Suns' contract with the Nationals wasn't renewed and their affiliation with Major League Baseball ended after minor league restructuring.

First held in Illinois, the World Series was then played at the Ripken Baseball Complex at Aberdeen, Maryland, from 2003 to 2016.

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