The orange glow that coats Baltimore’s rowhomes, skyscrapers and the harbor will look a little different Sunday evening. No, it’s not Halloween slowly creeping in. It’s the Orioles.
Standing proudly at 70 feet by 120 feet in Locust Point is the iconic “Domino Sugars” sign, usually illuminated in full. But to show the refinery’s support for and celebrate the city’s beloved Orioles bringing postseason baseball to Baltimore for a second straight year, the sign will light only the border and each set of O and S.
“Our team of employees is excited to get the chance to cheer on the Orioles again this postseason,” said Peter O’Malley, vice president of corporate relations of ASR Group, which owns the refinery. “Those big orange letters in the skyline are our way of showing our support for the O’s.”
The 101-year-old refinery will beam its O’s and S’s at 6 p.m. Sunday night and every night for the duration of the Orioles’ run in the postseason. Each O is 20 feet tall, making it easy to spot in Baltimore’s skyline. It will mark the second straight year the sign will be lit up in support of the Orioles.
Since 1951, the sign has lived atop the refinery’s packaging building, and it was renovated in 2021 to preserve the look of the original, according to ASR Group’s Saturday press release.
The newly updated version Baltimoreans see has aluminum letters with energy-efficient LEDs that reduce dozens of tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year.
Baltimore has been abuzz since the Orioles clinched a wild card spot with a 5-3 win Tuesday, followed by a 9-7 hangover victory against the Yankees on Wednesday. Then on Friday the team won 7-2 against the Minnesota Twins, ensuring its place as the top wild card seed.
At least two games are scheduled at Camden Yards next week, the first one on Tuesday. This also means there will be plenty of opportunities to spot the gleaming sets of O’s and S’s in the Baltimore sky.