One of the fun things about being an Orioles fan this year has been the news on the farm. As we have struggled to get through a tough year with the big league team, we got to hear about the success of the Baby Birds and even see some of the future.
The Bowie Baysox started the minor league season with probably the biggest collection of talent our system has seen in quite some time, leaving fans excited and anxious to see what tomorrow could bring.
Bowie started the season with the current No. 1 prospect, Adley Rutschman, leading the charge out of the gate. At one point, Bowie had the best record in the entire minor league system and had Rutschman and the O’s two top pitching prospects, Grayson Rodriguez and D.L. Hall, all on the same roster.
Watching Bowie carry the torch full of future prospects making their way through the system only got Oriole fans more excited to see what the future will hold.
On Sunday, September 19, Bowie made history, as they secured their chance to play for the Double-A Northeast Championship, after securing a 7-5 victory over the Altoona Curve.
Down by one in the eighth inning, the Baysox had their backs to the wall, as they needed to keep their season alive to advance to the playoffs; it was literally win or go home.
Loading the bases in the eighth inning before one hit was recorded, the Baysox played patient and used two walks and a hit batsman to set-up the excitement.
Toby Welk hit a ground ball against a drawn-in infield, and as 20-20 man Zach Watson broke for home, fears of a double play filled the air. Fortunately for the fans and the Baysox, Watson slid through the legs of the Altoona catcher, who happened to drop the ball on the play. Johnny Rizer also managed to race around from second, sliding in to score the game-tying run.
Soon after, with two down, the Baysox loaded the bases again. This time, catcher Cody Roberts, playing in his 17th game, would hit a two-run single, putting the Baysox ahead 7-5 and setting the final score that would launch Bowie to the playoffs for the third time in 28 years.
A magical season that saw one wave of talent start and move up to Triple-A learned how to play together, when a new wave came in and started picking up where the first left off. A successful season gives our beloved Bowie the chance to secure their second league championship, the first since 2015. The team finished the season with an impressive record of 73-47.
The first game starts Tuesday, September 21, at 6:35 p.m. EST at Prince George’s Stadium against the Akron RubberDucks. Get your tickets now, and show up to cheer our team on to victory in the best of five series!
Congrats to Bowie! Birdland will be cheering you on!
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