| 1988 Baltimore Orioles | ||
|---|---|---|
| League | American League | |
| Division | East | |
| Ballpark | Memorial Stadium | |
| City | Baltimore, Maryland | |
| Record | 54–107 (.335) | |
| Divisional place | 7th | |
| Owners | Edward Bennett Williams | |
| General managers | Roland Hemond | |
| Managers | Cal Ripken, Sr., Frank Robinson | |
| Television | WMAR-TV (Jim Simpson, Brooks Robinson) Home Team Sports (Jim Palmer, Mel Proctor, John Lowenstein) | |
| Radio | WBAL (AM) (Jon Miller, Joe Angel) | |
| ||
The 1988 Baltimore Orioles had the worst start to a season in modern American baseball history. The Orioles finished seventh in the American League East, reduced to a record of 54 wins and 107 losses just five seasons after winning the World Series. The season is most notable for the 0–21 start that lasted from April 4 to April 28.[1] Manager Cal Ripken, Sr. was fired after an 0–6 start and replaced by Hall of Famer Frank Robinson. The Orioles won their first game of the year against the Chicago White Sox at Comiskey Park on April 29.[2] The most runs allowed during the season was 15 in a game on June 19 while the most runs scored was 12 in a game on May 31.[1] Orioles owner Edward Bennett Williams died in August of that year.
This was only the second time that the Orioles had lost at least 100 games (the other 1954); in addition, the 107 losses would not be surpassed until 30 years later. It was the team's fifth-worst overall franchise record, behind only 1939 (43–111), 2018 (47–115), 2021 (52-110) and 2019 (54–108). This would be the final season to feature the cartoon bird logo on the caps. The next year the Orioles switched back to the full bodied bird logo (which had been previously featured on the caps for the team's first 12 years from 1954 to 1965), the cartoon bird logo wouldn't return to the caps until 2012.
The Orioles’ 21-game losing streak would not be matched as the American League’s longest losing streak until 2024, when the Chicago White Sox matched it.