Throwback Thursday: 2005 All-Star Game

Remember when the Orioles sucked? I mean… like really sucked? Yeah, me too – before the Birds buckled up in 2012, their last winning season was when I was in middle school. The Orioles were terrible, and though we tried to convince ourselves otherwise, each season began with even less hope of a winner than the last.

Except 2005. The Orioles began the 2005 campaign as one of the biggest surprises in the league. While O’s fans (and the national media) waited for the other shoe to drop, the team held first place in the AL East for 62 straight days.  They entered the All-Star break at 47-40, and were well represented at the game. Double play team SS Miguel Tejada and 2B Brian Roberts were voted to start, and 3B Melvin Mora and closer BJ Ryan were selected as reserves.

O’s fans (with the rest of baseball along for the ride) only had to wait for the second inning for some Orioles Magic. Tejada led off the inning by going deep, and staking the AL to a 1-0 lead. Tejada tacked on another RBI on a fielder’s choice in the third inning, and Brian Roberts hit a ground-rule double. Tejada was eventually named the game’s MVP, for his night at the plate. The game ended in a 7-5 win for the AL, so his RBIs were decisive.

The best moment, though, came in the top of the fifth inning. Melvin Mora entered the game as a defensive replacement, and the Orioles held down three quarters of the infield. It was a great night for Baltimore fans who had waited eight years for the Orioles to be relevant again. For one night, those fans had reason to be proud, and for once, the Orioles didn’t crap the bed on the national stage. The 2005 All-Star game was definitely a high point in an otherwise dark time.

As an aside, I know the exact date that the Orioles 2005 season fell apart. The day was June 24, as the Orioles lost the first in a three-game sweep at the hands of  the Atlanta Braves. The loss pushed them out of first place, and they would never be the same. From that point on, the Orioles pissed away their hot start, going  32-58. You may wonder why I’m so hung up on the date… how I was able to pinpoint the downfall to that exact point.

It was my wedding day. The universe decided I could be happy in one way or the other, but not both. I remain convinced that my own domestic bliss cost the Orioles the pennant in 2005. Sorry, Birdland.