O-Mazing Experience

When J.J. Hardy slid across home plate Friday I assisted with thousands of others in blowing the roof (if there was one) off of Camden Yards. The eruption from the crowd was deafening, headache inducing and by far the loudest cheers I have ever heard at Oriole Park. As I reflected today about the game, the epic moment (that still gives me chills when I watch the video) I just couldn't stop thinking about all the things I wanted to say about it.

Let us start from the beginning. Many things had to fall into place for me to even be able to head to said game. For years I have been going to games with my girlfriend/now wife to the point that she actually gives a damn about the Orioles. Thank goodness as she felt the need to go ahead and put down a hefty deposit for tickets next season(with zero push from me, "We have a chance to go to the World Series, don't we?") just for the opportunity to go to Postseason games at a reasonable price. I like to take credit for turning a football girl, although she is a Steeler fan, into someone who was able to lose her mind as much as me Friday. Has she endured as much of the sucking as me and many other Oriole fans? No. She did endure the Oriole season where we won zero games on Sunday (2006?) while we had the 13 game package, all of them being Sundays.

Along with needing a supportive wife I needed a somewhat supportive job to let me go. I mean a 12 o'clock start, on short notice, was not helpful to that. While the answer I got wasn't an all supportive yes, it had things tied to it. Luckily I only got a list of a few things that I had to do (seriously the situation made me feel like I am a brain surgeon of Lowe's, "we don't have anyone that can do it, shorthanded..." I tuned out after I lost hope of even going.) Needless to say I was able to go in WAY early to bang out what I had to do to even be able to go.

Able to go, not able to find parking. Holy crap, when I say we had to park a mile away I may not be kidding. Driving around for a half an hour scouring the area for parking. We parked at a garage for only $9 all the way in front of Lexington Market. We walked up like many other O's fans during the player introductions (I heard the CrUUUUUUUUUUUUUUz chant) along with the national anthem. I managed to get in the, "O!" All be it from the entrance gate before my bag of snacks could be checked. We got to our seats literally seconds before the first pitch.

Unlike the last playoff game we went to there weren't many opposing fans to deal with. I guess the trek from Detroit is a little far. We did manage to get a few 10 rows back from us who felt the need to slowly chant, "Tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiger baaaaaaaaaaseball" after anything good they did. Single, strike, homerun, get an out but not after your bullpen blew open the game! Boom roasted! Anyway I digress. Suck it annoying Tiger fan! Okay seriously, I'm done.

The game started off with Chen getting through the first allowing only one hit. Verlander came up and preceded to get us 1-2-3. It really seemed like it was going to be a pitchers matchup through the first 3 innings. Chen looked great, made an unbelievable play in the third snagging a line drive to end the inning. Verlander had no hit us through 2 2/3 innings. Before Markakis eked a homerun to the right field wall. Then came the 4th. I got to hear that Tiger fan a bunch that inning. Hunter single, Cabrera single, V.Martinez double and then J.D. Martinez hit a 3 run bomb. Just when you thought that was enough Castallenos hits another bomb to make it 5-2. The crowd was starting to lose trust in Chen and so was Buck. He left him in until Rajai Davis slapped a single into left. The crowd clapped for Chen but mainly just to support our guy. In came our future in Kevin Gausman.

In all honesty I wasn't surprised to see Chen get rocked the way he did. The Tigers have owned left handed pitching this season.

What followed after the 5 run inning for the Tigers felt like an eternity for me. Sure, we put up a run in the bottom of the inning. Verlander was cruising after that. The game seemed to lose its muster. Gausman was in control for much of his relief appearance. The 5th inning gave us that outstanding double play started by Ryan Flaherty and enabled by Miguel Cabrera's inability to hit a treadmill. Everything was still coming up Tigers. If we got runners, Verlander got out of it. Gausman was also mowing down the boys from Motown until the 8th when he was touched up for a run. All in all I couldn't have been happier with Gausman in his relief appearance. He threw strikes and got out of jams in his first playoff pressure game. Gausman walked off to booming applause and support while Buck waved in Brad Brach. Who I believe should start coming out to altered entrance music from "The Rock."

If ya smelllllllllllllllllll, what Brad Brach is cooking! Brad Brach says, Brad Brach says, Brad Brach says, Brad Brach says know your damn role! Sorry sidetracked.

I'm losing focus because I'm getting excited. I know what happens next in this tale. I'm ruining the ending to the movie like one of my annoying relatives. With one exception, everyone in Baltimore knows what happens next.

Verlander had been removed for Anibal Sanchez, who appeared to be the only reliable guy out of their pen thus far. He had gone untouchable for 2 innings before Ausmus felt that he had reached his pitch limit. So in the 8th he decided to intelligently, at least to Oriole fans who erupted when he jogged out, bring in Joba Chamberlain. We all started cheering as if we had already won the game. Ausmus was Old Mother Hubbard and only Joba was in the cupboard. Needless to say, Joba was a good sport about it, tipping his cap to the ecstatic O's fans. Started off okay by getting a ground out by De Aza. It was all downhill from there. He hit Jones, Cruz singled and was followed by Pearce who drove Jones in on yet another single. Things were heating up. Joba was removed for yet another reliable Tiger from the bullpen, Joakim Soria. The events that followed will go down as arguably the greatest moment in Orioles postseason history.

Soria walked J.J. Hardy on 5 pitches. The Yard was rocking, we needed something big to happen. Down 2 with the bases loaded and 1 out, the time was now. Flaherty was pulled for former Tiger postseason hero Delmon Young (yeah did anyone remember he was the 2011 ALCS MVP for them? Good me neither.). Young stepped in to much of our joy. Even my daughter, who seemed bored during the middle innings of the game, was on her feet(on her chair) doing the "Seven Nation Army" chant. With my arm around her and my Orioles postseason towel waving in the air we waited for the pitch. BAM! Young drove the ball into the left field corner for what we all knew could be a game winning double. My voice was going, everyone in my section (every section) started going nuts watching Cruz rumble across the plate, followed by Pearce and here comes Hardy. He hook slides to the back end of home, HE'S SAFE!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! HOLY CRAP! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

I high fived Caylie (my daughter), my wife and 7 others around me who could not believe what we just saw. No way did that just happen! 

"I love you Tigers bullpen! You are my second choice for MVP of this game behind Delmon Young!," I shouted. 

It didn't matter what happened the rest of the inning we had the lead. Kelly Johnson sacrificed Young over to third on a fly ball to center. Schoop popped out. Here comes Zach Britton, attempting to get his first postseason save. Britton was throwing bowling balls out there. His fastball with that sinking movement has owned a lot of the league this season. The bottom of Detroit's order was their last hope. They had no chance. Herman Perez came in for Avila, ground out to Pearce. One down. The place was starting to go even more nuts, if that was possible. Romine their starting shortstop, struck out. I channeled my inner Rosie O'Donnell from A League of Their Own. "Come on Britton, ONE MORE! JUST ONE MORE!" When Suarez came in off the bench and grounded to Hardy we all knew he got that last out. Pearce squeezed it and we all went crazy. High fives and screams a plenty. I was looking for those annoying Tigers fans who must have left when Soria came in. 

I will never forget that moment. Sharing it with my family adds even more meaning to it. Sure hanging with my buddies would also have been awesome, I am hoping Caylie remembers that moment as much as I will. I sure won't ever let her forget it.