Orioles use an eight-run seventh inning to stun Yankees with 9-6 victory
How about that for a palate cleanser? The Orioles—fresh off a brutal extra-inning loss—immediately restored the good vibes to Birdland with a performance for the ages. The Orioles utilized an eight-run seventh inning to overcome a four-run deficit and stun the Yankees 9-6 in New York.
The game kicked off after a 95-minute rain delay. Tyler Wells allowed five runs on three long balls, while Yankee starter Nestor Cortes tamed the Baltimore bats. New York held a 5-1 lead entering the seventh inning.
Cortes had cruised through six innings, but Anthony Santander started the seventh with a walk. Austin Hays laced a ball by Yankee shortstop Anthony Volpe to place two on for Adam Frazier.
Frazier yanked a high fastball down the right field line that plunked high off the foul pole. The 314-foot blast shrunk the Yankee lead to one and provided Baltimore new life.
Aaron Boone replaced Cortes with Jimmy Cordero, but Baltimore kept its foot on the gas. James McCann laced a ball by Volpe, and Jorge Mateo lifted a ball over the shortstop to place two on for a pinch-hitting Gunnar Henderson.
Henderson justified the decision by Brandon Hyde on the very first pitch. The 21-year-old ripped a ball down the right field line that trickled all the way into the corner. McCann and Mateo raced around the bags and suddenly the O’s held their first lead of the game.
NEVER COUNT US OUT pic.twitter.com/XRZiXQJsLH — Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) May 25, 2023
Cedric Mullins watched a third strike for the first out, but Henderson moved to third on a passed ball. Adley Rutschman fell behind 0-2 but battled back to work a walk and place runners on 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 throw trickled up the line allowing Henderson to score and Rutschman to take second base.
Anthony Santander followed with a base hit up the middle and third base coach Tony Mansolino kept the windmill going. Harrison Bader’s throw bounced off the mound, Rutschman scored, and Santander raced into scoring position.
Hays sniped a ball to left field for his second knock of the inning. The rip plated Santander and capped an eight-run seventh inning. Frazier mercifully grounded out to second, but the Birds had built a snowman (8) during a rainy New York evening.
Mychal Givens retired Isiah Kiner-Falefa to begin his quest for a shutdown inning, but the rain had other ideas. Givens walked Willie Calhoun, plunked Gleyber Torres, and walked Aaron Judge to load the bases. Givens clearly did not have a feel for the baseball, so Hyde went out and took it.
Danny Coulombe entered and quietly provided one of the best relief appearances for the Orioles this season. The Yankees did steal one run back when Anthony Rizzo punched a single to left field, but Hays made a tremendous diving play to trap the baseball and prevent additional runs from scoring.
Coulombe responded by striking out DJ LeMahieu and generating a grounder from Bader. Henderson made the play and wisely raced to tag third instead of firing a wet baseball across the diamond.
Coulombe returned for the eighth with Yennier Cano presumably unavailable. The former Twin struck out Oswaldo Cabrera and Volpe before retiring Kiner-Falefa to end the eighth.
The Birds went quietly in the final two frames before turning to their closer. Félix Bautista walked last night’s rival Aaron Judge with two outs, but The Mountain blew a high fastball by Anthony Rizzo to cap the comeback victory for Baltimore.
The eight-run seventh represented a season-high run total for one inning and immediately wiped away the bad taste from a difficult loss on Tuesday. The game marked the latest installment of momentous victories already compiled by the Orioles this season. It also represented a complete team victory.
Nine batters combined for the Orioles 10 hits. Hays recorded the only multi-hit game with both knocks coming in the seventh inning. Mountcastle launched a solo shot in the fourth to keep the Birds within striking distance and added the sacrifice fly later in the game.
Tyler Wells allowed a two-run homer to Torres in the second inning that gave the Yankees the lead. Wells surrendered another two-run blast to Kiner-Falefa in the fifth, and Torres followed with his second long ball of the game.
Mike Baumann worked a clean sixth inning before the festivities kicked off.
The Orioles will look to take the series tomorrow with Kyle Gibson facing off against Clarke Schmidt. Tonight’s win will be difficult to top, but it’s tough to put anything past this team right now.
Source: Camden Chat
