World Champions 1983, 1970, 1966

American League Champions 1983, 1979, 1971, 1970, 1969, 1966 American League East Division Champions 2014, 1997, 1983, 1979, 1974, 1973, 1971, 1970, 1969

American League Wild Card 2016, 2012, 1996

Saturday, August 19, 2017

Game Stories:

Manny Machado hits three homers, including walk-off grand slam for 9-7 win over

Angels The Sun 8/18

Manny (3 HRs) walks O's off with epic slam MLB.com 8/19

Manny Machado hits walk-off grand slam in last of ninth MASNsports.com 8/18

Manny Machado's walk-off grand slam tops off three-homer night AP 8/18

Manny Machado's Three-Homer Night Ends Grandly For Orioles PressBoxOnline.com

8/19

Columns:

Orioles' Manny Machado proving to be the king of slams The Sun 8/19

Mike Mussina says he had best of both worlds playing for Orioles and Yankees The Sun

8/19

Orioles notes: Rule 5 pick Santander sees immediate action, Tillman could start Sunday

The Sun 8/18

The 1992 Orioles engage in some trash talk about Saturday's Home Run Derby The Sun

8/18

A walk down memory lane with the Orioles team that christened Camden Yards The Sun

8/18

Gausman starts as O's aim to gain WC ground MLB.com 8/19

How Manny HRs? 3, and 3rd is walk-off GS! MLB.com 8/19

Machado honoring roots for Players Weekend MLB.com 8/18

Bank on it: O's Santander impresses in debut MLB.com 8/19

O's celebrate 25th anniversary of Oriole Park MLB.com 8/18

Another 25th anniversary stroll down memory lane MASNsports.com 8/19

Showalter on Machado: “You never take it for granted” MASNsports.com 8/18

A 25th anniversary stroll down memory lane (O’s win 9-7) MASNsports.com 8/18

Kirby on Santander: “He shouldn’t be nervous playing the outfield” MASNsports.com

8/18

Pregame notes from Camden Yards MASNsports.com 8/18

Notes and quotes from Manny Machado’s remarkable night MASNsports.com 8/19

Manny Machado on his walk-off grand slam against the Angels MASNsports.com 8/19

O’s game blog: Tonight’s game and hearing from the 1992 Orioles MASNsports.com

8/18

Anthony Santander on making his major league debut MASNsports.com 8/18

Twenty-Five Years Later, 1992 Orioles Players Return To Oriole Park

PressBoxOnline.com 8/18

Baltimore Orioles Celebrate OPACY’s 25th Anniversary CBS Baltimore 8/18

Garceau: Tim Beckham Joins The List Of “On Fire” Orioles CBS Baltimore 8/18

Orioles look to gain more ground on Angels CBS Sports 8/19

25 years at Camden Yards: Quotes from (and photos of) those who opened the park in

1992 BaltimoreBaseball.com 8/18

Myriad O’s Thoughts: Machado’s huge night; Hellickson’s struggles; Santander’s first

day BaltimoreBaseball.com 8/19

O’s notes: An ill Davis and Castillo; a starting Santander; a healing Hardy; TBA Sunday

BaltimoreBaseball.com 8/18

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bs-angels-hammer-hellickson-20170818-

story.html

Manny Machado hits three homers, including walk-off

grand slam for 9-7 win over Angels

By Peter Schmuck / The Baltimore Sun

August 18, 2017

On a night when the Orioles and Los Angeles Angels combined for 10 home runs, Manny

Machado would simply not be denied.

He homered in the third inning to chip away at an early five-run Angels lead, and homered again

in the fifth to keep the Orioles moving in the right direction. So, what exactly did you expect

when he came up with a the Orioles down two and the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth?

He hammered a one-out grand slam for his third home run of the night and the Orioles escaped

with a 9-7 victory Friday night before 26,185 at Camden Yards.

“It’s always good when you get into a situation where you can put your team on top,” Machado

said. “It was a good day. Our ballclub, we kept fighting to the end. That’s what we do. We fight

till the last out is made, and we’re not going to stop fighting.”

It was Machado’s second career three-homer game, with his first being Aug. 7, 2016. It was his

third grand slam in the past 11 games and it was a huge blow for the Orioles (60-62), who were

on the verge of falling four games behind in the crowded race for the second American League

wild-card slot. Instead, they pulled within two games of the Angels (62-60) and Minnesota

Twins for the second wild card.

“It was like a [basketball] game where everybody’s dunking,” manager Buck Showalter said.

“What was it, 10 home runs? It was like, ‘No shots tonight from the field, everybody dunk.’ I

wish I could claim that. Richie Bancells said it. It was just like a dunk contest.”

What a way to finish a game that certainly didn’t start well.

New Orioles starter Jeremy Hellickson had given up as many as three home runs in a game just

once this season and had never given up more, but the Angels apparently failed to read the game

notes Friday night.

They homered four times before Hellickson could get his fifth out of the evening and he allowed

one more before leaving the game in the fifth inning.

The win “will make my night a little better,” Hellickson said, “but it would have been nice to

have done my part. The guys shouldn’t have been in that position.”

Albert Pujols started the barrage in the first inning with a line drive into the left-field seats that

was his 609th career home run. The two-run shot tied him with Sammy Sosa for the most home

runs all time by a foreign-born major leaguer and eighth place overall.

The way the ball was flying out of Oriole Park, it didn’t look like Sosa’s share of that distinction

would last the night.

Right fielder Kole Calhoun followed immediately with a shot to center field for his 15th homer

of the season, and Hellickson would give up solo homers to C.J. Cron and Kaleb Cowart before

the second out of the second inning.

Things were looking pretty grim until the Orioles also discovered that the 6-o’clock cloudburst

that delayed the start of the game for 42 minutes also turned Camden Yards into a giant pinball

machine.

Mark Trumbo got the Orioles on the board with a towering solo shot in the bottom of the second

— his 19th homer of the year. Caleb Joseph led off the Orioles third with his eighth homer of the

season before Machado made it a one-run game with a two-run moonshot to center. By the end

of the evening, Machado would be tied for the club lead with 26 homers and closer to team

leader Jonathan Schoop with 81 RBIs after driving in seven Friday.

Hellickson seemed to regain his footing after the fourth Angels homer and retired the next nine

batters in order to allow his teammates to creep back into the game, but Mike Trout cranked a

two-run shot in the fifth inning for a 7-4 lead.

“It’s frustrating,” Hellickson said. “After that second inning, I told myself to just keep it at five

and get through six. The kind of offense we’ve got, we weren’t out of it after being down 5-0, so

I wanted to keep it there and did that until I gave up that home run. That’s a little frustrating, but

it’s nice to have that offense we’ve got.”

The Orioles right-hander allowed seven runs on eight hits over 4 2/3 innings before being

replaced by reliever Miguel Castro. Richard Bleier pitched two-thirds of an inning and Darren

O’Day (2-3) finished up with 1 1/3 scoreless innings to earn the win.

The 1992 Orioles engage in some trash talk about Saturday's Home Run Derby

Santander’s debut: Rule 5 draft pick Anthony Santander was a surprise addition to the Orioles

lineup Friday night and he made a good first impression in right field.

He ranged far to his left to make a diving catch and rob Trout of a hit in the second inning. It

wasn’t quite a work of art, however, since he bounced back up and immediately lost his footing

and belly-flopped on the wet grass a second time.

Santander went down weakly in his first three at-bats, but got his first major league hit to lead off

the bottom of the ninth.

Terrestrial meteor shower: Through the first three innings, eight balls were hit with an exit

velocity of at least 101 mph, according to Statcast.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/249286492/orioles-manny-machado-walks-off-vs-

halos/?topicId=27118142

Manny (3 HRs) walks O's off with epic slam

By Brittany Ghiroli and Ben Standig / MLB.com

August 19, 2017

BALTIMORE -- There's hot, there's two homers in a game, and then there's a walk-off grand

slam for your third homer of the game. It's the latter territory where Manny Machado finds

himself right now. Machado's eighth homer of August, and third of the night, was a game-ending

slam as the Orioles beat the Angels, 9-7, at Oriole Park on Friday night.

Machado's seven RBIs almost single-handedly propelled the O's to the come-from behind win,

which pulled them within two games of the Angels and Twins for the second American League

Wild Card spot.

"I was looking for a pitch and I got it," Machado said of his 26th homer of the year, which

caused a mob scene at home plate after he tossed his helmet to the side in glee. "I made a good

swing on it. Off the bat, I knew it was going to go far. It's always good to get yourself in the

situation that you could try to put the team above you, and try to go for it."

Machado, who hit an 0-1 pitch from Keynan Middleton for his 26th homer of the year, turned in

his fourth career walk-off hit and his third career walk-off homer in the process. Machado also

went deep in the third and fifth innings off of Angels starter Andrew Heaney.

"I cannot tell you how hard it is to do, but there's always that potential when you're dealing with

guys like Manny," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said of Machado's impressive night. "I

know sometimes because of how fluid he is, sometimes people don't know how much he cares

and how hard he works."

The O's' late effort, which included a leadoff single that marked the first career Major League hit

for Rule 5 pick Anthony Santander, handed the red-hot Halos just their second loss in nine

games.

The Angels hit five home runs including Albert Pujols' historic shot in the defeat. Mike Trout,

Kole Calhoun, C.J. Cron, Kaleb Cowart and Pujols each went deep, with Pujols' two-run shot off

Orioles starter Jeremy Hellickson in the first inning moving him into eighth place on baseball's

all-time home run list. Pujols (609) also tied Sammy Sosa for the most homers hit by a foreign-

born player.

"Every time [Albert] hits them, he's catching somebody and putting himself in a sentence with

somebody," Angels manager Mike Scoiscia said.

Heaney allowed five earned runs over five innings, allowing seven hits and striking out five in

his first MLB appearance since April 5, 2016. Hellickson turned in his worst outing since joining

Baltimore at the non-waiver Trade Deadline, surrendering four homers over his first four outs.

The O's righty went 4 2/3 innings and gave up seven earned runs.

Baltimore got five homers on the night as well, with Caleb Joseph and Mark Trumbo also going

deep.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Petit, Halos' 'pen unravel: Yusmeiro Petit, who worked a scoreless eighth, got into trouble in the

ninth. After Santander's single, pinch-hitter Seth Smith walked. That chased Petit from the game

in favor of Middleton. After Tim Beckham singled, Machado went deep on the second pitch he

saw, sending it over the center-field fence.

"For a young player to go through the struggles he did [in the first half] with that kind of talent,"

Showalter said, "to get back is a real testament to him and his makeup."

Basher ball: The 42-minute rain delay didn't dampen the Angels' bats early against Hellickson.

The first time through the batting order yielded four homers and a 5-0 lead, starting with the

historic Pujols blast and ending with Cowart's solo drive. When Trout went deep, it marked the

38th time in franchise history the Angels hit at least five home runs in one game. The previous

power display occurred Sept. 3, 2016, at Seattle.

QUOTABLE

"It's like a game where everybody's dunking. No [jump] shots tonight." -- Showalter, on the 10

homers hit by both teams

"I was warming up. Once Manny hit it, I knew it was gone. [Darren] O'Day would have

disowned me had I not caught that ball." -- Orioles closer Zach Britton, on catching Machado's

slam

REPLAY REVIEW

The Orioles challenged whether Trout was safe in his attempt to steal second base with two outs

in the ninth inning. The on-field call of safe was overturned.

In the seventh, the Angels called for a replay after Ben Revere was ruled out at second on Trout's

grounder. Jonathan Schoop dropped the ball while covering the base and attempting to transfer

the ball from his glove for a throw to first. Revere was ruled safe.

THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO HMMM

Each of Cam Bedrosian's three previous appearances ended with the right-hander earning a save.

He entered Friday's game with Los Angeles leading, something closers do. Except this time

Bedrosian took the mound in the sixth inning rather than the customary ninth. With Scioscia

using a "mix-and-match" approach, Petit, the third reliever used, worked the eighth and recorded

one out in the ninth before leaving with two runners on.

"We thought we had Petit at the end for two [innings]," Scoiscia said. "That's what we thought

going in, we could spend those other guys a little. Didn't quite get there."

Middleton entered aiming for his third save. Instead he allowed a single and Machado's game-

winning grand slam.

WHAT'S NEXT

Angels: JC Ramirez (10-10, 4.26) will aim for a better start in his second look at the Orioles this

month on Saturday at 4:05 p.m. PT. Ramirez allowed six runs -- four on Machado's grand slam --

in seven innings in Los Angeles' 6-2 loss on Aug. 7. He bounced back with a solid five innings

against Seattle last Saturday, settling for the no-decision in a 6-3 win.

Orioles: The Orioles will send righty Kevin Gausman to the hill for Saturday night's 7:05 p.m.

ET game against the Angels. After a rough start, Gausman has rebounded, pitching to a 3.26

ERA over his last three starts. The O's righty has a 5.08 ERA on the season.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2017/08/manny-machado-hits-a-walk-off-grand-

slam-in-the-last-of-9th.html

Manny Machado hits walk-off grand slam in last of ninth

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

August 18, 2017

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado had a night to remember. He hit three homers tonight,

the last of which was a walk-off grand slam in the last of the ninth.

That turned a potential 7-5 loss into a stunning 9-7 win over the Los Angeles Angels in the series

opener. Machado produced his fourth career walk-off hit and third via a homer. It was

Machado’s seventh career grand slam and the Orioles’ sixth of the year.

Anthony Santander started the O’s ninth with his first big league hit, a single to right. With one

out, pinch-hitter Seth Smith walked and Tim Beckham singled to load the bases.

Then Machado smoked a 98 mph fastball on an 0-1 pitch from right-hander Keynan Middleton

over the center field wall.

It produced the Orioles’ first walk-off grand slam since Matt Wieters did it on April 18, 2013

against Tampa Bay. This is the Orioles eighth walk-off win of the year.

Machado has hit three grand slams over the last 11 games. When batting with the bases loaded in

2017, he is 7-for-11 with three homers and 20 RBIs. Machado hit three homers also last Aug. 7

against Chicago at U.S. Celluar Field. He is the 16th different Oriole to have a three-homer game

and it has happened 22 times in club history.

Earlier, left-hander Andrew Heaney allowed five runs and four homers over five innings. And it

looked like he would get the win. But O’s right-hander Jeremy Hellickson had a worse night.

Making his fourth start for the Orioles, Hellickson allowed seven runs, including a career-high

five homers, over 4 2/3 innings.

The teams combined for 10 homers, with each club hitting five. The Angels hit four the first time

through the order off Hellickson as they led 5-1 after two innings.

Albert Pujols connected for a two-run shot in the first. It was career homer No. 609, which ties

him with Sammy Sosa both for No. 8 on the all-time homers list and for the most homers ever by

a foreign-born player.

Machado earlier hit a two-run homer and solo shot among the four the Orioles had before he

belted the game-winner. It is Machado’s third multi-homer game of this year and the 12th of his

career. He now has 26 for the season.

Hellickson’s five homers allowed came among eight hits. His previous high was three. Four of

the first nine batters homered and he had allowed four homers through just 1 1/3 innings.

Hellickson has a 6.35 ERA in four starts with the Orioles. He gave up three runs over 13 innings

his first two starts, but has allowed 13 runs over 9 2/3 his last two. Over the last three games,

Orioles starting pitchers have given up 16 runs over 13 2/3 innings.

Down by that 5-1 score after two innings, the Orioles scored three in the third to trail 5-4 as

Caleb Joseph hit a solo shot and Machado a two-run homer for his first of the night. Mark

Trumbo had hit No. 19 in the second inning.

But Mike Trout’s two-run homer to left in the fifth, which was No. 23, extended the Los Angeles

lead to 7-4. Machado’s solo homer in the home half of that inning made it a 7-5 game.

The O’s appeared on their way to a disappointing loss. Then they produced a thrilling win.

In the second game of this series on Saturday night, right-hander Kevin Gausman (9-8, 5.08

ERA) gets the start for the Orioles against right-hander J.C. Ramirez (10-10, 4.26 ERA).

http://www.espn.com/mlb/recap?gameId=370818101

Manny Machado's walk-off grand slam tops off three-homer

night

By Associated Press

August 18, 2017

BALTIMORE -- The Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Angels spent the night launching

baseballs over the outfield wall, combining for 10 home runs in a game decided by the grandest

hit of all.

Manny Machado capped a three-homer night with a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth inning,

providing the Orioles with a 9-7 victory Friday night.

"It's like a game where everybody's dunking," Baltimore manager Buck Showalter said. "No

(jump) shots tonight."

Machado hit his seventh career slam off Keynan Middleton (4-1), who entered with two on and

one out in the ninth. After Tim Beckham singled to load the bases, Machado hit a drive far over

the center-field wall to give the Orioles their first lead.

Machado also hit a two-run homer in the third and a solo shot in the fifth to finish with seven

RBI.

Albert Pujols set the tone for the game in the first inning with a milestone homer off Jeremy

Hellickson. There would be plenty more long balls on a steamy night at Camden Yards.

"Obviously a good hitters' park," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "We hit the ball good

tonight; they did too. They got the last big hit."

Machado's third slam of the year came on a fastball that caught way too much of the plate.

"I was looking for a pitch and I got it," he said. "I made a good swing on it. Off the bat, I knew it

was going to go far."

Said Middleton: "I was trying to go fastball away, and I left the fastball over the middle."

Pujols' two-run drive was the 609th of his career, tied with Sammy Sosa for eighth on the all-

time list. Pujols and Sosa share the distinction of hitting more home runs than any other foreign-

born player.

After Pujols and Kole Calhoun connected in succession in the first inning, C.J. Cron and Kaleb

Cowart homered in the second for a 5-0 lead. The Orioles used homers by Mark Trumbo,

Machado and Caleb Joseph and cut the gap to a run before a two-run drive by Mike Trout made

it 7-4 in the fifth.

All five L.A. home runs came off Hellickson, the first time the right-hander yielded more than

three in a game.

But his hard-hitting teammates made up the deficit.

"It's going to make my night a little better," Hellickson said. "It would still have been nice to do

my part in that win."

Darren O'Day (4-1) got the win with 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.

ROCKY SEASON DEBUT

Pitching for the first time since April 2016 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, Angels starter

Andrew Heaney gave up five runs and seven hits -- including four home runs -- in five innings.

"I just really never got into a rhythm. My tempo was pretty terrible," he said. "All of those things

lead to bad pitches and lead to big innings. That's on me."

Scioscia said, ""It was good to see him out there. As he gets into his next start he'll get better."

LUCKY FRIDAY

The Orioles lost 10 straight games on Friday since June 2 before rallying in this one.

WELCOME TO THE BIGS

Orioles Rule 5 pick Anthony Santander played in his first major league game, going 1 for 4 with

a fine diving catch in right field. He was on the disabled list with a strained forearm from March

30 through Wednesday.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Angels: LF Cameron Maybin was held out with a knee issue. "He's OK. His knee was just a little

bit stiff," Scioscia said.

Orioles: 1B Chris Davis was feeling ill and did not play. ... SS J.J. Hardy (wrist) took batting

practice and could start his rehabilitation assignment on Monday or Tuesday.

UP NEXT

Angels: JC Ramirez (10-10, 4.26 ERA) starts Saturday night. He gave up a grand slam to

Machado last week and has a 7.27 ERA in his career against Baltimore.

Orioles: Kevin Gausman (9-8, 5.08 ERA) has lost once in 10 starts since June 21, against the

Angels last Wednesday night.

https://www.pressboxonline.com/2017/08/19/manny-machados-three-homer-night-ends-grandly-

for-orioles

Manny Machado's Three-Homer Night Ends Grandly For

Orioles

By Rich Dubroff / PressBoxOnline.com

August 19, 2017

BALTIMORE -- After Jeremy Hellickson gave up four home runs in the first two innings, an

Orioles win seemed most unlikely. And when they drew closer with three homers of their own,

the right-hander gave up a fifth home run to make the task that much more difficult.

But, Manny Machado had other ideas. After a dismal first three months of the season, the

Orioles’ star third baseman has been on a tear the past six weeks, and he capped it with a three-

home run night and a game-ending grand slam.

Machado's seven RBIs and his game-winning slam gave the Orioles a thrilling 9-7 win over the

Los Angeles Angels before 26,185 at Oriole Park Aug. 18.

It was Machado's third grand slam since Aug. 7 and the seventh of his career. He now has 26

home runs and 81 RBIs on the season.

Machado had his second career three-homer-game, and his game-ending grand slam was the

Orioles' first since Matt Wieters had one April 18, 2013.

The win enabled the Orioles to move within two games of the American League’s second wild-

card spot, which currently is held by the Angels and Minnesota Twins.

"Obviously, it’s a big win for us," Machado said. "It’s a big win when we can come back from a

deficit. A win like this can hopefully give us some momentum."

Machado hit a two-run homer in the third and a bases-empty shot in the fifth. The Orioles were

trailing 7-5 when he came up with the bases loaded and one out in the ninth.

Rookie right fielder Anthony Santander, making his major league debut, got his first hit -- a

single -- to start the inning. Pinch hitter Seth Smith walked, and after shortstop Tim Beckham

singled to load the bases, Machado hit an launched an 0-1 pitch from Keynan Middleton.

"I got it. I was looking for a pitch and I got it," Machado said. "I made a good swing on it. Off

the bat, I knew it was going to go far."

There were 10 home runs in the game -- the five surrendered by Hellickson, the three by

Machado and bases-empty shots by designated hitter Mark Trumbo and catcher Caleb Joseph.

Home runs accounted for all of the runs scored in the game.

"It’s like a game where everybody’s dunking," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said.

Hellickson had a promising debut with the Orioles after being acquired in a trade with the

Philadelphia Phillies July 28, pitching seven shutout innings Aug. 2. Three starts later, things

have gotten progressively worse for the 30-year-old right-hander. He’s the third straight Orioles

starter to get knocked out in the fifth inning.

He was somewhat relieved with the dramatic win.

"It's going to make my night a little better," he said. "It would still have been nice to do my part

in that win. The guys shouldn't have been in that position. This is obviously going to make the

next four days a little better and make tonight a little better, but I still didn't do my part."

Santander, who was chosen last December in the Rule 5 draft, finally made his major league

debut after spending most of the season on the disabled list with an elbow injury. It ended up

being an unforgettable game for the 22-year-old.

Besides the rally-starting hit, Santander made a sprawling catch to end the second inning.

"No, I could not imagine something like this. But this was amazing," Santander said. "Something

I’m never going to forget."

NOTES: First baseman Chris Davis and catcher Welington Castillo were both ill and unable to

play. … Showalter expects shortstop J.J. Hardy (wrist) to begin a rehab assignment early next

week. … Infielder Ryan Flaherty, who was activated from the 60-day disabled list Aug. 17,

pinch-ran for Smith in the ninth. Infielder Ruben Tejada was outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk to

make room for Flaherty. … Orioles right-hander Kevin Gausman (9-8, 5.08) and Angels right-

hander JC Ramirez (10-10, 4.26) are the scheduled starters for Aug. 19. … Showalter said it was

possible that right-hander Chris Tillman could be the starter for Aug. 20. … Short-Season

Aberdeen outfielder Markel Jones, a 33rd-round pick in 2016, was suspended 50 games for using

a drug of abuse. … The start of the game was delayed by 42 minutes. Rain delays at home have

totaled 11 hours, 54 minutes this season.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bs-sp-orioles-machado-20170819-story.html

Orioles' Manny Machado proving to be the king of slams

By Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun

August 19, 2017

Just over six weeks ago, Manny Machado’s batting average was sitting at .215. It hadn’t been

above .240 since the fourth game of the year, and some wondered if Machado was destined to

have one of those off years.

Since then, his average has steadily climbed, the power followed and over the past 15 games, his

surge has reached a new level.

Manny Machado hits three homers, including walk-off grand slam for 9-7 win over Angels

The fact that Machado hit three homers and drove in seven runs in the Orioles’ 9-7 comeback

win over the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night was one thing, but that he walked off the

victory with his third grand slam in a span of 11 games was another.

Machado watched the 0-1 pitch from Angels reliever Keynan Middleton land in the glove of

closer Zach Britton, who had enough time to walk from the Orioles bullpen to the grassy area in

front of the center-field batter’s eye to catch the ball.

“I got it,” Machado said. “I was looking for a pitch and I got it. I made a good swing on it. Off

the bat, I knew it was going to go far. It’s always good to get yourself in the situation that you

could try to put the team above you, and try to go for it.”

As Machado rounded first base, he yelled “Let’s go” into the Orioles dugout as his teammates

began flooding out to home plate, where Jonathan Schoop and Adam Jones doused Machado

with water before he touched home plate.

“It’s about giving guys some space to be themselves,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said.

“And also to — some guys are looking at the order going, ‘I hope this game doesn’t come to

me,’ but very seldom at the big league level.”

With 26 homers, Machado has now tied Schoop for the team lead, his 81 RBIs trail only Schoop

and his .494 slugging percentage is third behind Schoop and Trey Mancini.

As much as Machado spent the opening months of the season grinding, as much as he might’ve

been trying to hit the ball out of the yard too often, now there might not be a player anyone

would rather have at the plate with the bases loaded. As the Orioles waited for the Machado they

knew would return, a new one has emerged.

Over his past 14 games, Machado is hitting .371 with eight homers and 26 RBIs. Over that

stretch, Machado is a perfect 4-for-4 with the bases loaded, hitting three grand slams, a two-run

single and a sacrifice fly over that stretch. Before that, Machado was still hitting a respectable

.429 with the bases loaded, but all three of those hits were singles.

“I don’t know,” Machado said. “Everybody likes to hit with people on base. Those are RBIs

you’ve got [to get], especially with less than two outs. You try to get one at least. That’s my

mentality going up there, which is at least get one guy in with less than two outs with a guy like

that. Just put the ball up in the air. I’ve been fortunate to have a little more power and get a little

stronger as the years go on and those fly balls keep going a little bit.”

No player has hit more grand slams since the beginning of the 2016 season than Machado,

hitting six of his seven career slams over that span. No other player has more than four (the Los

Angeles Dodgers’ Chris Taylor) over the past two seasons.

Over that stretch, Machado has hit safely in half of his at-bats with the bases loaded, going 11-

for-22 with 36 RBIs.

Machado opened the road trip at the Angels with a game-winning grand slam on Aug. 7, then hit

another in Monday’s win at the Seattle Mariners.

On Friday, the Orioles set the stage for Machado by pecking away at the Angels bullpen. Rule 5

draft pick Anthony Santander had his first major league hit off Yusmeiro Petit to open the

inning. Two batters later, pinch hitter Seth Smith drew a seven-pitch walk and shortstop Tim

Beckham then hit an opposite-field single off Middleton to load the bases.

“If we want to win and take it to the next level, this is what we have to do,” Machado said.

“Keep fighting and pass the baton and next guy [can] do damage. The last inning, man on first

and second, Beckham can homer easily. He got on base and passed the baton. That’s what we

have to do if we’re going to be successful and make it somewhere. Our pitching staff is going to

have to do well and pass the baton to the next guy, the next guy. We get into a good situation

where we go forward.”

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bs-sp-orioles-mussina-0819-story.html

Mike Mussina says he had best of both worlds playing for

Orioles and Yankees

By Peter Schmuck / The Baltimore Sun

August 19, 2017

Mike Mussina fielded a question about what might have been if he had stayed with the Orioles

for his entire career instead of splitting it between the O’s and New York Yankees.

He handled it deftly. Rather than trying to mollify the locals who were disappointed to see him

leave Baltimore for the Orioles’ chief divisional rival, he made it clear that he wouldn’t trade his

time in either Baltimore or New York.

“I don’t really think about that too much,” said Mussina, a five-time All-Star with the Orioles

before signing with the Yankees ahead of the 2001 season. “I made the decision I made and

that’s kind of the way it had to be for me at the time. I had a really good career in New York, too.

“It was tough coming back, going to the other clubhouse, coming out of the other dugout and

warming up in the other bullpen and knowing that there are people out there sitting who aren’t

too happy with me, but that’s part of the job sometimes.”

Mussina ended up going 147-81 with a 3.53 ERA in 288 starts with the Orioles and 123-72 with

a 3.88 ERA in 249 games with the Yankees.

Mussina was never one to second-guess himself and he didn’t start Friday.

“I played 18 years, so fortunate to be able to do that, and to play 10 of them here and eight of

them in New York,” he said. “I can’t say one of them over the other. I’ve got two teams. That’s

the way I look at it. I’m not going to choose one over the other.

“They were both great for similar reasons and different reasons.”

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bs-sp-orioles-notes-20170819-

story.html#nt=oft03a-2gp3

Orioles notes: Rule 5 pick Santander sees immediate action,

Tillman could start Sunday

By Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun

August 18, 2017

The Orioles learned quickly Friday that they won’t be able to gradually introduce Rule 5 draft

pick Anthony Santander to the major leagues, forced to put the outfielder into the starting lineup

in his first game on the 25-man active roster.

Because of an illness that kept first baseman Chris Davis out of the lineup and left-hander

Andrew Heaney starting for the Los Angeles Angels, Santander made his major league debut

starting in right field Friday night. Left fielder Trey Mancini started at first base while left-

handed platoon outfielder Seth Smith was taken out of play by Heaney.

“They’re going to play,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said of Santander. “Something

happens every day, you walk in here and two guys are sick and you’re one of 25. … You can’t

[just] carry them (Rule 5 picks). They’re going to play. I was hoping we’d kind of be able to ease

him into it, but this is fine, too. Sometimes it works better that way, too.”

Both Davis and catcher Welington Castillo were not in Friday’s starting lineup because of an

illness that Showalter said crept up on the team during their just-completed West Coast trip to

face the Angels, Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners.

“A lot of it started about halfway through the trip,” Showalter said. “It’s a very common

phenomenon there. When you go to the West Coast, people seem to come back sick through the

years. I have no documentation.”

Santander, 22, said he was surprised to see his name in the starting lineup right away.

“I’m very excited,” the Venezuela-born Santander said through interpreter Ramon Alarcon. “I

hope you guys can see it in my smile. … A little bit surprised of course, but very happy for this

opportunity and trying to take advantage of this opportunity. … I definitely feel excited. There’s

a whole lot of emotions going on with me, but [I’m] happy to be here and contribute to the

team.”

Santander, who was selected from the Cleveland Indians after a strong season at High-A, has just

15 games of experience above that level, all during his time rehabilitating at Double-A Bowie

this season. But he hit well on his rehab assignment, batting .382/.453/.745 with five doubles,

five homers and 14 RBIs in 15 games at Bowie and one game at High-A Frederick.

He had been on the disabled list with a right forearm strain since the beginning of the season, and

Showalter said the club knew Santander might have to go through some DL time when they

drafted him because he was coming off offseason shoulder surgery.

“I was only worried about getting [here] one day at a time,” Santander said of the rehab process.

“It’s a long process. I just need to stick to the process, never get frustrated about it, and think that

it’s going to come to an end, so I’m happy to be here. … Bowie was a great experience. It had

been a while since I had played a live game, so I just tried to take advantage of that situation and

try to bring [that] over to this level. … [My shoulder] is ready to play, which is the most

important thing. I’m ready to go out there and give it my best — pretty close to 100 percent —

and show I can help.”

Showalter said there can be some benefit to Santander getting time right away, so he can go

through all the firsts of playing in the majors.

“There’s some positive about it,” Showalter said. “He had 30-plus plate appearances in the

spring. There’s not like he hasn’t been around the team and the players. … Anthony, you like to

make his path easier and somehow ease it in a bit, but sometimes it’s OK to run him up there.”

Asked whether Davis or Castillo were sent home, Showalter wouldn’t say whether either was

available off the bench Friday.

“If I did, I’m not going to competitively speak about it,” Showalter said. “We’re waiting to have

the doctors weigh in on it. If you see [emergency catcher] Ryan Flaherty catching batting

practice, it will give you a pretty good idea. … But we’re not taking batting practice [because of

rain].”

The Orioles entered Friday with just 13 games until rosters expand on Sept. 1.

Tillman could start on Sunday

Right-hander Chris Tillman, who was moved to the bullpen nearly two weeks ago, could start

Sunday afternoon’s series finale against the Angels.

Tillman had a work day before Friday’s game and the Orioles have yet to announce a starting

pitcher for Sunday. Giving him the start Sunday would allow the team to give right-hander Kevin

Gausman extra rest after starting Saturday against the Angels while also pushing left-hander

Wade Miley to start Monday’s series opener against the Athletics.

The Orioles continue to use their days off to accommodate extra rest for right-hander Dylan

Bundy, whose next start will come either Tuesday or Wednesday, Showalter said. With

Thursday’s day off, Bundy’s upcoming start will come on nine or 10 days of rest.

“I think most of our pitchers, with one exception, pitch better with extra rest, especially this time

of the year,” Showalter said. “I’d like to do it, and it was one of the reasons behind getting

Jeremy [Hellickson] and with Dylan covering that [extra rest] so that Dylan is available to pitch

in October.

“So Chris Tillman kind of comes into play there, so we’re looking at some things, but it also puts

you at a six-man bullpen, which basically we had for about eight or nine days when Chris had

pitched but wasn’t available and didn’t pitch. So with the off days, it requires some things. I’d

really like to give Gaus an extra day when I can in the future. All of them, they all pitch better

statistically for the most part this time of year.”

The move would push Gausman back to start in next weekend’s series against the Boston Red

Sox at Fenway Park. His ERA with extra rest (4.99) this season is only slightly better than on

regular four days’ rest (5.12). But take away his first start after the All-Star break — a three-

inning, eight-run outing against the Chicago Cubs — and Gausman has a 3.57 ERA in seven

starts on extra rest this season.

Tillman, who was sent to the bullpen after posting an 8.10 ERA in his first 15 starts, has made

two short relief appearances — 1 1/3 scoreless innings Sunday in Oakland and one scoreless

inning Wednesday in Seattle. He has faced just eight batters and thrown 31 pitches out of the

bullpen, but the club believes his side work keeps him stretched out enough to start.

Around the horn

Shortstop J.J. Hardy took on-field batting practice before Friday’s game, taking another step

forward in his recovery from a broken right wrist. He will take BP again for two more days and

go through an entire pregame routine before the team considers a minor league rehab

assignment. Showalter said he was hopeful Hardy would be able to begin playing in rehab games

by early next week. With the return of Santander and Flaherty, Hardy is the only player

remaining on the DL.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-orioles-notes-25th-anniversary-20170818-

story.html

The 1992 Orioles engage in some trash talk about Saturday's

Home Run Derby

By Peter Schmuck / The Baltimore Sun

August 18, 2017

There figured to be no shortage of nostalgic reminisces with 20 members of the Orioles’ 1992

team in front of the media Friday afternoon, but no one expected trash talk.

The players and coaches are in town as part of Camden Yards’ 25th anniversary weekend and the

talk quickly turned to Saturday’s Home Run Derby featuring Brady Anderson, Mike Devereaux,

Chris Hoiles, Joe Orsulak and Sam Horn.

When someone asked Anderson if Cal Ripken Jr. had been invited to take part in the event,

Anderson didn’t blink.

Ripken, who actually won the All-Star Home Run Derby in Toronto in 1991, would defend

himself during his group media session by accusing his good friend of setting up the home run

competition for personal glory.

“Brady’s still hitting in simulated games out here,” Ripken said. “I think Brady is setting the

home run thing up so he can win.”

Slugging first baseman Sam Horn isn’t conceding anything. When he was asked about the home

run derby, he pointed out the seventh-floor window of the Warehouse Babe Ruth-style and

predicted that he would emerge victorious.

Glenn Davis’ bittersweet return

While the players exchanged reminisces about the first season at Oriole Park, Glenn Davis tried

to put a positive spin on his star-crossed Orioles career.

Davis, everyone recalls, was acquired in the deal that sent Steve Finley, Curt Schilling and Pete

Harnisch to the Houston Astros, but a freak shoulder injury sapped his power and kept him from

ever living up to his billing as a premier home run threat.

He acknowledged it was hard to come back and even got a little misty talking about the struggles

he had as well as the support he said he got from his teammates.

“We know what it’s like internally, working together, the bond, the fellowship, the brotherhood

of going out day after day; no matter what the circumstances or conditions, you’re going out

together trying to work for a common goal,” Davis said. “And these guys were some of the best

guys I’ve ever played with.

“Even though going through challenges in my career, these guys were some of the best guys in

providing support and just keeping your mental focus and your attitude where it should be done.”

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bs-orioles-bring-19-players-back-from-1992-

team-20170818-story.html

A walk down memory lane with the Orioles team that

christened Camden Yards

By Peter Schmuck / The Baltimore Sun

August 18, 2017

The Orioles brought back 20 members of the first team to play at Camden Yards for this

weekend’s 25th Anniversary celebration, which generated no small amount of nostalgia for fans

at Friday’s luncheon and everyone at the news conference afterward.

Cal Ripken reminisced about how it felt to make the move from Memorial Stadium into the new

ballpark.

“I don’t know if it was a big adjustment per se,’’ he said. “It seemed like the field condition was

great at Memorial Stadium. We always had one of the best groundskeepers in the league and

coming here, it was a continuation of that surface.

“It was exciting as all get-out to play in front of a packed house every single night. That was sort

of your adjustment to calm your own excitement level down. In order to compete and play, some

of that adrenaline can be good, but too much of it can get you out of your game a little bit. To

me, just getting settled in that sort of environment. That was the difference here.

“It felt like baseball had been played here before and that’s what you you were so worried about,

that the rich history of baseball would be lost when you went to a new place. But this place, the

design of it, it felt like baseball had been played here before. So, it was sort of a continuation and

it didn’t take long to really get comfortable that this was our home.”

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/249246794/resurgent-gausman-faces-ramirez-

angels/?topicId=26688732

Gausman starts as O's aim to gain WC ground

By Ben Standig / Special to MLB.com

August 19, 2017

The Baltimore Orioles celebrate the 25th anniversary of Oriole Park at Camden Yards this

weekend, as Cal Ripken Jr. and other members of the 1992 squad return for a special reunion. If

the current Orioles want to make this season one to remember, winning a head-to-head matchup

with an American League Wild Card leader would help.

Surging Kevin Gausman (9-8, 5.08) starts for the Orioles in the middle contest of the three-game

series with the Angels. Los Angeles sits tied with the Twins for the second AL Wild Card spot,

while the Orioles sit just two games back in a crowded field.

Full Game Coverage

Gausman enters the matchup coming off a winning effort at Seattle on Monday. The right-hander

allowed two runs and six hits over seven innings. He is 1-1 with a 3.26 ERA in three August

starts.

Los Angeles counters with JC Ramirez (10-10, 4.26), who lost to the Orioles earlier this month.

Manny Machado's grand slam was the big blow in a 6-2 setback on Aug. 7, as Ramirez allowed

six runs in seven innings. The righty bounced back with five solid innings against Seattle last

Saturday, settling for a no-decision in a 6-3 win.

Three things to know about this game

• Ramirez is 0-1 with a 7.27 ERA in three appearances against Baltimore.

• Mike Trout is batting .500 (5-for-10) with one home run against Gausman.

• Ripken, Brady Anderson and Mike Mussina are among the former Orioles expected for

Saturday's festivities. Anderson will participate with other ex-players in a pregame home run

hitting contest.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/249347472/orioles-manny-machado-turning-season-

around/?topicId=27118142

How Manny HRs? 3, and 3rd is walk-off GS!

By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com

August 19, 2017

BALTIMORE -- Manny Machado is back and it's a scary thought for the rest of the league,

perhaps one that could change the game in the Orioles' American League Wild Card hopes.

Friday was a perfect example. After an early five-run deficit, Machado -- who had already

homered twice -- came up with the bases loaded and did the unthinkable: blasting a grand slam

to catapult Baltimore to a 9-7 walkoff win over the Angels.

"If we want to win and take it to the next level, this is what we have to do," said Machado, who

also homered in the second and fifth innings off Angels starter Andrew Heaney in his seven-RBI

night.

"You try to get one [run in] at least. That's my mentality going up there, which is at least, 'Get

one guy in with less than two outs,' with a guy like that. Just put the ball up in the air. I've been

fortunate to have a little more power and get a little stronger as the years go on and those fly

balls keep going a little bit."

The fateful one-out, ninth-inning blast came on the second pitch Machado saw from Angels

reliever Keynan Middleton, soaring over the center-field wall and into the Orioles bullpen ... into

the glove of closer Zach Britton.

"I was warming up," Britton said. "Once Manny hit it, I knew it was gone. [Darren] O'Day would

have disowned me had I not caught that ball."

This is the second year in a row Machado has had three home runs and seven RBIs in a game,

with the third baseman doing so on Aug. 7, 2016. The only other player to accomplish the feat

twice in O's history is Eddie Murray, who did so in 1979 and '85.

The Orioles relievers' home run competition aside, Machado's slam mattered a lot. It mattered to

the All-Star third baseman, who now has 26 homers on the year after a frustratingly slow first

half. It mattered to the Angels, who saw their bullpen woes continue. And perhaps it will matter

to the rest of the American League Wild Card hopefuls, a group so jumbled up that there is no

clear leader of the pack.

Machado is the special talent that could help separate the O's from the chaff.

"I cannot tell you how hard it is to do, but there's always that potential when you're dealing with

guys like Manny," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said of Machado's impressive evening,

which pulled Baltimore two games behind the Angels and Twins in the AL Wild Card race.

"I know sometimes because of how fluid he is, sometimes people don't know how much he cares

and how hard he works. For a young player to go through the struggles he did with that kind of

talent, to get back is a real testament to him and his makeup."

Machado's slam also brought back an oft-missing element of Orioles wins -- the postgame pie.

Center fielder Adam Jones wasted no time making his move, nabbing Machado in the face while

he was conducting an on-field interview.

"We haven't done the pie all year. But we're glad it's back," Machado said. "The last time the

pies were out there, we had some wins and we had nice win streaks and we got the team where it

needed to go, which was a division championship. So let's keep doing it."

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/249038238/manny-machado-looks-forward-to-players-

weekend/?topicId=27118142

Machado honoring roots for Players Weekend

By Josh Horton / MLB.com

August 18, 2017

SEATTLE -- Manny Machado is proud of where he came from. That'll be evident in the

inaugural Players Weekend from Aug. 25-27, when all players will wear colorful, non-traditional

uniforms featuring alternate designs.

Although he plays in Baltimore, the Orioles' third baseman went with "Mr. Miami" as his

nickname, which will be adorned on the back of his Players Weekend jersey.

"We play this game because of where we came from and how we grew up," Machado said.

"Anything we can do to represent that, we're going to try and do that in any way we can."

Machado is not the only player paying homage to his upbringing. Mariners first baseman Yonder

Alonso is "Mr. 305," and Cubs outfielder Jon Jay is "305 J," with 305 being the area code in

Miami.

The three players all have a "Miami" group chat, according to Alonso, and they collaborated so

each player added a slice of South Beach to their nickname.

"It was always really [about] putting into perspective what the Players Weekend is all about and

have it for a good memory in our life," Alonso said.

Each player will wear a special patch on his sleeve showing the progression of a child evolving

into a Major Leaguer. Under that logo is white space, and every player will mark a name of a

person who they are grateful to for helping them advance their careers, such as family or a coach.

Both Alonso and Machado noted that acknowledging their upbringing was important. The patch

is another vehicle to show their appreciation for that formative period in their lives.

"We'll see when they come out what I write on it," Machado said. "But it's all meaningful things.

It's for a great cause, getting kids to go out there and play and do great things out there -- just the

things that we used to do when we were growing up, trying to get them to like baseball again and

get out there and stay active and stay out of trouble."

Players will wear specially designed caps by New Era and unique socks from Stance. During

pregame workouts and postgame interviews, they will wear T-shirts highlighting a charity or

cause of their choice.

Along with the opportunity to have their nickname on the back of the jerseys made by Majestic

Athletic, players can also wear and use uniquely colored and designed spikes, batting gloves,

wristbands, compression sleeves, catcher's masks and bats.

Game-worn Players Weekend jerseys will be auctioned at MLB.com/auctions, with 100 percent

of net proceeds donated to the MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation, a joint effort

established in July 2015 by MLB and the MLBPA, with an initial commitment of $30 million

focused on improving the caliber, effectiveness and availability of amateur baseball and softball

programs.

The uniforms will first be worn by the Pirates and Cardinals during the MLB Little League

Classic to be played in Williamsport, Pa., on Sunday during the 2017 Little League World

Series. That game will take place at Bowman Field, home of the Williamsport Crosscutters, a

Phillies affiliate in the Class A Short-Season New York-Penn League.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/249228740/orioles-anthony-santander-delivers-in-

debut/?topicId=27118142

Bank on it: O's Santander impresses in debut

By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com

August 19, 2017

BALTIMORE -- Baltimore's Rule 5 Draft pick Anthony Santander made his Major League debut

in Friday night's 9-7 walk-off win over the Angels at Camden Yards, delivering a key ninth-

inning single and making a diving grab in right field.

"No, I could not imagine something like this," Santander said through interpreter Ramon

Alarcon. "But this was amazing, Something I'm never going to forget."

The 22-year-old Venezuela native was added to the roster on Wednesday night, and he was

inserted into the lineup on Friday because first baseman Chris Davis and catcher Welington

Castillo were sick, shifting outfielder Trey Mancini to first base.

Santander started things off in a fateful ninth inning with a bloop single into right field off

Yusmeiro Petit for his first Major League hit. The O's loaded the bases after that, with Manny

Machado winning it on a walk-off grand slam.

"Anthony got his first hit there and made a great catch in right field," said Orioles manager Buck

Showalter, who added that, ideally, he would have liked to ease in Santander more. "Can

imagine the emotions for him tonight."

Santander, who had been rehabbing from right shoulder surgery, made a terrific diving catch to

rob Mike Trout of a hit and end the second, helping out starter Jeremy Hellickson in the process.

After that, he tried to get up gracefully, but fell on some slick grass (the game was delayed by 42

minutes due to rain) and laughed as he popped up and raced to the dugout.

"It was fun," Santander said. "The guys were ribbing me a little bit in the dugout. But it was fun.

I made the catch, and we won the game, so it was all fun."

Santander, who was selected from the Indians' farm system in December, batted .382/.453/.745

with five homers in his 13-game rehab assignment with Class A Advanced Frederick and

Double-A Bowie. In 363 career Minor League games, Santander has batted .276 with 48 homers.

Santander hopes to follow in a long line of recent Rule 5 Draft pick success for the O's. They

activated former Rule 5 pick Ryan Flaherty off the disabled list on Thursday, and Baltimore has

also been able to avoid losing recent picks T.J. McFarland and Jason Garcia in their Rule 5 Draft

year.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/249250288/orioles-celebrate-oriole-park-

anniversary/?topicId=27118142

O's celebrate 25th anniversary of Oriole Park

By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com

August 18, 2017

BALTIMORE -- On Friday afternoon, countless members of the Orioles 1992 team wondered,

"Has it really been that long?" But there it was on the ceremonial backdrop behind them, the

commemorative patch added this year for the 25th anniversary season of Oriole Park at Camden

Yards.

"It's crazy -- 25 years. It goes by in the blink of an eye," said Orioles current vice president of

baseball operations Brady Anderson. "I guess that's how life is. It's not like [it was] yesterday,

but not too long ago that Devo [Mike Devereaux] and I checked it out [for the first time]. … It

doesn't seem long enough. 25 years?"

Indeed, 25 years. And with nearly two dozen members of the '92 team assembled for an

anniversary luncheon on Friday, the mood was light, introspective -- with everyone feeling

fortunate to have been a part of baseball history.

"The visionary aspect, the architectural aspect, the people that were involved in this all together,

you look at this ballpark, and I'm sitting here looking down on it in amazement," former Orioles

first baseman Glenn Davis said.

"This is a classic ballpark, and bar none, you have all these new stadiums and ballparks out there,

and Camden Yards is near the top."

Dubbed The Ballpark That Forever Changed Baseball™, the baseball-only facility became the

official home of the Orioles in downtown Baltimore on April 6, 1992. The retro-style ballpark

was the first of its kind, sparking a trend for more fan-friendly ballparks in downtown areas

across the country.

It also came at a time when baseball ruled supreme in Baltimore, with nightly sellouts only

adding to the mystique of brand-new OPACY.

"It was exciting as all get-out to play in front of a packed house every single night," Hall of Fame

infielder Cal Ripken Jr. said. "It felt like baseball had been played here before. That's what I was

so worried about here was the rich history of baseball [in Baltimore] would be lost going to a

new place. But this place, the design of it, it felt like baseball had been played here before.

"So, it was sort of a continuation. And it didn't take long to get comfortable, that this was our

home. I just remember the fan excitement and trying to suppress some of that adrenaline on a

daily basis so you could get into a normal routine."

Added former Orioles pitcher Ben McDonald: "A lot of people forget we were the only game in

town back then. There were no Ravens, there were no Nationals down the road. So, the ballpark

was packed all the time. For me, I think while there were some good crowds at Memorial [the

Orioles' previous stadium], it seemed like the crowds were closer, more on top of you on this

field.

"You could really feel the energy and the ballpark a little bit more so than Memorial during

regular-season ball games."

There was nothing wrong with Memorial Park, housing some all-time greats like Frank Robinson

and Brooks Robinson and seeing plenty of Ripken Jr. as well. It saw many big league debuts,

including that of Billy Ripken.

"The facility, at the time I didn't think there was anything wrong with it. Until we got over here

and the game had changed," Ripken Jr. said. "Everything was at your fingertips here, the cages

were nice and right behind the dugout. The field was great, the clubhouse was immaculate, and

big and spacious. Everything you could possibly want in a stadium was here."

Camden Yards' first game didn't disappoint, with the Orioles winning 2-0 on O's right-hander

Rick Sutcliffe's shutout. Sutcliffe, who had food poisoning leading up to his Opening Day start,

was masterful despite being ill.

"I probably should have had that mentality more in my career, because I didn't know how long I

was going to last," he said. "I knew that I had a fever. I knew I lost a bunch of weight, so I was

trying to get outs as quick as I possibly could."

The O's scored the first -- and decisive -- run on Chris Hoiles' ground-rule double to score

designated hitter Sam Horn. Horn, one of the contestants in Saturday's Home Run Derby, said

Friday the outfield wall looks a lot closer, now that he's not focused on hitting the ball there.

"When it was brand new [the atmosphere] was crazy," said former pitcher Mike Mussina, who

still brings his family to Camden Yards a couple times a year. "But it's still a good place to come

to a game. The fans are extremely fortunate that they have this place to come to."

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/08/another-25th-anniversary-stroll-down-

memory-lane.html

Another 25th anniversary stroll down memory lane

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

August 19, 2017

Yesterday’s reunion of the 1992 Orioles that opened Camden Yards has left me with more

material than I can squeeze into a few blog entries. Leftovers can be stretched only so far.

And this is coming from a guy who’s eaten cold Chinese food that’s more than a week old. I’ve

brought slices of pizza back to life. I’ve sniffed and scarfed liver and onions that were hidden in

the back of the fridge. I’ve chewed through chicken that had turned to jerky. You can’t scare me.

One of Brady Anderson’s most vivid memories of the first game, a 2-0 win over the Indians on

April 6, was Rick Sutcliffe’s strikeout of Paul Sorrento.

“It’s always in my memory,” Anderson said, “because they keep showing it and I wish they

would stop is Sutcliffe striking out Sorrento on a ball that was about six feet outside.”

Cal Ripken Jr. asked catcher Chris Hoiles when he realized that plate umpire Larry Barnett’s

strike zone was “really big.”

“Well, I think it was an 0-2 pitch,” Hoiles said. “I set up outside ...”

Sutcliffe takes it from here.

“I throw the 0-2 pitch and he calls it,” Sutcliffe said. “I was throwing it to set him up for the

slider in the dirt. Sorrento’s going to chase that, I had no doubt in my mind. When he calls strike

two, I’m like, ‘No, no, I can get him on the next one. Don’t do that.’”

“I think I called timeout,” Hoiles said, “and I went out and I said, ‘Did you see that?’ And he

says, ‘Yeah.’ And I go, ‘Well, let’s stay out there then.’ But to be able to get that, Rick had to be

able to hit his spot and he was. He threw a great game.”

Joe Orsulak talked about the pressure of not being the first guy to misplay a fly ball.

“I remember who messed up on the first ground ball,” Anderson said.

“I don’t remember who that was,” Orsulak said.

“That was me,” Anderson replied.

“I know that wasn’t me,” said Sam Horn, “because I wasn’t in the outfield or the infield.”

Sutcliffe threw a two-hit shutout. He allowed five hits, walked one batter and struck out six in his

Orioles debut after signing as a free agent.

Hoiles, who had the first RBI at Camden Yards with a double in the fifth inning off Charles

Nagy that scored Horn, said he remembers “the emotion” of the day. And how Sutcliffe was

dealing.

Being able to come in and it’s a new ballpark and not really knowing what to expect and what

you have until you walk in here and play,” he said. “To call this home and be able to get the first

RBI here and kind of get the offense going, and Sutcliffe doing what he did that day and being a

part of it from the catching side of things. I thought we worked pretty well together.”

Billy Ripken laid down a squeeze bunt to bring home Leo Gomez for a 2-0 lead in the fifth

inning, the only scoring of the day. The game lasted 2 hours and 2 minutes.

“I think it was interesting because Gregg Olson was kind of upset he didn’t get the first save here

because Sut went nine innings,” Hoiles said. “But as Sut put it, if we didn’t score that second run

with Billy’s squeeze, Gregg may have been in that game. There’s a whole lot of different things

that could have happened. But we did and Sut pitched a great game.”

Olson had to wait until April 19 for the first save in a 3-2 win over the Tigers.

Sutcliffe got the ball rolling, so to speak, and he lived up to manager Johnny Oates’ expectations.

As I wrote yesterday, Oates insisted that Sutcliffe pitch on Opening Day ahead of Ben

McDonald, who threw a two-hit shutout in his first start, and Mike Mussina.

“I thought Johnny’s choice to have Rick Sutcliffe start the first game was great for Ben

McDonald and Mike Mussina because it pushed them back in the rotation,” Ripken said. “As

many times as a young pitcher faces the No. 1 on the other team, they try to pitch against that

pitcher. And really, you’re just pitching against the other team’s offense. And Rick had been in

that situation so many times, it took the pressure off those two guys.

“He was the perfect guy to have experience and understand how to pitch in that environment. So,

we were very confident behind him.”

Ripken remembers the team being a little “amped” at the start because it was opening day in a

new ballpark, “but once you’re out on the field and you’re on the good side of the score, it makes

it a whole lot easier to play.”

Sutcliffe only spent two seasons in Baltimore, but they clearly had an impact on his family.

“I’ve been retired now since 1995 and we’ve been invited to a lot of things, to come back to do

this and that - Dodger Stadium, Wrigley, all of them,” he said. “I’ve never seen my wife so

excited to get an invitation to anything as she was this one.

“It came in the mail. We didn’t know. We’ve got a 4-year-old grandson in San Diego. Every

chance I get, that’s where I’m at. But when I got it she said, ‘We’re going.’ And I said, ‘What are

you talking about?’ She goes, ‘It’s the best ballpark I’ve ever been in. I don’t know what you

guys had in the clubhouse, but that ballpark was built for the fan. The seats are bigger, all of the

seats are angled toward the playing field, you’re not looking here and you’re not looking there.’

And she goes, ‘It’s the first ballpark to this day where I plan dinner around going to the

ballpark.’ She talked about all the different places they could go to get different things.

Obviously, the crab cakes.

“As nice as it was for us and the clubhouse being bigger, to this day I’ve never found a better

ballpark for the fan and the experience that you have than what they have right here.”

The current Orioles are a close group, but it would be hard to beat the bond of the ‘92 crew.

“From the minute that everybody walked in here 25 years later, some of them we haven’t seen in

quite a while, but even 25 years later we walk in here like it was 25 years ago,” Hoiles said. “It

started in spring training and it carried over to Camden Yards. And a lot of it has to do with the

way people are and what you can do and what you can get away with and what you can say and

what you can’t say. To this group, there wasn’t anything you couldn’t do or say.

“I think everybody was on the same page for the most part and we just had fun. We found a way

to have fun. We didn’t have pool tables and all the other stuff back then, but we found a way.”

One example was players taking the field after a late game in Seattle and playing tape ball,

apparently something that Ripken devised.

“It was a way to stay close and a way to stay connected and have fun,” Hoiles said. “I think the

reflection to that showed on the field. We were able to carry it out on the field from the

clubhouse and it was just a very tight-knit group and it still is. It was really neat to see a lot of the

guys and the minute we saw them today, it was like 25 years ago all over again.”

“Looking back on it,” Ripken said, “that group was more together than other teams. I remember

Sut, he wanted to get all the pitchers together, so he kind of created his posse and tried to exert

some force over us. And to counter that, we’d have our own little group that would go back and

forth.”

“That’s because you beat everybody up in spring training every day,” Sutcliffe said.

“It was all an attempt to get us all together,” Ripken continued, never breaking stride. “Looking

back on it, Rick worked really hard to make them understand that pitchers were a group, and

starting pitchers in particular were a group. And it didn’t segment the club at all. It actually

brought the team together in ways that were really unique and nice.

“Looking back, that was a good group of guys. That was probably the best close-knit group of

guys that I was able to play with.”

Shameless plug alert: I’m appearing on “Wall to Wall Baseball” from noon-2 p.m. on MASN.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/08/showalter-on-machado-you-never-take-it-

for-granted.html

Showalter on Machado: “You never take it for granted”

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

August 18, 2017

Manny Machado stood at home plate tonight and raised his bat, knowing his fly ball to center

field with the bases loaded in the ninth inning would drop on the other side of the fence. The

third time was the real charm.

Machado’s walk-off grand slam against Angels reliever Keynan Middleton gave the Orioles a

dramatic 9-7 win over the Angels before an announced crowd of 26,185 at Camden Yards,

setting off more fireworks before the scheduled show.

The Orioles were two outs away from another loss with seven teams ahead of them in the chase

for the second wild card, but Machado’s third home run of the night allowed them to improve

their record to 60-62 overall and 36-23 at home.

Each team hit five home runs, with Mark Trumbo and Caleb Joseph contributing solo shots for

the Orioles. Jeremy Hellickson served up a career high five in only 4 2/3 innings, but he was

spared the loss.

Rule 5 pick Anthony Santander opened the ninth with his first major league hit in his first game,

a single to right field off Yusmeiro Petit. Pinch-hitter Seth Smith walked with one out (Ryan

Flaherty ran for him) and Tim Beckham singled off Middleton - his second hit of the night to

continue his tear with the Orioles.

Next came Machado, who had a two-run shot off Andrew Heaney in the third inning and a solo

shot in the fifth. He took a slider for a strike and crushed a 98 mph fastball, leading to a mob

scene at home plate and a pie in the face from Adam Jones.

This is Machado’s second career three-homer game. It’s also his third career walk-off home run,

his fourth walk-off hit, his 12th career multi-homer game and seventh grand slam - including

three in the span of 11 games.

Machado batted .230/.296/.445 in the first half. He raised his average tonight to .264 with 26

home runs, 81 RBIs and an .813 OPS.

“You never take it for granted,” said manager Buck Showalter. “I cannot tell you how hard it is

to do, but there’s always that potential when you’re dealing with guys like Manny. I know

sometimes because of how fluid he is, sometimes people don’t know how much he cares and

how hard he works. For a young player to go through the struggles he did with that kind of

talent, to get back is a real testament to him and his makeup.

“It’s about giving guys some space to kind of be themselves and also to, some guys are looking

at the order and going, ‘I hope this game doesn’t come to me,’ but very seldom at the big league

level. It’s not just him.

“Big at-bat by Seth Smith. Of course, Anthony got his first hit there and made a great catch in

right field. Can imagine the emotions for him tonight.”

The emotions overflowed at Camden Yards as Machado’s fly ball eluded Angels center fielder

Mike Trout.

“I actually thought the first home run Trum hit, when we got a crooked number up there, kind of

made us say, ‘OK,’” Showalter said.

“When we got it back within striking distance you felt better about it, but we had to put up some

zeroes. How many they have tonight? We each had five? I think Zach (Britton) caught that last

ball.

“Bobby (Dickerson) was getting on Flaherty for running with his head down. He said, ‘Bobby

that ball was gone.’ That was fun.”

The ball was flying out of the ballpark tonight.

Four batters into his latest start with the Orioles, Hellickson had allowed a double and back-to-

back home runs to abruptly fall behind.

One time through the Angels order, he had served up four home runs to set a career high. The

Angels ran the total to five before he was removed in the fifth inning. Posters weren’t the only

souvenirs distributed to fans.

The night began with a 42-minute rain delay. Then came the meteor shower.

“It’s like a game where everybody’s dunking,” Showalter said. “No shots tonight.”

Hellickson hasn’t been able to sustain the form he displayed in his Orioles debut, when he shut

out the Royals over seven innings. He turned in a quality start in his next outing in Anaheim with

three runs allowed in six innings, but he’s surrendered 13 runs and 13 hits in his last two starts

over 9 2/3 innings.

He left tonight after 4 2/3 innings with the Orioles behind 7-4.

Miguel Castro followed with 2 1/3 scoreless innings. The bullpen had 4 1/3 total, including

Richard Bleier (two-thirds) and Darren O’Day (1 1/3).

Albert Pujols hit a two-run shot off Hellickson in the first and Kole Calhoun homered on the next

pitch. Pujols has 609 home runs to tie Sammy Sosa for most by a foreign-born player.

The Orioles had scored first in eight straight games, and in the first inning in the last five.

C.J. Cron and Kaleb Cowart homered within a span of three batters in the second inning to give

the Angels a 5-1 lead. Hellickson retired nine in a row - throwing 11 pitches in the third and 10

in the fourth - but Ben Revere doubled with one out in the fifth and Trout homered.

“I liked the fact that he pitched two sharp innings after that, but it got away from him in the

fifth,” Showalter said. “I know he was hoping to get into the fifth or sixth and keep it there. It’s

that time of year where I’d love to get guys a little extra day of rest here or there, but it’s what

we are trying to do here. But at some point pitching four or five innings as a starter makes it

really tough to keep a six-man bullpen intact.”

Santander made a diving catch in right field on the first ball hit to him to rob Trout and end the

second inning. He popped up and struck out twice before singling in the ninth.

There must have been times tonight when he felt like he was back playing in the Carolina

League.

First baseman Chris Davis and catcher Welington Castillo were out of the lineup because of an

illness that’s also spread to other players and coaches. Castillo stayed at the ballpark because he

wasn’t running a fever and entered the dugout in the sixth inning, but Showalter sent him back

inside, saying he looked terrible.

Another defeat wouldn’t have made anyone feel better.

Does a win like tonight’s feel more important than others that proceeded it?

“You don’t think about what it might have been,” Showalter said. “You play again tomorrow and

you play the next day and there’s an opportunity around every corner. It has that potential

always, but it depends on how we pitch tomorrow and the next day and the next day and the next

day.

“You can’t ask a club to overcome that every night, but our guys have done a good job with it,

especially tonight, obviously.”

Especially with a hitter as hot as Machado.

“I got it,” he said. “I was looking for a pitch and I got it. I made a good swing on it. Off the bat, I

knew it was going to go far.”

Let’s find out if the Orioles can do the same, if a walk-off slam finally ignites them.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/08/strolling-down-memory-lane-on-25th-

anniversary-of-opacy.html

A 25th anniversary stroll down memory lane (O’s win 9-7)

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

August 18, 2017

Rick Sutcliffe, the man who stood on the mound for the first inning of the first game at Camden

Yards back in 1992, remembers the excitement in his household as the letter arrived from the

Orioles inviting him to the 25th anniversary celebration that’s taking place this weekend,

beginning with today’s luncheon at the B&O Warehouse.

The feeling was much different for Glenn Davis, the former first baseman who arrived with

tremendous fanfare and left as the centerpiece in arguably the worst trade in franchise history.

The Orioles sent outfielder Steve Finley and pitchers Pete Harnisch and Curt Schilling to the

Astros in January 1991 for Davis, a two-time All-Star who hit 166 home runs in parts of seven

seasons before the trade, who finished second in Most Valuable Player voting in the National

League in 1986 and won a Silver Slugger Award, who was viewed as a much-needed power bat

in the middle of the order. But Davis managed only 24 home runs in 185 games over parts of

three seasons in Baltimore, his career ruined by a neck injury that caused his right shoulder to

atrophy.

The last three years of Davis’ professional career were spent in Japan and the independent

Northern League.

Davis admitted today, with tears in his eyes, that it wasn’t easy to come back to Baltimore. But

he’s glad that he made the decision, no matter how hard it tugged at him.

“Yes, I have to admit. Yes,” said Davis, who accounted for the first hit at Camden Yards with a

single in the second inning on Opening Day. “Emotional. I can say that I might still have a lot of

monsters in the closet that you still deal with, the mental aspect of where you felt like you let

somebody down. The expectations were so great and the drive coming in every day, you just

wanted to do so much for such great people. And the game of baseball, the fans, the city, your

teammates. You just wanted to live up to expectations.”

Davis’ body failed him. And, in turn, he failed the Orioles.

“I knew after I was diagnosed after the first year with stretch palsy to the spinal accessory nerve,

everybody said, ‘What was that?’” Davis said. “I was paralyzed. It took me almost a full year to

find out that I was paralyzed. And then the challenge of trying to get back to the point of being

the player that I was before. It wasn’t easy. But with these guys, what I remember the most out of

all my teammates, my manager Johnny Oates was just incredible. To have the support of these

guys and play behind them was amazing.

“This is a group that’s really dear to me and I’ll never forget Baltimore. Baltimore is a great

place, greatest fans in the game, and I just wish it would have ended on a better note.”

Davis, now 56, retired in 1996 after 39 games with the St. Paul Saints. Reluctant to make another

appearance in Baltimore, he seemed to genuinely cherish the hours spent today at Camden

Yards.

“As a player and these guys are my teammates, it’s just great to be back together,” he said.

“Baseball’s always been like one big fraternity and that’s what it is. Here we are, just seeing each

other. It’s not talking about what happened back then and who did what and what was actually

going on on the field. It’s catching up with family and how you’re doing. It’s almost like

nobody’s changed.

“Maybe I’ve gotten older. Maybe they’ve gotten younger. I was amazed at seeing some of the

younger players earlier. They still look the same. Then I got to thinking about, well, yeah, they

were young back then. I was in my 30s and they were in their early 20s, so yeah, they’re young. I

tell people, now that I’m over 50 I can’t see, I can’t hear and I can’t remember. But just catching

up, that’s great.

“That’s always great spending time with your fellow teammates, because we know what it’s like

internally and working together - the bond, the fellowship, the brotherhood - of going out day

after day. No matter what the circumstances or conditions. You’re going out together trying to

work for a common goal and a common good, and that’s to win ballgames. These guys were

some of the best guys that I ever played with, that I ever had the opportunity to put on a uniform

and go out on the field with. They were awesome.

“Going through challenges in my career, these guys were some of the best guys in providing

support and just keeping your mental focus and attitude where it needed to be, going out day in

and day out and realizing what needed to be accomplished that day. It may have come down to

just trying to contribute, do something that day to contribute, but for the most part it’s one of the

greatest group of guys I’ve played with. And being back here and seeing it all, it’s amazing.”

Everyone marveled at how the ballpark has held up over 25 years.

“The visionary aspect of how this stadium was built, No. 1, we could see the ball,” Davis said.

“Coming over from Memorial Stadium to Camden Yards, we could finally see the ball,

especially at night when you could hit. But the visionary aspect, the architectural aspect, the

people who were involved in bringing this all together ...

“You look at this ballpark, I sit here looking down on it in amazement. It doesn’t even look 25

years old, it really doesn’t. This is a class ballpark. Someone knew what they were doing. You

have all these new ballparks out there and Camden Yards is right up there at the top, and I can’t

believe it’s 25 years.”

That seemed to be the theme as former players, and one current executive, were asked about the

ballpark and the time that’s passed.

“It’s crazy. Twenty-five years goes by in the blink of an eye. I guess that’s how life is,” said

Brady Anderson.

“It seems, not like yesterday, but not too long ago when Devo (Mike Deveraux) and I walked on

the field for the first time when we got off the bus. Just checked it out. Can’t tell you what he

said. I almost did because I’m an idiot. But yeah, it doesn’t seem long ago.”

Said Deveraux: “When we first looked at the stadium, it was crazy. It was 2 o’clock in the

morning or something like that. We had just come in from Florida. And if you think about it,

Comiskey was a new stadium in ‘91 and you never heard anything about that. Coming to

Camden Yards, it just blew up. And every stadium after Camden Yards was designed because of

Camden Yards.”

Deveraux sat with Anderson, Sam Horn and former outfielder Joe Orsulak during the interview

and noted how every game was sold out during their time together. “And that was also a

tremendous thing,” he said.

Sam Horn was considered the biggest threat to the warehouse, a guy who would knock out a few

windows, but Ken Griffey Jr. remains the only player to hit it - in the Home Run Derby before

the 1993 All-Star Game.

“Now that I’m not trying to hit the wall, it looks a lot closer,” Horn said.

“I remember when we first came to the ballpark, I was just in awe of the field, how nice it was

prepared, and of course that right field. I just remember that was my target that I really

concentrated on.”

No one has hit the warehouse, listed at 439 feet from home plate, in a game despite the

predictions and expectations.

“Sometimes, everything has to fall in place,” Horn said. “Has to be great weather, has to be the

wind blowing out, get your right pitch. I keep that in my mind all the time. But it just goes to

show that from home plate it looks closer than it really is. All of this time and nobody’s hit it in a

game, so that just goes to show you just how far that wall is.”

Did Horn hit the warehouse in batting practice?

“I hit it over the roof in batting practice,” he said.

The guy hasn’t lost his sense of humor over the years.

Horn joked about calling his shot in Saturday’s Home Run Derby, just to “create a little static”

among his friends. He’s the favorite. Anderson also is participating, but not Cal Ripken Jr.

Not invited?

“No. He’s not good enough to be in the Home Run Derby,” Anderson said, delivering a playful

jab at his best friend.

“I’ll have to have a conversation with Brady before I respond to that,” Ripken said. “No, Brady’s

still hitting in simulated games out here, so Brady’s ...”

“Tell the truth,” Sutcliffe said. “You said you hurt your hip playing golf yesterday.”

“You’re not supposed to say that,” Ripken said. “I think Brady’s trying to set the whole thing up

so he can win.”

Sutcliffe baptized the ballpark with a two-hit shutout over the Indians on Opening Day. Manager

Johnny Oates wanted him on the mound that afternoon, choosing the veteran over Ben

McDonald and Mike Mussina.

“Two days before Opening Day, we played an exhibition game at RFK and there was this huge

submarine sandwich out there after BP to snack on, and a lot of us got food poisoning,” Sutcliffe

said. “The night before Opening Day at Camden Yards, my wife (Robin) had to drive to a

pharmacy to get some stuff because I had it bad. I was throwing up, I had a fever, I had all kinds

of problems.

“I remember my agent saying, ‘You should call the manager and let him know he won’t be able

to pitch,’ and Robin goes, ‘He’s going to pitch. Don’t worry about that.’ I remember laying on

the trainer’s table next to (Cal Ripken) Senior. Neither one of us felt very good. But it was one of

those days where I was lucky that it was overcast. And I probably should have had that mentality

more in my career because I didn’t know how long I was going to last.

“I knew that I had a fever, I knew that I lost a bunch of weight, so I was trying to get outs as

quick as I possibly could. I think a lot of that might have led to me having success. Maybe I

should have done a lot more of that.”

Sutcliffe began to have second thoughts about making the start, more than a week before the

sandwich incident. He questioned whether he was the right guy. Oates knew it all along.

“Johnny Oates in December of ‘91 asked me to come back to sign with the Orioles,” Sutcliffe

said. “I had no intention of doing that. I was older, I had no business being in the American

League East, but as a favor to Johnny, who as a long-time friend and one of the most important

people, not only in my career but in my life, I came back here. He walked me out to the mound.

It’s cold, the ballpark’s not even complete, and he said, ‘I don’t want you to tell anybody, but

you’re going to throw the very first pitch ever in this ballpark.’ And goosebumps just overcame

me. `I told my agent, ‘Let’s do it. I want to sign here.’

“With 10 days to go in spring training, I said, ‘Hey Johnny, you’re making a mistake. I shouldn’t

pitch opening day.’ I go, ‘Ben McDonald is a lot better than me.’ And he goes, ‘Well, Mike

Mussina is a lot better than you are, too.’ But he goes, ‘I don’t want them to have to deal with

opening day, I don’t want them to have to deal with the media and I don’t want to have them

lined up against every other team’s No. 1 pitcher the first month of the season.’ He said, ‘If

we’re going to get to the playoffs and if we’re going to be a contending team, we’re going to do

it on the shoulders of those two guys?’ As far as the rotation was concerned. And I think he was

exactly right.”

Note: The Orioles announced an approximate start time of 7:40 p.m.

Update: Albert Pujols hit a two-run homer off Jeremy Hellickson in the first inning and Kole

Calhoun homered on the next pitch to give the Angels a 3-0 lead.

Update II: C.J. Cron and Kaleb Cowart have hit solo home runs in the second inning to give the

Angels a 5-0 lead. The four home runs are a career high for Hellickson.

Update III: Mark Trumbo homered off Andrew Heaney with two outs in the second, his 19th of

the season, to reduce the lead to 5-1.

Update IV: Caleb Joseph homered to lead off the third and reduce the lead to 5-2. The ball is

flying out of here.

It continued to do so after Tim Beckham singled with one out. Manny Machado homered to

center field to cut the lead to 5-4. That’s seven home runs in three innings.

Update V: Mike Trout hit a two-run homer in the fifth to give the Angels a 7-4 lead. Hellickson

was done after 4 2/3 innings, serving up five home runs among the eight hits allowed.

Machado led off the bottom of the fifth with his second home run of the night to reduce the lead

to 7-5. He has three multi-homer games this season and 12 in his career.

Update VI: Machado’s third home run, a grand slam off Keynan Middleton with one out in the

bottom of the ninth, gave the Orioles a 9-7 win.

Anthony Santander singled off Yusmeiro Petit for his first major league hit. Pinch-hitter Seth

Smith walked, and Tim Beckham singled off Middleton.

This is Machado’s third slam in the last 11 games and the seventh of his career.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/08/kirby-on-santander-he-shouldnt-be-

nervous-playing-the-outfield.html

Kirby on Santander: “He shouldn’t be nervous playing the

outfield”

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

August 18, 2017

Orioles first base coach Wayne Kirby sat down next to Anthony Santander this afternoon to talk

about playing the outfield at Camden Yards, which the Rule 5 pick will do tonight in his major

league debut.

Santander was limited to hitting in spring training because of a sore elbow. He’s been on the

disabled list all season with a strained right forearm, finally able to don the outfielder’s glove

during his injury rehab assignment.

“I’m just worrying about basically him playing straight-up, where to play in the gap and paying

attention to me on the bench. That’s all I’m worrying about,” Kirby said.

“He shouldn’t be nervous playing the outfield. He’s been playing it his whole life. He’s probably

going to make a hard adjustment paying attention to how the defense moves. That’s probably the

hardest thing. Everybody’s got to go through it. Even (Craig) Gentry. He was coming from a

Sabermetric-type thing where you play here the whole time, but we don’t do that. It’s a little

adjustment they’ve got to make.”

Manager Buck Showalter didn’t intend to start Santander right away, but was left with no choice.

Chris Davis and Welington Castillo are sick and may not be available. Another Rule 5 pick is

thrown into the fire - just later than usual.

“They’re going to play,” Showalter said. “Something happens every day. You walk in here and

two guys are sick. You’re one of 25. Jason Garcia’s going to pitch, Ryan Flaherty’s going to

play, T.J. McFarland’s going to pitch. You can’t just carry them. They’re going to play. I was

hoping we could kind of ease him into it, but this is fine, too. Sometimes, it works better this

way.

“There’s some positives out of it. He had 30-plus plate appearances in the spring. It’s not like he

hasn’t been around the team and players. He was going around introducing himself, which was

impressive. Anthony, you’d like to make his path easier and somehow ease him into it, but

sometimes it’s OK just to run him out there.”

Showalter was asked whether he liked having a Rule 5 pick on his roster or if it created

challenges.

“Yes and yes,” he replied. “They’re going to play. You can’t hide them. And I don’t think

Anthony is somebody you want to hide. We’ll see. He’s had very few at-bats above the Single-A

level, but he’s done well.

“He’s worked out here. He’s been here the last two days working out, so he’s been around here.

Give him a chance to get moved in and acclimated. It’s not like he just showed up on a plane.

But it’s some unique challenges. But I look at it as a lot of faith they have in the coaching staff

and another way to acquire players.”

Santander will retain Rule 5 status next season, though his consecutive days on the active roster

this year carry over to 2018. The Orioles always make selection in the Rule 5 draft, and they may

be inclined to do so again in December despite Santander’s presence.

“I’m OK with it if they think that these guys are worthy,” Showalter said.

“I know Santander’s well thought of, especially when he’s healthy. There are so many things you

don’t know. The ball gets to you faster, runners are faster, the ball has more topspin, pitchers

have better secondary pitches. There are a lot of things, but I’d be surprised if he doesn’t do OK.

“Certainly looks the part, doesn’t he? That’s a good-looking kid. His mannerisms are a lot like

Victor Martinez. Had to be his hero growing up.”

The Orioles are dedicating the weekend to celebrating the 25th anniversary of Camden Yards.

Showalter remembers the first time he entered the ballpark and the thoughts the crossed his

mind.

“What a great job they did of, in a new facility, embracing kind of a retro look,” he said. “As

soon as you walked in you felt like it would stand the test of time, that it would age really well,

and I see all the work they do in the offseason. The city, the state, the organization, to improve

something and get ahead of things and be proactive with the stadium instead of reactive. Just

how nothing felt like it was stuck there to create a nuance. And it blended so well with

downtown.

“Had air conditioning in the visiting clubhouse. The other place didn’t, for those of us who have

been at Memorial Stadium. It didn’t have that old gymnasium smell, either. Dirty socks.

Remember how that smelled? I thought, ‘Man, this is the big leagues?’”

Flaherty is back on the active roster, his right shoulder finally healed.

“It’s nice to be back around the guys. Obviously, it was a long time and I’m excited to get back,”

he said.

“If you had told me it was going to be this long at the beginning, I would have told you that you

were crazy, but it’s just one of those weird injuries and I’m happy to put it behind me.”

The extended rehab assignment was necessary to assure that the discomfort didn’t return to his

shoulder/lat area and perhaps lead to surgery.

“It was needed,” he said. “Obviously, that’s the way it went and I’m just happy to be back here

now and help the team win.”

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2017/08/pregame-notes-from-camden-yards-3.html

Pregame notes from Camden Yards

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com

August 18, 2017

First baseman Chris Davis and catcher Welington Castillo are sick and may not be available for

the Orioles’ series opener tonight against the Angels at Camden Yards.

A team physician was checking on both players before making a determination. In the meantime,

manager Buck Showalter isn’t going to broadcast the availability of his players and whether

they’ve been sent home.

“I won’t get into the city in which everybody gets sick in, but they’re not the only two,”

Showalter said. “A lot of it started about halfway through the trip.”

Rule 5 pick Anthony Santander is in the lineup, starting in right field, due to those illnesses.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t be making his major league debut tonight against Angels left-hander

Andrew Heaney.

Ryan Flaherty, who came off the disabled list yesterday, is the emergency catcher if Castillo

can’t play.

Shortstop J.J. Hardy hit on the field today for the first time. He could go on an injury rehab

assignment Monday or Tuesday.

Showalter still hasn’t decided whether to start Dylan Bundy on Tuesday or Wednesday.

The Orioles are listing Kevin Gausman as Saturday night’s starter against the Angels, but

Sunday is TBD. Chris Tillman had a work day and could be inserted into the rotation.

The Orioles won’t take batting practice outdoors today, due to a storm that’s headed here from

Columbia.

Short-season Single-A Aberdeen outfielder Markel Jones has been suspended 50 games

following a second positive test for a drug of abuse. Jones is a 33rd-round pick in 2016 out of

Brunswick Community College in North Carolina.

For the Angels

Ben Revere LF

Mike Trout CF

Albert Pujols DH

Kole Calhoun RF

Andrelton Simmons SS

Luis Valbuena 3B

C.J. Cron 1B

Martín Maldonado C

Kaleb Cowart 2B

Andrew Heaney LHP

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2017/08/notes-and-quotes-from-manny-machados-

remarkable-night.html

Notes and quotes from Manny Machado’s remarkable night

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

August 19, 2017

It was a remarkable performance by Orioles’ third baseman Manny Machado. He hit a two-run

homer in the third inning, a solo homer in the fifth and a walk-off grand slam in the ninth.

The Orioles hit four homers before Machado batted in the ninth and yet they were on their way

to a homestand-opening 7-5 loss to the Los Angeles Angels. But Machado’s blast to center won

the game and turned the night into a stunning 9-7 win.

Here is a list of the 10 players that have hit three grand slams in their entire Orioles careers,

counting the postseason: Brady Anderson, Paul Blair, Mike Devereaux, Reggie Jackson, Nick

Markakis, John Lowenstein, Curt Blefary, Bobby Bonilla, Miguel Tejada and Melvin Mora.

That group hit three grand slams each in their Oriole careers. Machado has hit three grand slams

in his last 11 games and two in his past four games.

Machado has hit seven career grand slams and six have come over the last two seasons, which

leads MLB. Machado is only the third player since at least 1913 to hit three or more grand slams

in consecutive years, according to baseball-reference.com. The other two are Richie Sexson in

2005-06 and Joe Rudi in 1978-79.

Two of those grand slams in the past 11 games have been hit against Mike Trout and his Angels.

The one Machado hit Aug. 7 in the seventh inning in Anaheim broke a 2-2 tie as the Orioles won

that night 6-2. Last night it was a walk-off winner.

Most grand slams by an Oriole, counting postseason:

16 - Eddie Murray

8 - Cal Ripken Jr., Chris Hoiles, Chris Davis

7 - Manny Machado, Boog Powell

Here are Machado’s stats when batting this year with the bases loaded - he is 7-for-11 with three

homers and 20 RBIs. That is a batting average of .636 and slugging percentage of 1.455.

In 12 games since Aug. 6, Machado is batting .370 (20-for-54) with seven homers and 25 RBIs.

He has four games of at least four RBIs in that span. With 81 RBIs for the year, Machado is now

five behind Jonathan Schoop’s team lead of 86. Schoop is tied for third in the AL in RBIs and

Machado is now sixth.

Last Aug. 7, Machado hit three homers against Chicago at U.S. Cellular Field. On that Sunday

afternoon Machado homered three times in the first three innings. He took the full nine to do it

last night.

Here is the list of Orioles to homer three times in a game. It has happened 22 times via 16

different players: Boog Powell (three times), Eddie Murray (three times), Machado (two times),

Chris Davis (two times), Curt Blefary, Paul Blair, Bobby Grich, Don Baylor, Dan Ford, Lee

Lacy, Juan Beniquez, Randy Milligan, Cal Ripken Jr., Roberto Alomar, Albert Belle and Nick

Markakis.

Of course more happened last night than just Machado hitting homers. Jeremy Hellickson gave

up a career-high five homers, Anthony Santander had his first major league hit and Tim

Beckham had two more hits to name a few things.

Some clubhouse quotes:

Santander on his first MLB hit and then scoring on the walk-off slam: “I felt very good. Thanks

to God. Just looking for the opportunity to get on base and give the opportunity to the team to get

the win. No, I could not imagine something like this. But this was amazing, something I’m never

going to forget.”

Hellickson on his poor outing: “Just left too many pitches up in the zone and out over the plate.

Kind of got in a groove there, third and fourth innings and then left another offspeed pitch over

the plate. Just didn’t execute many pitches tonight. I didn’t do my part.”

Beckham on Machado: “That was impressive and fun to be a part of, man. Sometimes you can’t

put words together for a game like that. I’m happy for him. He’s coming up big for us.”

From the strange stat department, this was the Orioles first win on a Friday since they beat

Boston 3-2 on June 2. They broke a 10-game Friday losing streak.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2017/08/manny-machado-on-his-walk-off-grand-

slam-against-the-angels.html

Manny Machado on his walk-off grand slam against the

Angels

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

August 19, 2017

Tonight Manny Machado became the first player to hit three homers in a game for the Orioles

since ... Manny Machado. He became the first Oriole to hit a walk-off grand slam since Matt

Wieters did it on April 18, 2013 against Tampa Bay.

With the Orioles down 5-1 after two innings and 7-5 heading to the last of the ninth, the

homestand seemed to be getting off to a poor start. Opponent batters had hit five homers and it

appeared likely that the Birds would lose to the Los Angeles Angels.

Except Machado and his teammates didn’t lose.

Anthony Santander, just added today, led off the ninth with his first major league hit, a single to

right off Yusmeiro Petit. With one out, pinch-hitter Seth Smith walked and Tim Beckham

singled. That set the stage for Machado, who hit a two-run homer in the third and a solo shot in

the fifth.

Machado drove an 0-1 slider from right-hander Keynan Middleton over the center-field wall and

Camden Yards exploded after the Orioles’ eighth walk-off win of 2017. They stunned the Angels

9-7 in front of 26,185 at Oriole Park.

“It is always good when you get to a situation where you can put your team on top,” Machado

said. “It was a good day. Our club kept fighting to the end. We’re not going to stop fighting.”

What did he think when he made contact?

“You know I got it.” he said. “I was looking for a pitch and I made a good swing on it. Off the

bat I knew it would go far. Always good to be in situation where you can give the team a W.

“Obviously, it’s a big win for us. We came back from a deficit and we didn’t stop fighting. A

win like this hopefully gives us some momentum,” he said after the Orioles improved to 36-23 at

home and 60-62 on the year.

Maybe Machado just seems to feel comfortable in bases-loaded situations recently. He has hit

grand slams now on Aug. 7, 14 and 18. That is two slams in the last four games and three in the

last 11.

“I don’t know. Everybody likes to hit with people on base. Those are RBIs you’ve got [to get],

especially with less than two outs. You try to get one at least. That’s my mentality going up

there, which is at least get one guy in with less than two outs with a guy like that. Just put the

ball up in the air. I’ve been fortunate to have a little more power and get a little stronger as the

years go on, and those fly balls keep going a little bit.”

It is Machado’s second career three-homer game. He first did it Aug. 7, 2016, when he hit three

homers in the first three innings in Chicago against the White Sox. This was his fourth career

walk-off hit and third career walk-off homer. It is his third multi-homer game of the year and

12th of his career.

And it produced his first pie in the face of the year, courtesy of Adam Jones.

“We haven’t done the pie all year. But we’re glad it’s back. The last time the pies were out there,

we had some wins and we had nice win streaks and we got the team where it needed to go, which

was a division championship. So let’s keep doing it.”

Machado’s hot bat tonight produced his seventh career grand slam and third of the year. It was

his second career seven-RBI game, with the other coming in the three-homer game last year at

Chicago.

“You know, it’s the same approach,” he said of his at-bats over the course of the year. “Just

trying to stay with it with every at bat, continue to do the same thing little by little, day by day,

so that’s been the biggest thing.”

Machado is the 16th Oriole to have a three-homer game. There have been 22 in team history.

Boog Powell and Eddie Murray each did so three times, while Machado and Chris Davis have

two each.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2017/08/os-game-blog-tonights-game-and-hearing-

from-the-1992-orioles.html

O’s game blog: Tonight’s game and hearing from the 1992

Orioles

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

August 18, 2017

After some heavy rain at Camden Yards earlier this afternoon, the Orioles and Los Angeles

Angels will try to get this game in tonight. It is the start of a three-game series, a six-game

homestand and a stretch of 16 home games in 19 contests for the Orioles.

However, the tarp was still on the field as 7 p.m. approached, and tonight’s game will not start on

time. But the Orioles announced an approximate start time of 7:40 p.m.

The Orioles are 35-23 at home and 24-39 on the road. They are 12-5-2 in 19 series at Oriole

Park.

Jeremy Hellickson (1-2, 4.50 ERA) is set to make his fourth Orioles start. He pitched seven

scoreless in his Aug. 2 debut against Kansas City, gave up three runs in six frames against the

Angels and six runs over five innings Sunday in a 9-3 loss at Oakland.

In eight career appearances against the Angels, Hellickson is 3-4 with a 3.02 ERA. In 28 career

games versus American League West opponents, he is 8-12 with a 3.43 ERA.

Lefty Andrew Heaney is making his first major league appearance since April 5, 2016. Heaney

tore the ulnar collateral ligament and underwent Tommy John surgery on July 1, 2016 (413 days

ago). He will be Angels’ 12th pitcher to start this season. He posted a 6-4 record and 3.49 ERA

in 2015.

The Orioles are 59-62 and coming off a 4-6 West Coast trip. The Angels are 62-59 and leading

the multi-team chase for the second AL wild card. The Angels have won seven of eight games

and are 11-4 in August.

The 1992 Orioles: There are 20 Orioles from the 1992 team in town this weekend to help

celebrate the 25th anniversary season of Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

When Oriole Park at Camden Yards opened on April 6, 1992, a new era of Major League

Baseball began. Oriole Park inspired a generation of ballpark construction and captured the

nation’s attention from day one. In the 25 seasons that followed, it has served as the standard by

which all new ballparks are measured as The Ballpark That Forever Changed Baseball™. The

Orioles are honoring the 25th anniversary throughout the 2017 season with promotions, special

events and a commemorative logo displayed on the right sleeve of all Orioles game jerseys and

on official Rawlings® Major League Baseballs used in home games.

Earlier today local reporters had a chance to interview some members of that 1992 team.

Mike Devereaux on going from Memorial Stadium to OPACY: “There was a lot of history at

Memorial Stadium with (Jim) Palmer and Robinson, both Brooks and Frank. That last day there

was incredible. But then coming here, when we first looked at the stadium, it was 2 a.m. and we

had just come in from (spring training in) Florida.

“Comiskey in Chicago was a new stadium in ‘91 and you never heard anything about that. And

then Camden Yards and it just blew up. Every stadium after Camden Yards was built because of

Camden Yards. But this stadium - they’ve kept it up. We never played in this stadium when it

wasn’t sold out. That first game I remember fans on the rooftops of buildings downtown. To me,

that was incredible.”

Brady Anderson on the end of the first game at the Yard: “One thing I don’t know if I remember

it, but they keep showing it and I wish they’d stop, was (Rick) Sutcliffe striking out (Paul)

Sorrento on a ball that was about six feet outside.”

Joe Orsulak on opening day 1992: “I was nervous. And it was hard to see the ball off the bat with

a lot of people wearing white. You don’t want to be the guy to screw it up on a fly ball. Was

nerve-wracking until you caught a few out there. We had a sold-out crowd and brand new

stadium and you didn’t want to be the guy to mess up.”

Mark McLemore on OPACY: “My first memory was coming over the bridge and Johnny (Oates)

had the buses stop. So we could all take a look basically at history. This was the first wave of

new stadiums. Seeing the park lit up the way it was, it was absolutely beautiful.

“To this day it amazes me that people still buy tickets to stand up and watch a game. At that

time, that wasn’t going on at other stadiums. This place was sold-out the three years I was here

and the fans really knew their baseball. It was great, just incredible.”

Tim Hulett remembers Johnny Oates, the 1992 manager, who passed away in 2004 after a three-

year battle with brain cancer: “Johnny was special to a lot of us. We lived in a complex close to

Johnny. He would hang out over his balcony and watch myself and my kids play whiffle ball

every morning. We got to know him pretty well. His support and all the things he brought to the

Orioles, he was a players’ manager. Baltimore will always have a special place in the hearts of

the Hulett family. The Orioles organization, led by Johnny, was just fantastic. This is a special

place for us.”

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2017/08/anthony-santander-on-making-his-mlb-

debut-tonight.html

Anthony Santander on making his major league debut

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com

August 18, 2017

Anthony Santander, a 22-year-old Orioles outfielder from Venezuela, will make his major league

debut tonight, weather permitting. He is batting seventh in right field against Angels left-hander

Andrew Heaney.

Santander’s path to Camden Yards came via Single-A Lynchburg of the Carolina League last

season. Then the Orioles selected him in the Rule 5 draft in December from Cleveland. He was

on the disabled list all this year with a strained right forearm. He ended a 20-day rehab

assignment earlier this week. Over 15 games with Double-A Bowie, he hit .380/.458/.780 with

five doubles, five homers and 14 RBIs. He went 2-for-5 Monday with Single-A Frederick.

“I’m very excited, I hope you guys can see it in my smile,” Santander said this afternoon through

translator Ramon Alarcon. “Thankful to God for this opportunity and for the team.

“A little bit surprised, of course (to be in the lineup right away), but very happy for this

opportunity and trying to take advantage of this chance.”

Last year with Lynchburg, Santander hit .290/.368/.494 with 42 doubles, 20 home runs, 90 runs

scored, 95 RBIs and 10 stolen bases in 128 games. In 2016, he was selected as a Carolina League

postseason All-Star after leading the league in extra-base hits (62) and doubles.

He began his rehab with Bowie July 27 and went 9-for-13 (.692) with four doubles, two homers

and seven RBIs his first five games.

“Bowie was a great experience,” Santander said. “Had been a while since I played a live game,

so I just tried to take advantage of that situation and will try to bring that over to this level.

Santander was asked what he feels he can add to the team?

“My work ethic. Playing hard every single day. Trying to give the best out of me every day, in

the defense and offense. If given the opportunity, just want to demonstrate that I can be here,” he

said.

Santander got some at-bats in spring training, but he wasn’t cleared to throw yet or play on

defense. That just came during his rehab assignment. But he said his arm is doing well.

“It is ready to play. I’m ready to go and give it my best. Pretty close to 100 percent and just

demonstrate that I can help.”

Of course he can probably expect there to be some nerves when he takes the field for the first

time in the big leagues.

“I definitely feel excited and there are a whole lot of emotions going on. But happy to be here

and to contribute to the team,” Santander said.

https://www.pressboxonline.com/2017/08/18/twenty-five-years-later-1992-orioles-players-

return-to-oriole-park

Twenty-Five Years Later, 1992 Orioles Players Return To

Oriole Park

By Rich Dubroff / PressBoxOnline.com

August 18, 2017

BALTIMORE -- Rick Sutcliffe remembered he had food poisoning. The Baltimore Orioles’ first

Opening Day starter at their new ballpark had gotten sick on a giant submarine sandwich at

Washington’s RFK Stadium two days before Oriole Park at Camden Yards was to open.

On April 5, the night before the first opener 25 years ago, Robin Sutcliffe was driving to a

pharmacy near the couple’s Crownsville, Md., home looking for medicine for her husband.

“I had it bad. I was throwing up. I had a fever,” Sutcliffe said at a media session following a

luncheon to celebrate the 1992 team.

Before the game, Sutcliffe and the late Cal Ripken Sr., who also was sick, were on adjoining

tables in the trainer’s room.

“I didn’t know how long I was going to last. I knew I had lost a bunch of weight,” Sutcliffe said.

“I was trying to get outs as quick as I possibly could.”

Sutcliffe pitched a shutout as the Orioles beat the Cleveland Indians, 2-0, in just two hours, two

minutes.

Nineteen players and one coach from that 1992 team are being celebrated this weekend.

Cal Ripken Jr., who had already played 10 years with the Orioles at Memorial Stadium,

remembers the leadup to the ballpark’s opening, and changing baseball homes wasn’t a huge

adjustment.

“It felt like baseball had been played here before,” Ripken said. “I was so worried that the rich

history of baseball would be lost if you’re going to a new place.”

The Orioles, who had lost 97 games in their final season at aging Memorial Stadium, were

energized by the crowds who flocked to the new downtown ballpark.

“It was exciting as all get-out to play in front of a packed house every night,” Ripken said. “It

didn’t take long to get comfortable.”

The Orioles drew a record 3.56 million fans in 1992, over a million more than they had in their

last year at Memorial Stadium.

“We were the only game in town,” pitcher Ben McDonald said. McDonald, who now

occasionally broadcasts Orioles games, felt it was a special time.

“There were no Ravens. There were no Nationals down the road,” he said. The ballpark stayed

packed all the time. There were some good crowds at Memorial. It seemed like the fans were

closer, more on top of you at this field. You could really feel the energy in the ballpark.”

Mike Mussina was in his first full season of what would be a storied major league career. He said

he returns here with his family from Pennsylvania for a game once or twice a year.

Unquestionably the best starter in the team’s quarter-century here, Mussina thrived pitching in a

park many said was difficult to pitch in.

“People like offense,” Mussina said. “It helped us offensively. Just because we had to pitch in a

park that I thought the ball traveled pretty well, our guys get to hit in the same park. I felt if I

could be efficient, I might give up a home run or two, but if we can hit a home run or two, we

might score six or seven, and they’ll get four.”

Not everyone loved playing here. In one of the most criticized trades in Orioles history, slugger

Glenn Davis was obtained before the 1991 season from the Houston Astros. The Orioles parted

with starters Pete Harnisch, Curt Schilling and outfielder Steve Finley.

Davis was out of baseball after the 1993 season, and didn’t have fond memories of his time here.

He still returned for this weekend, although it wasn’t an easy decision.

“Emotional. I can say I still have a lot of monsters in the closet,” Davis said. “The mental aspect

of where you felt like you might have let somebody down. The expectations were so great.”

While Davis had a hard time deciding to come back, Sutcliffe didn’t. His wife saw the invitation

and immediately insisted they return.

“It’s the best ballpark I’ve ever been in,” Robin Sutcliffe told her husband. “That ballpark was

built for the fan. ... It’s the only ballpark to this day that I planned dinner around going to the

ballpark.”

http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2017/08/18/oriole-park-celebrates-25-years-anniversary-baltimore/

Baltimore Orioles Celebrate OPACY’s 25th Anniversary

By Tracey Leong / CBS Baltimore

August 18, 2017

BALTIMORE (WJZ)– The Orioles are celebrating Oriole Park at Camden Yards 25th

anniversary Friday and Saturday.

The celebration began Friday with former players from the 1992 team, who reflected on their

experience and will continue with them taking over the field once again Saturday evening.

“When this ballpark was built it was the first of its kind being placed in an urban downtown

setting and being used as a beacon for tourism,” said Orioles VP of communications Greg Bader.

“My first memory of it really was coming over the bridge and Johnny had the buses stopped, so

we could all take a look, basically at history cause this was the first wave of stadiums lit up the

way it was absolutely beautiful,” said Mark McLemore from the 1992 team.

“Back then we were a tight unit team, guys weren’t on their cell phones 24/7 we talked to each

other in the club house,” Joe Orsulak said.

Oriole Park at Camden Yards transformed the fan experience, it consistently ranks number one

across the country for visitors and returning players.

“We knew everyday we played here we were coming to play in front of a full crowd,” Mike

Devereaux said.

The loyal crowd is also a big part of the team.

“When you’re tired and you got in late at night and sometime you need that excitement and boost

when you get out on the field to get you going we were always lucky to have a packed house and

unique great ballpark,” Cal Ripken Jr. said.

“I’ve never seen my wife get so excited to get an invitation to anything as she was this one she

said that ballpark was built for the fan she goes the seats are bigger all the seats are angled

toward the field, not looking here or there,” Rick Sutcliff said.

“It’s something that is a source of pride for the state and the citizens so we are hopeful 25 years

from now we are celebrating the 50th anniversary,” Bader said.

There will be special anniversary giveaways for Friday’s and Saturday’s games as well as a

fireworks show Friday.

Saturday the pregame ceremony begins at 6 p.m. with a home run derby contest.

http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2017/08/18/garceau-tim-beckham-joins-the-list-of-on-fire-orioles/

Garceau: Tim Beckham Joins The List Of “On Fire” Orioles

By Scott Garceau / CBS Baltimore

August 18, 2017

You might say Tim Beckham was an underachieving backup infielder but that all changed the

first day he slipped on his Orioles jersey. Beckham, the very first pick in the 2008 draft, received

a signing bonus of over $6-million but never lived up to that billing with Tampa Bay, but what

he’s done since his trade to Baltimore is incredible.

The shortstop is hitting .485 as an Oriole (32 for 66); in just over 2 weeks he’s raised his career

batting average from .247 to .267. In his first week as an Oriole he was named American League

Player of the Week. The Elias Sports Bureau tells us Beckham is the first player in the Modern

Era (since 1900) to record 13 hits and three home runs in his first five games with a team.

Tim Beckham is living the dream; he’s 1 of only 2 players since 1902 to have 30 hits in his first

15 games with a team, Kenny Lofton is the other. Yesterday I’m pretty sure I heard him

screaming “Don’t wake me up!” He will wake up from this white-hot run he’s not a .485 or .385

hitter nobody is.

Two plus weeks, and 66 at bats, doesn’t make a career, but Tim Beckham’s amazing start in

Baltimore tells us two things; the Rays may have given up on their top pick too soon and the

Orioles may have their shortstop of the future.

Beckham’s sizzling start with the Birds reminds us of some others in Baltimore who had fire in

their bats:

Jim Gentile (1961)—A 9 RBI game against the Twins in Minnesota, the incredible part he had 8

RBI’s in the first 2 innings with 2 grand slams. Years later he told me he was out all night and

didn’t sleep before this afternoon game. Gentile was hung over and considered opting out of this

game. Not much of a drinker he made an exception this night and early morning hitting several

Twin Cities bars owned by a minor league friend’s family.

Boog Powell (1966)—In a doubleheader against Kansas City Boog barbequed the A’s driving in

a club record 11 runs.

Jim Traber (1986)– Called up from AAA to fill in for Eddie Murray the local product was on

fire. “The Whammer” hit 5 homers and drove in 13 runs between July 20 and July 27 not a bad

Murray impersonation.

Jeff Manto (1995) — In a career with only 31 home runs Manto had his shining moment. He hit

9 HR’s in June, 5 in 3 games with back to back 2 home run games. “Mickey” Manto at his best!

Robbie Alomar (1996)—In his first year with the O’s the Hall of Fame second baseman came

out of the gate swinging with a batting average over .400 in mid-June.

Miguel Tejada (2004)—Miggy came to Baltimore with a bang! He hit .304, had 203 hits, 34

HR’s and drove in 150 runs in 162 games.

Brooks, Frank, Eddie, Cal, Palmer, Mussina and Manny have all made Orioles history with

signature moments so Tim Beckham is in some special company with his memorable slice of

August in 2017.

https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/orioles-look-to-gain-more-ground-on-angels/

Orioles look to gain more ground on Angels

By STATS / CBS Sports

August 19, 2017

BALTIMORE -- The Baltimore Orioles started the weekend series with the Los Angeles Angels

by doing what they've done all season -- play winning baseball at home.

They rallied from an early five-run deficit to hit five homers and scored a 9-7 victory over the

Angels Friday. Now, the Orioles will try to keep this roll at Camden Yards going on Saturday

night.

The victory improved Baltimore (60-62) to 36-23 at home -- compared to 24-39 on the road.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said he doesn't worry about the past; he just wants them to

keep winning.

Showalter knows the Orioles have 40 games left and are fighting for a wild-card spot. They now

are two games behind the Angels (62-60) and the Minnesota Twins (61-59), who are deadlocked

for the last wild-card berth.

"You don't think about what it might have been," Showalter said. "You play again tomorrow and

you play the next day and there's an opportunity around every corner. It has that potential

always, but it depends on how we pitch tomorrow and the next day and the next day and the next

day."

Both teams hit five homers in Friday's Baltimore win, but Manny Machado has finally gotten

going. He's hit three grand slams in 11 games and given the Orioles a big lift, including his walk-

off grand slam Friday, a game where Machado finished with seven RBIs.

"I know sometimes because of how fluid he is, sometimes people don't know how much he cares

and how hard he works," Showalter said. "For a young player to go through the struggles he did

with that kind of talent, to get back is a real testament to him and his makeup."

In the middle game of the series, Kevin Gausman (9-8, 5.08) will start for the Orioles versus JC

Ramirez (10-10, 4.26). Gausman has pitched much better in the second half of the season, giving

a boost to an inconsistent starting rotation.

The right-hander's last outing came on Aug. 14 in an 11-3 victory over the Mariners in Seattle.

He allowed two runs on six hits in seven innings as the Orioles won the first game of that three-

game series.

Gausman has a 1-2 career mark against the Angels along with a 5.11 ERA.

Ramirez has an 0-1 career record with a 7.27 ERA versus Baltimore. The last time he pitched

against the Orioles was last week, taking the loss in a 6-2 Baltimore win.

He gave up six runs on eight hits in seven innings in that loss, the big hit being a Machado grand

slam.

For the Orioles, Chris Davis and Welington Castillo both missed Friday's game due to

undisclosed illness. There might be more news about them on Saturday.

Baltimore also has not announced a starter for Sunday's series finale but there's a chance it could

be Chris Tillman. His last two appearances have come from the bullpen after losing his regular

spot in the rotation by going 1-7 in his first 15 starts.

The Angels placed starter Tyler Skaggs on the bereavement list Friday (three days) due to the

death of his grandfather. Manager Mike Scioscia said Skaggs will be available to start on

Monday at home versus Texas.

The skipper said now his team needs to shake off blowing an early 5-0 lead and bounce back on

Saturday.

"We got off to a lead...those guys, they hit the ball out of the park," Scioscia said. "It's obviously

a good hitters park. They 1/8just 3/8 got the last big hit."

http://www.baltimorebaseball.com/2017/08/19/25-years-camden-yards-quotes-photos-opened-

park-1992/

25 years at Camden Yards: Quotes from (and photos of)

those who opened the park in 1992

By Dan Connolly / BaltimoreBaseball.com

August 18, 2017

Before Saturday night’s game, the Orioles will celebrate Camden Yards and honor the 1992 team

that opened the stadium 25 years ago in April with a 2-0 victory against the Cleveland Indians.

On Friday, many of the key players on that squad, including starting pitcher Rick Sutcliffe (who

threw a complete-game shutout), Hall-of-Famer Cal Ripken Jr., and current Orioles’ vice

president Brady Anderson participated in a news conference with reporters.

Mike Mussina, one of the greatest pitchers in Orioles history, attended, and so did first baseman

Glenn Davis, one of the franchise’s most infamous players thanks to an injury-riddled tenure

here after being dealt for three future All-Stars in the franchise’s worst trade.

Here’s a look – literally, a look. I took some snapshots of most the players during Friday’s

interviews so you could see what these guys look like now – at Friday’s conference, with a quote

from most of those who participated.

http://www.baltimorebaseball.com/2017/08/19/myriad-os-thoughts-machados-huge-night-

hellicksons-struggles-santanders-first-day/

Myriad O’s Thoughts: Machado’s huge night; Hellickson’s

struggles; Santander’s first day

By Dan Connolly / BaltimoreBaseball.com

August 19, 2017

If you were worried about Manny Machado, worried that the stress of that looming huge payday

after the 2018 season has been affecting him, I think it’s OK to breathe a little easier now.

Well, at least until that huge payday comes around and the Orioles are competing with every

team with deep pockets. And one of the greatest homegrown talents in franchise history is

tempted to cash-grab elsewhere.

But worry about that later.

Because Manny Machado is Manny Machado again. And then some.

Machado homered three times Friday night in the Orioles’ 9-7 win over the Los Angeles Angels,

including a walkoff grand-slam with one out in the bottom of the ninth. It was his second-career,

three-homer game, 12th multi-homer game and second time he has driven in seven runs.

And it came at a tremendous time, with the Orioles looking like they were again going to fall

short against an Angels team that was three games ahead in the AL Wild Card race when play

started Friday.

“You never take it for granted,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said of Machado. “I cannot tell

you how hard it is to do, but there’s always that potential when you’re dealing with guys like

Manny.”

I’ll be honest. I take it for granted. The guy is just 25, but he’s done so much in his career already

that you just assume he is going to produce ridiculous numbers every season. And when he

didn’t tear it up in the first half — .230, 18 homers in 83 games – most of us automatically

started wondering why, looking for the explanation or the excuse.

And then he absolutely, positively goes on a tear in the second half.

Consider this: In 17 August games, Machado is hitting .360 with eight homers and 28 RBIs. He

has three grand slams – three – in his last 11 contests.

“Everybody likes to hit with people on base. Those are RBIs you’ve got [to get], especially with

less than two outs. You try to get one at least. That’s my mentality going up there,” Machado

said.

Well, mission accomplished.

Suddenly, Machado, who was pied – remember that? – by Adam Jones after the heroics, is in the

groove that we all have come to expect. Even if those expectations are unfair.

“I know sometimes because of how fluid he is, sometimes people don’t know how much he cares

and how hard he works,” Showalter said. “For a young player to go through the struggles he did

with that kind of talent, to get back is a real testament to him and his makeup.”

Hellickson struggles mightily with homers

In the first two games of Jeremy Hellickson’s Orioles career, the veteran right-hander was good

– really good.

He threw seven shutout innings in his debut on Aug. 2 against the Kansas City Royals at Camden

Yards and then gave up three runs in six innings at the Los Angeles Angels on Aug. 8.

The struggles Hellickson had had in Philadelphia before he was traded to the Orioles on July 29

– lots of hits allowed, lots of fly balls that occasionally went over the fence – were non-existent.

Hellickson’s last two outings, though, haven’t been pretty.

On Sunday, he gave up six runs in five innings in a loss at Oakland. He was victimized by a five-

run inning which included a three-run homer.

And, Friday at Camden Yards, the wheels came rolling off the Hellickson train faster than you

could say, “Where have you gone, Hyun Soo Kim?”

Hellickson allowed seven runs on eight hits in 4 2/3 innings. He gave up five – yes, five –

homers, a career high for the 30-year-old veteran.

By his 24th pitch of the first inning he had allowed three runs on two homers (consecutive shots

by Albert Pujols and Kole Calhoun). Hellickson served up two more longballs in the second and

one more in the fifth (a two-run homer by Mike Trout).

“Just left too many pitches up in the zone. All over the plate,” he said. “I kind of got in a groove

there in the third, fourth inning. Then I left another pitch over the plate. I just didn’t execute.”

Anyone can have a bad game. That happens. Hellickson is a fly ball pitcher and it’s August in

Baltimore, so there are gonna be nights like these for him.

I’m not sure there is anything to immediately worry about here. And it’s encouraging he battled

to post scoreless frames in the third and fourth.

So, you take this as a mulligan and hope it doesn’t happen again. Not much else the Orioles can

do at this point.

Santander’s first hit, first great play and first slip and slide

Rule 5 outfielder Anthony Santander’s major league debut had its memorable moments.

In the ninth inning, Santander led off the Orioles’ big rally with a line drive single to right, his

first major league hit. He then scored his first run on Machado’s grand slam.

“I could not imagine something like this,” the 22-year-old Venezuelan said through an

interpreter. “But this was amazing, Something I’m never going to forget.”

He also made a great play in right field in the second inning, diving in the wet grass to take a

sinking liner away from Trout.

Santander also had his first highlight for the blooper reel. After his great catch, he got up to run

into the dugout and slipped, falling right back down on the field, face-first.

“The guys were ribbing me a little bit in the dugout,” he said. “But it was fun. I made the catch

and we won the game, so it was all fun.”

http://www.baltimorebaseball.com/2017/08/18/os-notes-ill-davis-castillo-starting-santander-

healing-hardy-tba-sunday/

O’s notes: An ill Davis and Castillo; a starting Santander; a

healing Hardy; TBA Sunday

By Dan Connolly / BaltimoreBaseball.com

August 18, 2017

It’s Aug. 18, the Orioles are in a pennant race – whether you believe it or not – and their starting

right fielder is a Rule 5 pick making his big league debut.

That, in case you were wondering, is not normal. Not at all.

Anthony Santander, who has played 15 games above High A in his career – all recently at

Double-A Bowie as a part of an injury rehab assignment – is starting for the Orioles in right

field.

That wasn’t the initial plan. First baseman Chris Davis would have started Friday against the Los

Angeles Angels, but he is sick. So is catcher Welington Castillo. Apparently, several players

have been dealing with an illness about halfway through the road trip.

Doctors are supposed to examine Castillo and Davis on Friday to see if they need to be sent

home before the game. Orioles manager Buck Showalter won’t broadcast that information, but

said Ryan Flaherty will be the emergency catcher, if needed.

And with Davis unavailable, at least to start, Trey Mancini will play first, Craig Gentry is in left

and Santander in right, batting seventh.

“I was hoping we could kind of ease him into it, but this is fine, too. Sometimes it works better

that way, too,” Showalter said about Santander. “You’d like to make his path easier. And

somehow ease it in a little bit, but sometimes it’s OK just to run them up there.”

Santander has been out all season with a strained forearm. As a Rule 5 pick that needs 90

consecutive days of service to stay with the Orioles, the 22-year-old switch-hitter will have to

come back next year to get that service time. But they can’t send him to the minors now, so

Santander was forced to the majors after his rehab assignment ended.

And he’s already starting. You can’t say the Orioles don’t provide opportunity. Santander

continues the line of Rule 5 players the club has used, including Joey Rickard, Jason Garcia, T.J.

McFarland and Flaherty, among others.

“I told ya all on the trip when we were talking about Anthony, they are gonna play,” Showalter

said. “Something happens every day. You walk in here and two guys are sick, and you’re one of

25. Jason Garcia is gonna pitch, Ryan Flaherty is gonna play, TJ McFarland is gonna pitch.

They’re gonna play.”

Hardy could go on rehab next week

Shortstop J.J. Hardy, who has been sidelined since mid-June due to a right wrist fracture, hit in

the outdoor batting cage Friday and it looks like he’ll be able to start a minor league rehab

assignment early next week. He could be back with the Orioles when rosters expand in

September.

“He felt good, rely good. He’s been in the (indoor) cages some,” Showalter said. “We are hoping

sometime early next week he goes out to a (minor league facility).”

Sunday starter still TBA

The Orioles have not announced who will pitch Sunday’s finale against the Los Angeles Angels,

but Showalter has said he is hoping to give his current rotation rest. And that leaves the door

open for Chris Tillman to come back into the rotation.

Tillman had a work day Friday, so it makes sense he could be the starting option for Sunday’s

game. Dylan Bundy will be pushed back to Tuesday or potentially Wednesday, Showalter said.

Kevin Gausman also is likely to get an extra day’s rest, which would line him up for the Boston

series in Fenway Park next weekend.