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ARLINGTON, Texas — The champagne spurted, squirted, shot out like line drives throughout the Orioles clubhouse as their improbable season continued with victory in the first-ever American League wild-card game.
“A lot of these guys are young and they’ve never done this before,” smiled veteran Jim Thome, peeking out behind his goggles.
“The Yankees? They’ve done this a million times,” said Nate McLouth, one of Friday night’s heroes with a pair of RBIs and a run scored in the Orioles’ 5-1 victory over the two-time defending American League champion Rangers here at the Ballpark in Arlington.
“There’s no awe. We’re not in awe of them,” Adam Jones said of the Yankees, who kick off the ALDS in Game 1 Sunday at Camden Yards. “We just know they are going to be prepared. It is what it is — they are the Yankees. Jeter is going to have his men ready to go, ready to get on our tails. And I am going to have my men ready to get on their tails.”
There was no disputed infield or outfield fly call here Friday night. The Orioles had a 1-0 lead (OK, they gave it right up) just four pitches into the game and when they broke through against Rangers’ starter Yu Darvish for another run in the sixth, the lead and the path to the ALDS were there. The Orioles, who last made a postseason appearance in 1997, received another solid bullpen effort — 3¹/₃ innings of scoreless ball.
It did get a little antsy in the ninth when the Rangers loaded the bases, but David Murphy flew out to McLouth in left, the Orioles celebrated, and the Rangers’ stunning collapse was complete. Texas lost nine of its last 13, including a three-game sweep by Oakland, to forfeit the AL West and land in wild-card territory, where Baltimore ruled.
“To be honest with you, I never thought anything like this would happen,” said Texas manager Ron Washington, who saw star Josh Hamilton continue to struggle in an 0-of-4, two-strikeout nightmare. “Right now, I’m shocked.”
The Orioles weren’t.
“We felt we could do this right from the start of spring training,” said right-hander Jason Hammel, who according to manager Buck Showalter is one of three possibles to start Game 1 against the Yankees. “It’s the Yankees. They always put a good lineup together. We’re not thinking about that yet. We’re kind of living in the moment, enjoying this.”
The Orioles split 18 games with the Yankees this season and lost the AL East by one game. Hammel made three starts against the Yankees, losing one with a pair of no decisions. He worked 16 innings, surrendered 18 hits and seven earned runs. The former Tampa Bay pitcher — who moved to Colorado before coming back to the American League with Baltimore — is 1-3 with a 6.20 in his career against the Yankees.
“The series was 9-9. That kind of tells you how close the teams are,” McLouth said smiling.
Hammel is just one option for Showalter who has navigated his Orioles through every land mine, making the correct moves and decisions. Last night, he opted to pitch Joe Saunders, who was 0-6 with a 9.38 career ERA in Texas.
So Saunders continually sidestepped trouble, aided enormously by three double plays in the first five innings. He exited after 5²/₃ innings, surrendering just one run, and then the bullpen took over.
On the game’s first pitch, McLouth reached on an error by first baseman Michael Young. McLouth stole second and scored on J.J. Hardy’s single to center. Texas responded. Ian Kinsler reached on a walk and Elvis Andrus singled to left for a first and third set-up. Hamilton (one homer, five RBIs, .271 batting average in Texas’ 4-9 finish) promptly rapped into a second-short-first double play, Kinsler scoring.
Jones’ sacrifice fly made it 2-1 in the sixth. McLouth, a sub-.200 hitter with runners in scoring position, rapped an RBI single to left to make it, 3-1, in the seventh and Baltimore tacked on two additional runs in the ninth on an RBI single by rookie Manny Machado and a sacrifice fly by McLouth.