Baltimore Orioles Out-Yankee the Yankees
Sep 14, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles third baseman Kelly Johnson (14) is mobbed by teammates after hitting the game winning one-run rbi walkoff double in the ninth inning against the New York Yankees at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The Orioles defeated the Yankees 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports
As a nearly life-long Baltimore Orioles fan, I don’t actually hate the New York Yankees. Yes, there are a few players here and there that are a bit distasteful, and a manager whose ego could only fit in NYC. And then there is the money spending thing that upsets the equilibrium of the game, although that activity may be catching up with the franchise at this point of history.
As a baseball fan and purist, what I have always admired about the Yankees over the years – even as it was annoying in the extreme to watch – was the ability to come from behind at the end of a game. They did not always come back and win a game in which they were trailing, but they always put a guy or two on base and made a legit run at pulling it out. It was the Yankee way; they knew they were going to do it, and you knew it was going to happen also.
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The Baltimore Orioles are that kind of team now. Even when they lose a game, you know they are going to do something in the last inning to threaten the other team.
I’m saying “last inning” rather than “ninth inning.” On Friday afternoon it was the 11th inning. After a scoreless game until a Yankees solo home run in the top of the 11th, the Birds worked counts into getting the NY pitchers to load the bases for a two-out hit by Jimmy Paredes to win the game.
And on Sunday night, it was consecutive doubles by Nelson Cruz, Steve Pearce, and Kelly Johnson that brought them back from the 2-1 deficit that had opened on them in the top of the inning by the Brian McCann homer.
This is a “Who’s it going to be tonight?” sort of clubhouse, where anyone on the team can be the guy to make the difference in a game. And that is the character of a winning outfit.
Imagine watching Endy Chavez and Wilson Betemit combining to beat the O’s in the 9th inning!
Imagine what watching Pearce and Johnson beat them must feel like for the Yankees! Johnson hit .219 for them in 77 games, and Pearce’s average in NY was .160. As an illustration, I think it would be like watching a rival team come to town and have Endy Chavez and Wilson Betemit engineer a come-from-behind victory over the O’s.
While singing the praises here of the offense in the ninth inning, it is still a bit scary that the Orioles only managed a total of 12 runs in four games and 37 innings against the Yankees. However, the O’s were able to get three wins by holding the Yanks to a mere six runs in 38 innings of play. That is impressive, even though admittedly the NY offense is not that daunting right now.
There is every reason with this Orioles team to stay in your seats at Camden Yards until the final out is registered. It is not like the old days where you might get a head start on the traffic by leaving after the eighth inning with the O’s trailing.