The 1921 edition of the Baltimore Orioles boasted no less than four major league-quality starters, three of which would each post 30-win seasons in Baltimore. All four would go on to pitch in the majors and one would wind up with a plaque in Cooperstown. The undisputed ace of the ’21 club was right-hander Jack Ogden who would re-write the International League record books that summer. […]
Catching was always the weak link in Jack Dunn’s seven consecutive pennant winning teams. The 1921 team had Babe Ruth’s first catcher from 1914, Ben Egan, but he was 37 and injury prone. One of the young prospects recruited by Dunn was Baltimore sandlot star Calvin “Ducky” Davis. […]
Orioles owner-manager Jack Dunn maintained a vast local web of scouts that scoured everywhere from dusty Baltimore sandlots to prestigious Maryland universities. One of the gems that the scouts discovered was Dick Porter, a hard-hitting versatile infielder and outfielder who would spend eight years as one of the Orioles key members. […]
The way a typical Orioles inning went in 1921 was the number one and two hitters, Maisel and Lawry, would get themselves on base, and use their speed to swipe an extra base and get into scoring position. The consummate contact hitter Merwin Jacobson would advance the runner. Then Big Bill would come to bat, ready to slug them all home… […]
Between two stints in the big leagues, center fielder Merwin “Jake” Jacobson batted third the Birds’ lineup, his big bat being used to advance speedsters Fritz Maisel and Rabbit Lawry who batted before him. […]
The power behind the 1921 O’s could be found in their outfield. That summer the three regulars hit a combined .334 with 80 doubles, 37 triples and 34 homers. While all three would have career years with Baltimore, 1921 belonged to left fielder, Otis Lawry… […]
Every successful team needs a respected veteran to help guide the younger players and inspire with their experience. The 1921 Orioles were luck as they had two of these valuable assets – third baseman Fritz Maisel and catcher Ben Egan. Tall and gangly, Ben Egan was a baseball lifer. The Upstate New Yorker began […]
Fritz Maisel was the veteran backbone of Jack Dunn’s “Endless Chain of Champions.” Deceptively short and stocky, Maisel possessed blinding speed on the bases, a valuable asset in the hit and run Deadball Era style of playing. […]
All but forgotten today, Joe Boley had the makings of a superstar, and indeed he was, just on a minor league level. It wasn’t a lack of talent that stood in the way of his making the big leagues, it was that Joe Boley was too good. […]
Signed right off the Baltimore City College campus by Orioles owner Jack Dunn in 1918, Max Bishop would team up with shortstop Joe Boley to form the best middle infield in the minor leagues. […]