1989 Baltimore Orioles season

Offseason

• October 3, 1988: Don Aase was released by the Orioles.
• November 9, 1988: Pete Blohm (minors) was traded by the Orioles to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Randy Milligan.
• November 17, 1988: Dickie Noles was released by the Orioles.
• December 4, 1988: Eddie Murray was traded by the Orioles to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Ken Howell, Brian Holton, and Juan Bell.
• December 8, 1988: Ken Howell and Gordon Dillard were traded by the Orioles to the Philadelphia Phillies for Phil Bradley.
• March 1, 1989: Mark Huismann was signed as a free agent by the Orioles.
• March 31, 1989: Carl Nichols was traded by the Orioles to the Houston Astros for Dave Johnson and Victor Hithe (minors).

Regular season

• Bill Ripken's 1989 Fleer Baseball Card (#616) made national news when it included a hidden obscenity (the words "fuck face"). The obscenity was printed in black marker on the knob of his bat. Once the discovery was made public, subsequent printings of the card were issued with the words obscured. The first obscuring involved a blob of white out, another was scribbled with a black pen while the last was covered with a black square.
• In the finale of the 1989 season, Ben McDonald tossed one scoreless inning of relief, logging his first career win. Of note, he would become the sixth player to make the majors in the same season that he was selected as the number one overall pick in the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft.

Opening Day starters

• Brady Anderson
• Phil Bradley
• Steve Finley
• Rene Gonzales
• Cal Ripken Jr.
• Dave Schmidt
• Larry Sheets
• Mickey Tettleton
• Jim Traber
• Craig Worthington

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Notable transactions

• May 19, 1989: Rick Schu was purchased from the Orioles by the Detroit Tigers.
• June 1, 1989: John Posey (minors) was traded by the Orioles to the Philadelphia Phillies for Shane Turner.
• June 5, 1989: 1989 Major League Baseball draft
  • Ben McDonald was drafted by the Orioles in the 1st round (1st pick). Player signed August 19, 1989.
  • Mike Oquist was drafted by the Orioles in the 13th round. Player signed June 14, 1989.
  • Gregg Zaun was drafted by the Orioles in the 17th round. Player signed August 25, 1989.
• July 20, 1989: John Habyan was traded by the Orioles to the New York Yankees for Stan Jefferson.
• July 28, 1989: Brian Dubois was traded by the Orioles to the Detroit Tigers for Keith Moreland.
• August 5, 1989: Jamie Quirk was signed as a free agent by the Orioles.

Roster

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

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

Other batters

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

Pitching

Starting pitchers

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

Other pitchers

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

Relief pitchers

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

Awards and honors

• Frank Robinson, Associated Press Manager of the Year
• Frank Robinson, American League Manager of the Year
• Gregg Olson, American League Rookie of the Year MLB All-Star Game
• Cal Ripken Jr.

Farm system

References

• 1989 Baltimore Orioles team page at Baseball Reference
• 1989 Baltimore Orioles season at baseball-almanac.com

References

1. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1988/12/15/orioles-step-out-in-new-uniforms/7bb35580-497d-4ffc-b4ac-f88bc9b7444e/ "Orioles Step Out in New Uniforms," ''The Washington Post'', Thursday, December 15, 1988.] Retrieved May 16, 2023.
2. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dc-sports-bog/post/new-orioles-uniforms-old-orioles-bird-logo/2011/11/15/gIQApTLkON_blog.html Steinberg, Dan. "New Orioles uniforms, old Orioles bird logo," ''The Washington Post'', Tuesday, November 15, 2011.] Retrieved May 16, 2023.
3. [https://www.baseball-reference.com/a/aasedo01.shtml Don Aase page at Baseball Reference]
4. [https://www.baseball-reference.com/m/millira01.shtml Randy Milligan page at Baseball Reference]
5. [https://www.baseball-reference.com/n/nolesdi01.shtml Dickie Noles page at Baseball Reference]
6. [https://www.baseball-reference.com/b/bellju01.shtml Juan Bell page at Baseball Reference]
7. [https://www.baseball-reference.com/d/dillago01.shtml Gordon Dillard page at Baseball Reference]
8. [https://www.baseball-reference.com/h/huismma01.shtml Mark Huismann page at Baseball Reference]
9. [https://www.baseball-reference.com/n/nichoca01.shtml Carl Nichols page at Baseball Reference]
10. [http://www.snopes.com/sports/baseball/ripken.asp snopes.com: Bill Ripken 1989 Baseball Card]
11. 100 Things Orioles Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, Dan Connolly, Triumph Books, Chicago, 2015, ISBN 978-1-62937-041-5, p.207
12. 100 Things Orioles Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, Dan Connolly, Triumph Books, Chicago, 2015, ISBN 978-1-62937-041-5, p.208
13. [https://www.baseball-reference.com/s/schuri01.shtml Rick Schu page at Baseball Reference]
14. [https://www.baseball-reference.com/t/turnesh01.shtml Shane Turner page at Baseball Reference]
15. [https://www.baseball-reference.com/m/mcdonbe01.shtml Ben McDonald page at Baseball Reference]
16. [https://www.baseball-reference.com/o/oquismi01.shtml Mike Oquist page at Baseball Reference]
17. [https://www.baseball-reference.com/z/zaungr01.shtml Gregg Zaun page at Baseball Reference]
18. [https://www.baseball-reference.com/j/jeffest01.shtml Stan Jefferson page at Baseball Reference]
19. [https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/morelke01.shtml Keith Moreland page at Baseball Reference]
20. [https://www.baseball-reference.com/q/quirkja01.shtml Jamie Quirk page at Baseball Reference]
21. Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., ''The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 3rd edition''. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 2007