For the first time in exactly two years, it looked like the Baltimore Orioles were going to get swept.
Luckily, Adley Rutschman saved the day.
Rutschman hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning Wednesday afternoon to lift the Orioles to a 3-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays at Camden Yards.
The win means the Orioles split what ended up being a two-game series with the Blue Jays after Tuesday’s game was rained out. Baltimore has now gone 105 consecutive regular season series of at least two games without being swept. It is an American League record and the third-longest streak in Major League history.
The Orioles are just one more series away from tying the New York Giants, who went 106 consecutive series without being swept between 1903 and 1905. The St. Louis Cardinals hold the all-time record with 125 series, which they achieved between 1942 and 1944 while winning two World Series titles. The New York Yankees are fourth on that list, although they only reached 83 series in the 1920s.
If all goes well, the Orioles could surpass that all-time mark just after the All-Star break in their series against the Blue Jays that begins July 29. Their last regular season sweep came on May 13-15, 2022 when they lost three straight to the Detroit Tigers. The Orioles were swept in the ALDS against the Texas Rangers last season.
The Blue Jays took a 2-1 lead into the ninth inning after Bo Bichette hit a two-run double in the third. That came after Jordan Westburg hit a solo home run to lead off the game in the first inning. He The Orioles are the first team. have a lead-off and walk-off home run count for all of his runs scored in a single game since 1983.
The Orioles now have a 27-14 record, putting them first in the American League East. The Blue Jays are last in the division at just 19-23 on the year, 8.5 games behind the Orioles.
