Baltimore Orioles Have 1st 10-Game Division Lead in Nearly 35 Years
Following Monday's win over the Boston Red Sox, the Baltimore Orioles took a 10-game lead in the American League East for the first time since Sept. 22, 1979, per Elias Sports Bureau (via ESPN Stats & Info).
With the Orioles entering the day 9.5 games ahead of the New York Yankees and 10 ahead of the Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore and Toronto both picked up wins, while the Yankees were dormant. Following another two wins over the Red Sox on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Orioles remain 10 games up on Toronto and now sit 11 ahead of New York.
On track for their first division crown since 1997, the O's reduced their magic number to eight upon beating the Red Sox 10-6 on Wednesday afternoon. Per CSN Baltimore, the Orioles have taken the season series from Boston in three straight years, marking the first time that has happened since it occurred four years in a row from 1964-67.
Speaking of three consecutive seasons, the Orioles have now won at least 85 games in each of the last three years, something that previously hadn't happened since 1983-85, with the first of those campaigns ending in a World Series triumph, per ESPN Stats & Info.
Despite reigning as one of the top franchises in baseball from the mid-'60s to mid-'80s, the Orioles have made just three playoff appearances (1996, 1997, 2012) since 1983, falling to the Yankees in '96 and 2012 and the Indians in '97.
This time around, the O's seem to be headed for a matchup with the AL Central champion, likely the Detroit Tigers or Kansas City Royals, though the Cleveland Indians still have time to make a run.
