Orioles Walk-Off Angels With Three-Run Ninth Inning Comeback

The Baltimore Orioles came into the ninth inning down 4-2 to the Los Angeles Angels, but Orioles Magic was alive and well at Camden Yards as the O's scored three in the ninth to win, 5-4.

On Thursday, the Baltimore Orioles won their 40th game of the year in just their 84th game of the season, a mark they haven't reached that quickly in over a half-decade.

This team, one that won just 52 games during the 2021 season, came into Friday night's game against the Los Angeles Angels just 12 games away from that mark.

By the time Friday's game ended, that number was reduced to 11 thanks to a little bit of Orioles Magic.

Down 4-2 in the ninth, the Orioles used a trio of big hits from their three biggest names: Adley Rutschman, Cedric Mullins and Trey Mancini.

Also, those three names came up big all with two outs in the ninth, the Angels needing just one more out to come out of Baltimore a winner.

Rutschman was the first to make a dent in the lead, doubling home Rougned Odor to get the game to 4-3. Mullins followed with a bloop single up the middle that scored Rutschman, tying the game at 4-4.

The Camden Yards crowd of over 27,000, much larger than usual due to the popular annual Orioles floppy hat giveaway, was in a frenzy and it would only get crazier just one batter later.

Mancini, the backbone of this team for a number of years now, came up to the plate with Mullins, the winning run, in scoring position after advancing to second on the throw home.

The right-handed slugger ripped a ball into deep left field, Mullins scored, and the Orioles dugout piled out onto the field, mobbing Mancini in a sea of craziness.

No one expected Baltimore to compete this year, and with this win, the Orioles improved to just three games below the .500 mark at 41-44. 

Right now, the Baltimore Orioles, sit just 4.5 games out of a playoff spot in the American League on July 8 and are easily one of the best stories in baseball in 2022.