The Orioles End 2018 With One Last Win And We Say Goodbye To Adam Jones
What a day at Camden Yards yesterday, we said goodbye to Adam Jones, likely Buck Showlater, and the 2018 season. Everyone was happy to say goodbye to this season, but no one was happy to say goodbye to Adam and Buck. The Astros could not have sleptwalked through this game anymore than they did, but we also have to give credit to the O’s for pulling out the 4-0 victory yesterday, the 47th time they entered the win column in 2018. No one wanted this season to go this bad, and I think everyone wanted it to end, but man is it going to be strange next season going to games with no Buck, no Adam, no Gausman, no Britton, no Manny, no Schoop, no O’Day, changing of the guard and cleaning house is in full effect.
The Orioles sent Jimmy Yacabonis out on the mound and the man did the damn thing. Since he was on short rest, he only went four innings, but only surrendered a single hit, struck out one, walked two, and hit a guy who def didn’t get hit. After he left, the Astros didn’t get another baserunner the entire game. The pitching yesterday was outstanding, something to look forward to going into next season. Paul Fry came in and gave the Orioles three clean innings and added two Ks to get his first win. Mychal Givens closed out the 2018 season with two more clean innings and had two Ks. After a rough beginning to the season, his last 8-10 appearances were really good, again, that is something he can build on going into next season, likely as the closer for the 2019 squad. A combined one-hitter to end the season is a great way to end it, I also didn’t even know it was a one-hitter until after the game, kind of snuck up on me there.
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The offense came through when it needed to. They scored four all in one inning, and that was it, but it was all they needed. As is tradition, Trey Mancini had an RBI single, and was followed up by back-to-back doubles and a single to score four runs, again, that was all they needed. It was a very inconsistent season at the plate for the Orioles, and it’s obviously something they need to fix going forward. This will be a different looking lineup going into 2019, but at least they have some speed guys like Mullins and Villar to build around.
Obviously the story of the day was Adam Jones. In what will be his last game as an Oriole, he tweeted out that he had one last surprise. It was that he would be starting back in center field. We all knew what was coming before the National Anthem, Adam led the team out onto the field, except no one followed. Adam was alone at second base and the crowd gave it to him. Grown men were crying (def wasn’t me), kids were crying, I saw a bus of Nuns pull over and give a standing ovation. God damnit was it dusty in there. Signs were distributed to fans in center field before the game that read “Thank You Cap10″, so those were all over the outfield, it was a nice gesture to show to Adam as we thanked him for his 11 years in Baltimore. After the first inning Buck moved Adam back to right field, and in the top of the ninth he was removed from the game to his 47th standing ovation of the day. Again, very dusty and there was a plane of chopped onions flying overtop the stadium so my eyes were red and watery.
I’ll dive into the Adam stuff later on when he is officially gone, but yesterday sucked. He was the rebuild the first time around, he re-signed when no one wanted to play in Baltimore. He was a HUGE part of the turnaround of this franchise, and has been arguably the most charitable person around the city of Baltimore. I’m not talking Frank Lucas giving out turkeys at Thanksgiving, I’m talking about raising and donating 6 digits every single season. The guy gets it. He just gets it. The wife and I got to the stadium around 1:30 yesterday and I was told by someone I know at MASN that Adam had a surprise for fans around 1:45. We get to our seats and my man Adam was walking around the field with his batting gloves, game used balls, and his broken bats. He was handing them out to kids, ladies, and other fans. What other guy does that? He’s the fucking man and even though the clubs he was on never won it all, he was awesome here. It stinks he couldn’t get a ring here, but we all wanted him to know how much he meant not only to the team, but the city.
It’s very clear that this team is going in a new direction, a younger direction. They’ll also have a new manager. Do they go after an established guy like Joe Girardi? Or do they go a younger route with a guy like Mark Derosa? Regardless, there are new faces in town. No more Machado, Gausman, Schoop, Jones, Britton, or Showalter. Hello to Mancini, Mullins, Villar, Givens, and Stewart. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to fill several months of free time with reading about Victor Victor Mesa and Bobby Witt Jr.
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