Play Indexing: Looking at the O's Record for Runs Scored in a Game

Yesterday, the Orioles scored 18 runs and collected 20 hits (and four walks) in a feel-good win over the Red Sox. Before the game was over, the O's Twitter account shared this tidbit:

The Orioles have scored a club record 18 runs against the Red Sox, previous club record was 17, set 9/27/1960 at Boston. #Birdland
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) April 26, 2015

That's an interesting nugget, and that's a bunch of runs scored against a division rival. But the impressive effort wasn't a franchise best, which the O's accomplished against another division rival, the Toronto Blue Jays. In that game, on September 28, 2000, the Orioles scored 23 runs in a 23-1 rout. Like yesterday's game, every O's starter had a hit in that 2000 victory. Here was the O's lineup from that game:

Brady Anderson
Jerry Hairston
Delino DeShields
Albert Belle
Chris Richard
Cal Ripken, Jr.
Melvin Mora
Brook Fordyce
Eugene Kingsale

That's certainly an interesting group of players (the O's also finished 74-88 that season). Anderson, DeShields, and Fordyce all homered. Pat Rapp started the game and got the victory for the O's, who used four pitchers. The Jays also used four pitchers, including Chris Carpenter, who got the start and was knocked out after three innings, and Roy Halladay, who recorded two outs in relief and allowed seven runs (none of them earned; the Jays committed four errors in the game). Also, despite the huge lead, Buddy Groom retired the only batter he faced in the ninth inning on one pitch and then was removed from the game for some reason. Curious bullpen usage, Mike Hargrove.

In a 1999 victory over the Braves, the Orioles scored 22 runs in an easy win for Mike Mussina. (Rocky Coppinger also tossed two innings in relief.) The O's knocked John Smoltz out early in that rout and then went to work on the Braves' bullpen. Ripken homered twice and knocked in six runs and scored five. Will Clark also homered, along with Charles Johnson.

I'd be doing a disservice without mentioning the infamous 30-3 game from 2007 against the Rangers. The Rangers had 29 hits and eight walks! For shame, Daniel Cabrera, Brian Burres, Rob Bell, and Paul Shuey. For shame.