So this year wasn’t the best year for the Baltimore Orioles, who were recently eliminated from playoff contention. But to look on the bright side and to cheer Orioles fans up, here my list of top 10 moments in the past five years.
10. 60th anniversary game.
On Aug. 8, 2014, the Orioles beat the St. Louis Cardinals 12-2 hitting six homeruns chasing Justin Masterson in just 2-plus innings. Orioles’ pitcher Chris Tillman pitched six 2/3 innings giving up two runs with seven strikeouts in front of a crowd of 43,743. After the game, the Orioles put on a postgame program that lasted over 30 minutes which included introducing 23 members of the Orioles hall of fame, an Orioles-history video playing on the screen in center field, graphics and videos projected on the warehouse wall, a laser-light show, and fireworks. Getting to sit in the audience and experience the Orioles magic atmosphere gave me chills.
9. Chris Davis earns a win pitching against the Red Sox.
On May 6, 2012 the Orioles beat the Red Sox, 9-6, in a six-hour, 17-minute, 17-inning game earning their first series sweep at Fenway since 1994. A three-run homerun by Adam Jones in the 17th inning gave the Orioles the lead but they could not have won the game without the help of Orioles position player Chris Davis who earned the win. Davis went 0-8 at the plate with 5 strikeouts but pitched two scoreless innings in the 16th and 17th. His final pitching line was two innings, two hits, zero runs, one walk, and two strikeouts.
8. Manny Machado makes major league debut.
On Aug. 9, 2012, current Orioles third baseman, Manny Machado, was called up from double A Bowie to make the start at third base at the young age of 20. Machado went 2-4 at the plate earning a triple in his second at-bat for his first major league hit. At the time of his call up, Machado was ranked the 9th best prospect in baseball by Baseball America. Despite having two knee injuries in later seasons, Machado has been a star for the team with a career .281 batting average with three years of experience in the league. In the 2015 season, Machado became just the second player in Orioles history to reach a 20 homerun and 20 stolen base season alongside Brady Anderson who accomplished that feat in 1996.
7. Manny Machado earning the AL Platinum Gold glove award.
On Nov. 8, 2013, it was announced that Machado earned the 2013 American League Rawlings Platinum Gold Glove award that was only eligible to players who already won a Gold Glove at their respected positions. The winners were determined by a combination of a fan vote and the Society of American Baseball Research’s Defensive Index metric. Machado earned 27.6 percent of the fan vote while the next closet player, Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, earned 17.6 percent. In 2013, Machado had just 13 errors in 484 defensive chances with a .973 fielding percentage.
6. Chris Davis crushes 53 homeruns in 2013.
In 2013, Chris Davis finished the season with an overall .286 batting average, 138 RBI, 370 total bases, and led the American League with a total of 53 homeruns. Davis was voted onto the American League All-Star team, won a Silver Slugger Award, and finished third in the American League MVP voting behind Miguel Cabrera and Mike Trout. It was one of the best, explosive performances by an Orioles player in recent history.
5. Beginning of the Buck Showalter Era
July 29, 2015 marked the fifth year anniversary of the hiring of current Orioles manager, Buck Showalter, who has the led the team to a 455- 409 record (as of Oct. 1, 2015), one division title, and two playoff berths. Showalter was first hired as manager on July 29, 2010 to be the franchise’s 19th manager, replacing interim manager Juan Samuel. He currently sits in third place for the most wins as a manager in club history behind Earl Weaver (1,480) and Paul Richards (517). In 2014, Showalter was voted AL Manager of the Year by 28 members of the Baseball Writers Association of America, earning the award for the third time. Orioles fans have fallen in love with the Orioles manager, making the Buck Showalter Garden Gnome one of the most prized Orioles giveaways.
4. 2012 Wild Card Game
On Oct. 5, 2012, the Orioles played the Texas Rangers in the first American League wild card game. The winner would take on the division champion, the New York Yankees, and the loser went home. The Orioles won the game by the score of 5-1. The Orioles scored the first run of the game on a J.J. Hardy RBI-single in the first inning but the Rangers answered in the bottom of the inning when Ian Kinsler scored on a grounder by Josh Hamilton. The Orioles scored again in the 6th, 7th, and 9th inning to seal the win. Joe Saunders was the winning pitcher for the Orioles while Yu Darvish took the loss. Baltimore had finished the 2012 season with a 96-69 record. It was the first time since 1997 the franchise finished with a winning record and made it to the playoffs.
3. Clinching the 2014 AL East Title
On Sept.16, 2014, the Orioles clinched their first American League division title in 17 years with an 8-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays at Camden Yards. It was the first time the team was able to celebrate in Baltimore in front of a home crowd. After the usual champagne bath in the locker room the players went back out on the field to continue the celebration. Adam Jones pied Nick Markakis in the face and also gave a fan the honor of being smacked in the face by a real pie. The Orioles finished with a 96-66 record and took the division by 12 games.
2. Game 1 of the 2014 ALDS.
On Oct. 2, 2014, the Orioles took on the Detroit Tigers at Camden Yards to start the 2014 American League Division Series. The game started off strong for the Orioles with a two-run homerun in the first inning by former Oriole Nelson Cruz, but the Tigers would answer in the next inning with back-to-back solo homeruns tying the game at two. The Orioles would take the lead in the bottom of the 7th with a solo shot by J.J. Hardy but again the Tigers fought back in the next inning with a homerun by Miguel Cabrera. The back and forth battle would end after the bottom of the eighth when the Orioles scored 8 runs and would go on to win 12-3. The bottom of the 8th started with a one out double by Alejandro De Aza and the down fall of the Tigers happened after a crucial error by shortstop Andrew Romine, which allowed De Aza to score from second on a ground ball. The 8-run inning is a team postseason record. Chris Tillman got the win in front of a crowd of 47,842.
1. Game 2 of the 2014 ALDS.
On Oct. 3, 2014, the Orioles beat the Tigers at Camden Yards, 7-6. I had the pleasure of attending this game and it will forever be the best day of my life until the Orioles win a World Series game in my lifetime, so there was no doubt in my mind this moment earns number 1. The Orioles took the lead in the third inning after a two-run homerun by former right fielder, Nick Markakis. Again the Tigers answered in the very next inning with a five-run inning that put a damper on the game. Going into the eighth inning the Orioles were trailing 6-3 until the Tigers bullpen exploded for the second game in a row. The best moment of the game came when Delmon Young, a former Tiger, came up to bat with the bases loaded and one out. Young double on the first pitch down the left field line to score Nelson Cruz, Steve Pearce, and J.J. Hardy which gave the Orioles the 7-6 lead which they would hold onto to win the game.
