Birds fans rejoice as Baltimore Orioles win 100 games in a season for first time since 1980

BALTIMORE -- Rick Dempsey, Eddie Murray, Jim Palmer, Dennis Martinez, Al Bumbry and Ken Singleton were all in uniform the last time the Baltimore Orioles won 100 baseball games.

More than 40 years have passed since that 1980 squad.

On Thursday night, the Orioles repeated that feat. 

The Orioles have only had 100+ wins four times - in 1980 (100), 1979 (102), 1971 (101), 1970 (108) and 1969 (109).

"It's some of the best to ever do it. To be able to be behind them and just kind of fill their shoes, it's been really fun," rookie Gunnar Henderson said. "Just kind of following their footsteps, it's been really phenomenal."

Now, the Orioles are on the path to being the No. 1 overall seed in the playoffs and have homefield advantage starting on Oct. 7 in the American League Division Series.

And their fans couldn't be any more ecstatic. They were decked out in the game-day best as the birds clinched the American League East for the first time in about a decade.

"Merry Clinchmas," fan Maureen Hall said.

Lifelong Orioles fans Denise Smtih and Sheri Caldwell said they weren't about to miss the magic moment.

"When they won last night and I was watching, I went right online and bought my ticket for today's game," Caldwell said. "I'm like, I gotta be there."

Camden Yards was full of O's cheerleaders on Thursday. Some of them were thrilled to see the team beat the Boston Red Sox.

"We've waited a long time for them to reach this point in the season, Orioles fan Vic Obringer said.

Others were looking forward to watching future games.

"I would love to go to the playoffs, but tickets are pricey," said an Orioles fan by the name of Eric.

Now, the birds get five days off before the best of five American League Division series.