Gyo Obata, famed architect whose firm designed the Orioles’ Camden Yards, dies at age 99

Baltimore Sun photo by Karl Merton Ferron

If Ripken's knee hadn't improved, this would be the No. 1 moment. But it did, and the infamous, nearly 20-minute fight between the Seattle Mariners and Orioles simply stands as the most memorable donnybrook in stadium history. It erupted in the seventh inning when Mussina plunked Mariners catcher Bill Haselman in apparent retaliation for several pitches having been thrown behind Orioles. Haselman charged the mound, and the dugouts and bullpens opened. Skirmishes kept breaking out, and, ultimately, seven players and Mariners manager Lou Piniella were ejected. Ripken wasn't directly involved in the fights, but he twisted his right knee during the melee and woke up the next morning with it horribly swollen. He later said that was the closest he came to not playing during the streak. That was consecutive game 1,790.

RICH SAAL/AP

Gyo Obata, poses for a photo in his St. Louis, Mo. office, Dec. 18, 1998. Obata, an architect whose designs included sports and entertainment arenas, airports and a presidential library, has died. His family says Obata died Tuesday, March 8, 2022 in St. Louis at age 99. A cause of death was not announced. (Rich Saal/The State Journal-Register via AP)

Baltimore Sun photo by Gene Sweeney Jr. (left); Getty photo

The game itself was an instant classic, but the indelible memory from last season's finale was not one, but two piles of Orioles players — one at home plate, one near second base — celebrating a come-from-behind, 4-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox. The loss and a Tampa Bay Rays win knocked the Red Sox out of playoff contention. That was reason enough for the Orioles to celebrate like Little Leaguers. Nolan Reimold was swarmed at home plate, and Robert Andino, who had the game-winning hit, was accosted on his way to second base after Reimold scored. The fans who endured a rain delay and had to stay until midnight for the dramatic conclusion went crazy. Unofficially, it was the greatest celebration by a last-place club in baseball history.

Baltimore Sun photo by Gene Sweeney Jr.

This is one of those pictures Orioles fans just can't erase from memory: Mussina sitting dazed on the mound, blood gushing out of a cut above his right eye. It is probably the most frightening moment that has occurred on the Camden Yards field. In a game against the Cleveland Indians, Sandy Alomar hit an outside fastball directly back at Mussina, catching him flush in the face. The impact broke his nose and made a nasty gash above his eye. He was placed on the disabled list but, thankfully, didn't suffer further damage.

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A nationally televised Sunday night game against the New York Yankees, this looked like a ratings clunker as the Orioles played out the string. But when the Orioles came out in the first inning, something was different. Rookie Ryan Minor was at third base and not Cal Ripken Jr. It took an out for the Yankees to realize what was happening, then the entire team came to the top step of the dugout and applauded Ripken, who was ending his consecutive games streak, on his terms, at 2,632 games. Ripken doffed his cap to the Yankees, then came back out and bowed to the crowd.

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It was originally supposed to be the celebration of his 3,000th hit, but instead that Sunday afternoon was Palmeiro's first game after a 10-day suspension for failing a drug test. Three days earlier, when the suspension ended, he met the national media in what was the biggest media crush at Camden Yards since the 1997 playoffs. That Sunday, it was time for the fans to acknowledge him. In his first at-bat, a walk, he was greeted by a decidedly mixed review, with chants of "Raf-fy" attempting to drown out loud boos. Palmeiro went hitless in the game and made the final out with the winning run on base.

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You can visualize this one, too, but not a lot of you can say you were there. Because technically, this was hit Saturday morning, not Friday night, after a two-hour, 20-minute rain delay. Roughly half the seats at Camden Yards were empty when Murray deposited a split-fingered fastball from Felipe Lira into the right-field seats in the seventh inning of an eventual loss to the Detroit Tigers. Murray received an ovation from the soggy crowd that lasted more than eight minutes. The homer made him the third player in baseball history to have 500 homers and 3,000 hits.

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It was the longest home opener, innings-wise, in stadium history, a 6-5, 13-inning victory over the Cleveland Indians. But what's remembered from this game was a freak snow squall in the second and third innings that eventually halted play for 13 minutes. There were two lasting images: Orioles starter Rodrigo Lopez throwing off the mound surrounded by quarter-sized snowflakes, and right fielder Jay Gibbons with his hands in the air as a pop fly from Ellis Burks bounced somewhere in his vicinity. It was ruled an RBI single, though no one, including the umpires, was sure where the ball landed. Gibbons quipped later: "That's probably the first time I ever thought, 'Don't hit it to me.'"

Baltimore Sun photo by Karl Merton Ferron

The at-bat itself wasn't much. The rookie catcher flied out to right in the second inning against the Detroit Tigers. It turned into a double play when Melvin Mora attempted to tag from second. But what was memorable about this was the hype that was created. Wieters, perhaps the most heralded prospect in club history, created so much buzz on his debut that approximately 10,000 people bought tickets after it was announced he would be playing that Friday. In fact, the announcement was made by club president Andy MacPhail during a MASN telecast days earlier. When Wieters stepped to the plate in the second inning, the ovation was deafening. He went hitless in the game.

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This is a good bet to be the most memorable moment in Camden Yards history when the stadium turns 50, maybe 100. There were plenty of emotional moments the night Ripken passed Lou Gehrig's record by playing in his 2,131st consecutive game, from the unfurling of the numbers on the Warehouse to Ripken's acknowledgment of his parents watching in a skybox and his interaction with his wife and kids. But his being pushed out of the dugout by his teammates and his subsequent and spontaneous 22-minute victory lap will forever be a part of baseball lore.

RICH SAAL/AP

Gyo Obata, poses for a photo in his St. Louis office on Dec. 18, 1998. Obata, an architect whose designs included sports and entertainment arenas, airports and a presidential library, has died. His family says Obata died Tuesday in St. Louis at age 99. A cause of death was not announced. (Rich Saal/The State Journal-Register via AP)

Baltimore Sun photo by Lloyd Fox

Another exhibition moment that Orioles fans have on speed-memory. It was the only time Camden Yards has hosted an All-Star Game, and the contest itself was pretty forgettable, a 9-3 American League victory. The key moment came in the ninth inning when hometown ace Mussina began warming up in the bullpen, making fans believe he would be entering the game. Instead, Gaston, American League manager and skipper of the rival Toronto Blue Jays, chose his own pitcher, Duane Ward, to finish it out. Mussina was shown on the video screen warming up, further inciting the crowd, which lustily booed Gaston and Ward. Gaston felt shown up by Mussina, since he had told the pitcher before the game that he likely would get in only if it went into extra innings. Mussina said he was just trying to get work in — but later apologized. Gaston's name, though, still isn't revered in Baltimore.