44-23.
That’s the Orioles record when they hit a home run. To put it another way, the O’s win 2/3 of the games they homer in. That’s astounding.
In 2013, the Orioles led Major League Baseball with 212 dingers. This year, they’re tied with the Blue Jays for the lead with 119 (the O’s have played two less games) and are on pace to finish the season with 199. The Birds have led all of baseball with 65 long balls since June 1. They’re 26-17 over that span.
But wait, I have even more numbers. An alarming total of the Orioles total runs scored have come via the home run. Let’s take the Oakland series for example:
| DATE | OPP | RS | RS via HR | HR |
| 7/19 | at OAK | 4 | 4 | 2 |
| 7/20 | at OAK | 8 | 5 | 3 |
| 7/21 | at OAK | 2 | 0 | 0 |
The O’s went 1-2 in Oakland over the weekend, scoring 14 runs and hitting five home runs. Nine of their 14 runs (64 percent of their total runs) were scored via the long ball.
To expand on that idea a bit, here’s how the O’s offense looks over the last 23 games:
| Games | RS | RS via HR | RS via HR% | HR |
| 23 | 106 | 57 | 54% | 35 |
12 of Adam Jones‘ 17 home runs have come in the Orioles wins. 18 of Nelson Cruz‘s 28 have come when the Birds are in the win column. But here’s the best one — 14 of Chris Davis‘ 16 homers have come in O’s victories.
The Orioles truly live and die by the long ball.
Image Credit: Keith Allison
