This year, the Birds find themselves in first place on July 1, though with a revitalized Blue Jays team playing well under Cito Gaston, and major pitching concerns of their own. Still, the home crowds, now averaging 35,000 or so per night, are deliriously happy with the effort put forth by the team.

On the first of July, the Tigers are in town, and it's a Saturday Photo Night with 39,943 in attendance. Cal ropes a liner into the left field stands in the sixth to extend Jeff Ballard's lead to 3-1, and Craig Worthington repeats the feat in the seventh. In the next frame, the O's cross the plate four times as the fans go berserk yet again, as the O's win, 8-1. Jeff Ballard's work with Al Jackson, the pitching coach, appears to have paid off as he goes 7 1/3 innings, giving up only five hits.

On Sunday afternoon, though, there's more bad news. Jay Tibbs has to leave the game in the fourth inning with what will later be diagnosed as tendonitis (he will not pitch again this season). The guy who had kept the O's afloat for four weeks, going 5-0, now must in turn be replaced. The O's also lose the game due to a curious call by home plate umpire Ted Hendry in the eighth inning. With Craig Worthington at the plate, two runners on, and one out, Mickey Tettleton breaks for third and slides in safely. Hendry, however, calls Worthington out for catcher's interference and requires Tettleton to go back to second. When questioned, Hendry insists to Frank Robinson that Worthington was "required to get out of the catcher's way." Robinson pointed out that the rule states that he is only required to not instigate a movement that hinders the catcher. After the game, Hendry changes his call, saying there was "an unusual movement" on the part of Worthington.

On getaway day Monday, the Orioles break out their orange jerseys for the first time during 1989, applying an "Orange Crush" to the Tigers, pounding them 11-4. The "Pumpkin Squad", as dubbed by Mickey Tettleton, is now 6 1/2 in front going into the Fourth of July.

Since this is a "watershed date" in traditional baseball history, the Orioles get a little national newsplay before going up to Toronto for their first visit to the new Skydome. Frank Robinson appears on "Good Morning America". Mickey "The Looper" Tettleton and Gregg "Otter" Olson are featured opposite Frank on NBC's "Today."

Now, it's on to Toronto. In Game One, Dave Schmidt remarkably flirts once again with a no-hitter,  and ends up with a Mark Williamson co-authored two-hitter and a 8-0 victory for the O's. Toronto fans file out of Skydome wondering what in the world is happening. Game Two, the official mid-point of the season, is more of the newfound Orioles Magic. Eight different players combine for 13 hits; Billy and Cal turn three big double plays, and Gregg Olson slams the door on a 5-4 victory. The Orioles drop the last game, but still leave with a 7 1/2 game lead.

So this season has the Orioles celebrating road wins over the Fourth of July holiday, as the Birds have usually been on the road for the Fourth over the years. This year brings in the Yankees, as the Orioles are hosting what will surely be a Yankee-laden crowd, with the holiday being in the middle of the week (locals surely did not buy tickets for this series, and many were given up for sale, certainly.) Wouldn't it be nice if the Orioles could repeat their 2-of-3 trick of 1989 this week?