Baltimore Orioles Send Message With Historic Rout of New York Yankees

The Baltimore Orioles made a statement by pounding the New York Yankees into submission.

Jun 20, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; Baltimore Orioles first baseman Ryan O'Hearn (32) reacts after hitting an RBI single. / John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

As great as the Baltimore Orioles have been this season, they've spent much of the year in the New York Yankees' shadow. Despite winning nearly two-thirds of their games, the Orioles have trailed the Yankees in the AL East standings for more than a month now.

Baltimore came into this week's series at Yankee Stadium with something to prove, and boy, did the Orioles prove it.

Fresh off taking two of three from the team with the best record in the National League (the Philadelphia Phillies), Baltimore took two of three from the team with the best record in the American League. After splitting the first two heated games of the series with New York, the Orioles erased any doubt about which team is better during Thursday's series finale.

Baltimore scored early and often, pounding AL Cy Young candidate Luis Gil for seven runs on eight hits and knocking him out of the game in the second inning. After that, it was off to the races for the Orioles, who feasted on the Yankees' bullpen en route to a 17-5 blowout. Baltimore dominated the game from start to finish, racking up 19 hits and scoring in every inning except the fourth.

It was a historic performance for the Orioles, marking their most runs against New York since 2005 and their most runs at Yankee Stadium since 2005. It also continued their run of incredible dominance against the AL East.

The Orioles are now 16-0-6 in their last 22 series against the AL East.

No team in baseball history has ever done that against their division…

This. Team. pic.twitter.com/GFvJbcQbBN

— Zach Bollinger (@zachbollinger18) June 20, 2024

More importantly, Baltimore sent a message that it will not be intimidated and bullied by the big bad Yankees. New York has been beating up the Orioles for years, but those days are over. Baltimore's roster may be young, but it's also fearless.

Thursday's game wasn't a fluke. Baltimore is now 5-2 with a plus-18 run differential against the Yankees this year, closing the gap to just half a game in the AL East while ripping through its daunting schedule.

Over the past week, the Orioles have proved that they are legitimately one of the best teams in baseball. Now they just need to play like it in October.