Inside The Orioles

Baltimore Orioles Stun New York Yankees With Insane Comeback

The Baltimore Orioles ended the first half with a huge comeback win against the New York Yankees.

Tyler Maher

Jul 14, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Cionel Pérez reacts to a strikeout.
Jul 14, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Cionel Pérez reacts to a strikeout. / James A. Pittman-USA TODAY Sports
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The Baltimore Orioles desperately needed a win on Sunday, and they got one in jaw-dropping fashion.

The Orioles entered Sunday's series finale against the New York Yankees on a five-game losing streak, tied for their longest of the season. They also found themselves tied with the Yankees for first place in the AL East, so the winner would claim sole possession of first place heading into the All-Star Break.

Baltimore was wrapping up a brutal week at home. After getting swept by the sub-.500 Chicago Cubs, the Orioles lost the first two games of the series to New York, putting them in danger of getting swept again and falling out of first place for the first time since late June.

Baltimore's offense was the culprit for the skid, managing just four total runs across the five losses combined. At one point, there was a horrendous 1-for-37 stretch with runners in scoring position.

What ensued on Sunday was an epic back-and-forth struggle for the top spot in the AL East in front of another packed house at Camden Yards.

The Yankees struck first with a run off Dean Kremer in the top of the second, but the Orioles took the lead on Home Run Derby participant Gunnar Henderson's two-run homer in the bottom of the third. New York tied the game on Trent Grisham's solo shot in the top of the fifth, only for Baltimore to retake the lead on first-time All-Star Anthony Santander's solo blast in the bottom of the frame.

The score remained 3-2 until the ninth, when things went absolutely bonkers.

Craig Kimbrel came in for the Orioles and suffered one of his patented meltdowns, walking the first two batters he faced before surrendering a three-run homer to slumping rookie Ben Rice. He recovered to retire the next three batters, but Baltimore trailed 5-3 going into the bottom of the ninth.

Fortunately for the Orioles, Yankees closer Clay Holmes was just as bad. He managed to get two outs, but never got the third.

A single and two walks loaded the bases with two outs for Ryan Mountcastle, who hit a routine grounder to Anthony Volpe. Volpe bobbled the ball, however, before belatedly flipping it to second. Everyone was safe and New York's lead was sliced to one.

That set the stage for Cedric Mullins, who has been one of Baltimore's worst hitters this season. He entered the game mired in a 5-for-37 rut and should have been an easy out, especially after lifting the second pitch he saw toward Alex Verdugo in left.

Instead, Verdugo totally misplayed it. He initially came in on the ball, then stumbled backwards after realizing his mistake. The ball landed safely well beyond the reach of his awkward dive, scoring two runs and giving the Orioles arguably their biggest and most surprising win of the season.

Despite nearly enduring back-to-back sweeps, Baltimore enters the All-Star Break with the second-best record in the AL behind the Cleveland Guardians and a one-game divisional lead over the Yankees. The Orioles will kick off the second half on the road against the defending champion Texas Rangers.

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Tyler Maher
TYLER MAHER

Tyler grew up in Massachusetts and is a huge Boston sports fan, especially the Red Sox. He went to Tufts University and played club baseball for the Jumbos. Since graduating, he has worked for MLB.com, The Game Day, FanDuel and Forbes. When he's not writing about baseball, he enjoys running, traveling, and playing fetch with his golden retriever.

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