On the night the Orioles honored the 30th anniversary of their Iron Man breaking the streak for most consecutive games played, the Orioles found the magic that Cal Ripken Jr. brought to Baltimore all those years ago.
After being no-hit for 8 2/3 innings, the Orioles walked it off to beat the Dodgers 4-3, Emmanuel Rivera providing the winning hit.
From almost being on the wrong site of history to an incredible comeback win, the Orioles found the inspiration before it was too late.
Prior to the game, the Orioles watched from the dugout as Ripken took his victory lap. They stood at the railing, just feet from Hall of Famers and baseball legends Ken Griffey Jr., Eddie Murray, Mike Mussina and Harold Baines, who were on the field for the ceremony, then listened to Ripken’s words about pushing through hard times and how he hoped one day someone would break his streak.
Then they took the field, and, for the first 8 2/3 innings, the motivation that they should have taken from that moment didn’t translate into their playing. Against Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Orioles managed to get on base twice in the third, when Dylan Beavers and Samuel Basallo drew back-to-back walks.
As Yamamoto returned for the ninth, still holding on to the no-hitter, the Dodgers’ fans got to their feet. Three outs to go, a chance for the Orioles to avoid a tragic fate or Yamamoto to achieve greatness.
Alex Jackson was up first. He entered the game in the fifth, after Samuel Basallo was hit in the right hand with a foul tip. Jackson tapped his bat on his feet, entered the batter’s box and struck out promptly on three pitches.
Coby Mayo’s turn. He flied out to center on the first pitch, an easy catch for Justin Dean.
With one final chance, Jackson Holliday stepped up. He made Yamamoto work hard, letting two balls pass to make the count 2-1. Then Holliday saw a cutter and sent it soaring 362 feet to right-center field for a solo home run.
It was enough to avoid being no-hit and to keep the game alive. With Yamamoto’s day now over, he was replaced by Blake Treinen, who immediately allowed a double to Jeremiah Jackson and a walk to Gunnar Henderson.
Daniel Johnson, who was running for Jackson, and Henderson advanced to second and third on a wild pitch, and Ryan Mountcastle walked to load the bases.
Treinen, still struggling to find the strike zone, then walked Colton Cowser to bring in a run to cut the Dodgers’ lead to 3-2. Treinen’s day was done, the Dodgers instead seeing if Tanner Scott could get the final out.
Except he did just the opposite. Rivera provided the the walk-off knock, a single to center field that brought in Henderson and pinch runner Jorge Mateo.
The Orioles walked it off for the second night in a row. With some of their best players in franchise history, from Ripken to Murray, in attendance, the Orioles stole a bit of their magic.