– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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BALTIMORE — New York Yankees third baseman Oswaldo Cabrera knew he got good wood on a swing against the Baltimore Orioles’ ace in the fifth inning, but had no idea where the ball was afterward. Once he and the umpires found it, the swing turned out to be the only offense that was needed for the Bronx Bombers as their pitching came through in the clutch to reserve the victory.
Cabrera’s two-out homer off Corbin Burnes gave New York the lead, and starting pitcher Luis Gil pitched into the seventh inning and did not allow a run during the Yankees’ 2-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles inside Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Wednesday evening. Closer Clay Holmes came on in the eighth inning to retire the top of the Orioles’ order with the tying runs on base before completing the five-out save in the ninth.
The Yankees moved back into a tie for first place with the Orioles at the top of the American League East while becoming the first team in the American League to win 20 games this season. (The Cleveland Guardians also won their 20th game later in the evening in Houston against the Astros.)
The only mistake thrown during what turned out to be a pitcher’s duel was a cutter that Burnes threw to Cabrera with one on and two outs in the fifth inning, and Cabrera launched the ball down the right field line that eventually wedged itself at the very base of the foul pole above the high wall. The ball was obscured from view, but the umpires reviewed the call and it was rightfully determined that it was a home run, which was Cabrera’s fourth of the season.
“I knew that I hit it really well, but I didn’t know where the ball was,” Cabrera said. “If you see me running to first, I was like, ‘Where is the ball’ When I saw the ball by the foul pole, it was great.”
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Wednesday evening’s game, with photos taken by ALOST staff 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 19 pictures in total.
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