BALTIMORE—The Orioles are celebrating the 40th anniversary of their last World Series championship this weekend, and with many of the 1983 champions on hand, the current team keeps showing it may be just as good as those long-ago champs.
The Orioles scored four runs in both the sixth and seventh innings, and defeated the New York Mets, 10-3, before an announced crowd of 29,550 on Friday night.
Besides the returning players from the 1983 team, it was the first time Buck Showalter, who managed the team from 2010-2018, returned to Oriole Park since his departure.
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Before the game, there was a video tribute to Showalter, and a warm ovation for the Mets’ manager followed.
It’s been a tough season for Showalter, and a joyous one for his successor, Brandon Hyde.
The Orioles (68-42) won three of four in Toronto and have recorded five wins in their last six games.
Mike Baumann (9-0) relieved Oriole starter Dean Kremer, who walked the bases loaded with one out in the sixth and allowed a two-run single to Francisco Lindor that tied the score at 2.
“Just kind of lost feel for stuff there in the sixth. Really glad Mike got out of it,” Kremer said.
Baumann got Pete Alonso to hit into a double play to end the sixth and recorded five outs to become the first Oriole reliever to win his first nine decisions.
“He got the two biggest outs of the game and gets a win for it,” Hyde said.
Former Met catcher James McCann equaled a career high with five RBIs on a two-run single in the fourth, a two-run double in the sixth and an RBI single in the seventh. He stole third in the sixth. He entered the game with 10 RBIs this season.
“He’s had such tough luck this year,” Hyde said. “It’s never easy when you’re not playing every day and you’re getting two or three starts a week and try to produce. That’s a tough role. He gives us good at-bats and tonight it was nice to see him hit the ball hard and get good results, drive in some big runs and feel a little frisky on the bases as well.”
McCann, who played with the Mets the last two seasons, was particularly helpful to his teammates with his knowledge of New York (50-59)
“He’s caught a lot of these arms,” second baseman Jordan Westburg said. “He knows first-hand how pitches move, what guys’ tendencies are. He’s very helpful in giving us a few tips here and there on certain guys. He was playing with an edge tonight, and he was a little more fiery than usual, which was awesome to see.”
Westburg scored from first on a single by Ryan O’Hearn in the sixth, hit a three-run home run, his second of the season, in the seventh against Reed Garrett, who briefly pitched for the Orioles earlier this season.
“I was moving on the pitch,” Westburg said of his sixth-inning run. “Lindor did a good job of deking me, honestly. I didn’t know where the ball was. I got lucky and looked into right-center and saw [Starling] Marte pull up on the ball. I figured that if he’s pulling up, the centerfielder’s not going to catch the ball. I went ahead to third and then got the go sign from [third base coach Tony Mansolino]. Didn’t really peek, just trusted Manso and tried to score.”
The Orioles stole three bases, their most since June 9th, and were especially aggressive.
“Take what the defense allows and if you watch us play, we run the bases hard,” Hyde said. “We try to put pressure on the defense. We applaud our players for making aggressive plays and we have a lot of youth that can run pretty well. I like us being aggressive. I like us being smart. I don’t see us making a ton of outs on the bases, too.”
The Orioles have gone 75 consecutive series without being swept, the fifth longest streak in baseball history.
“It would be easy for a young guy like Rutsch or a young guy like Gunnar, who’s had success, to be content,” McCann said about young stars Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson. “They show up every day to get better. Whether they’re 4-for-4 or 0-for-4, the next day they’re showing up putting work in. They want to get better. When things don’t go their way, they’re studying: ‘Why, why did it not go my way?’ When you have that mindset, it helps you over the course of the season to get better.”
Notes: McCann also had five RBIs on August 12th, 2017. … Kyle Gibson (10-6, 4.53) will face Tyler Megill (6-4, 5.17) on Saturday night. The celebration of the 1983 World Series champs will take place before the game.
Minor league update: Oriole first-round draft pick Enrique Bradfield Jr. made his professional debut by going 2-for-2 with a walk and two runs scored as the Florida Complex League Orioles beat the FCL Pirates, 6-5.
Norfolk had its game with Charlotte rained out. The Tides will play a doubleheader on Saturday.
Tyler Wells will pitch in a short stint for Double-A Bowie on Saturday, his first since he was optioned there last week. Centerfielder Cedric Mullins, who’s on the 10-day injured list with a right adductor groin strain, will play for Bowie on Saturday and Sunday.
Second baseman Billy Cook and third baseman Joey Rosa hit two-run home runs as Bowie beat Portland, 4-3. Jackson Holliday returned from a week on the injured list because of illness and was 1-for-4.
High-A Aberdeen lost to Hickory, 7-5.
Designated hitter Carter Young had three RBIs as Single-A Delmarva beat Lynchburg, 7-6.