Amid a deafening outer space quiet, the cheers of this baseball team reverberate. The bustling life on Earth has taken a backseat while a unique chapter has emerged from the MLB archives. America’s beloved pastime shares a cosmic connection with the astronauts of the International Space Station. The proud MLB underdog thus has fans among those who float hundreds of miles above our planet’s surface. 

Does this have anything to do with one of the quickest turnarounds in the history of baseball? What the team has become over the past year has given reasons to believe in their hidden prowess as they reach the stars. Currently, they are on the lookout for their first World Series in 40 years. With that, an “MLB.TV subscription” in outer space makes total sense. 

The Only Team That Has Interstellar Fans

@MLBLife took to Twitter to reveal an astonishing piece of trivia about the Baltimore Orioles that has awed Earthly folks. Turns out, the 2023 Orioles playoffs have had more space viewership than any other team. Gliding through the Milky Way, astronauts Terry Virts, Shane Kimbrough, and Ricky Arnold have given fandom an otherworldly definition (literally and figuratively). 

Terry Virts watched his hometown Orioles’ entire 2015 season from space. Clearly, Virts is not a subtle fan! His game-watching from space would become sensational on social media during the mid 2010s. Flaunting his O’s uniform, he would share interstellar images of Orioles from around 250 of miles above the Earth.

Virts elaborated, “I’d watch the condensed game while lifting weights or on the treadmill or whatever. Probably watched a lot more baseball in space than I do on Earth.” If this isn’t mind blowing enough, it’s time to reveal that he was not the only dedicated astronaut-fan of the Orioles.  

In 2021, astronaut Shane Kimbrough listened to a John Means no-hitter while aboard the space station. Another, Ricky Arnold made a request during the 2018 baseball season to MLB. He wrote to them, “I’m a huge O’s fan, can I somehow watch every single game while I’m up here for eight months?” MLB’s response was affirmative.

With all that, one question arises. Was it all worth it for the underdog that went through a sudden transformation? 

Baltimore Orioles’ Phoenix-Like Rise

Honoring Baltimore’s sudden turnaround in performance, it is important to highlight that they won 101 games in a single season. This counts as their franchise’s highest since 1979. The Orioles have emerged victorious in one of the strongest divisions ever. With their phoenix-like comeback, they are the biggest threat to the AL East rivals. With that, the Orioles have drawn the New York Yankees’ skipper’s attention as well. 

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Last month, Aaron Boone shared his opinion of Baltimore with a FanGraphs reporter. “The Braves are great, yes. But Baltimore, and what they’ve become over the last year-plus, kind of coinciding with Adley Rutschman getting called up.. they’re really good”, said the skipper. This speaks volumes of the formerly stooged team that has risen to power. 

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