Happy Tuesday, Camden Chatters!
Last night, we got a reprieve from the misery that has been Orioles baseball lately. And we got it mostly thanks to Pete Alonso (who else). Alonso hit his 39th and 40th home runs of the season last night, powering the Orioles to a 4-3 victory over the Blue Jays. He’s now the 10th Oriole to have a 40-homer season, and his 108 RBI are the most in the American League. It’s Alonso’s first 40-homer season since 2023 and his fourth in his career.
Oh, and Alonso just happened
to hit two homers on the day that his son, Teddy, celebrated his first birthday. What a guy.
Gunnar Henderson also homered, his 24th. Henderson had three hits in the game. Starting pitcher Shane Baz struggled through a three-run first inning, but went on to pitch 6.2 innings without allowing a run after the first. You can get the full details of the win in Alex Church’s recap.
By my estimation, the Orioles have been out of the race since the Red Sox swept them in early September. Now it seems like the White Sox or Guardians will take the final Wild Card spot, with the other winning the AL Central. The Blue Jays are basically out of it as well, and the Orioles have the chance in this series to ensure their AL East foe is truly finished.
The Orioles won’t go to the playoffs and they won’t have a winning season, but they can put the nail in the coffin for the Blue Jays. And if the Orioles win tonight and tomorrow, these teams will leave Baltimore with the Blue Jays in last place instead of the Orioles. It’s not something to get excited about, but it’s always preferable to NOT be in last place.
Tonight, it’ll be an old-man special as Chris Bassitt (37) and Max Scherzer (42) face off. It’s a rematch of the game on 9/11, in which both pitchers went five innings. Scherzer allowed six runs and took the loss, while Bassitt allowed two runs and got the win. I wouldn’t hate to see a repeat of that. The weather forecast today is pretty dicey, so hopefully they get the game in. I mean, I guess. Would it really matter if they didn’t?
Links
How one swing exposed a season’s worth of frustration for the Orioles – The Baltimore Banner
This was written about what happened after the Orioles lost on Sunday, but the contents have been a hot topic in Birdland. Specifically, how Craig Albernaz reacted to the press after Jeremiah Jackson grounded out on the first pitch against a struggling pitcher.
Alonso homers twice to reach 40 and give Orioles 4-3 win over Blue Jays – MASN Sports
Roch Kubatko’s game story has plenty of quotes about how amazing Pete Alonso is, but also includes some info on Samuel Basallo, who exited last night’s game after being hit square in the mask with a foul ball. Be ok, Samuel! Knocks to the head are scary.
Wehiwa Aloy and Joseph Dzierwa Named Orioles Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Year – MLB.com
The two awardees were at Camden Yards last night to accept, and both hopped into the broadcast booth to talk about their seasons. If you’ve never heard those two names spoken aloud before, here is your lesson. Wahiwa is pronounced Vuh-Hee-Vah. Dzierwa is pronounced Jer-Wah. Got it?
Birthdays and History
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You have a ton of Orioles birthday buddies, each more forgettable than the last. But because today is their birthday, today we remember them:
- Luis Ortiz (31), who appeared in three games in 2018-19
- Chris Ellis (34), eight games in 2021-22
- Luis García (51), six games in 2002
- César Devarez (57), 16 games in 1995-96.
- P.J. Forbes (59), nine games in 1998
- John Stefero (67), 61 games in 1983 and 1986
- Bob Harrison (b. 1930, d. 2023), two games in 1955-56
On this day in 1961, Jim Gentile hit his fifth grand slam of the year. That tied him with Ernie Banks for the most in a season. The current record is six, held by Travis Hafner and Don Mattingly.
In 1966, the Orioles clinched their first AL pennant with 6-1 victory over the Kansas City Athletics. Jim Palmer, just 20 years old, pitched a complete game.
In 1973, the Orioles defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 7-1 to clinch the division. Al Bumbry hit three triples in the win.
In 2012, the Orioles beat the Red Sox 9-6 in 13 innings, marking their 87th win of the year. They scored three runs in the top of the 13th with RBI hits from Jim Thome, Endy Chavez, and Manny Machado. Mark Reynolds and Adam Jones homered earlier. They remained one game out of the AL East after the Yankees pulled off an extra-innings win of their own.
