Orioles hit three home runs in 5-3 win over Yankees and secure playoff spot

NEW YORK – The reaction to the last out was necessarily subdued.

A fly ball sealed the Orioles’ 5-3 victory over the Yankees, and the players lined up for the traditional congratulatory handshake, unsure if they had made it to the postseason for the second year in a row. The away game scores displayed on a video board in right center field did not show a final between the Marlins and the Twins.

Manager Brandon Hyde left the locker room for his usual postgame media huddle and a club official called him back into the locker room. It was over. The Twins lost and the Orioles were allowed to play in October.

Outfielder Colton Cowser bought a waterproof mini video camera, dropped it and said, “It’s already broken.” He had spoken too soon and was taking selfies with his teammates and the media. Heston Kjerstad doused 20-year-old Jackson Holliday with champagne and beer. The boy was too young to drink it, but not to carry it. They all hugged, laughed, danced, smoked cigars and let off steam.

The visitors’ clubhouse at Yankee Stadium was covered in plastic. The Orioles couldn’t win at home, but they didn’t let that spoil their party. They went wild in the Bronx.

“Last year it felt like it went a lot smoother, but this year it was just a nightly battle,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “We had a lot of injuries. We’re pretty young and the games weren’t easy. That’s why we have to keep fighting and not let ourselves get down, now we’re in the game.”

“It’s been tough, you know?” Anthony Santander said. “But we’ve stayed positive. We know what kind of group we have and we’re ready to go out there and compete.”

Comparisons to last year’s team and celebrations were inevitable. A total of 101 wins and winning the division, popping the corks twice. The many injuries and adversities that will characterize 2024 to some extent were avoided.

“It’s a little different,” said executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias. “Last year, winning the American League East was such an accomplishment for us, and expectations were much lower, and we came into this year with higher expectations. We made a lot of moves that were going to get us some things for this year. And then we just didn’t have the luck we hoped for. I think there’s a sense of relief today. And also that we got it done against a strong Yankee team at Yankees Stadium. You never know how this series is going to turn out.

“Our next goal is to keep the home court advantage for the wild card and I think we’re in a good position to do that, but we have to fight the rest of the way. I hope we can get our luck back in the playoffs because last year it was the other way around.”

“Honestly, this is definitely a stepping stone for us,” catcher Adley Rutschman said. “Our goals and aspirations go beyond that. But it’s a testament to our hard work. I don’t think anyone is going to settle for that. I think everyone is ready to go, everyone wants to take the next step.”

Rutschman’s next answer was interrupted when a teammate poured beer over his head, sending a stream straight into his eyes.

“Thank you,” he said. “Oh God, if it gets in your eyes, it’s so bad.”

But also so good.

“We’re ready to go, we’re trying to get better, we’re just getting ready for the playoffs,” he said. “I think our guys can’t wait to get going.”

The Orioles set up a birdbath for Holliday, with a child’s jersey with his name and number hung over it and a sign reading “Baby’s First Clinchman.” Inside were a plastic toddler bottle and large glass bottles labeled “Birdbath Water.” Two sloppy crayon drawings of the oriole bird were taped to a plastic-covered wall.

“It was great for them to do that and be able to celebrate with those guys,” he said, flashing his boyish grin.

“Next year I can drink.”

Dean Kremer allowed one run in five innings, Santander hit his 44^th Ramón Urías and Cowser also hit home runs to give them a much-needed lead, and the Orioles prevented the Yankees from clinching the division title and have two consecutive playoff appearances for the first time since 1996-97.

“I think this will be a kind of new beginning,” Kremer said. “We don’t have to work ourselves to death now. We’re in the process. I think this is a breath of fresh air for many people here.”

Kremer started on Sept. 17, 2023, when the Orioles clinched their first playoff berth since 2016, and Sept. 28 when they won the division. He escaped a sticky situation in his final inning tonight, lowering his ERA to 3.82 in the second half.

“It’s just the nature of being a competitive athlete,” he said. “I like to throw in big games, I like to get the ball every five days. I just try to do my job for the team.”

Kremer stressed that he did not know what was at stake tonight other than winning.

“I didn’t know we could get the win tonight,” he said. “I didn’t think about it that much. We were just focused on knocking them out. I really didn’t know. It’s not my job to know.”

Aaron Judge scored his 56th.^th home run in the bottom of the fourth inning, but the Yankees never took the lead. Giancarlo Stanton came within a few feet of a Jacob Webb outfield home run that tied the game in the sixth inning before he retired. Cionel Pérez put two runners on base with two outs in the seventh inning, and they scored against Yennier Cano on a ground-rule double by Gleyber Torres and a single by Juan Soto that cut the lead to 4-3.

Torres was caught between third and home base in a rundown after Rutschman tried to grab Soto on his way to second base. The putout was 9-2-6-2-5-2-6.

Cowser faced Ian Hamilton and hit his 23 in the eighth inning^rd Homer, a slider that disappears into the night at 432 feet and 113.6 miles per hour. The kind of swing that might stick in the minds of some Rookie of the Year voters.

Kremer walked the first two batters in the fifth inning, but Alex Verdugo hit a double play to make it 6-3 and Torres flew out to left field to end a nine-pitch at-bat. Kremer finished at 83. He allowed three hits, including two singles by Torres.

His victory was made official after Gregory Soto struck out three batters before allowing a walk to Anthony Rizzo with one out in the ninth inning and Seranthony Domínguez making his tenth save.

“I like the way the pitching staff looks right now and I think we have a really good chance,” Elias said.

Santander hit the foul post with one out against Clarke Schmidt in the sixth inning, reaching 100 RBIs for the season. Along with Mickey Mantle, Lance Berkman and Chipper Jones, he was the only switch hitter with at least 44 home runs. The ball only flew 344 feet, but he aimed it in the right place.

Urías opened the seventh against left-hander Tim Mayza with a 405-foot home run to right-center field to give him a 4-1 lead. Urías was activated from the injured list on Sunday. He hasn’t quite gotten back into his stride yet.

“We have some guys back,” Santander said, “and we’re so happy to have them back.”

The Orioles took a 1-0 lead in the second inning after Kjerstad made a productive out, hitting a ground ball to Schmidt in right after Westburg singled with one out and Ryan O’Hearn hit a double into the right field corner.

O’Hearn hit a full-count, two-out single to left field in the fourth inning that scored Santander, who was walked on a wild pitch and advanced. Meanwhile, the Twins trailed 4-0 in the second inning. The Orioles saw the score. Now they can focus on themselves.

“It’s a huge relief,” Hyde said. “We wanted to do it some time ago, but it just didn’t work out. It feels good.”

“Tonight we sat behind home plate and watched the away game scoreboard. We saw the Royals and the Twins, we saw Detroit,” Elias said. “Yeah, that’s a lot. And we’re going to keep doing that. It’s kind of fun. It’s part of the excitement of September baseball when the fall weather sets in, the crowds are a little more nervous. And the away game scoreboard is part of the drama.”

Ryan Mountcastle, in his first game since August 22, pinch hittered for O’Hearn in the sixth inning and hit a 107.2 mph single to center field. The Orioles are healthy again and have an 87-70 record. They also won the season series against the Yankees, 7-4, with two games left to play.

It was only the fifth time in the club’s history that they achieved two wins in a row.

For them, the games they won in October are more important. There will be even more work ahead of them.

“It’s possible that we’ll go into the playoffs with a slightly different style of play than last year,” said Elias. “At least that’s what I’m hoping for right now.”

“We knew what kind of team we had and we tried every day and today we finally did it,” said Santander.

“This is something special. We’re in the playoffs. Right now we’re in the wild card phase, but anything can happen.”