Camden Yards Turns 30
Camden Yards Turns 30
Rick Sutcliffe remembers the man who sold him on Baltimore
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As soon as the final out was recorded in yesterday’s home opener at Camden Yards, it was pointed out that the 2-0 result in favor of the home team was identical to the score on April 6, 1992.
That day, of course, was the grand opening of Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
Construction began on the downtown stadium in 1988, but major pieces of the ballpark and the roster were still coming together in late 1991, about three months before Opening Day.
“Wanna make a trip,” Rick Sutcliffe remembers asking his agent — and friend of WTP — Barry Axelrod. Hey, who wouldn’t want to leave Southern California for Baltimore a week before Christmas?
Sutcliffe shares a familiar story about his mindset at the time: “I’m not going to sign with the Orioles. I’m 36 years old — I don’t need to be in the AL East. We went there with no intention of signing. There was no way...”
That’s when one of his former catchers stepped in. During the final weeks of Sutcliffe’s Rookie of the Year campaign in 1979, Johnny Oates was behind the plate — they were teammates with the Dodgers.
“I had a great relationship with Johnny Oates,” Sutcliffe says. “He helped me a lot. When I was traded to the Cubs in 1984, he was the bullpen coach. I went to Johnny Oates before every game in 1984: ‘What do I do? How do I pitch these guys?’ And he had a game plan every time.”
Sutcliffe’s 16-1 record with the Cubs that year leaves little room to question Oates’ ability to derive the best from his pitcher.
During that winter getaway to Baltimore in ’91, Sutcliffe and Axelrod received a tour of the new stadium.
That’s when Oates, manager of the Orioles from 1991-1994, took Sutcliffe to the mound and said, “You can’t tell anybody, but you’re going to throw the first pitch ever in this ballpark.”
The 6’7 righty walked off the field and went straight to his agent. “I think this is where I want to be. See if you can get a deal done.”
And on Opening Day 1992, Sutcliffe locked horns with Indians starter Charlie Nagy. Both pitchers threw complete games with Sut and the O’s breaking in their new home with a win.
When the season — and his one-year contract — ended, he returned to the team for another season. “It was the only ballpark my wife could plan dinner around,” he explains. “We never had ballpark food like that.”
It takes more than a few crab cakes to negotiate a deal, but they certainly don’t hurt. The food, in Sutcliffe’s opinion, was equal to the ambiance and design of Camden Yards.
Indeed, in my teenage years well before my scouting days began professionally, I was preparing game plans for my approach at Boog’s BBQ.
Camden Yards still represents all that is great about the game, even as complete games give way to four-inning starts.
“Camden Yards was special. It made it easy to stay with the Orioles,” Sutcliffe says. “Everything about that park was designed for the baseball fan.”
Sutcliffe claimed many of the ballpark’s firsts, but Oates deserves to be remembered for carrying the franchise into better days in its new confines.
Oates was drafted by the Orioles in the first round of the 1967 Draft. He saw time with five different Major League teams before continuing in the game as a coach and manager. As a catcher, he guided pitchers like Sutcliffe and Jim Palmer to success. While coaching, he helped develop a wide range of players from catcher Jody Davis to outfielder Steve Finley and pitcher Jeff Ballard.
His tenure as manager in Baltimore ended in 1994, during the strike, but he landed with the Rangers in time for the 1995 season. Sadly, Oates passed away in 2004.
After stints together in Los Angeles and Chicago, Camden Yards offered the perfect setting for the backup catcher and rookie pitcher to reunite as manager and Opening Day starter. Thirty years later, even if the home team isn’t winning, the ballpark is still a star.
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Proud to say that even though I live in San Diego and have roots out by Philly, my son's first game was at Camden. It is the perfect place to watch a game, every spot there is a great view. It was a day game, in the 90s with 70% humidity, and my 18 month old was napping in the 8th. Lugged him around like a sack of potatoes the rest of the game and then all the way to the rental car.
Perfect day all around.
I’ve seen games in something like 30 MLB parks. But Camden Yards is still my favorite place. I’d estimate I’ve probably been fortunate to catch around 50 games there through the 30 years of its existence, though it’s been 3 or 4 years now since the last time I got to see a game there.
That day, the O’s got trounced by the Angels. Sadly, I don’t remember anything any of the O’s did in particular. I know Trout went 0-4, but he smiled every time he tossed in the outfield between innings. Some guys near us in our outfield seats heckled the Angels outfielders, but in a good-natured way. It was just a joy to be there.
When I was a younger man, I always loved just walking Eutaw St a couple hours before a game, listening to BP, breathing it all in with the few other diehards there so far in advance for the game.
Happy 30th, Camden Yards!