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Longtime Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angels has died at the age of 94. The Angels family announced his passing in a statement released by the club on Saturday:
“Today, Peter G. Angelos passed away quietly at the age of 94. Mr. Angelos had been ill for several years, and the family thanks the doctors, nurses, and caregivers who brought comfort to him in his final years. It was Mr. Angelos’ wish to have a private burial, and the family asks for understanding as they honor that request. Donations may be sent to charity in lieu of flowers.”
Angelos helmed the group that purchased the Orioles franchise in 1993 for a reported $173 million. He was an actively involved owner for many years and distinguished himself during the 1994-95 labor stoppage by refusing to employ strike-breaking “replacement players” owing to his past representation of union members as a personal injury attorney in Baltimore.
Commissioner Rob Manfred issued the following statement:
“Peter Angelos was a proud native of Baltimore who deeply appreciated owning the Baltimore Orioles. Peter’s lifetime of philanthropy greatly benefited numerous worthy causes throughout his hometown. He championed the Orioles’ historic 1999 series with the Cuban National Team. Peter ably served the game on our Labor Committee, and I will always remember his personal support when I was first elected to this role in his home city in 2014.
“On behalf of Major League Baseball, I send my condolences to Peter’s wife, Georgia, their sons John and Louis, and the entire Angelos family.”
Of Angelos’ career as an attorney, the Baltimore Sun writes:
“Tough-minded and ego-driven, Angelos rose from a blue-collar background to amass a fortune as a lawyer. Casting himself as a defender of steelworkers against corporate irresponsibility, Angelos won more than $1 billion in damages from asbestos companies during the 1990s and built his personal wealth on the commissions.”
One of the highlights of Angelos’ tenure as lead Orioles owner came on Sept. 6, 1995, when Cal Ripken Jr. broke Lou Gehrig’s long-standing record for most consecutive games played. Ripken, for his part, released the following statement:
Since Angelos purchased the club in 1993, the Orioles have made six postseason appearances.
In addition to his work as an attorney, Angelos served on the Baltimore City Council for four years and ran for mayor of the city in 1967.
With Angelos’ failing health in recent years, his sons John and Louis took control of the franchise. Earlier this year, the Angelos family agreed to sell the Orioles to David Rubenstein, a Baltimore native and a co-founder of the private equity firm The Carlyle Group, for a price of more than $1.7 billion. The sale has yet to be approved by other MLB owners.
“Peter made an incredible mark first in business and then in baseball,” Rubenstein said in a statement. “The city of Baltimore owes him a debt of gratitude for this stewardship of the Orioles across three decades and positioning the team for great success.”