15 hours Ago
The Baltimore Orioles needed to respond in a major way on Wednesday. They were embarrassed for what felt like the umpteenth time in April on Tuesday, the second game of their important set against the AL East-leading New York Yankees . It looked like things were going to get out of hand early when Aaron Judge blasted a two-run homer in the first inning, but the Orioles hit back in the second by plating four runs of their own to take a lead they never relinquished in the finale.
Quietly, Baltimore won this series against their division rivals, a huge moment in their season that could be looked back upon as the one that got them going. However, that is not going to be the storyline that comes out of this game. Benches cleared in a matchup between the Orioles and Yankees once again, and just like last year, Heston Kjerstand was at the center of it.
This time around, though, the slugger was the instigator. When trying to steal second in the bottom of the fourth inning, the throw from home came in high and forced New York's second baseman, Pablo Reyes, to jump in an attempt to catch it. He landed on Kjerstad, and that was something Kjerstad voiced displeasure with.
Words were exchanged, players were separated and benches and bullpens cleared. Nothing happened, but the incident added some extra juice to a game in late-April. It also could have been the exact thing this Baltimore team needed to spark their turnaround, becoming a rallying moment for everyone in the clubhouse at a crucial time.
This season has not gone as planned for the Orioles, and that seems to have taken a toll on multiple players with frustration starting to become more and more visible when things don't end in success at the plate. Some of the criticisms about this team focuses on the lifelessness that seems to be taking place in the dugout, with players going through the motions with low energy. That changed after the benches cleared, and even though what caused that to happen wasn't much, it was nice to see Baltimore have a little fire when pouring onto the field.
"Emotions from both sides kind of went up," Kjerstad said after the game, per MLB.com . Was Kjerstad trying to manufacture some emotion for his team by creating this incident? If so, he's playing coy.
It's too early to make a definitive statement that the Orioles are going to turn their season around, but if they go on a run, this could be the moment that sparked it. Recommended Articles.
