On September 28, 1953, baseball's owners unanimously agreed upon the move of the St. Louis Browns to Baltimore. The move followed a season in which the Browns went 54-100 and drew a crowd of only 3,174 to their season finale, an 11-inning loss to Chicago.

The Orioles debut in the modern day game was not a stellar one, as they finished 54-100 and 57 games back in the division. However, the love affair with the Birds had begun as the O's drew 1,060,910 fans to their 67 home dates of their inaugural season.

An indication of better days appeared in '57 as the Birds finished at .500 for the first time. Veteran Connie Johnson (14-11, pictured right) led the charge of a surprising Orioles pitching staff that saw four pitchers throw shutouts on consecutive days in late June.

The Orioles of 1960 made a charge for the pennant and the team emerged as a perennial contender. Finishing with 85 wins, it was clear that the future was bright with rookies Jim Gentile, Ron Hansen, and Steve Barber shining bright alongside more established players such as Milt Pappas and Brooks Robinson, who went to the first of his 16 All-Star Games.

The Orioles eclipsed the 90-win mark for the first time finishing 95-67, but still finished 14 games behind the Yankees who were being powered by Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle. Jim Gentile (above) had a stellar season and set 11 team records finishing third in the MVP vote behind Maris and Mantle.

As late as mid-September the O's were in first place in a tight pennant race with the Yankees and White Sox but the Yankees won 11 straight down the stretch to take the division by a game over Chicago and two games over the Birds. Brooks Robinson (above, left) had a fantastic season hitting .317 with 194 hits, 28 HR, and 118 RBI.

In a trade for Milt Pappas and two others, Frank Robinson (above) came to the Birds and proved to be the missing ingredient for the Championship. The Orioles defeated the favored L.A. Dodgers in the World Series with awe-inspiring pitching and timely power - traits that would become the staples of the franchise for years to come. The Birds won their first-ever title in decisive fashion, outscoring L.A. 13-2 in the Series for a 4-game sweep.

Jim Palmer's (16-4, above, left) dominance was on display as he fired off an 11-game win streak in the summer of '69. The O's finished 109-53 and played the Minnesota Twins in the first American League Championship series, which they promptly swept in 3 games. The World Series pitted the favored Birds against the Miracle Mets who shocked all of baseball with a 4-1 victory in the Fall Classic.