Ryne Duren, 1991 Crown/Coca-Cola All-Time Orioles #117

Ryne Duren is one of the numerous early-era Orioles who found his fame either before or after passing through Charm City. Duren had signed with the franchise back when they were still the St. Louis Browns, in 1949. He made his big league debut in the O's inaugural season in Baltimore, relieving Don Larsen after the starter allowed three runs in two innings against the White Sox on September 25, 1954. Duren fared no better, also yielding a three-spot in two innings, though at least one of his runs was unearned. It mattered little, as the punchless Birds were blanked on five hits by Billy Pierce in their season finale, 11-0. It was their 100th loss, a nice, round number.

Duren never pitched another game for the Orioles, and eventually resurfaced with the Athletics in 1957. They traded him to the Yankees later that season, and wouldn't you know it, he had a brief burst of stardom. He was an All-Star reliever in New York in 1958 and 1959, accumulating a 9-10 record, a 1.95 ERA, and 34 saves in those two seasons. He struck out 10.8 batters per nine innings, helping to offset the 5.1 batters per nine that he walked. The bespectacled, hard-throwing righty was never that effective again, as he struggled with alcoholism throughout his career. However, he sobered up after he was through in baseball and spent the second half of his life counseling others about the dangers of addiction. He was 81 when he passed away in 2011.