On Wednesday the Orioles announced that they have resigned RHP Scott Erickson to a 5-year contract through the year 2003. Terms of the new contract were not disclosed.

Erickson, in his 9th major league season and 4th with the Orioles, was eligible to become a free agent at the end of the 1998 season. He holds a 103-86 career record with a 4.28 ERA in 249 games, including a 4-3 record and 5.46 ERA this season. He has pitched at least 200 innings five times and has pitched at least 6.0 innings in 71 percent of his starts (174 of 245).

Since joining the Orioles in a trade with the Minnesota Twins on July 7, 1995 for RHP Scott     Klingenbeck and OF Kimera Bartee, Erickson has gone 42-26 with a 4.28 ERA. He has hurled 19 of his 33 complete games and 5 of his 12 career shutouts in an Orioles uniform. His .618 winning percentage currently ranks 8th on the Orioles' all-time list for pitchers with 50 or more decisions.

Erickson won 20 games in 1991 and threw a no-hitter for the Twins in 1994. This season, he won his first three starts for the first time in his career before going 0-3 over his next five starts. In his start, Monday at Minnesota, he pitched a complete game shutout to beat the Twins, 4-0.

"Scott is a workhorse who's been injury-free throughout his career," said Orioles General Manager Pat Gillick. "With Mike Mussina's signing last year and now Scott's, it's nice to have our No. 1 and No. 2 pitchers locked up long term."