Top 5 Orioles Games of 2014

Sep 16, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles clinch the AL East championship after a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The Orioles defeated the Jays 8-2. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Orioles had a fantastic year, winning the division for the first time in 17 years.  With that, there were a lot of highlights.

However, I thought it would be valuable to rank what I believe are the five best games from the 2014 season.

5. September 12. 2-1 victory over the New York Yankees in 11 innings

Chris Davis had just been suspended. The Orioles were a team many thought was going to fall apart.

Brad Brach had just left up a solo home run to Chris Young to give the Yankees the 10-0 lead in the 11th inning.

Yet here comes an unsung hero to win the game, and prove the Orioles weren’t going anywhere.

Jimmy Paredes with the game-winning, two run pinch-hit double.  But the game was more than that. It also featured 7 shutout innings from Kevin Gausman.

An all-around great, and some would say needed win for the Birds.

4. June 22, 8-0 victory over the New York Yankees

Another win versus the Yankees, but this one was much different.  The Orioles entered the game with a struggling Chris Tillman, while the Yankees had fantastic rookie Masahiro Tanaka on the mound.

Well, the game started off auspicious enough.  It was Old-Timers Day in New York, and Brett Gardner led off the bottom half of the first with a double into the right field corner.  Yet, as he went to third base, he came off the bag.  Replay overturned the triple, and Gardner was ruled out.

From there, Tillman settled in and went seven scoreless innings.

In the game, Tanaka’s kryptonite struck again

Jonathan Schoop at this point had two home runs on the year, and both were against Tanaka.  Caleb Joseph also hit his first homer as a major leaguer in this game.

This game also pulled the Orioles into a tie with the Yankees, and from there they wouldn’t look back.

3. August 8, 12-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals

This game was one big party. The Orioles young and old gathered for the team’s 60th anniversary on this night, and the team certainly held up to their end of the bargain.

The O’s blasted six homers and pounded out 15 hits.  The entire lineup had a hit, including three hits from

and two HRs from

.

provided the first of two 3-R HRs, reminded all O’s fans of the late, great

.

2. September 16, 8-2 division-clinching win over the Toronto Blue Jays

The September 16 game will be one of the greatest for Orioles fans in a long time.  The team clinched the division for the first time since 1997.

And they did it behind their beleaguered acquisition, Ubaldo Jimenez.  Ubaldo struggled early, but the bats came to life and it was just what the front office drew up, Ubaldo Jimenez winning the game to clinch the division.  Of course, the win put Ubaldo at a 5-9 record, but let’s not dampen the mood.

Steve Pearce hit a three-run home run in the first, and the Orioles made it hold up over the next eight innings to get the win.

Jimmy Paredes also added a home run, and Alejandro De Aza sealed the deal with a bases-clearing triple in the 8th inning.

1. October 3, 7-6 win in Game 2 of the ALDS vs. the Detroit Tigers

All you need is a video…

The roar from the fans.

The reaction from Nelson Cruz, J.J. Hardy and Steve Pearce after Hardy scored to give the Orioles the lead.

The look on the faces of Joakim Soria and Joba Chamberlin.

The deafening Seven Nation Army chant afterward.

The Orioles battled in this one against Justin Verlander.  They got a gutsy performance from Kevin Gausman out of the bullpen.

But it was the Delmon Young double that will forever be a part of Orioles’ lore.