The Kansas City Royals, after defeating the O’s in the Wild Card Series, have been eliminated by the Yankees in the ALDS.
Good morning, Camden Chatters.
The 2024 postseason continues to churn out one exciting game after another. Last night the Guardians and Tigers played an incredible contest, full of lead changes, clutch hits, outstanding defensive plays, and an electric atmosphere from start to finish, ending with Cleveland sweating out a one-run victory to send the series to a winner-take-all Game 5 tomorrow. That game was everything October baseball should be, and I would’ve loved to see the Orioles take part in that kind of postseason thriller, even if I would have been a nervous wreck the entire time. It makes me all the more bummed that the Orioles’ playoff experience was over almost before it began.
Meanwhile, the team that eliminated the Orioles — the Royals — will now be joining the O’s as spectators for the rest of the postseason. Kansas City was knocked out by the Yankees in the Division Series, losing both games at home to suffer a 3-1 series loss. I’m not shedding any tears over the Royals’ demise, but I wish it hadn’t come at the hands of the Yankees, an even more unlikeable team. I was rooting for the meteor.
I can’t help but wonder: had the O’s managed to score more than one run and defeat Kansas City in the opening round, would they have stood a better chance against the Yankees in the ALDS, or would they have been doomed to meet the same fate as the Royals? We’ll never know, and that stinks.
So here we are. The Yankees have punched their ticket to the ALCS and the Mets have done the same for the NLCS. Well, thank goodness. It’s about time someone brought attention to this obscure, little-known city called New York. Their respective opponents will be decided today and tomorrow, with the Mets awaiting the victor of the Dodgers/Padres series tonight and the Yankees set to host tomorrow’s Tigers/Guardians winner. I don’t care whether it’s Cleveland or Detroit who wins this series, but I want that team to then destroy the Yankees in the ALCS. Is that too much to ask?
Links
Orioles should move quickly to re-sign James McCann – BaltimoreBaseball.com
I’m in favor of bringing back McCann. He’s a badass who calls a good game and is a decent hitter for a backup catcher. But should this be the Orioles’ first priority?
Some ups and downs in small sample size first pro year for Honeycutt – Steve Melewski
It’s going to be a while before we can evaluate how good a prospect Vance Honeycutt is, but he certainly seems to have a good head on his shoulders.
Longtime Orioles executive Greg Bader to take role overseeing MASN – The Baltimore Banner
The Orioles made a few front office changes and are still looking to hire a chief financial officer and senior vice president of strategy and innovation, among others. Get your résumés ready!
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! And happy 58th birthday to former Orioles first round pick and 1989 Rookie of the Year Gregg Olson. For 34 years he was the most recent Oriole to win Rookie of the Year until Gunnar Henderson snapped the team’s drought last season. Also born on Oct. 11 were infielder Ty Wigginton (47), one of the most unlikely All-Star Orioles in recent memory, as well as first baseman Mike Fiore (80) and the late catcher Joe Ginsberg (b. 1926, d. 2012).
The Orioles have played a whopping 10 postseason games on this date in history, but have won only four of them. So let’s focus on those:
- In 1969, the Orioles opened the World Series against the Mets with a 4-1 win at Memorial Stadium. Don Buford got the party started with a leadoff home run, and a three-run O’s rally in the fourth provided all the insurance the O’s needed. Mike Cuellar took care of business on the pitching side with a complete game, allowing just one run, and even contributed an RBI single at the plate. I won’t discuss how the remainder of that series went.
- One year later on this date, the O’s won Game 2 of the World Series against the Reds, squeaking out a 6-5 victory in Cincinnati. The Orioles, trailing 4-0 after three innings, erupted for a five-run rally in the fifth — on five singles and a double — to turn the tables. (The 2024 Orioles could never.) Boog Powell added a dinger. Cuellar, again starting for the Orioles, struggled this time, but four O’s relievers worked 6.1 quality innings to guide the Birds to a 2-0 lead in the series.
- Exactly one year later, the O’s once again were victorious in a World Series Game 2, this time an 11-3 laugher against the Pirates in Baltimore. The Orioles collected 14 hits — all of which were singles! — and Brooks Robinson set a World Series record by reaching base five straight times, driving in three. The Birds’ game-breaking, six-run fifth inning featured six singles and two walks, including Jim Palmer drawing a bases-loaded free pass for the second time in the game. The ample run support was plenty for Palmer, who issued eight walks of his own but limited Pittsburgh to three runs.
- And in 2012, the Orioles beat the Yankees in Game 4 of the ALDS, 2-1, in a 13-inning marathon, their longest postseason game in franchise history. It was a game full of missed opportunities as two teams combined to go 1-for-20 with runners in scoring position, but that one hit was a J.J. Hardy go-ahead RBI double in the top of the 13th. Starter Joe Saunders worked 5.2 innings and the stellar O’s bullpen tossed 7.1 scoreless frames to close it out, including a perfect 13th inning by embattled closer Jim Johnson. The Orioles win evened the series at two apiece and set up a decisive Game 5 at Yankee Stadium, which again I will not discuss.