BALTIMORE – Mexican Ramón Urías fielded a ground ball and threw to first base for the last out. The Orioles took the field and celebrated on the mound.
They don’t do it with full force. Some players walked and others took small jumps.
Maybe it’s an indication of just how exhausting this race for the American League East title will be.
That fight is over.
Venezuelan Anthony Santander hit a home run, DL Hall solved a tough sixth inning and Baltimore won the division title, beating the Boston Red Sox 2-0 on Thursday.
“This division is the juggernaut of the American League again, and we know it,” outfielder Austin Hays said. “We have to fight… But here it is. We did”.
Dean Kremer (13-5) allowed two hits and one walk in 5 1/3 innings, striking out eight. The Orioles reached 100 wins for the sixth time in team history and first since 1980.
Baltimore came out ahead in a brutal division, where the worst teams were the Red Sox and the New York Yankees, usually dominators.
Two years after experiencing 110 losses, the Orioles will reach the playoffs as the best team in the American League.
“There are going to be a lot of tough nights in 2019 and 2021,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “A lot of guys who were in this clubhouse before are celebrating now.”
It was a night of celebration at Camden Yards. The club reported on the giant screen, after the third inning, that it had reached an agreement with the state of Maryland to keep the Orioles in Baltimore for at least 30 more years.
The team’s lease at Camden Yards is set to expire at the end of this year.
For the Red Sox, Dominicans Rafael Devers 3-1, Emmanuel Valdez 3-0. Mexican Alex Verdugo 4-0. Venezuelan Wilyer Abreu 3-0.
For the Orioles, Venezuelan Santander was 1-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Dominican Jorge Mateo 2-1.
