Okay, so, I’ve been digging into this whole baseball thing, specifically about players who’ve done time with both the Kansas City Royals and the Baltimore Orioles. It’s a bit of a rabbit hole, but a fun one!
I started off just poking around, you know, seeing what names popped up. And the first one that caught my eye was this guy Wally Bunker. Apparently, he was with the Royals for three seasons and then did six with the Orioles. So I thought, “Alright, let’s see what this Bunker dude was all about.” I did some more looking, and it turns out he had some decent stats, nothing too crazy, but solid. I made a note of his WAR (that’s Wins Above Replacement, for those not in the know – basically, how much better a player is than some average Joe off the street). For Bunker, it was 4.6 with the Royals, which isn’t too shabby.
- Wally Bunker:
- 3 seasons with Kansas City Royals (4.6 WAR)
- 6 seasons with Baltimore Orioles
Then I got sidetracked, as one does, and started looking at the current Royals roster. Saw some names like Scott Barlow, Matt Beaty, and Dairon Blanco. Didn’t really go deep on these guys, but I jotted them down for later. Maybe I’ll circle back and see what their stories are.
- 2023 Royals Roster:
- Scott Barlow
- Matt Beaty
- Dairon Blanco
Next, I stumbled upon this tidbit about a Wild Card series involving the Orioles and the Royals. Now, the date mentioned was October 1, 2024, which, uh, hasn’t happened yet. But hey, it gave me something to look forward to! They mentioned a player named Rutschman, who’s been in the majors since 2022, so I made a note to check him out closer to the supposed game time.
- Wild Card Series (Orioles vs. Royals):
- Date: October 1, 2024 (Future)
- Player to watch: Rutschman (in majors since 2022)
Somewhere along the way, I also found out that the Orioles finished 91-71 and were the top AL Wild Card team recently. Good for them! It’s always cool to see a team do well, even if you don’t really have a dog in the fight.
- Orioles’ Recent Performance:
- 91-71 record
- Top AL Wild Card
Oh, and get this – the Orioles’ Double-A affiliate, the Bowie Baysox, they’re rebranding as the Chesapeake Baysox! I thought that was pretty neat. They’ve always had “Bay” in their name, but now it’s official. A little nod to the Chesapeake Bay, which is a nice touch.
- Bowie Baysox Rebranding:
- Now known as the Chesapeake Baysox
- Established in 1993 as Orioles’ Double-A affiliate
Wrapping Up My Little Dive into Baseball
Finally, I found a fun fact about Cal Ripken Jr. Turns out, he’s played the most games in Orioles history. Makes sense, the guy’s a legend! I didn’t dig too much into his stats, but I did see he played 3, something games. That’s a lot of baseball! And that was about it for my little adventure into the world of the Royals and Orioles. I started with Wally Bunker, took a detour through some current rosters, got a heads-up about a future game, learned about a team rebranding, and ended with a legend. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon!
- Cal Ripken Jr.:
- Most games played in Orioles history (3,)
