Th Baltimore Orioles lost 6-4 to the Toronto Blue Jays Tuesday night, a meaningless September match-up between two teams out of the playoff race if not for one embarrassing fact.
The Orioles moved to 43-108 on the year, breaking the franchise record for most losses in one season.
They previously finished with 107 losses three times — 1910, 1911 and 1988.
But remarkably, there are still 11 games left in the Orioles’ season, the final 10 coming against the three best teams in the American league. They play series at the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox and return home for four final games against the defending World Series champion Houston Astros.
Should the Orioles happen to lose all 11, they would finish 43-119 and tie the 2003 Detroit Tigers for the worst 162-game record in MLB history.
Baltimore knew it had to call it quits midseason with All-Star shortstop Manny Machado approaching free agency. They traded Machado to the Dodgers and offloaded several other top players.
Before and after the trades alike, fans have had little reason to flock to Orioles Park at Camden Yards. According to Baseball Reference, Orioles home games have been averaging 19,520 fans, down more than 5,500 people per game from a year ago.
By season’s end, it’s likely to be the worst attendance mark for Baltimore since 1981, and it represents just 42.3 percent of the stadium being filled.
But as it goes in baseball, there’s always next year.
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.