– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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BALTIMORE — The long-awaited return of Major League Baseball’s most-celebrated right fielder headlined the start of tonight’s crucial American League East division match-up on the shadows of the Inner Harbor, yet the long-awaited first run of the game, produced by tonight’s other power-hitting right fielder on display, ended up stealing the show as a rainy, muggy Friday night crept into Saturday morning.
At 12:09 AM, and more than five hours after the scheduled first pitch of the game, Anthony Santander launched a towering blast deep into the bleachers in right field in the bottom of the ninth as the Baltimore Orioles got another taste of what October baseball will feel like, defeating the New York Yankees 1-0 in walk-off fashion to begin a three-game series inside Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Orioles starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez matched zeroes with Yankees All-Star pitcher Gerrit Cole on a night in which 2022 American League Most Valuable Player Aaron Judge finally returned to the lineup after missing almost two months with a torn ligament in his right toe.
The Orioles’ 20th one-run victory of the season, which was delayed be more than two-and-a-half hours because of a rain delay, could not have been possible without some spectacular defense, particularly in the eighth inning as the tense, scoreless deadlock dragged on. On the dead run, Santander made a diving catch on a line drive by Anthony Volpe to begin the inning. Later, with runners on first and second with two outs, second baseman Adam Frazier snagged an Anthony Rizzo ground ball with a head-first dive to his left before throwing to first to preserve the shutout and end the inning.
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Friday evening’s contest, with all photos taken by DC-area photographer Clifford Ray Williams. After clicking on the first photo to enlarge the picture, make sure to press the left and right arrow buttons to scroll through the rest of the pictures. There are 27 pictures in total.
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