1954 Baltimore Orioles season

1954 Baltimore Orioles
Major League affiliations
Location
Results
Record 54–100 (.351)
League place 7th
Other information
Owner(s) Jerold Hoffberger, Clarence Miles
General manager(s) Arthur Ehlers
Manager(s) Jimmy Dykes
Local television WMAR-TV/WAAM
Local radio WCBM
(Ernie Harwell, Howard Williams, Bailey Goss)
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The 1954 Baltimore Orioles season was the franchise's 54th season (it was founded as the Milwaukee Brewers in 1901, then played as the St. Louis Browns from 1902–53) but its first season as the Baltimore Orioles. The season involved the Orioles finishing 7th in the American League with a record of 54 wins and 100 losses, 57 games behind the AL champion Cleveland Indians in their first season in Baltimore. The team was managed by Jimmy Dykes, and played its home games at Baltimore's Memorial Stadium.

Offseason

Regular season

  • April 13, 1954: The Orioles opened their first season as the reborn Browns on the road, on April 13, 1954, at Briggs Stadium against the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers won, 3–0, on three solo home runs (from Ray Boone, Walt Dropo and Frank Bolling). Steve Gromek hurled the complete game shutout and Don Larsen (who would lose 21 of 24 decisions that year) was the hard-luck loser.[5]
  • April 15: Thousands of Baltimoreans jammed city streets as the new Orioles paraded from downtown to their new home at Memorial Stadium. During the 90-minute parade, the new birds signed autographs, handed out pictures and threw styrofoam balls to crowd as the throng marched down 33rd Street West. Inside, more than 46,000 watched the Orioles beat the Chicago White Sox, 3–1, to win their home opener and move into first place in the American League.[6] Ironically, the Orioles lost their last home game of the season, 11–0, to the same White Sox, finishing with 100 losses and 57½ games out of first place.[7]
  • September 12: At Memorial Stadium, Joe Durham hit a solo home run off Philadelphia Athletics pitcher Al Sima in the sixth inning, to become the first African-American position player to belt a homer in Baltimore Orioles history.[8][9]

Opening day lineup, April 13, 1954

  5Bobby Young2B
  3Eddie Waitkus   1B
16Gil CoanCF
20Vic WertzRF
15Sam MeleLF
  4Vern Stephens3B
  6Billy HunterSS
11Clint Courtney   C
27Don LarsenP[5]

Season standings

American League W L Pct. GB
Cleveland Indians11143.721--
New York Yankees10351.6698
Chicago White Sox9460.61017
Boston Red Sox6985.44842
Detroit Tigers6886.44243
Washington Senators6688.42945
Baltimore Orioles54100.35157
Philadelphia Athletics51103.33160

Record vs. opponents

1954 American League Records

Sources:
Team BAL BOS CWS CLE DET NYY PHI WSH
Baltimore —11–117–153–198–145–1710–1210–12
Boston 11–11—5–172–20–214–89–1315–713–9
Chicago 15–717–5—11–1112–10–17–1517–515–7
Cleveland 19–320–2–211–11—14–811–1118–418–4
Detroit 14–88–1410–12–18–14—6–1613–99–13
New York 17–513–915–711–1116–6—18–4–113–9
Philadelphia 12–107–155–174–189–134–18–1—10–12–1
Washington 12–109–137–154–1813–99–1312–10–1—

Notable transactions

Roster

1954 Baltimore Orioles
Roster
Pitchers Catchers

Infielders

 Outfielders Manager

Coaches

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

Pos Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI
CClint Courtney122397107.270437
1BEddie Waitkus9531188.283233
2BBobby Young130432106.245424
3BVern Stephens101365104.285846
SSBilly Hunter125411100.243227
LFJim Fridley8524059.246436
CFChuck Diering128418108.258229
RFCal Abrams115423124.293625

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
Bob Kennedy10632381.251645
Dick Kryhoski10030078.260134
Gil Coan9426574.279220
Jim Brideweser7320454.265012
Sam Mele7223055.239532
Les Moss5012631.24605
Chico García39627.11305
Vic Wertz299419.202113
Ray Murray226115.24602
Don Lenhardt13335.15201
Dick Kokos11102.20011
Joe Durham10409.22513
Frank Kellert10347.20601
Neil Berry591.11100

Pitching

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
Bob Turley35247.114153.46185
Joe Coleman33221.113173.50103
Don Larsen29201.23214.3780
Duane Pillette2517910143.1266
Bob Kuzava423.2134.1815
Vern Bickford14019.000

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
Lou Kretlow32166.26114.3782
Billy O'Dell716.1112.766
Dave Koslo314.1013.143

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
Bob Chakales383733.7344
Howie Fox381223.6727
Mike Blyzka371514.6935
Marlin Stuart221224.4613
Dick Littlefield300010.505
Jay Heard200013.502
Ryne Duren10009.002

Awards and honors

1954 Major League Baseball All-Star Game

Farm system

Level Team League Manager
AA San Antonio Missions Texas League Don Heffner
A Wichita Indians Western League Herb Brett and Les Layton
A Lewiston Broncs Western International League Larry Barton, Sr.
B York White Roses Piedmont League George Staller
B Anderson Rebels Tri-State League Virgil Stallcup, Fred Boiko and Bob Knoke
C Pine Bluff Judges Cotton States League Frank Lucchesi and Bill Enos
C Aberdeen Pheasants Northern League Barney Lutz
C Thetford Mines Mineurs Provincial League Bill Krueger
D Wytheville Statesmen Appalachian League Joe Murray, Bill Enos and Jim Cisternelli
D Americus-Cordele Orioles Georgia–Florida League Cliff Melton and Jack Landis
D Ada Herefords/Cementers Sooner State League Louis Brower and John Densmore
D Marion Marauders Tar Heel League Bob Knoke

Tar Heel League disbanded, June 21, 1954

Notes

  1. ↑ Chuck Diering at Baseball-Reference
  2. ↑ Satchel Paige at Baseball-Reference
  3. ↑ Johnny Groth at Baseball-Reference
  4. ↑ Dave Koslo transactions at Baseball Reference
  5. 1 2 Retrosheet box score: 1954-04-13
  6. ↑ Baseball Library Chronology, April 1954 Archived December 23, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
  7. ↑ 1954 Orioles at Baseball Library
  8. ↑ Joe Durham, first African-American player to homer for Orioles, dies at 84. The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved on April 29, 2016.
  9. ↑ Philadelphia Athletics 5, Baltimore Orioles 4 (2). Game Played on Sunday, September 12, 1954 (D) at Memorial Stadium. Box Score and Play by Play. Retrosheet. Retrieved on April 29, 2016.
  10. ↑ Neil Berry at Baseball-Reference
  11. ↑ Don Lenhardt transactions at Baseball-Reference
  12. ↑ Dick Littlefield transactions at Baseball-Reference
  13. ↑ Bob Chakales at Baseball-Reference
  14. ↑ Marlin Stuart transactions at Baseball-Reference
  15. ↑ Bob Kuzava transactions at Baseball-Reference

References

  • Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (1997). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (2nd ed.). Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America. ISBN 978-0-9637189-8-3.
  • 1954 Baltimore Orioles team at Baseball-Reference
  • 1954 Baltimore Orioles season at baseball-almanac.com
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