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The Orioles used an eight-run seventh inning to complete a stunning win over the Yankees.
How about that for a palate cleanser? The Orioles – fresh from a brutal extra-inning loss – immediately restored the good vibes of Birdland with a performance for the ages. The Orioles used an eight-run seventh inning to overcome a four-run deficit and stun the Yankees 9-6 in New York.
The game started after a 95-minute rain delay. Tyler Wells allowed five runs on three long balls, while Yankee starter Nestor Cortes tamed Baltimore’s bats. New York held a 5-1 lead going into the seventh inning.
Cortes had gone through six innings, but Anthony Santander started the seventh with a walk. Austin Hays laced a fly ball from Yankee shortstop Anthony Volpe to place two for Adam Frazier.
Frazier fired a fastball high down the right field line that dropped high off the foul post. The 314-foot blast cut the Yankees lead to one and breathed new life into Baltimore.
Aaron Boone replaced Cortes with Jimmy Cordero, but Baltimore kept his foot on the gas. James McCann laced a fly ball from Volpe and Jorge Mateo lifted a fly ball over the shortstop to place two for a pinch kick from Gunnar Henderson.
Henderson justified Brandon Hyde’s decision on the first pitch. The 21-year-old snatched a ball down the right field line which sank into the corner. McCann and Mateo ran around the sacks and suddenly the O’s held on to their first lead of the game.
Cedric Mullins watched a third strike for the first out, but Henderson moved to third on a passed ball. Adley Rutschman trailed 0-2 but fought to work a step and put runners into the corners.
Boone went to the bullpen once again and summoned Albert Abreu to face Ryan Mountcastle. Mountcastle lifted a shallow fly ball to Aaron Judge in right field and Henderson broke for the plate. The pitch went up the line allowing Henderson to score and Rutschman to take second base.
Anthony Santander followed with a base hit in the middle and third base coach Tony Mansolino held the windmill down. Harrison Bader’s shot bounced off the mound, Rutschman scored and Santander ran into the goalscoring position.
Hays sniped a ball into left field for his second shot of the inning. The tear tackled Santander and capped an eight-run seventh inning. Frazier luckily fell short in second, but the Birds had built a snowman (8) on a rainy night in New York.
Mychal Givens retired Isiah Kiner-Falefa to begin his quest for a stoppage inning, but Rain had other ideas. Givens walked Willie Calhoun, dunked Gleyber Torres and walked Aaron Judge to load the bases. Givens clearly had no clue about baseball, so Hyde came out and took it.
Danny Coulombe came in and quietly provided one of the best relief appearances for the Orioles this season. The Yankees stole a run back when Anthony Rizzo hit a single into left field, but Hays made a terrific diving play to trap the baseball and prevent extra runs from scoring.
Coulombe responded by removing DJ LeMahieu and generating a Bader grounder. Henderson made the play and wisely ran to score the third instead of shooting a wet baseball through the diamond.
Coulombe returned for the eighth with Yennier Cano presumably unavailable. The former Twin took out Oswaldo Cabrera and Volpe before pulling out Kiner-Falefa to finish eighth.
The Birds went quietly in the last two frames before turning to their closest. Felix Bautista beat last night rival Aaron Judge with two outs, but The Mountain blew a high fastball from Anthony Rizzo to cap Baltimore’s comeback win.
The eight-run seventh was a season-high single-run run total and immediately erased the bad taste of a tough loss on Tuesday. The game marked the latest streak of momentous victories already compiled by the Orioles this season. It also represented a complete victory for the team.
Nine batters combined for the Orioles’ 10 hits. Hays recorded the only multi-hit game with both hits in the seventh inning. Mountcastle threw a solo shot in the fourth to keep the Birds within striking distance and added the sacrifice fly later in the game.
Tyler Wells gave Torres a two-run homer in the second inning that gave the Yankees the lead. Wells gave up another two-run outburst to Kiner-Falefa in the fifth, and Torres followed with his second long ball of the game.
Mike Baumann worked a faultless sixth run before the festivities kicked off.
The Orioles will look to win the series tomorrow with Kyle Gibson taking on Clarke Schmidt. Tonight’s win will be tough to beat, but it’s hard to get anything past this team right now.
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