FILE - Baltimore Orioles general manager Mike Elias speaks prior to a baseball game between the Orioles and the Tampa Bay Rays, Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, in Baltimore. Elias was voted Major League Baseball's Executive of the Year on Tuesday, Nov. 7, after the team finished with the American League's best record for the first time since 1997. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)
James McCann’s walk-off single brings delayed gratification to Orioles in 4-3 victory
The concourse looked like a ghost town, with concessions boarded up and the ushers long since dismissed.
Rain pelted Camden Yards for hours. The Orioles and Royals had to make every effort to get the game in, because Kansas City will not be returning to Baltimore this year. Some fans strolled the concourse on repeat. Others found a dry spot and settled in for the long haul.
Finally, five hours after the game was supposed to start, the teams took the field, but only a few hundred people remained as first pitch arrived at 6:05 p.m. Fans, happy finally to see some action or perhaps delusional from the hours in the stadium, skipped through the concourse.
Assigned seats were thrown out the window, many rushing down to get as close to the action as possible. Just one fan remained in the upper deck. Those were his seats, and he didn’t want to give them up.
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Baltimore Orioles Predicted as Landing Spot for Four-Time All-Star
The Baltimore Orioles are seen as a team who could be a landing spot for a four-time All-Star.
The Baltimore Orioles look to be one of the top teams in baseball once again this year, building upon the 101 wins and American League East first-place finish in 2023.
With Felix Bautista sidelined, the front office added Craig Kimbrel in the offseason this winter, giving them a veteran option on the mound who can get outs in the bullpen. Kimbrel, 35 years old, isn’t what he used to be as formerly one of the best closers in baseball, but he can still give the Orioles decent innings and finish out games.
He allowed one earned run on a homer in his first and only outing of the season while striking out two hitters, but he blew his first save opportunity and forced them to win on a walk-off blast by Jordan Westburg.
In the 2023 season, Kimbrel was named an All-Star, posting a 3.26 ER in 69 innings pitched for the Philadelphia Phillies.
While the veteran can likely be trusted throughout the year, the Orioles could look to make another splash in the bullpen, giving them more flexibility throughout the regular season and playoffs.
Of the available names on the potential trade market, Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report views Kenley Jansen as a fit in Baltimore. Jansen, similar to Kimbrel in the fact that he isn’t in his prime, has had one of the best careers ever as a closer.
