BALTIMORE — It's a brand new chapter for the Baltimore Orioles.
The team's new owner David Rubenstein says his goal is to bring a World Series trophy back to the team he says is the soul of Baltimore.
"I hope what can happen is that the Orioles can… by winning, by unifying the city, by recovering the kind of greatness it had a 1966 or 70 or 83, we can win a World Series again. But to do that, it's not easy, and it requires everybody to pull together," said Rubenstein.
It didn't take long for the Baltimore native and brand new owner of the O's to get into fans good graces.
Fans like Caleb Wise believe Rubenstein turns the O's into a powerhouse of a franchise.
"I think it puts us in the ranks of the Dodgers and the Cubs and the Red Sox and the Yankees, in terms of the ability to spend money and the ability to get players to our organization as a free agent destination," said Wise.
Governor Wes Moore spoke at the introductory press conference completely backing Rubenstein.
"David is a Baltimore guy. To have him at the helm of this team, means everything," said Governor Moore.
Rubenstein's ownership group will also include a very familiar O's face. Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr., who's happy to be here as a valuable resource.
"Many times in life, it's a matter of timing and the timing feels really good right now to come back and be able to contribute," said Ripken.
With the 2024 MLB season underway, Rubenstein says the O's will show the baseball world what it means to represent Baltimore.
"Baltimore has a closer relationship with its team, its baseball team, than I think any other city does in the country. The team really represents the character, the soul, the grit, the personality of the city in a way that is not really true of any other baseball team and its city," said Rubenstein.
