It’s August 21, 1996, and times remain great in Birdland. Cal Ripken had four hits, including a homer, as the O’s jumped out to an early lead and cruised past the Mariners 10-5 to get within a half game of the White Sox for the wild-card lead.

“It has been a long time since the Orioles’ future looked this good,” said Buster Olney in the Sun. “April 17, to be exact, when their 11-2 record was the best in baseball and a postseason berth appeared to be a foregone conclusion. But the four-month series of daily soap operas seems to have ended and they’re playing well, and in some respects, the Orioles have come full circle.” (Baltimore Sun, p. 5D, August 22, 1996)

There was a bit of concern in the fifth, when O’s starter Scott Erickson squandered a 5-1 lead and allowed a game-tying 3-run homer to M’s phenom Alex Rodriguez. Cal responded quickly, leading off the bottom of the inning with a solo shot that would put the O’s ahead for good.

Cal has dominated the Mariners this season. He is 16-for-30 and has hit six of his 21 homers against Seattle. 

“The home run was the last thing on my mind,” Cal said. “I just wanted to get on base and battle in the count, and it happened to work out that way.” (Baltimore Sun, p. 5D, August 22, 1996)

Chris Hoiles, who has bounced back from being shaken up a few days ago against the A’s, also homered in this game, as did Bobby Bonilla.

Here’s the box score with the lovely totals.

In an effort to shore up the bullpen, the O’s acquired reliever Terry Mathews from the Florida Marlins for a player to be named later. The five-year veteran has pitched 55 innings this year, giving 30 runs for a 4.91 ERA. 

“He’s got a live arm,” said O’s manager Davey Johnson. “A little slurve-type, breaking ball. He throws in the 90’s and wants the ball. He doesn’t mind what situation he’s in. I tried to get him in Cincinnati the last couple of years and I was told he’s basically untouchable.” (Baltimore Sun, p. 5D, August 22, 1996)

Mathews will help fill the role that Roger McDowell had filled before his season-ending shoulder injury.

Hoiles, Cal, and Bobby Bo help the O’s surge past 200 homers on the season.

Mariners (64-61) at Orioles (67-58), 7:35 p.m.

Starting Pitchers
SEA – LHP Jamie Moyer (9-2, 4.08 ERA)
BAL – RHP Rocky Coppinger (7-4, 4.63 ERA)

The #1 song in America on August 21, 1996, is once again “The Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix” by Los Del Rio. Today we’ll go look at what’s number one on the Country chart. Let’s try not to get carried away…

President Bill Clinton signed a new law that raises the federal minimum wage 90 cents, from $4.25 an hour to $5.15 an hour by September 1997.

“This bill says to the working people of America that if you’re willing to take responsibility and go to work, your work will be honored,” said the President, sounding like a Republican. After talking about what an honor it is to make $5.15 an hour, he continued to say “We have made this a season of achievement for the people of America.”

As a reminder, the current federal minimum wage is $7.25 and hasn’t risen since 2009.

In a seemingly unrelated story on the front page, a local family-run development company in Baltimore is planning to build a hotel near the Owings Mills town center. The Mangione family has agreed to purchase 3.3 acres for a Hilton hotel with 100 rooms.

Almost two years later, in May 1998, the family would welcome another new development, a baby boy named Luigi. 

Welcome to a recurring segment where I find fun things in today’s (in 1996) Baltimore Sun!

It is shocking that one of the most flippable-looking cars of all time, the 1996 Isuzu Trooper, is prone to flipping over.