Top 10 Orioles Moments of 2013

As we come to the close of 2013, I’d like to share what I think are the best Orioles moments from 2013. Some of these are singular events, some are charged with emotion, and some are cumulative over the course of the year. These are the ten things that stick out in my mind when I think about the 2013 Baltimore Orioles.

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10. Chris Davis hits a go-ahead grand slam to win the Orioles home opener

Fans at the game were a little down after watching Arrieta fail to record an out in the sixth inning and the Orioles leave 10 men on base. The Orioles entered the eighth down 5-4 and beginning to look like they were going to lose a winnable game. That is, until a 5-run eighth inning was capped with Chris Davis’ second career grand slam. The 4-run blast gave the Orioles a 9-5 lead that would hold up in the ninth inning for the team’s third win of the season.

9. The Orioles record their second consecutive winning season

While it may not have been as exciting as 2012’s playoff berth, staying above .500 for the second consecutive year was a big deal for fans of the Orioles. It’s really nice to know that picking a game to attend next season at random results in a better-than-50% chance of being happy when the final out is recorded. 2013 reminded us how much fun it is to stay until the end of the ninth inning. It let fans, players, and other teams know that the Orioles weren’t just one-hit wonders and brought a lot of fans back that were lost during the 14-year losing streak.

8. Five Orioles selected to the AL All Star Team

For far too long, the Orioles were sending the required lone representative to the All Star Game. Ty Wigginton was one of the Orioles’ All Stars. That’s why having five representatives from Baltimore joining the meaningless-but-still-somehow-meaningful exhibition game was exciting for Orioles fans. Three quarters of our infield were selected for the game as well as Adam Jones and Chris Tillman. Tillman was the Orioles’ first starting pitcher selected since Mike Mussina in 1999. Sending five players from Baltimore showed that not only were the Orioles rostering great players, but that people around the country were taking notice.

7. Adam Jones gives Mariano Rivera his final loss

2013 was Mariano Rivera’s final year before retirement from baseball. We should all be sad to see a classy guy and terrific pitcher leave the sport, but most Orioles fans will be happy to know that Rivera, who has more saves against the Orioles than any pitcher has against any team ever, won’t be entering the ninth against them ever again. After being shut down by him so many times, it was only fitting that the Orioles gave Rivera his last loss ever on a two-run homer by Jones. Maybe it’s because I watched the game with a group of Yankees fans or because our own closer had just taken a loss two days before, but I personally took great pleasure in Baltimore delivering the greatest closer ever’s final mark in the loss column.

6. The Orioles rake in the hardware

The Orioles earned three Gold Gloves and three Silver Slugger awards in 2013, tied for the most Gold Gloves and one more Silver Slugger than any other team in baseball. JJ Hardy took home one of each, which I was most excited about, since he had spent much his career finishing second to Derek Jeter for either award. 2013 was the first year since 2008 that the Orioles won even a single Silver Slugger award, and the first year since 2005 that a position player on the Orioles won the award. Manny Machado also received the Platinum Glove award for the best defensive player in the AL at any position. Chris Davis finished third in MVP voting behind Miguel Cabrera and Mike Trout. Like the All Star Game, award selections may be biased or not mean much anyway, but it was good to see so many Orioles recognized by fans and coaches alike for their excellent play.

5. Kevin Gausman makes his Major League debut

The Orioles promoted right-handed fireballer Kevin Gausman to the Bigs and gave him a start against Toronto in May. One year after Orioles fans caught a glimpse of Dylan Bundy in a Major League uniform, they got to see the rest of the team’s future on the mound. While his first Major League stint didn’t go down in the record books, Gausman showed promise and the 97-mile-per-hour fastball that made the team so excited in the first place. The LSU product spent time starting and in the bullpen for the Orioles, getting his feet wet at the Major League level. While he might start the next season in the minors to continue working on some things, it was nice to see that the future is near. And that the future throws a 97-mile-per-hour fastball.

4. Danny Valencia triples off of Koji Uehara

Former Oriole and current Red Sox (Sock?) closer Koji Uehara held an unbelievable streak of 37 retired batters in a row, more than enough for a perfect game. Koji had been untouchable until former Red Sox and current Oriole Danny Valencia smacked a line drive over Shane Victorino’s head and into the well at Fenway Park. What made the hit so special was that Valencia is a platoon player: he is great against levites but struggled mightily against righties. Not only did he manage to hit a great line drive off of a right-handed pitcher in the ninth inning of a tie game, but he broke Koji’s unhittable streak to do it. The triple was Valencia’s only one of 2013, and he practically walked into third base. Casilla was brought in as a pinch runner, and scored to put the Orioles ahead 3-2 on a Matt Wieters sac fly, ending Koji’s scoreless streak.

3. Matt Wieters’ walk-off grand slam

After leaving men on base in the ninth, the Orioles headed to extra innings against the Rays on April 18. After three consecutive singles from the top of the order, Matt Wieters stepped to the plate and launched a grand slam out to deep center-right field. The walkoff gave the Orioles their first extra innings win in 2013. The win was the beginning of a short winning streak (as all of the team’s winning streaks in 2013 were) and put the Orioles three games behind the division-leading Red Sox and a half-game behind the Yankees. Maybe it’s just me, but seeing a bunch of professional athletes as happy as the Orioles were at that moment puts a lot of life into the sport. This walkoff is the best example of that.

2. Chris Davis hits home run #50

Shown here pretending to be Superman, Thor tied a club record with his 50th home run in 2013. Matching Brady Anderson’s total made Davis just the 24th player in league history to reach the half-century mark and the first to do so since 2010. Davis would go on to hit another 3 singers, but number 50 was a significant milestone that garnered national attention and inspired compilation gifs. It was a treat to watch this guy earn his Crush Davis nickname.

1. That Manny Play

Manny Machado’s emergence in 2013 was capped by this spectacular grab and throw against the New York Yankees. The play was eerily similar to one made by Orioles great Brooks Robinson and earned Manny well-deserved comparisons to the best defensive third baseman of all time. Machado also carried a hot bat for much of 2013, netting 51 doubles at for a long time being on pace to break the all-time Major League doubles record. Did I mention that he turned just 21 this season? Manny made so many incredible plays that fellow BSL Orioles Analyst Jeff Long joked that this post could be just a list of the top 13 Manny plays from 2013. Let this one represent his incredible defense and look forward to seeing him again in 2014.

The Orioles’ New Years Resolutions

I’ve taken the liberty of helping the Orioles write some New Years resolutions down. Here’s what I came up with:

1. Improve on the development of young pitching. Our minor leagues are stocked with Dylan Bundy, Eduardo Rodruigez, and Kevin Gausman. We need this crop of young talent to turn out better than the Cavalry.
2. Do a better job of reaching base. If Davis is going to smash a home run every third game, we need to capitalize by making sure those longballs are worth more than just one run.
3. Trade players a year too early instead of a year too late. Let’s avoid the embarrassment of giving up our talented players for little or no return. Even if guys like Jim Johnson aren’t in the team’s long-term plan, the front office should acknowledge that early and look for the best possible trade offer before it becomes very apparent that he’ll be non-tendered and available for free.
4. Keep up the good work on defense. In 2013, the Orioles set a Major League record for fewest errors in a season. The infield was particularly strong defensively. That level of play needs to continue for the Orioles to support their young, average pitchers.