If you’re an Oriole fan of a certain age, the mere mention of the name “Pittsburgh Pirates” may fill you with an uncontrollable rage. The Bucs’ World Series victories over the Orioles in 1971 and 1979 — both ending with Game 7 heartbreakers — still ruffle feathers in Birdland a near half-century after the fact.
The introduction of interleague play in 1997 didn’t exactly restoke the flames of that rivalry. The two clubs have faced each other only 20 times in regular-season play, usually in years when one or both of the teams was a non-contending doormat. This year, that description applies only to the Pirates (43-62), while the plucky Orioles enter play tonight just two games behind the Rays for the third and final wild card spot.