With Garrit Cole making his long-awaited season Wednesday night, it would have been easy for the Baltimore Orioles to implode at Yankee Stadium. They didn’t.
Baltimore answered emphatically with a 7-6 victory after blowing a 5-1 lead after NYY scored three runs in the 7th and another run in the 9th. Orioles closer Craig Kimbrel allowed a game-tying single to Giancarlo Stanton that scored Watchung NJ native Anthony Volpe from second on a leadoff double.
Local fans figured they would go home happy with a Yankees win. After all, Oriole killer Gleyber Torres (do a YouTube search of Gary Thorne calls of Torres’ home runs against the Yankees) was up at the plate. But Torres struck out to end the ninth after Alex Verdugo popped out for the second out.
Then, instead of wallowing in a blown opportunity, the Orioles did something about it by taking a 7-5 lead in the tenth inning that gave them a victory. Yankees’ closer Clay Holmes dropped to 1-3 on the season by giving up two runs on two hits–an RBI single to Cedric Mullins that scored ghost runner Anthony Santander from second, and then Mullins scored on Jose Trevino’s throwing error after he stole third base.
For Yankees fans whining about the ghost runner rule, grow up. As stupid as it is to reward a win by allowing the leadoff man at second to start the extra innings, the Yankees have no one to blame but themselves for being in this situation. They should have finished Kimbrel and the Orioles out when the game was tied. They didn’t, and that’s why they lost. It had nothing to do with what happened in the tenth inning.
And stop whining about Aaron Judge’s absence on Wednesday night after he got plunked on the left hand by Orioles starter Albert Suarez’s 94-mph fastball in the third inning of Tuesday night’s game. The Orioles managed to keep pace with the Yankees despite losing Dean Kremer (right triceps) and Danny Coulombe (elbow) to the injured list, not to mention losing John Means (Tommy John surgery), Tyler Wells (ulnar collateral ligament repair surgery) and Kyle Bradish (Tommy John) for the season. They have been ad-libbing in the starting rotation by getting the most out of Suarez and Cole Irvin to complement ace Corbin Burnes and Grayson Rodriguez. They also lost their closer Felix Bautista (Tommy John) for the season, which is why Kimbrel is closing in the first place.
If Yankees fans thought the Orioles would be intimidated by their team, then they are stupid. The Orioles are as good as the Yankees. I will wager that the Orioles are better than the Yankees just by how they trudged along in winning games despite all their pitching injuries.
The Birds are resourceful in scoring runs. Yes, they hit home runs, but they can play small ball to manufacture runs, as they did in the tenth inning. You can’t say the same for the Yankees, who rely on home runs, which is another reason I question their chances to win in October. The Yankees don’t have the athleticism to steal bases and extend a single into a double or run from second to home to score. They also don’t do a good job of bunting.
It just seems like the Orioles have something extra. Call it exuberance. Call it smarts. Call it cohesion. Call it hunger. The Yankees don’t have any of those attributes.
It wasn’t surprising that the Orioles would bounce back after Tuesday’s loss. Seeing them respond after blowing a 5-1 lead wasn’t surprising. This isn’t any AL Central foe that the Yankees are facing. They are facing a team that won 101 games en route to winning the AL East last season, and the Orioles are even better with experience and the acquisition of Burnes from the Milwaukee Brewers this offseason.
It says here that whoever gets Athletics closer Mason Miller will win the AL East, and the Orioles have the advantage of getting him with all their prospects in the farm system. They don’t even have to give up Jackson Holliday to get Miller.
I am not sure what the Yankees have to offer. Now, I wouldn’t underestimate clueless A’s owner John Fisher just handing Miller to the Yankees for 50 cents on the dollar since he has no interest in winning. So yeah, the Bronx Bombers have a shot.
From what I saw from the Orioles this season and Wednesday night, they have the goods to win the division and be a thorn in the side of the Yankees this season and beyond.
Deal with it, Yankees fans.
