The Orioles today announced that former first baseman CHRIS DAVIS and former right-handed pitcher STORM DAVIS have been elected to the Orioles Hall of Fame. Additionally, late front office executive and scout JIM RUSSO will be inducted as this year’s Herb Armstrong Award winner.
The three honorees will be recognized on Friday, July 31, at a luncheon at Oriole Park hosted by the Oriole Advocates, founders of the Orioles Hall of Fame. The on-field induction ceremony will be held on Saturday, August 1, prior to the 7:05 p.m. ET game against the Philadelphia Phillies. Information on purchasing tickets for the Oriole Advocates Hall of Fame luncheon will be announced soon. To purchase tickets for the induction ceremony and game, visit Orioles.com/Tickets.
Chris Davis finished his career in Baltimore, slashing .230/.318/.459 (941-for-4096) with 178 doubles, two triples, 253 home runs, 592 runs scored, and 656 RBI in 1,151 career games over parts of 10 seasons from 2011-20. His 253 home runs are sixth in franchise history. He led the majors and set the club records for homers (53), RBI (138), extra-base hits (96), and total bases (370) on his way to a Silver Slugger Award at first base in 2013, and also led Major League Baseball with 47 home runs in 2015, becoming the only Oriole to post two different seasons of at least 40 homers. He was voted Most Valuable Oriole in both of those seasons. Davis hit a major league-leading 197 home runs from 2012-16 and led all players in fan balloting for the 2013 All-Star Game, starting at first base for the American League. His 11 Eutaw Street home runs are the most in Oriole Park history. A three-time Orioles’ nominee for the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award, his impact extended off the field as an ambassador for the University of Maryland Children’s Hospital.
Storm Davis spent six of his 13 seasons in the major leagues with the Orioles, including five as a starter from 1982-86 before returning as a reliever in 1992. The right-hander was 61-43 with five saves and a 3.63 ERA (381 ER/944.1 IP) with 539 strikeouts in 202 career games (123 starts) with Baltimore. As a 21-year-old, he went 13-7 with a 3.59 ERA (80 ER/200.1 IP) and finished third on the team in wins to help the Orioles win the 1983 World Series. He earned the win in Game 4 of the World Series in Philadelphia after allowing three runs in 5.0 innings and helped clinch the AL pennant in Game 4 at Chicago after tossing 6.0 scoreless frames in an eventual 3-0 win in 10 innings. Among players with at least 900.0 innings pitched, his .587 winning percentage ranks sixth in club history while his 3.63 ERA is eighth.
Russo began his scouting career with the St. Louis Browns in 1951 and moved with the team to Baltimore in 1954. The World War II army veteran retired after the 1986 season following 36 years with the franchise, including 33 with the Orioles. As a scout, he helped sign Jim Palmer, Davey Johnson, Boog Powell, and Eddie Watt, among others, and as a cross-checker, he was involved in the drafting or signing of Mark Belanger, Rich Dauer, Doug DeCinces, Mike Flanagan, Dave Ford, Kiko Garcia, and Bobby Grich. He recommended trades that brought Frank Robinson, Mike Cuellar, Lee May, Ken Singleton, Joe Kerrigan, Ross Grimsley, Mike Torrez, Pat Dobson, Don Stanhouse, and Doyle Alexander to Baltimore. Russo was named special assistant to the general manager in 1966, serving primarily as an advance scout. His scouting reports on the Dodgers prior to the 1966 World Series are cited as one of the keys to the Orioles’ sweep and the first World Series title in team history. The Orioles honor their Scout of the Year each season with the Jim Russo Scout of the Year award and have done so since 2003. He passed away in February 2004.