York White Roses defeat Orioles, June 28 1955

Brooks Robinson was about three weeks into his rookie season as a White Rose when the Orioles came to York’s Memorial Stadium for an exhibition game in 1955. The stadium was filled with nearly 3500 fans. Oriole’s officials were present to scout players. It was reported years later that the O’s manager Paul Richards was fined $2,000 for a questionable offense regarding a pitcher.

With a record of 20 wins and 28 losses the O’s were in the American League cellar. The White Roses were in fourth place in the Piedmont League with 27 wins and 30 losses. In an afternoon game the Roses bombed Norfolk 13-9 in front of 285 fans. There were 3495 for the night game.

“Despite the fact major league teams usually place little importance on mid-season exhibitions, last night’s drubbing at the hands of their Class B farm hands must have been very bitter to the hapless American League tail-enders,” The Gazette and Daily reported. (6/28/1955)

Watching the game were Orioles president Clarence Miles, Assistant General Manager Arthur Ehlers, New York Yankees officials Jim Turner and Johnny Neun and others.

One of only four O’s hits was a gift and they committed three errors. York had thirteen “solid” hits that included three doubles, a triple and two homers.

Robinson, reported as “placed here by Baltimore on short recall, made his bosses sit up by lining a 380-foot homer to center field,” in the first inning. He also had a single in the six run, nine batter third inning, as did York’s own Curly Holtzapple. Another Yorker, Ken Raffensberger, hurled the first three innings. He’d been in the majors from 1939-1954 with a record of 119 wins and 154 losses.

The rest, of course, is well-known history. Less known is an April 21, 1968 Sunday Patriot News story that made an interesting claim. “One of the most notorious events in York baseball history occurred in 1955, when the Orioles came here to meet their farm club in an effort to drum up some local interest in the sport.”

Orioles’ manager Paul Richards was fined $2000 for using a pitcher under an assumed name.”

Sources: Sunday Patriot News 04/21/1968,
The York Dispatch 06/28/1955
The Gazette and Daily 06/28/1955