We beat the Tigers; We beat the Tigers
I started thinking. Suppose the great Orioles teams of the past would have been hit like our present Orioles. So let’s play that game. No Boog Powell for a few weeks. Brooks Robinson and Andy Etchebarren/Elrod Hendricks are both out for the year.
For one, Brooks was the greatest so that would be a nearly fatal loss. Booger would be missed for his clutch homers. And the defense would take a blow with the catchers. But again, the Orioles of 1971 had four 20-game winners so maybe Paul Blair and Frank Robinson would take up the slack.
So it’s KC (1985 World Champions) vs. the Baltimore Orioles (1983 World Series champions) for the AL crown. Who would have thought that?
We beat three Cy Young Award winners in dispatching the Tigers in three games. Can you imagine?
So this scary series began in Baltimore on Oct. 2. Cy Young Award winner, Max Scherzer, would go for
Detroit and Chris Tillman for us. And what a start for Tillman as he fanned the side in the first including Miguel Cabrera (world’s greatest hitter).
And Nellie Cruz hits another homer for us. We were up 2-0 after one. And then both Martinez non-brothers answer back for Detroit. Interesting that this was the first time two players with the same last name hit back to back homers in a playoff game. The last time since Brooks and Frank Robinson in the opening frame of the 1966 World Series.
This game settled down after that. JJ Hardy’s solo shot gave us a two-run lead in the seventh. Cabrera answered back with a homer and it was still anyone’s game in the eighth. And then we blew it wide open. Both Jon Schoop and Alejandro De Aza had two-run doubles in the 12-3 romp.
Game two was also nerve-wracking. Nick Markakis gave us a good start with a two-run jack off of Justin Verlander. And then the wheels came off for Wei Yin Chen in the fourth. He gave up a five-spot and we were in some trouble. Hardy got us a run back but we still trailed 5-3.
It looked fatal in the 8th when Victor Martinez knocked in a big insurance run. Of course that meant the wobbly Detroit bullpen came in the game. Steve Pearce had a big hit. And Delmon Young, pinch-hitting guru, delivered the big blow to put us in the lead for good. Zach Britton got the save and those Tigers were in trouble after the 7-6 defeat.
Sunday’s game was tough. David Price was on his game. Bud Norris was also in charge for us. Of course Nellie Cruz went the other way with a two-run homer. That lead held into the late innings. Andrew Miller gave us stellar relief. It was time to eliminate the Tigers. However, Detroit gave Britton some trouble. With the tying run on second the lefty retired the side. We beat the Tigers. We beat the Tigers.
