– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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BALTIMORE — The “Baby Birds” have no need for patience, as the Baltimore Orioles’ earlier-than-expected surge to the top of the American League standings was epitomized by the rapidity that they dispatched their bitter rivals on Sunday night to win another series.
Adam Frazier’s three-run home run highlighted a seven-run first inning as the Orioles ran away and hid from the Yankees in a 9-3 victory that game Baltimore a win in its first ESPN Sunday Night Baseball game inside Oriole Park at Camden Yards since 2018. Adley Rutschman went 3-for-4 on the evening — with two of his hits coming in that first inning when the Orioles sent 11 men to the plate — to extend his on-base streak to a career-high 15 games.
Rutschman, who swings at the fewest first pitches of any player in baseball, grounded a single on the first pitch off Yankees starter Luis Severino, setting the tone for the aggressive offensive approach the Orioles took tonight. Two batters later, and with runners on first and third, Anthony Santander lined the first pitch he saw from Severino to right field for an RBI double to open up the scoring.
The next batter, Ryan O’Hearn, took a ball on the first pitch before lining a an opposite-field double to left, scoring both Gunnar Henderson and Santander for a 3-0 lead. Austin Hays was the most patient of the hitters who came up in the first inning, drawing a five-pitch walk right before Frazier’s blast that gave the Orioles a crooked inning.
The first-inning onslaught marked the first time since July 18, 2017, since the Orioles scored six runs before recording an out in the game, and the first time since August 12 of that same year since Baltimore scored at least seven runs in the first inning.
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Sunday evening’s contest, with all photos taken by DC-area photographer Yusuf Abdullah. 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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