The Baltimore Orioles entered the final series against the Boston Red Sox needing one win to clinch the AL East division and No. 1 seed in the AL playoffs. Two wins would give the Birds a winning record against the entire AL East.
Suffice to say, the Orioles accomplished both objectives before dropping the final two games for a series split with the Red Sox.
The O’s finished 7-6 for the season against Boston and compiled a 32-20 record against the AL East. They also finished with a 101-61 record, their first time winning 100 games since 1980 and their best record since 1979 (102-57).
Let’s see how the final regular season series unfolded.
GAME 1: O’s 2, SOX 0
Fittingly enough, it was Dean Kremer who took the mound to open the series. The last remaining piece from the Manny Machado trade, it was Kremer who pitched the night the Orioles clinched the division.
As the game was still in the early innings, it was announced that the Baltimore Orioles and the State of Maryland had agreed in principle to a lease that will keep the Birds in Baltimore for at least 30 more years.
Igniting a deeper fire with OPACY brimming and full, Kremer (W, 13-5) locked in and went to work. Pitching 5.1 innings of two-hit ball, Kremer would strike out eight and allow no runs.
Anthony Santander would hit his 28th home run in the first inning, staking Kremer to an early 1-0 lead. Heston Kjerstad would provide an RBI single in the eighth to make it 2-0.
D.L. Hall (H, 2), Yennier Canó (H, 31), Cionel Pérez (H, 11) and Tyler Wells (S, 1) would close out the game, allowing just one hit over the next 3.1 innings of work.
The Orioles would win 2-0, locking up the AL East, the No. 1 seed with a first-round bye and 100 victories.
GAME 2: O’s 0, SOX 3
Though John Means pitched a beauty of a game, the hangover from the night before was evident from the start.
Means (L, 1-2) would go 6.1 innings, allowing three hits, one a two-run home run to Trevor Story, while striking out four.
The offense could muster only three hits on the day, two from Ryan Mountcastle, and strike out 13 times. The Orioles would fall 3-0, an effect of the celebration from the previous night.
GAME 1: O’s 5, SOX 2
The hangover finally over, the Orioles turned to their veteran starter to guide the ship forward. Kyle Gibson, who played in the World Series last season with the Phillies, knew he had to lead this young team.
Gibson would pitch five innings of shutout ball. He would allow seven hits while striking out four in his final regular season start. Gibby would not factor into the decision but gave another strong outing by an Orioles starting pitcher.
Adley Rutschman opened with a single in the seventh before being pinch-ran for by Jorge Mateo, who would promptly steal second base before a Mountcastle double. A Kjerstad single would score both and make it 2-0 Orioles.
In the eighth, Jordan Westburg would single with one out before a Gunnar Henderson double. Mateo would hit into a fielder’s choice, scoring Westburg. Another Mateo stolen base before a Santander two-run single would help push the lead to 5-1.
Bruce Zimmermann (W, 2-0) returned and pitched two clean innings before Jack Flaherty (H, 1) and Jacob Webb would finish the game, both giving up a run in an inning of work.
The Orioles would win 5-2, securing the season series against Boston while picking up win 101.
GAME 4: O’s 1, SOX 6
The final game of the season was exactly what you would expect from a team getting ready for five days off.
Kyle Bradish would make the start, but only pitched two innings. He struck out five of the seven batters he faced while lowering his season ERA to 2.83, third in the AL and fourth overall in MLB.
The Orioles mustered three hits for the game and didn’t score until an RBI single by Rutschman in the eighth inning. The bullpen would give up six runs, only one earned, as the Oriole defense committed three errors.
The Orioles dropped the final game of the season 6-1, as the team will be off until the Divisional Playoff Round on October 7.
BATTERY ❌-FACTOR
As foretold in the beginning of the article, the Orioles won the AL East. The BATTERY ❌-FACTOR was for the Birds to win just one game to secure the division, the No. 1 seed and 100 victories.
Baltimore accomplished it all, even winning a second game to secure a winning record against each AL East opponent.
The Orioles are now off until October 7 when they will face either the Tampa Bay Rays or the Texas Rangers in the best-of-five Divisional Playoff Round.
The Orioles will rest up for the postseason and get their roster ready for October baseball. Until then, Birdland can Soak It In and enjoy the remarkable season the Orioles just completed.
What do you think of this series split with Boston? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, Twitter (X) and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
Represent The Baltimore Battery and show off your fandom with our official merchandise! Reasonably-priced attire made just for you! Visit our official shop site by clicking here!
Like Stephen’s content? Follow him on X – @SRJHeckman, and listen to the official podcast of The Baltimore Battery, The Final Strike, anywhere you get your podcasts!
THE BALTIMORE BATTERY 
Leave a comment