Remembering the O's World Series champions (with video)

The Orioles' history since their 1954 arrival in Baltimore includes three World Series wins. It also includes three World Series losses. But today, seeking some happy news for a change, we'll focus on the three winners.

My colleague, Roch Kubatko and I, got together to tape this video, discuss and even rank those championships. We have unique perspectives because we're both from the Baltimore area and have lived a lot of the history. We were in the stands for some of those games at Memorial Stadium.

Any O's fan should have some wonderful and fond memories of these seasons:

* The Orioles swept the Los Angeles Dodgers in four games in the 1966 World Series to bring the club its first world championship. Baltimore put on a stunning display of pitching not seen since in a World Series.

The Orioles held the Dodgers to two runs in four games and shut out Los Angeles over the last three games and over the last 33 innings. Stunning pitching. The O's scored three runs in the first inning of Game 1 - one more than the Dodgers put up all series.

In Game 2, a 20-year-old year Jim Palmer squared off against Sandy Koufax, who, as it turned out, was pitching the last game of his career. That year, Koufax won 27 games, fanned 317, pitched five shutouts and posted a 1.73 ERA. But the O's won 6-0.

Moe Drabowsky was a hero in the opener in relief of Dave McNally who would later pitch a shutout in Game 4. Drabowsky fanned 11 over 6 2/3 innings out of the 'pen.

The O's team ERA was 0.50 and they allowed just 17 hits in the four games while making no errors. Frank Robinson, acquired the previous winter, would have some amazing first season in Baltimore. He hit for the Triple Crown, was American League MVP for the season and World Series MVP against the Dodgers. He homered twice in that series - both off Don Drysdale.

* The 1970 World Series went to the Orioles, four games to one over the Cincinnati Reds. They beat The Big Red Machine and Brooks Robinson was MVP, batting .429 with nine hits in five games and at least that many great defensive plays at third base.

This World Series featured the 108-win Orioles and 102-win Reds. The next World Series after this one to feature a pair of 100-win teams happened in 2017 when Houston, with 101 wins, beat the Dodgers, with 104.

That O's team featured three 20-winners in Mike Cuellar (24-8), Dave McNally (24-9) and Palmer (20-10). That O's staff recorded 60 complete games. Last season, there 45 among all 30 teams in the major leagues.

The Orioles ended the 1970 regular season with 11 straight wins and the streak grew to 14 after a three-game sweep in the AL Championship Series over the Minnesota Twins. It grew to 17 when the O's beat the Reds in the first three games. In Game 3, Dave McNally pitched a complete game and hit a grand slam in the sixth inning of Wayne Granger. To this day, McNally remains the only pitcher to hit a World Series grand slam.

That year was also the first World Series with games on artificial turf (in Cincinnati) and Emmet Ashford became the first African-American to umpire in a Fall Classic.

The two managers in that series, Earl Weaver and Sparky Anderson, went on to make the Hall of Fame. It was Earl's only World Series win in four tries.

* Rick Dempsey was the MVP as the Orioles beat Philadelphia, four games to one, in 1983, their last World Series appearance and win. It was the Interstate 95 series and the first World Series since 1956 with no air travel needed. Weaver, who retired the first time after the 1982 season, was a broadcaster of this series for ABC with Al Michaels and Howard Cosell.

John Denver sang the national anthem before Game 1 in Baltimore, but the Birds lost 2-1 at Memorial Stadium. They would then win four in a row to claim the title.

In Game 3, the Phils' Steve Carlton became the first 300-game winner to pitch in a World Series in 55 years. But the O's won 3-2 as Palmer got the win in relief and Tippy Martinez the save. Baltimore pitching held the Phillies to nine runs and a .195 batting average. Mike Schmidt went 1-for-20.

Baltimore's Eddie Murray was 2-for-16 in the first four games, but homered twice in the clinching Game 5 win. Scott McGregor pitched a shutout, Cal Ripken Jr. caught the last out on a liner to short and the O's were world champions again. They became the first road team since the 1961 Yankees to win Games 3, 4 and 5 on the road.

The Orioles have had three different managers in the World Series wins with Hank Bauer in 1966, Weaver in 1970 and Joe Altobelli in 1983.

The O's have gone 12-2 in the three series wins and 7-12, losing two seventh games, in their three World Series losses. So they were close to going 5-1. The Orioles are 19-14 all-time in the World Series.

Now take a few minutes to watch as Roch and I take a trip down O's World Series memory lane.