# 1996 Baltimore Orioles season

The 1996 Baltimore Orioles season was the 96th season in Baltimore Orioles franchise history, the 43rd in Baltimore, and the 5th at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
The Orioles finished second in the American League East with a record of 88 wins and 74 losses and qualifying for the post-season as the Wild Card team. The Orioles broke the all-time record for most home runs hit by a team (set at 240 by the 1961 New York Yankees) with 257. During the season, four Orioles scored at least 100 runs, four drove in at least 100 runs and seven hit at least 20 home runs. The Orioles pitching staff allowed 209 home runs, 1,604 hits and had an ERA of 5.15. The Orioles defeated the Cleveland Indians in the ALDS and then lost in the ALCS to the New York Yankees.

## Offseason

* November 22, 1995: Clay Bellinger was signed as a free agent with the Baltimore Orioles.
* December 14, 1995: Randy Myers signed as a free agent with the Baltimore Orioles.
* December 20, 1995: B. J. Surhoff was signed as a free agent with the Baltimore Orioles.
* December 23, 1995: Billy Ripken was signed as a free agent with the Baltimore Orioles.
* March 13, 1996: Sherman Obando was traded by the Baltimore Orioles to the Montreal Expos for Tony Tarasco.

## Regular season

* On September 27 in Toronto, Roberto Alomar spat at home-plate umpire John Hirschbeck after getting thrown out of a game for arguing a called third strike.

### Opening Day starters

* Roberto Alomar
* Brady Anderson
* Bobby Bonilla
* Jeffrey Hammonds
* Chris Hoiles
* Mike Mussina
* Rafael Palmeiro
* Cal Ripken Jr.
* B. J. Surhoff
* Tony Tarasco

### Notable transactions

* December 21, 1995: Roberto Alomar was signed as a free agent.
* December 26, 1995: Traded Curtis Goodwin and Trovin Valdez to Cincinnati Reds for David Wells.
* April 19, 1996: Luis Polonia was signed as a free agent with the Baltimore Orioles.
* June 6, 1996: Todd Frohwirth was signed as a free agent with the Baltimore Orioles.
* August 12, 1996: Luis Polonia was released by the Baltimore Orioles.
* August 23, 1996: Gregg Zaun was sent by the Baltimore Orioles to the Florida Marlins to complete an earlier deal made on August 21, 1996. The Baltimore Orioles sent a player to be named later to the Florida Marlins for Terry Mathews. The Baltimore Orioles sent Gregg Zaun (August 23, 1996) to the Florida Marlins to complete the trade.
* August 29, 1996: Traded Calvin Maduro and Garrett Stephenson to Philadelphia Phillies for Todd Zeile and Pete Incaviglia.

### Season standings

vteAL East :
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
| New York Yankees | 92 | 70 | .568 | — | 49‍–‍31 | 43‍–‍39 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 88 | 74 | .543 | 4 | 43‍–‍38 | 45‍–‍36 |
| Boston Red Sox | 85 | 77 | .525 | 7 | 47‍–‍34 | 38‍–‍43 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 74 | 88 | .457 | 18 | 35‍–‍46 | 39‍–‍42 |
| Detroit Tigers | 53 | 109 | .327 | 39 | 27‍–‍54 | 26‍–‍55 |

### Record vs. opponents

1996 American League recordvte Sources: :
| Team | BAL | BOS | CAL | CWS | CLE | DET | KC | MIL | MIN | NYY | OAK | SEA | TEX | TOR |
| Baltimore | — | 7–6 | 6–6 | 4–8 | 5–7 | 11–2 | 9–3 | 9–3 | 7–5 | 3–10 | 9–4 | 7–5 | 3–10–1 | 8–5 |
| Boston | 6–7 | — | 8–4 | 6–6 | 1–11 | 12–1 | 3–9 | 7–5 | 6–6 | 7–6 | 8–5 | 7–6 | 6–6 | 8–5 |
| California | 6–6 | 4–8 | — | 6–6 | 4–9 | 6–6 | 4–8 | 7–5 | 4–8 | 7–6 | 6–7 | 5–8 | 4–9 | 7–5 |
| Chicago | 8–4 | 6–6 | 6–6 | — | 5–8 | 10–3 | 7–6 | 6–7 | 6–7 | 6–7 | 5–7 | 5–7 | 8–4 | 7–5 |
| Cleveland | 7–5 | 11–1 | 9–4 | 8–5 | — | 12–0 | 7–6 | 7–6 | 10–3 | 3–9 | 6–6 | 8–4 | 4–8 | 7–5 |
| Detroit | 2–11 | 1–12 | 6–6 | 3–10 | 0–12 | — | 6–6 | 4–8 | 6–6 | 5–8 | 4–8 | 6–6 | 4–9 | 6–7 |
| Kansas City | 3–9 | 9–3 | 8–4 | 6–7 | 6–7 | 6–6 | — | 4–9 | 6–7 | 4–8 | 5–7 | 7–5 | 6–6 | 5–8 |
| Milwaukee | 3–9 | 5–7 | 5–7 | 7–6 | 6–7 | 8–4 | 9–4 | — | 9–4 | 6–6 | 7–5 | 4–9 | 6–7 | 5–7 |
| Minnesota | 5–7 | 6–6 | 8–4 | 7–6 | 3–10 | 6–6 | 7–6 | 4–9 | — | 5–7 | 6–7 | 6–6 | 7–5 | 8–5 |
| New York | 10–3 | 6–7 | 6–7 | 7–6 | 9–3 | 8–5 | 8–4 | 6–6 | 7–5 | — | 9–3 | 3–9 | 5–7 | 8–5 |
| Oakland | 4–9 | 5–8 | 7–6 | 7–5 | 6–6 | 8–4 | 7–5 | 5–7 | 7–6 | 3–9 | — | 8–5 | 7–6 | 4–8 |
| Seattle | 5–7 | 6–7 | 8–5 | 7–5 | 4–8 | 6–6 | 5–7 | 9–4 | 6–6 | 9–3 | 5–8 | — | 10–3 | 5–7 |
| Texas | 10–3–1 | 6–6 | 9–4 | 4–8 | 8–4 | 9–4 | 6–6 | 7–6 | 5–7 | 7–5 | 6–7 | 3–10 | — | 10–2 |
| Toronto | 5–8 | 5–8 | 5–7 | 5–7 | 5–7 | 7–6 | 8–5 | 7–5 | 5–8 | 5–8 | 8–4 | 7–5 | 2–10 | — |

### Game log

1996 Game Log: 88–74 (Home: 43–38; Away: 45–36) :
April: 14–12 (Home: 10–6; Away: 4–6)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
1April 2Royals4–2Mussina (1–0)AppierMyers (1)46,8181–0
2April 3Royals7–1Wells (1–0)Gubicza—40,0682–0
3April 4Royals5–3Rhodes (1–0)PichardoMyers (2)38,7533–0
4April 5@ Twins2–1Mercker (1–0)GuardadoMyers (3)22,7444–0
5April 6@ Twins3–8RadkeHaynes (0–1)—22,3344–1
6April 7@ Twins4–2Mussina (2–0)RobertsonMyers (4)14,5805–1
7April 10Indians3–2 (10)Orosco (1–0)Tavarez—45,0976–1
8April 11Indians14–4Erickson (1–0)HershiserRhodes (1)43,1897–1
9April 12Twins3–2Mussina (3–0)Robertson—42,6028–1
10April 13Twins7–6Benitez (1–0)Mahomes—42,6449–1
11April 14Twins1–4RodriguezHaynes (0–2)Stevens42,6609–2
12April 16Red Sox6–1Wells (2–0)Clemens—40,01710–2
13April 17Red Sox6–5 (12)Rhodes (2–0)Maddux—40,25811–2
14April 18Red Sox7–10MoyerMussina (3–1)Slocumb47,28311–3
15April 19@ Rangers7–26CookMercker (1–1)Vosberg41,18411–4
16April 20@ Rangers3–8GrossHaynes (0–3)—45,35811–5
17April 21@ Rangers6–9OliverWells (2–1)—39,45611–6
18April 22@ Indians3–6NagyErickson (1–1)Mesa42,23611–7
19April 23@ Indians8–9OgeaMussina (3–2)Mesa40,77011–8
20April 24@ Royals11–8Mercker (2–1)Haney—13,96212–8
21April 25@ Royals3–2Rhodes (3–0)ValeraMyers (5)16,09013–8
22April 26Rangers4–5BrandenburgWells (2–2)Henneman44,02213–9
23April 27Rangers2–4WittErickson (1–2)Vosberg47,31113–10
24April 28Rangers4–5 (10)HerediaMcDowell (0–1)Henneman47,32713–11
25April 29Rangers8–7Haynes (1–3)HellingMyers (6)41,50314–11
26April 30Yankees10–13NelsonShepherd (0–1)Wetteland43,11714–12 :
May: 14–10 (Home: 8–5; Away: 6–5)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
27May 1Yankees6–11 (15)PettitteMercker (2–2)—47,47214–13
28May 3Brewers8–2Erickson (2–2)Bones—41,03715–13
29May 4Brewers10–5Mussina (4–2)Sparks—44,17516–13
30May 5Brewers1–13McDonaldHaynes (1–4)—46,02716–14
31May 7@ White Sox2–3FernandezWells (2–3)Hernandez16,13016–15
32May 8@ White Sox2–11BaldwinErickson (2–3)—14,97416–16
33May 9@ White Sox6–4Mussina (5–2)AlvarezMyers (7)14,50717–16
34May 10@ Brewers10–7 (12)Orosco (2–0)GarciaMcDowell (1)9,52018–16
35May 11@ Brewers5–3 (10)Rhodes (4–0)PottsMyers (8)21,08119–16
36May 12@ Brewers4–6MirandaErickson (2–4)Fetters14,33319–17
37May 13@ Athletics4–3Krivda (1–0)JohnsMyers (9)8,20420–17
38May 14@ Athletics9–1Mussina (6–2)Reyes—8,46621–17
39May 17Mariners14–13Mills (1–0)Charlton—47,25922–17
40May 18Mariners3–7MilackiMercker (2–3)—46,43422–18
41May 19Mariners8–7Mussina (7–2)HurtadoMyers (10)47,56523–18
42May 20Angels13–1Wells (3–3)Grimsley—43,49224–18
43May 21Angels2–5BoskieKrivda (1–1)Percival39,97424–19
44May 22Angels10–5Haynes (2–4)AbbottMcDowell (2)45,81725–19
45May 24Athletics5–4 (10)McDowell (1–1)Reyes—45,02426–19
46May 25Athletics3–6JohnsWells (3–4)Groom47,35326–20
47May 26Athletics6–1Mercker (3–3)ChouinardMcDowell (3)47,40127–20
48May 28@ Mariners12–8Rhodes (5–0)GuettermanHaynes (1)23,23528–20
49May 29@ Mariners8–9CharltonMyers (0–1)—20,25328–21
50May 31@ Angels3–10LangstonWells (3–5)—21,60328–22 :
June: 14–14 (Home: 6–6; Away: 8–8)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
51June 1@ Angels3–8BoskieHaynes (2–5)—35,35028–23
52June 2@ Angels14–1Erickson (3–4)Abbott—33,70429–23
53June 4Tigers10–7Mussina (8–2)GohrMyers (11)43,72730–23
54June 5Tigers6–4Rhodes (6–0)MyersMyers (12)43,08731–23
55June 6Tigers13–6Krivda (2–1)Lira—46,26932–23
56June 7White Sox2–8FernandezErickson (3–5)—47,20932–24
57June 8White Sox1–2BaldwinMercker (3–4)Hernandez47,63432–25
58June 9White Sox9–12KarchnerMussina (8–3)Hernandez47,35232–26
59June 10@ Tigers3–8OlivaresWells (3–6)—10,65532–27
60June 11@ Tigers12–9Coppinger (1–0)Lira—10,87433–27
61June 12@ Tigers10–7Rhodes (7–0)LewisMyers (13)12,04334–27
62June 13@ Royals2–10LintonMercker (3–5)—20,10834–28
63June 14@ Royals6–1Mussina (9–3)Gubicza—28,50235–28
64June 15@ Royals6–7 (16)MagnanteKrivda (2–2)—24,78435–29
65June 16@ Royals13–5Coppinger (2–0)JacomeMills (1)19,43736–29
66June 17Rangers1–1 (6)—45,58136–29
67June 18Rangers0–7OliverMercker (3–6)—47,31836–30
68June 19Rangers2–3WittMussina (9–4)Russell45,58136–31
69June 20Rangers3–2Wells (4–6)GrossMyers (14)21,74837–31
70June 21Royals9–3Rhodes (8–0)Haney—47,64438–31
71June 22Royals5–3Erickson (4–5)Montgomery—47,53439–31
72June 23Royals0–4AppierKrivda (2–3)—47,60839–32
73June 24@ Rangers8–3Mussina (10–4)Witt—39,70140–32
74June 25@ Rangers2–5GrossWells (4–7)Henneman41,68540–33
75June 26@ Rangers5–6CookOrosco (2–1)Henneman38,98440–34
76June 27@ Yankees2–3RogersErickson (4–6)Wetteland34,16140–35
77June 28@ Yankees7–4Rhodes (9–0)RiveraMyers (15)43,51541–35
78June 29@ Yankees3–4PettitteMussina (10–5)Wetteland45,29541–36
79June 30@ Yankees9–1Wells (5–7)Mendoza—40,20042–36 :
July: 11–16 (Home: 5–13; Away: 6–3)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
80July 1@ Blue Jays7–4Coppinger (3–0)HentgenMyers (16)43,37743–36
81July 2@ Blue Jays8–2Erickson (5–6)Quantrill—32,15044–36
82July 3@ Blue Jays2–5GuzmanKrivda (2–4)Timlin32,36544–37
83July 4Red Sox8–6Mussina (11–5)WakefieldMyers (17)47,07545–37
84July 5Red Sox3–7SeleWells (5–8)—47,23745–38
85July 6Red Sox4–3Coppinger (4–0)ClemensMyers (18)47,50046–38
86July 7Red Sox5–7HudsonMyers (0–2)Slocumb47,53246–39
87July 11Yankees2–4KeyMussina (11–6)Wetteland46,76046–40
88July 13Yankees2–3NelsonWells (5–9)Wetteland—46–41
89July 13Yankees5–7GoodenRhodes (9–1)Wetteland46,45146–42
90July 14Yankees1–4PettitteErickson (5–7)Wetteland47,65846–43
91July 15Blue Jays8–6Haynes (3–5)Timlin—43,19247–43
92July 16Blue Jays0–6GuzmanMussina (11–7)—45,85147–44
93July 17Blue Jays11–10Coppinger (5–0)Timlin—45,95548–44
94July 18@ Red Sox6–3Wells (6–9)SeleMyers (19)33,01449–44
95July 19@ Red Sox2–13MoyerErickson (5–8)—32,26249–45
96July 20@ Red Sox0–2WakefieldCoppinger (5–1)Slocumb33,59049–46
97July 21@ Red Sox10–6 (10)Myers (1–2)Stanton—34,42350–46
98July 22Twins5–9RobertsonHaynes (3–6)Trombley42,12950–47
99July 23Twins2–3AguileraWells (6–10)Naulty42,00650–48
100July 24Twins4–11RodriguezErickson (5–9)—46,18150–49
101July 25Indians7–10NagyCoppinger (5–2)—47,02550–50
102July 26Indians9–14AssenmacherMussina (11–8)—46,75150–51
103July 27Indians14–2Wells (7–10)Hershiser—47,36051–51
104July 28Indians3–6 (13)MesaStephenson (0–1)—46,27351–52
105July 30@ Twins16–4Coppinger (6–2)Rodriguez—16,70852–52
106July 31@ Twins9–3Mussina (12–8)Trombley—15,89753–52 :
August: 19–11 (Home: 7–4; Away: 12–7)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
107August 1@ Twins4–2Wells (8–10)RobertsonMyers (20)20,37954–52
108August 2@ Indians1–11HershiserErickson (5–10)—42,46554–53
109August 3@ Indians9–4Orosco (3–1)Ogea—42,44855–53
110August 4@ Indians2–14AndersonCoppinger (6–3)—42,34955–54
111August 5@ Indians13–10Wells (9–10)Assenmacher—40,86356–54
112August 6@ Brewers13–3Mussina (13–8)McDonald—17,07557–54
113August 7@ Brewers12–2Erickson (6–10)Karl—20,28758–54
114August 8@ Brewers6–4Coppinger (7–3)D'AmicoMyers (21)18,62059–54
115August 9@ White Sox3–4 (10)SimasMyers (1–3)—23,99559–55
116August 10@ White Sox13–4Mussina (14–8)AlvarezMcDowell (4)26,77260–55
117August 11@ White Sox5–8TapaniMills (1–1)Hernandez27,08860–56
118August 13Brewers4–3Corbin (1–0)LloydMyers (22)44,46161–56
119August 14Brewers8–5Milchin (1–0)BonesMyers (23)47,48062–56
120August 15@ Athletics18–5Mussina (15–8)Adams—14,02663–56
121August 16@ Athletics14–3Erickson (7–10)Wasdin——64–56
122August 16@ Athletics5–4 (10)Myers (2–3)Mohler—15,64565–56
123August 17@ Athletics1–3PrietoCoppinger (7–4)Acre20,23165–57
124August 18@ Athletics6–9WengertWells (9–11)—18,12265–58
125August 20Mariners4–1Mussina (16–8)WagnerMyers (24)47,67966–58
126August 21Mariners10–5Erickson (8–10)Hitchcock—47,19867–58
127August 22Mariners3–10MoyerCoppinger (7–5)—47,38067–59
128August 23Angels0–2BoskieWells (9–12)Percival47,29167–60
129August 24Angels5–4Mussina (17–8)AbbottMyers (25)46,48768–60
130August 25Angels0–13SpringerErickson (8–11)—47,23968–61
131August 26Athletics12–11 (10)Myers (3–3)Acre—43,36169–61
132August 27Athletics3–1Wells (10–12)PrietoMyers (26)43,64170–61
133August 28Athletics0–3WengertMussina (17–9)—45,28270–62
134August 29@ Mariners6–9CharltonMyers (3–4)—24,91570–63
135August 30@ Mariners5–2Coppinger (8–5)HitchcockMills (2)44,53271–63
136August 31@ Mariners7–6Erickson (9–11)BosioBenitez (1)42,09272–63 :
September: 16–11 (Home: 7–4; Away: 9–7)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
137September 1@ Mariners1–5MulhollandWells (10–13)—50,01572–64
138September 2@ Angels12–8Mussina (18–9)Boskie—20,28773–64
139September 3@ Angels2–10HarrisCoppinger (8–6)—15,92473–65
140September 4@ Angels4–2Erickson (10–11)SpringerMyers (27)18,20474–65
141September 6Tigers4–5 (12)CummingsMathews (0–1)—46,70874–66
142September 7Tigers6–0Mussina (19–9)Thompson—47,13175–66
143September 8Tigers6–2Mills (2–1)Eischen—47,08276–66
144September 9Tigers5–4Erickson (11–11)OlivaresMyers (28)42,56277–66
145September 10White Sox5–1Wells (11–13)Tapani—43,32078–66
146September 11White Sox7–6 (10)Mills (3–1)Hernandez—43,32079–66
147September 12White Sox3–11FernandezMussina (19–10)—47,34279–67
148September 13@ Tigers7–4Erickson (12–11)MillerMills (3)11,17880–67
149September 14@ Tigers7–6Mathews (1–1)CummingsMyers (29)15,38681–67
150September 15@ Tigers16–6Corbin (2–0)Van Poppel—13,76482–67
151September 18@ Yankees2–3 (10)RiveraMills (3–2)—40,77582–68
152September 19@ Yankees3–9RogersMussina (19–11)——82–69
153September 19@ Yankees10–9Mathews (2–1)RiveraMyers (30)54,88883–69
154September 20Blue Jays1–5HentgenKrivda (2–5)Spoljaric47,02683–70
155September 21Blue Jays6–3Coppinger (9–6)WilliamsMyers (31)47,27084–70
156September 22Blue Jays5–4Erickson (13–11)FlenerBenitez (2)46,03585–70
157September 23Brewers7–8 (10)JonesMathews (2–2)Fetters46,54285–71
158September 24@ Red Sox8–13GordonWells (11–14)Mahomes28,55785–72
159September 25@ Red Sox6–2Krivda (3–5)WakefieldBenitez (3)28,43286–72
160September 26@ Blue Jays4–1Coppinger (10–6)WilliamsBenitez (4)30,14187–72
161September 27@ Blue Jays2–3FlenerErickson (13–12)Timlin30,11687–73
162September 28@ Blue Jays3–2 (10)Myers (4–4)Spoljaric—36,31688–73
163September 29@ Blue Jays1–4HentgenRodriguez (0–1)Timlin38,26788–74 :
Legend:        = Win        = Loss        = Tie Bold = Orioles team member :

### Detailed records

American League :
| Opponent | W | L | WP | RS | RA |
| AL East |||||||
| Baltimore Orioles | | | | | |
| Boston Red Sox | 7 | 6 | 0.538 | 71 | 78 |
| Detroit Tigers | 11 | 2 | 0.846 | 105 | 68 |
| New York Yankees | 3 | 10 | 0.231 | 62 | 75 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 8 | 5 | 0.615 | 58 | 55 |
| Total | 29 | 23 | 0.558 | 296 | 276 |
| AL Central |||||||
| Chicago White Sox | 4 | 8 | 0.333 | 58 | 74 |
| Cleveland Indians | 5 | 7 | 0.417 | 86 | 92 |
| Kansas City Royals | 9 | 3 | 0.750 | 71 | 49 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 9 | 3 | 0.750 | 88 | 61 |
| Minnesota Twins | 7 | 5 | 0.583 | 60 | 55 |
| Total | 34 | 26 | 0.567 | 363 | 331 |
| AL West |||||||
| California Angels | 6 | 6 | 0.500 | 68 | 69 |
| Oakland Athletics | 9 | 4 | 0.692 | 86 | 54 |
| Seattle Mariners | 7 | 5 | 0.583 | 81 | 82 |
| Texas Rangers | 3 | 10 | 0.231 | 55 | 91 |
| Total | 25 | 25 | 0.500 | 290 | 296 |
| Season Total | 88 | 74 | 0.543 | 949 | 903 |
| Month | Games | Won | Lost | Win % | RS | RA |
| April | 26 | 14 | 12 | 0.538 | 141 | 153 |
| May | 24 | 14 | 10 | 0.583 | 154 | 145 |
| June | 28 | 14 | 14 | 0.500 | 166 | 144 |
| July | 27 | 11 | 16 | 0.407 | 153 | 160 |
| August | 30 | 19 | 11 | 0.633 | 192 | 165 |
| September | 27 | 16 | 11 | 0.593 | 143 | 136 |
| Total | 162 | 88 | 74 | 0.543 | 949 | 903 |
| | Games | Won | Lost | Win % | RS | RA |
| Home | 81 | 43 | 38 | 0.531 | 437 | 440 |
| Away | 81 | 45 | 36 | 0.556 | 511 | 462 |
| Total | 162 | 88 | 74 | 0.543 | 949 | 903 |

### Roster
## Player stats

* = Indicates team leader

### Batting

Note: G = Pos = Position; Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; Avg. = Batting average
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | HR | RBI | Avg. |
| C | Chris Hoiles | 127 | 407 | 105 | 25 | 73 | .258 |
| 1B | Rafael Palmeiro | 162 | 626 | 181 | 39 | 142 | .289 |
| 2B | Roberto Alomar | 153 | 588 | 193 | 22 | 94 | .328 |
| 3B | B. J. Surhoff | 143 | 537 | 157 | 21 | 82 | .292 |
| SS | Cal Ripken Jr. | 163 | 640 | 178 | 26 | 102 | .278 |
| LF | Jeffrey Hammonds | 71 | 248 | 56 | 9 | 27 | .226 |
| CF | Brady Anderson | 149 | 579 | 172 | 50 | 110 | .297 |
| RF | Bobby Bonilla | 159 | 595 | 171 | 28 | 116 | .287 |
| DH | Eddie Murray | 64 | 230 | 59 | 10 | 34 | .257 |

#### Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; Avg. = Batting average
| Player | G | AB | H | HR | RBI | Avg. |
| Mike Devereaux | 127 | 323 | 74 | 8 | 34 | .229 |
| Luis Polonia | 58 | 175 | 42 | 2 | 14 | .240 |
| Billy Ripken | 57 | 135 | 31 | 2 | 12 | .230 |
| Todd Zeile | 29 | 117 | 28 | 5 | 19 | .239 |
| Gregg Zaun | 50 | 108 | 25 | 1 | 13 | .231 |
| Tony Tarasco | 31 | 84 | 20 | 1 | 9 | .238 |
| Mark Smith | 27 | 78 | 19 | 4 | 10 | .244 |
| Manny Alexander | 54 | 68 | 7 | 0 | 4 | .103 |
| Brent Bowers | 21 | 39 | 12 | 0 | 3 | .308 |
| Pete Incaviglia | 12 | 33 | 10 | 2 | 8 | .303 |
| Mark Parent | 18 | 33 | 6 | 2 | 6 | .182 |
| Jeff Huson | 17 | 28 | 9 | 0 | 2 | .321 |
| César Devarez | 10 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .111 |
| Gene Kingsale | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .--- |

### Pitching

| Position | Name | Games Pitched | Games Started | ERA | Wins | Losses | Saves | Innings Pitched | Strikeouts |
| Starting Pitchers | | | | | | | | |
| | Mike Mussina | 36 | 36 | 4.81 | 19 | 11 | 0 | 243.1 | 204 |
| | Scott Erickson | 34 | 34 | 5.02 | 13 | 12 | 0 | 222.1 | 100 |
| | David Wells | 34 | 34 | 5.14 | 11 | 14 | 0 | 224.1 | 130 |
| | Rocky Coppinger | 23 | 22 | 5.18 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 135.0 | 104 |
| | Kent Mercker | 14 | 12 | 7.76 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 58.0 | 22 |
| Relief Pitchers | | | | | | | | | |
| | Jesse Orosco | 66 | 0 | 3.40 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 55.2 | 52 |
| | Roger McDowell | 41 | 0 | 4.25 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 59.1 | 20 |
| | Arthur Rhodes | 28 | 0 | 4.08 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 53.0 | 62 |
| | Alan Mills | 49 | 0 | 4.28 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 54.2 | 52 |
| | Archie Corbin | 18 | 0 | 2.30 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 27.1 | 20 |
| | Keith Shepherd | 13 | 0 | 8.71 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20.2 | 17 |
| | Terry Mathews | 14 | 0 | 3.38 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 18.2 | 13 |
| | Armando Benítez | 18 | 0 | 3.77 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 14.1 | 20 |
| | Jimmy Myers | 11 | 0 | 7.07 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14.0 | 6 |
| | Esteban Yan | 4 | 0 | 5.79 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9.1 | 7 |
| | Mike Milchin | 13 | 0 | 5.73 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11.0 | 10 |
| | Garrett Stephenson | 3 | 0 | 12.79 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6.1 | 3 |
| | Brian Sackinsky | 3 | 0 | 3.86 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.2 | 2 |
| | Jimmy Haynes | 26 | 11 | 8.29 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 89.0 | 65 |
| | Rick Krivda | 22 | 11 | 4.96 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 81.2 | 54 |
| | Nerio Rodríguez | 8 | 1 | 4.32 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 16.2 | 12 |
| | Manny Alexander | 1 | 0 | 67.50 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 | 0 |
| Closer | | | | | | | | | |
| | Randy Myers | 62 | 0 | 3.53 | 4 | 4 | 31 | 58.2 | 74 |

## Return of Eddie Murray

On July 21, 1996, the Baltimore Orioles re-acquired longtime Oriole Eddie Murray from the Cleveland Indians in exchange for pitcher Kent Mercker. Murray, a member of the 1983 World Series Champion Baltimore Orioles, would subsequently hit his 500th career home run later in the season. As a commemoration of this event, an orange seat was installed in the outfield stands where Murray's 500th home run landed. The Orioles had a record of 49 wins and 46 losses before the trade, and 39–28 after the trade, not including the playoffs. During the 1996 playoffs, Eddie Murray hit .333 and hit a home run while producing 3 RBI.
The trade for Eddie Murray sparked the Orioles to have a better record after his arrival, than before. One can attribute that to his great leadership, which is well documented, as a Sporting News correspondent, Michael P. Geffner said, "To think of Murray as anything other than a great player these days is not to have a dissenting opinion anymore but to be dead wrong, blind not only to the inner game but to an understanding of what truly raises baseball to something classic and beautiful--when the game is executed purely and seamlessly. Which is Eddie Murray to a T.". The Orioles success after the trade can also be attributed to the theory of "Power, worth, and recognition, " which Thomas S. Parish who is an associate professor of psychology at Upper Iowa University, Fayette, Iowa, describes as a type of motivation where athletes attempt to out do or "show off" to each other, which leads to better statistics, and more wins. In Eddie Murray's last at-bat with the Orioles he hit a home run off of New York Yankee pitcher, Andy Pettitte.

## ALDS
### Game 1, October 1

Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, Maryland
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Cleveland | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 0 |
| Baltimore | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | X | 10 | 10 | 1 |
| WP: David Wells (1-0) LP: Charles Nagy (0-1) Home runs: Cle: Manny Ramírez (1) Bal: Brady Anderson (1), B. J. Surhoff (1, 2), Bobby Bonilla (1) |||||||||||||

### Game 2, October 2

Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, Maryland
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Cleveland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 2 |
| Baltimore | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | X | 7 | 9 | 0 |
| WP: Armando Benítez (1-0) LP: Eric Plunk (0-1) Sv: Randy Myers (1) Home runs: Cle: Albert Belle (1) Bal: Brady Anderson (2) |||||||||||||

### Game 3, October 4

Jacobs Field, Cleveland, Ohio
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Baltimore | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 2 |
| Cleveland | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | X | 9 | 10 | 0 |
| WP: Paul Assenmacher (1-0) LP: Jesse Orosco (0-1) Home runs: Bal: B. J. Surhoff (3) Cle: Manny Ramírez (2), Albert Belle (2) |||||||||||||

### Game 4, October 5

Jacobs Field, Cleveland, Ohio
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | R | H | E |
| Baltimore | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 14 | 1 |
| Cleveland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 1 |
| WP: Armando Benítez (2-0) LP: José Mesa (0-1) Sv: Randy Myers (2) Home runs: Bal: Rafael Palmeiro (1), Bobby Bonilla (2), Roberto Alomar (1) Cle: None ||||||||||||||||

## ALCS

| Game | Score | Date |
| 1 | Baltimore 4, New York 5 | October 9 |
| 2 | Baltimore 5, New York 3 | October 10 |
| 3 | New York 5, Baltimore 2 | October 11 |
| 4 | New York 8, Baltimore 4 | October 12 |
| 5 | New York 6, Baltimore 4 | October 13 |

## Jeffrey Maier incident

During Game 1 of the ALCS, New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter hit a deep fly ball to right field. Orioles outfielder Tony Tarasco camped under the ball and prepared to make a catch. However, a 12-year-old boy seated in the first row of the bleachers named Jeffrey Maier reached over the wall and caught the ball just above Tarrasco, costing the Orioles an out. Although it was fan interference, the umpire ruled the ball to be a home run. While Maier became a hero to Yankees fans, he immediately became a "symbol of the Orioles futility." The Orioles would go on to lose the series in five games.

## Farm system

| Level | Team | League | Manager |
| AAA | Rochester Red Wings | International League | Marv Foley |
| AA | Bowie Baysox | Eastern League | Bob Miscik and Tim Blackwell |
| A | High Desert Mavericks | California League | Joe Ferguson |
| A | Frederick Keys | Carolina League | Tim Blackwell and Julio Garcia |
| Rookie | Bluefield Orioles | Appalachian League | Bobby Dickerson |
| Rookie | GCL Orioles | Gulf Coast League | Tommy Shields |
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Bluefield