The Baltimore Orioles smoked the Boston Red Sox on Friday night 11-2.
With the win, the O's moved to an American League-best 89-51 on the year. They are chasing the No. 1 seed in the American League playoff picture. The loss dropped Boston to 72-69.
With the win, this version of the Orioles climbed up an impressive list in team history.
Per @StatsCentre:
Most wins through the first 140 games of a season in @Orioles franchise history (1901-):
95 in 1969+
94 in 1979+
89 in 2023 (Via crushing the Red Sox 11-2 tonight)
89 in 1966*
89 in 1970*
89 in 1971+
88 in 1997
85 in 1980
85 in 1983*
* Won the World Series
+ World Series finalist
The Orioles haven't made the playoffs since 2016 but are going to break that drought this year and they certainly look capable of making a deep run in the playoffs.
In the win on Friday night, young catcher Adley Rutschman went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI. He also moved up a list in general baseball history:
Most home runs - (Primary) catcher's first 2 career MLB seasons:
36- Mike Piazza (1992-93)
33- Willson Contreras (2016-17)
32- Kenji Johjima (2006-07)
31- Adley Rutschman (2022-23 as he went deep in tonight's @Orioles win at BOS)
31- Wilin Rosario (2011-12)
29- Three others tied
Rutschman made the All-Star team this season and is now hitting .274 this year with 18 homers and 70 RBI.
The Orioles and Red Sox will play again on Saturday at 4:10 p.m. ET.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!