BALTIMORE, MD - SEPTEMBER 06: The Orioles Bird greets a young fan during the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles on September 06, 2026, at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, MD. (Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire)
Question: Which fan bases (say the top 5) have had the most misery? Where do the Orioles rank? From: Timothy Fowler
Answer: Tim, if you ask Oriole fans, they’d say they’ve been through more misery than any other fan base. You could make a case that Cleveland, which the Orioles just finished playing, has been through the most misery since it hasn’t won a World Series since 1948, but it came close to winning World Series in 1997 and 2016.
The Pirates haven’t been in an LCS since 1992, and haven’t been to the playoffs since 2015. They won the World Series in 1979 over the Orioles.
Honorable mention goes to the Milwaukee Brewers, who have had excellent teams in recent years, and currently have the best record in baseball, and Seattle, the only team that hasn’t been to a World Series.
Question: Your response to a recent questioner was spot on, but I took umbrage with his declaration that Mike Mussina was definitively the O’s second-best pitcher (just looking out for the old-timers).
Mussina 147-81 .645 3.53
Dave McNally 181-113 .616 3.18
Mike Cuellar 143-88 .619 3.18
Either of my guys is definitely in the conversation for second best although neither made the Hall of Fame. What do you think? From: Bob West
Answer: Bob, both McNally and Cuellar were excellent pitchers for the Orioles. However, both pitched their home games in Memorial Stadium, which was a much more pitcher-friendly park than Camden Yards.
McNally and Cuellar also pitched nearly all their Orioles career without having to face the designated hitter. It was easier to face a lineup with eight hitters than nine.
Mussina also pitched during a time when there were allegations that hitters were juiced, and the other two didn’t.
Overall, Mussina was the second-best pitcher in Orioles history, and McNally and Cuellar could be the third and fourth best.
Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. If you’d like to submit a question, send it to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com. Questions may be edited for clarity, length and style.
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