Matt Wieters is mobbed by teammates at home plate after hitting a ninth-inning, two-run home run to give the Orioles a 4-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. (AP photo / September 16, 2009) |
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It wasn't exactly how Matt Wieters envisioned the first game-ending home run of his big league career.
With barely 100 people in the stands after a long late-game rain delay, Wieters launched the first pitch he saw from Russ Springer into the left-field seats. His two-run, ninth-inning homer pushed the Orioles to a 4-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays before what remained of an announced 10,548 at wet Camden Yards.
When the game finally ended, there were seemingly as many Orioles at home plate to greet and pound on Wieters as there were fans in the crowd.
"It's still a great feeling," Wieters said. "That might be my first walk-off ever, even in the minors and in college. It's definitely a different feeling, and it's exciting to get a win and make sure we get out of here before it's too late."
Wieters' heroics - he had a game-winning hit the previous night, too - came after a 1-hour, 40-minute rain delay in the eighth inning, and after Orioles closer Jim Johnson had blown a one-run save try in the top half of the ninth by serving up a homer to Ben Zobrist. The long delay chased away most of the paying customers and created a surreal atmosphere, one more suited for a tennis match than a baseball game.
"I think at some point in time this year, I've signed an autograph for each and every one of them," Orioles manager Dave Trembley said of the precious few who braved the delay and the wet and cool conditions. "They all knew me by my name, and I knew who they were. No one offered to buy me anything, though. I was hoping somebody would say, 'Come on over, I've got a soda or a hot dog or something.' "
Trembley, instead, got what he really wanted - another Orioles victory. While the reeling Rays have dropped 13 of their past 14 games, the Orioles (60-85) have won four of their past six. They are 6-7 in September, a positive sign for an organization that hasn't had a winning September since 2004.
"We told the team the other day that one of the goals we had coming down here the last three weeks of the season was, let's leave here and make a positive impression on your teammates and on your coaches and the people in the league," Trembley said. "We've got an awful lot of young guys whose eyes have been open. I think they've learned a great deal. I think they understand a lot more about themselves and how difficult success comes in this game."
Wieters has gone through his struggles, but the past two nights have certainly marked the high point of his rookie season. In Tuesday's victory, he drove in the go-ahead runs with a two-run single and tacked on a three-run, eighth-inning homer to give him a career-high five RBIs.
Wednesday night, in what amounted to a pitching duel between Orioles rookie Chris Tillman and Tampa Bay starter Andy Sonnanstine, Wieters brought in a run with a second-inning sacrifice fly and then made sure the Orioles' 2-0 lead held up by twice throwing out the speedy Carl Crawford stealing. Crawford had been thrown out stealing twice in the same game just once in his big league career.
It appeared that Crawford was going to have a chance to get some revenge on Wieters by catching the game-winning home run. But he ran out of room as the ball bounced a couple of rows up into the barren left-field stands.
"I knew I hit it pretty well, but with the way the ball was carrying earlier in the night, I didn't know," said Wieters, who has seven homers. "Before the rain delay, I don't think that ball carries out there."
Before the delay, the story had been the performance of Tillman, who continues to pitch as if he's not ready for his rookie season to end. Tillman allowed just one run and five hits in 6 2/3 innings. Sticking to their plan of being patient with their rookie starters, the Orioles are expected to shut down Tillman after one or two more starts.
Wednesday night, the 21-year-old looked strong throughout, allowing one run on five hits and a walk in the finest start of his young career. Tillman carried a shutout bid into the sixth inning before former Oriole Gregg Zaun, who caught the rookie's major league debut a month and a half earlier, deposited a pitch into the right-field seats to cut the Orioles' lead to 2-1.
"I felt like I located my fastball a little bit better," Tillman said. "When I needed it, I had my off-speed stuff, too, curveball and changeup. I could have thrown my changeup a little better, could have used it a little better. But I felt good tonight."
It took a little longer than they had hoped, but so did the rest of the Orioles.
"The good ones are going to find a way to get it done," Trembley said.
With barely 100 people in the stands after a long late-game rain delay, Wieters launched the first pitch he saw from Russ Springer into the left-field seats. His two-run, ninth-inning homer pushed the Orioles to a 4-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays before what remained of an announced 10,548 at wet Camden Yards.
When the game finally ended, there were seemingly as many Orioles at home plate to greet and pound on Wieters as there were fans in the crowd.
"It's still a great feeling," Wieters said. "That might be my first walk-off ever, even in the minors and in college. It's definitely a different feeling, and it's exciting to get a win and make sure we get out of here before it's too late."
Wieters' heroics - he had a game-winning hit the previous night, too - came after a 1-hour, 40-minute rain delay in the eighth inning, and after Orioles closer Jim Johnson had blown a one-run save try in the top half of the ninth by serving up a homer to Ben Zobrist. The long delay chased away most of the paying customers and created a surreal atmosphere, one more suited for a tennis match than a baseball game.
"I think at some point in time this year, I've signed an autograph for each and every one of them," Orioles manager Dave Trembley said of the precious few who braved the delay and the wet and cool conditions. "They all knew me by my name, and I knew who they were. No one offered to buy me anything, though. I was hoping somebody would say, 'Come on over, I've got a soda or a hot dog or something.' "
Trembley, instead, got what he really wanted - another Orioles victory. While the reeling Rays have dropped 13 of their past 14 games, the Orioles (60-85) have won four of their past six. They are 6-7 in September, a positive sign for an organization that hasn't had a winning September since 2004.
"We told the team the other day that one of the goals we had coming down here the last three weeks of the season was, let's leave here and make a positive impression on your teammates and on your coaches and the people in the league," Trembley said. "We've got an awful lot of young guys whose eyes have been open. I think they've learned a great deal. I think they understand a lot more about themselves and how difficult success comes in this game."
Wieters has gone through his struggles, but the past two nights have certainly marked the high point of his rookie season. In Tuesday's victory, he drove in the go-ahead runs with a two-run single and tacked on a three-run, eighth-inning homer to give him a career-high five RBIs.
Wednesday night, in what amounted to a pitching duel between Orioles rookie Chris Tillman and Tampa Bay starter Andy Sonnanstine, Wieters brought in a run with a second-inning sacrifice fly and then made sure the Orioles' 2-0 lead held up by twice throwing out the speedy Carl Crawford stealing. Crawford had been thrown out stealing twice in the same game just once in his big league career.
It appeared that Crawford was going to have a chance to get some revenge on Wieters by catching the game-winning home run. But he ran out of room as the ball bounced a couple of rows up into the barren left-field stands.
"I knew I hit it pretty well, but with the way the ball was carrying earlier in the night, I didn't know," said Wieters, who has seven homers. "Before the rain delay, I don't think that ball carries out there."
Before the delay, the story had been the performance of Tillman, who continues to pitch as if he's not ready for his rookie season to end. Tillman allowed just one run and five hits in 6 2/3 innings. Sticking to their plan of being patient with their rookie starters, the Orioles are expected to shut down Tillman after one or two more starts.
Wednesday night, the 21-year-old looked strong throughout, allowing one run on five hits and a walk in the finest start of his young career. Tillman carried a shutout bid into the sixth inning before former Oriole Gregg Zaun, who caught the rookie's major league debut a month and a half earlier, deposited a pitch into the right-field seats to cut the Orioles' lead to 2-1.
"I felt like I located my fastball a little bit better," Tillman said. "When I needed it, I had my off-speed stuff, too, curveball and changeup. I could have thrown my changeup a little better, could have used it a little better. But I felt good tonight."
It took a little longer than they had hoped, but so did the rest of the Orioles.
"The good ones are going to find a way to get it done," Trembley said.
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next years rotation should be very good. guthrie, bergesen, matusz, tillman, arrieta. put berken and patton in the bullpen, orioles should have a winning season (ironically) by their pitchers.
Thick5 (09/17/2009, 10:05 AM )