Baltimore Orioles: Top 5 Most Memorable Games of 2017
By Nate Wardle
1. Baltimore Orioles Improve to Season Best 22-10 vs. Washington Nationals
The high point of the Orioles’ season occurred on May 9. The Orioles entered the game at 21-10, one of the best teams in the game of baseball.
The game featured a lopsided pitching matchup, with Max Scherzer facing Ubaldo Jimenez.
Daniel Murphy got the scoring started with a solo home run off Jimenez in the second inning. The game then settled in as a pitching duel until Seth Smith hit his own solo shot in the sixth inning to tie the game up.
To the top of the eighth inning, where Jimenez came out to start the inning. It wasn’t a good choice. Anthony Rendon singled to lead off the inning, followed by a Matt Wieters single.
Chris Heisey struck out, bringing up Michael A. Taylor. The Nationals pinch hit with Adam Lind, and Lind took the third pitch to deep left field for a three-run home run.
With Scherzer cruising, it didn’t look good for the Birds. However, Adam Jones hit his own home run in the bottom of the eighth, a solo shot to make it 4-2.
That led to the ninth inning. Everyone wondered whether Dusty Baker would stick with his ace or go to his beleaguered bullpen. The bullpen gate opened and out emerged Enny Romero for the Nats.
Romero walked Chris Davis to start off the bottom of the ninth. Mark Trumbo hit a ball that dropped in between the CF and SS, but Davis was forced at second base. Trey Mancini lined out, and the Orioles were down to their last out.
Romero balked Trumbo to second, and he scored on a two-out double by Jonathan Schoop to make it 4-3 Nationals. J.J. Hardy singled to score pinch-runner Craig Gentry and the Orioles tied the game.
Logan Verrett pitched a scoreless 10th, 11th and 12th and the offense faced Jacob Turner. Turner came in in the tenth and got out Mark Trumbo, and then got through the 11th as well.
Joey Rickard led off the 12th with a groundout before Adam Jones and Manny Machado singled.
Chris Davis was intentionally walked to bring up Trumbo. Bad choice. Trumbo stroked a single and the Orioles were 22-10 and soaring. Unfortunately, it was the high point of their season.
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Brad Brach would blow the game the next day and the Orioles would go to Kansas City and faced the sorely struggling Kansas City Royals. The Royals swept the Orioles and their season wasn’t the same moving forward.
Any disagreements? Anything you think should be in the top five best games of the Baltimore Orioles 2017 season? Let us know in the comments!