Baltimore Orioles, 1901–1902

Two seasons. A new major league. A roster raid. And a strange place in the story of the New York Yankees.

A New League Comes to Baltimore

In 1901, the newly organized American League declared itself a major league and prepared to challenge the established National League.

League president Ban Johnson wanted a club in New York, but the National League's New York Giants stood in the way.

So the franchise went to Baltimore instead.

John McGraw, already one of the city's most famous baseball figures, became manager and part-owner of the new Orioles.

One Promising Season

The Orioles finished their first season 68–65, good for fifth place in the eight-team American League.

But McGraw and Ban Johnson repeatedly clashed over league discipline and control. Meanwhile, rumors continued that Johnson wanted an American League club in New York.

July 1902

Then everything unraveled.

On July 16, 1902, McGraw left Baltimore to manage the New York Giants. Players including Roger Bresnahan and Joe McGinnity followed.

The Orioles became so depleted that they were forced to forfeit a game because they did not have enough active players.

The American League eventually took control and restocked the club with players supplied by other teams so Baltimore could finish the season.

The Orioles finished 1902 last in both the standings and attendance.

Then they were gone.

Baltimore to New York?

The following season, the American League placed a club in New York called the Highlanders. That team eventually became the New York Yankees.

For years, historians sometimes treated the 1901–1902 Orioles as the beginning of the Yankees franchise.

Today, that connection comes with an asterisk. Major League Baseball's official historian has supported treating the Baltimore club and the New York franchise separately, and the Yankees do not count the Baltimore seasons as part of their official history.

That somehow makes these Orioles even more interesting.