Orioles Top 10 from 2014
With the heartbreak of the ALCS behind us, and the 10 Worst out of our system, it’s time to look back fondly at an amazing 2014 season of Orioles Baseball. For the first time in too long, Baltimore fans tasted the bitter taste of disappointment when things mattered the most. But the team was only in a position to play of a Wold Series berth because of things like this:
10. Bud Norris’ Crotch Grab
Photo Credit: MASN
You’ve gotta love Bud Norris. The guy is fearless, he’s easily excitable. He’s fun to watch, and best of all… he’s turned himself into a pretty good starter. Advanced statistics don’t seem to like any of the Orioles’ starters, but looking at the back of the baseball card, Norris set career highs in wins, ERA, and crotch grabs.
This event took place on July 21st, during the “do or die” AL West gauntlet, following the All Star break. Norris got into trouble in the bottom of the fourth, coughing up a 2-1 lead, but he escaped further damage by striking out the game’s best hitter and stranded the bases loaded. After Trout struck out looking, Norris hopped off the mound, and gestured to… someone (one theory is that Angels’ 3B David Freese said something Norris didn’t appreciate). Whatever the case, it was entertaining as hell, and the Birds pulled out a 4-2 victory.
9. Tillman and Gonzalez Notch First CGSOs
The Orioles starting rotation was not expected to be anything other than average, and turned out to be a real strength for the club from mid-June to the end of the season. In 2014, Both Tillman and Gonzalez threw their first complete game shutout of their careers.
Tillman tossed his on May 16th against some team from Kansas City. Tillman escaped a leadoff double in the first inning (which appeared ominously like “First Inning Tillman”), and never looked back. Tillman scattered five hits and threw 117 pitches. This day, he played the part of ace very convincingly.
Strangely, Miguel Gonzalez also threw 117 in his first career complete game shutout. Gonzalez got plenty of run support (including Jonathan Schoop’s monster home run which at 446 feet, was the longest in Camden Yards in 2014), and cruised through the Cincinnati Reds lineup. He didn’t give up a run until the fifth inning,and struck out eight batters against one walk. The fastball was working. The split was working. It was quite a performance for the guy who got sent to the minors to make room for Ubaldo Jimenez (yes really).
8. Chris Davis Has a Three Dong Night in Pittsburgh
Photo Credit: Justin K. Aller/Getty Images
Back when we thought Chris Davis was one good game away from solving his 2014 woes, he provided a few sparks of life. Take, for example, his 4-5 performance on May 20th, in which he punished Pirates’ pitching with five RBIs, a single, and… oh yeah, three home runs. Davis may have had a disappointing 2013 campaign, but for at least one night, Crush was back.
7. Manny Machado Throws Out Albert Pujols…Twice
Photo Credit: MASN
You can’t have a Top 10 list without a Manny Machado defensive play, right? Even on limited time (between injuies), Machado gave us highlight reel material. In this instance, Machado ranged far to his fight, turned, and fired to first, getting nailing the “speedy” Pujols. Oh yeah, he did it twice in as many days. Because he’s ridiculous.
6. Caleb Joseph Homers in Five Straight Games
Photo Credit: Layton Mitchell/Getty Images
Remember that Wieters guy? He was supposed to be pretty good with the bat or something. But hey, he’s no Caleb Joseph. Joseph, the AA veteran who never put it all together to make it in The Show, was known more for his defense than anything else when he was brought up to be Wieters’ backup. In fact, he won the full-time job over Steve Clevenger because of the focus on his defense. Joseph, however, surprised for a while, showing occasional pop, including a five-game stretch in which he hit all the home runs. Did it last foever? No, eventually he fell back down to earth. But for a while, it was pretty fun to watch.
5. Cruz Ties Game with Grand Slam
Photo Credit: Mitchell Layton/Getty Images
Nelson Cruz hit so many home runs (including one that decided Opening Day against the defending champion Red Sox), it is difficult to single out one as the highlight for 2014. Cruz’s 40 dongs contributed to the Orioles’ playoff run in a very real way – ALDS Game 3, for example. This home run was pretty dramatic. The Orioles were facing a four-run deficit going into the bottom of the 8th inning, and managed to work the bases loaded with two outs. This brought Cruz to the plate, looking to do some damage. Instead of putting a good swing on the ball to pass the baton, Cruz deposited a pitch over the groundskeepers’ shed, and tied the ballgame himself. The Orioles would go on to win in extra innings (David Lough, of all people, scored the winning run on a wild pitch), but the real story of the game was Cruz’s big blast.
It seems likely that Cruz’s 2014 production will price him out of a return to the Orioles. If that is the case, he will probably go down in Orioles history as the best one-year player in franchise history. Signed for $8MM, after he turned down a qualifying offer, and misread the market, Cruz was a steal – a steal with something to prove. Without further ado, here is Exhibit A:
4. Steve Pearce
In honor of Steve Pearce, here’s a video of his new favorite sound. This list item is not one thing that Steve Pearce did (though there were many highlights). This is everything about Steve Pearce in 2014. What can you say about the guy? Finally given consistent at bats, he delivered offensively. Many will point to his 20 home runs, but Pearce’s real value is that he got hot at the right times. When Nelson Cruz went into a mid-season slump, Pearce turned it on. He hit out of the number two hole, he hit in the middle of the order, he hit at the bottom of the order – he did whatever was needed, and more often than not, did it well. Pearce filled in for Chris Davis during his injury, suspension, and overall offensive malaise.
He was also a very capable defender. He played first base at a high level, and showed value in left and right field.
But let’s get real. The best part about Steve Pearce in 2014 was the feels. Pearce was designated by the Orioles in April, and declined an opportunity in Toronto to come back to the Orioles. The O’s needed him after an injury to Chris Davis, and came back with hat in hand. Pearce not only came back, but he came back and thrived. Steve Pearce loves being an Oriole – if you do not believe it, look in his eyes during his playoff postgame interviews. The raw emotion during the ALDS. The agony during the ALCS. Steve Pearce “gets it,” and is a player that every Orioles fan should connect with. This is one of those stories that makes baseball the beautiful game it is. Being able to root for this guy was certainly one of the highlights of 2014.
3. Orioles 60th Anniversary
Sure, it 12-2, and featured six “Baltimore Home Runs, and the Orioles failed to score in only three frames, but the August 8, 2014 game against the Cardinals was not the main event of the evening. Not by a long shot. The Orioles celebrated their 60th anniversary of the franchise moving to Baltimore in grand fashion. 23 Orioles Hall of Fame members (including five living members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame) were present to be recognized for their role in the franchise’s storied history.
In the end, the crowd was asked to welcome the first place Baltimore Orioles back to the field, to connect the greatness of the Orioles’ past to its present revitalization. Goosebumps appeared. Tears were shed. Pictures were taken. A good time was had by all.
2. Orioles Clinch first AL East Championship Since 1997
Photo Credit: Mitchell Layton/Getty Images
Do I really have to sell this as being an amazing memory from 2014? As we discussed on Episode 96, I had a pretty decent vantage point for that evening. But Orioles fans didn’t need anything extra special about that evening. From the stands, a bar, or a couch, watching the Orioles clinch and celebrate with their fans.
Surprisingly, the game featured an Ubaldo Jimenez start… and the game ended up a blowout in the right direction! the Orioles took an early 4-2 lead, and sealed the game by scoring three runs in the seventh inning. Alejandro De Aza cleared the loaded bases with a triple down the right field line, and Birdland began a celebration seventeen years in the making.
1. 8th Inning Heroics in ALDS Game 2
Photo Credit: Rob Carr/Getty Images
It’s had to imagine that any moment from the 2014 was better than this. The Orioles entered the 8th inning down 6-3. The game was in danger of being lost, which would have sent the series to Detroit tied 1-1. Jarrod Dyson was unavailable to comment on the feeling in the Orioles’ dugout. Needless to say, the O’s needed some late-inning magic. Which is precisely what they got.
After Orioles ALDS MVP Joba Chaimberlain applied gasoline and lit a match to the inning, Delmon Young was called off the bench to face Joakim Soria with the bases loaded. What followed was pandemonium. I was there, and yet it still seems like a dream. Oriole Park at Camden Yards exploded as Young slapped a ball into the corner, clearing the bases with a double, and giving the Orioles a 7-6 lead late in a crucial playoff game.
I hope this moment played well on TV, because it was one of the best baseball-related events I have experienced in person. For good times in 2014, this takes the cake.
Well, there you have it: the best of 2014. Forget the bitter ending – this was a great season. One that we’ll look back on fondly. Orioles fans got a great team that made a deep playoff run, and provided these (and many more) memories along the way. Here are a few honorable mentions that didn’t quite have enough to make our list:
- Opening Day – Nelson Cruz hits a HR to seal a win over the defending World Champion Red Sox
- Jonathan Schoop goes deep against Tanaka
- Nick Markakis finally makes it to the playoffs
- Adam Jones turns two against the Rays
- Orioles beat the Yankees on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball
- Zach Britton emerges as a shut-down closer and seals 37 games in 2014
- Chris Davis hits a pinch-hit, walk off home run
- Nelson Cruz goes crazy and drives in 7 runs in a game
Where did we go wrong? What Top 10 from 2014 did we miss? Leave a comment below, or hit us up on the Twitters.