Matt Wieters shrugged off his two-run single in the eighth inning of the Orioles' 3-1 comeback win over the New York Yankees, the latest in a growing list of late-inning, game-winning hits for the Orioles catcher.
"Most of the time, us catchers are tired and ready to go home," Wieters said with a smirk. "Today I just happened to be fortunate."
Following a 97-minute rain delay, Wieters entered the game with the bases loaded and two outs, pinch hitting for Ryan Flaherty and acquiring the unenviable task of facing Yankees flame-throwing closer Aroldis Chapman.
Wieters looked overwhelmed early in the at-bat. He swung through a 99-mph fastball on the first pitch, then was late on Chapman's next delivery, slapping another 99-mph heater into the stands.
Then he shortened his swing and hit a 101-mph fastball back past the mound, through the middle and into center field for the game-winning hit. Two runs scored on the hit, and another run came home on Jacoby Ellsbury's errant throw to the plate, giving the Orioles a 3-1 lead they wouldn't relinquish.
"You go in there and you know he has one of the best fastballs in the game," Wieters said. "I thought I was being short the first two pitches and I was still way behind. I tried to get even shorter the last pitch and I was able to find a hole. … If you get the barrel on it, he'll supply the power to be able to get it through the infield. … I was just trying to make contact."
Not only did Wieters' hit give the Orioles two of three games against the Yankees and their seventh home series win out of 10 this season (7-1-2), but it marked their fourth win in their last five games – all in which they trailed – against the division rival Yankees and Boston Red Sox.
"Regardless of who it's against, it's in your division," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "It will be forgotten pretty quickly. They should take some pride in the finished product today. … They won't dwell on it long. We tried real hard here to get to the point where beating certain teams isn't what you make it out to be. You got to beat them because it's an opportunity and they count, not because of who they are and how many fans they have in the stands."
In those five games, the Orioles were outscored 18-14 in the first five innings, then outscored their opponents 26-10 in innings six through nine.
"We just feel like we're playing nine innings," Wieters said. "We don't look at as if we're playing behind or being ahead. We're playing 27 outs and we're playing nine innings and we want to be ahead when that 27th out is recorded."
Through the first nine weeks of the season, Wieters is building an impressive resume of late-inning heroics.
He gave the Orioles a 3-2 walk-off win on Opening Day – an afternoon that included two hours and 51 minutes of rain delays – with a two-out, game-winning single in the ninth inning. And on May 21 in Anaheim, with the Orioles down to their final out and trailing by one, Wieters celebrated his 30th birthday by hitting a three-run homer off Angels reliever Joe Smith to give the O's a 3-1 win.
Wieters accepted the team's $15.8-million qualifying offer this past offseason, rather than test the free-agent market this offseason. He entered the year still focused on strengthening his surgically-repaired right elbow. Wieters was pulled from a spring training game in mid-March with tightness in his elbow after making a throw to second.
Tests revealed no damage to the elbow that endured Tommy John surgery in June of 2014. Wieters rested his arm, began throwing two weeks later and was ready for Opening Day. His arm feels strong, and he's gradually begun to play catcher more regularly in an effort to get back to his old self.
But at the plate, the Orioles – a team full of mashers who can change games with one swing -- might not have a better clutch hitter than Wieters.
In "late and close" situations – scenarios in the 7th inning or later with the batting team tied, ahead by one, or behind with the tying run at least on deck – Wieters is a .407 hitter (11-for-27) with two homers and 10 RBIs.
Third baseman Manny Machado – who is hitting .393 (11-for-28) in late and close situations – is the only other Orioles regular batting above .300 in those scenarios.
Wieters has already provided three game-winning hits, including Sunday's against one of the game's most dominating closers (Chapman entered the day 9-for-9 in save opportunities).
His own late-inning heroics aside, Wieters said having these types of victories can help a team become battle-tested over the course of a long season.
"I think baseball is big on kind of 'been there, done that' [mentality]," Wieters said. "So that any time you get down, it's kind of nice to have games to look back on, and sort of draw from that a little bit, and that experience can be used. So we'll see as the season goes on, we'll draw from the good and try and improve on the bad."
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