Lord Baltimore’s Orioles take on other bird foes from Canada

Oriole Park at Camden Yards is one of the most highly regarded stadiums in baseball because it was the first in the trend of “retro” ballparks. Parks like Camden Yards were built with all the luxuries that stadium patrons expect from newer parks, but with aesthetics that were much more like classic stadiums with quirkier and more pleasing designs. A major focus of these types of stadiums is the enhanced fan experience and much better sightlines from the seating area compared to older stadiums.

 

The House that Cal Built opened April 6, 1992. The stadium is in such great shape, it’s very difficult to believe it’s actually 20 years old. It sits in downtown Baltimore a few blocks west of the inner harbor on land that was previously B&O rail yard. The right field view from the seating area is dominated by the rail yard’s former warehouse. It’s a very unique and endearing part of the stadium.

The stadium also sits about 2 blocks away from the birthplace of the greatest baseball player in the history of the game, George Herman “Babe” Ruth, Jr. We took a tour of the museum before the game, which we definitely recommend. We learned that Babe got his nickname from Orioles teammates after he signed his first professional contract in 1914. Babe was 19 years old when Jack Dunn, the owner and manager of the Orioles, signed him and became his legal guardian. Teammates called him “Jack Dunn’s Baby,” hence the name Babe.

The street between the warehouse and the stadium is Eutaw Street, a very cool area to hang out during the game. The street is considered part of the stadium the length of the 1,016 warehouse adjacent to the stadium. My favorite part of Eutaw Street is the markers for home runs that landed on the street such as the one below by Alex Gordon of the Royals. The most impressive home run was from my childhood favorite Ken Griffey, Jr. from the 1993 Home Run Derby that hit the warehouse on the fly. It flew completely over the street.

We had the luxury of having tickets to both Saturday’s and Sunday’s games. There was a chance of rain all weekend, but we were never really worried about not being able to see a game. Other than a bit of rain before the game Saturday in Baltimore, the game as played without problem. We sat in the best seats we’d had all season directly behind home plate in front of the press box. We had a great time with some good friends; Morgan, Matt, Kent, and Chase’s dad Roger.

When we went back for the day game on Sunday, it was a different story. There was a chance of rain, but nothing seemed too threatening. Our seats were equally as nice as the night before and in the club level of the stadium, which was great for when mother nature decided to unleash her rainy fury on Oriole Park at Camden Yards. We just found some comfy seats in the lobby area and watched the Tigers play the Angels on TV. Our friend Max Scherzer was pitching a gem, so we actually had an interest in the game. The relentless rain coming down onto the field was a cool sight, so we eventually moved to covered seats in the club level and watched the same game on the big screen of the stadium. Not a bad way to spend a rain delay.

The game was eventually postponed. The announcement to postpone the game to September 24th was made over the PA after a two and a half hour delay. We decided to head for the exits after 2 hours and 25 minutes, so we can safely say the Orioles and Blue Jays team officials were making their decision the same time B4B made their decision. Either way, we got to hangout for a few hours at a really sweet stadium watching the Tigers play the Angels.

Here’s Rex and Steve with Natty Boh. The mascot for Baltimore’s official beer, National Bohemian, which it turns out is brewed in Milwaukee, WI.

The game we actually got to see featured an interesting pitching match-up. Blue Jays starter Brandon Morrow pitched in his first game back from the 60-day DL against local Baltimore boy Steve Johnson. Morrow was effective enough with his limited pitch count, only allowing 2 earned runs. Johnson had a quality start in just his second major league start, allowing just 2 runs in the first inning while lasting 6 innings. After Edwin Encarnacion’s home run in the first, the Orioles responded with a balanced attack with 13 hits scoring 7 runs to the Blue Jays’ 2.

Orioles catcher Matt Weiters definitely has one of the best arms in the game. He threw out THREE! Blue Jays runners who were attempting to steal second. THREE! The most impressive was when he scooped a ball from the dirt and gunned down Omar Vizquel* at second. The ball reached the base about 10 yards before Vizquel got to the base, so he retreated back to first, getting himself into a “pickle.” Yeah, Weiters has a cannon for an arm.

*I have no idea why Omar Vizquel was stealing a base. He’s 45 years old! I suspect it was a botched hit-and-run, and Jeff Mathis just hung him out to dry. Although Mathis didn’t even swing at the pitch!

There’s a good reason Jim Caple likes Camden Yards. It’s a great stadium! It was the first of a 20-year trend in new baseball stadiums. We saw a good win by the surprising Orioles as they keep staying in the hunt for the wild card. Many baseball people still don’t believe in the Orioles, like this, this, and this. I’d admit I was in that group until we saw them play in person. We’re cheering for the Orioles to keep surprising people!

Gm 1– 4/13 @ Safeco Field – Oakland A’s @ Seattle Mariners
    Oakland wins 4-0 (WP – Colon, LP – Hernandez)

Gm 2 – 4/24 @ O.Co Stadium – Chicago White Sox @ Oakland A’s
    Oakland wins 2-0 (WP – Milone, LP – Floyd, SV – Balfour)

Gm 3 – 4/27 @ AT&T Park – San Diego Padres @ San Francisco Giants
    San Diego wins 5-3 (WP – Luebke, LP – Hacker, SV – Street)

Gm 4 – 5/3 @ Angels Stadium – Toronto Blue Jays @ LA Angels of Anaheim
    Toronto wins 5-0 (WP – Morrow, LP – Haren)

Gm 5 – 5/7 @ Dodger Stadium – SF Giants @ Los Angeles Dodgers
    Dodgers win 9-1 (WP – Lilly, LP – Zito)

Gm 6 – 5/8 @ Petco Park – Colorado Rockies @ San Diego Padres
    Padres win 3-1 (WP – Suppan, LP – White, SV – Thayer)

Gm 7 – 5/12 @ Chase Field – San Francisco Giants @ Arizona Diamondbacks
    Giants win 5-2 (WP – Cain, LP – Cahill, SV – Casilla)

Gm 8 – 5/20 @ Coors Field -Seattle Mariners @ Colorado Rockies
    Mariners win 6-4 (WP – Beavan, LP – Guthrie)

Gm 9 – 5/30 @ The Ballpark in Arlington – Seattle Mariners @ Texas Rangers
    Mariners win 21-8 (WP – Beavan, LP – Holland)

Gm 10 – 6/3 @ Minute Maid Park – Cincinnati Reds @ Houston Astros
    Astros win 5-3 (WP Lyles, LP – Arroyo, SV – Myers)

Gm 11 – 6/15 @ Tropicana Field – Miami Marlins @ Tampa Bay Rays
    Rays win 11-0 (WP – Moore, LP – Zambrano)

Gm 12 – 6/22 @ Marlins Park – Toronto Blue Jays @ Miami Marlins
    Blue Jays win 12-5 (WP – Romero, LP – Sanchez)

Gm 13 – 6/30 @ Turner Field – Washington Nationals @ Atlanta Braves
    Braves win 7-5 (WP – Minor, LP – Strasburg, SV – Kimbrel)

Gm 14 – 7/6 @ Busch Stadium – Miami Marlins @ St. Louis Cardinals
    Marlins win 3-2 (WP – Nolasco, LP – Westbrook, SV – Bell)

Gm 15 – 7/13 @ Kauffman Stadium – Chicago White Sox @ Kansas City Royals
    White Sox win 9-8 (WP – Alexrod, LP – Teaford)

Gm 16 – 7/19 @ Target Field – Baltimore Orioles @ Minnesota Twins
    Orioles win 4-3 (WP – Chen, LP – Burnett, SV – J. Johnson)

Gm 17 – 7/24 @ U.S. Cellular Field – Minnesota Twins @ Chicago White Sox
    White Sox win 11-4 (WP – Jones, LP – Fien)

Gm 18 – 7/26 @ Miller Park – Washington Nationals @ Milwaukee Brewers
    Nationals win 8-2 (WP – Jackson, LP – Gallardo)

Gm 19 – 7/30 @ Wrigley Field – Pittsburgh Pirates @ Chicago Cubs
    Cubs win 14-4 (WP – Germano, LP – Bedard)

Gm 20 – 8/5 @ Comerica Park – Cleveland Indians @ Detroit Tigers
    Tigers win 10-8 (WP – Downs, LP – Perez)

Gm 21 – 8/7 @ Progressive Field – Minnesota Twins @ Cleveland Indians
    Twins win 7-5 (WP – Robertson, LP – Perez, SV – Perkins)

Gm 22 – 8/10 @ PNC Park – San Diego Padres @ Pittsburgh Pirates
     Padres win 9-8 (WP – Brach, LP – Watson, SV – Street)

Gm 23 – 8/15 @ Great American Ball Park – New York Mets @ Cincinnati Reds
     Reds win 6-1 (WP – Leake, LP – Dickey)

Gm 24 – 8/22 @ Nationals Park – Atlanta Braves @ Washington Nationals
     Braves win 5-1 (WP – Medlen, LP – Detwiler)

Gm 25 – 8/25 @ Oriole Park at Camden Yards – Toronto Blue Jays @ Baltimore Orioles
      Orioles win 8-2 (WP – Johnson, LP – Morrow)