Orioles Top 10 from 2015

Welp, that’s it for 2015. And what a year it was. The Royals won it all, the offseason made it appear that some fan-favorite talent was going to walk out the door, and be replaced from the bargain bin. Buckle up, O’s fans – 2016 could be a little rocky, too. But, it’s a new year. Let’s look ahead with a little optimism by borrowing a pair of Jim Hunter’s rosy (or orange)-colored glasses. To start, here’s a look back at our favorite things from 2015.

10. Manny Machado represents Baltimore well at the All Star HR Derby

The Orioles had a little lighter footprint at the All Star Game than we have seen in recent years. Adam Jones may have started in left field, but he did so as an injury replacement. Fellow reserve Manny Machado was selected to participate in  the Home Run Derby, though he had yet to come through it was not clear that Machado would finally cash in those doubles-to-homers, to bring him into the 30+ club. Machado did not advance in his head-to-head against Joc Pederson (not to mention that we all got a happy ending with hometown hero Todd Frazier taking the victory), but he put on a good show. It was easy to be proud of our All Star, Manny Machado, that night.

9. David Lough hits a walk off HR

Fine, I’ll say it: David Lough did something useful.

Actually, this one was pretty sweet. David Lough hit a pitch from the Red Sox closer, Koji Uehara onto the flag court, and put the Orioles in the win column. He even scores points from me on the high orange hosiery.

A little more of this, and I wouldn’t be so mean to him.

 8. Orioles ascend to First Place in the AL East

The date was June 28, 2015, and the Orioles were flying high. After an uninspiring April and May, the Birds dominated June, putting together a 18-10 month, and landing themselves in first place. It was the best stretch of the season, and one that led many fans (including this one) to believe the Orioles might make a push for the playoffs, after all. Things didn’t end up that way, but finding your team in first place is never a bad thing – particularly for a fan base that suffered through the Dark Period.

7. Orioles defeat the Oakland Athletics 18-2

The resurgence of the Orioles has also led to new/rekindled… “dislikes.” We won’t call them rivalries, as that term holds a lot of baggage. Since the Orioles pulled out of sucking, things have gotten a little heated, for better or for worse, with teams like the Royals, the Blue Jays, and the Athletics.

The Athletics business clearly stems from two things:

1. Both small/mid-market teams rose from obscurity to mattering at about the same time.
2. Manny Machado lost his mind that one time.

It’s unknown as to whether the teams still hold any animosity, but boy howdy, the fans do. Hearing Oakland fans boo Manny Machado the way they do makes it easy to enjoy when the Orioles pound them. As they did on August 16, 2015.

The Orioles were mired in Bad Baseball. They had recently been no-hit. The bats were cold. And then, a 26-hit, 18-run attack was incredibly cathartic. Caleb Joseph led the way, with 4 RBI. Adam Jones, Manny Machado, and Henry Urrutia (yes, really), also had three apiece. If you’re feeling blue about the Orioles watch the highlights of that game: it’s good for what ails ya.

6. Travis Snider’s insane catch on Gnome Night

Gnome night was a little over the top. The giveaway created mass hysteria not seen since four lads arrived from Liverpool. But in all the Gnomemania, you might has missed one of the best plays of the year from none other than Mr. DFA, Travis Snider.

Watch it, then watch it again. Lather, rinse, repeat.

5. Orioles finish at .500

We have become accustomed to so much more, but .500 is nothing to sneeze at. Remember, an entire high school freshman passed between winning seasons in Baltimore, and there was a time in which we all would have heralded a non-losing season as a great success. The Orioles won their final five games, and ended on a positive – if not hollow – note. You know what? I’ll take it.

4. Darren O’Day bends, but does not break

By June 20, the Orioles were playing inspired baseball. In a game against the Blue Jays, the Orioles made a statement that they failed to keep up on for the rest of the season: we will bend, but we won’t break.

Darren O’Day loaded the bases in the eighth inning, after allowing back-to-back hits and a walk. O’Day even had a ball go mere feet foul of being a grand slam. He responded with nails.

O’Day, with his back against the wall, struck out the side, and the Orioles went on to a 5-3 win.

3. Adam Jones has himself a day in the field

Adam Jones’ defense has been a not-so-quiet topic of conversation over his tenure in Baltimore. Should he play less shallow? Should he stop blowing bubbles? Sure, he’s got Gold Gloves, but does he deserve them? Like, really deserve them?

Wherever you fall on the Jones Fielding Scale, the game against Boston on June 10, 2015 was fun to watch. Jonesey had himself a day, making two impressive catches, and making an out with his arm.

At least for one day, he deserved that hardware – and more.

2. Chris Davis wakes up a fan with a walk-off

It ended a six-game losing streak. It won the game in extras. It went a really long way. All these things are true of Chris Davis’ 11th inning dong on September 2nd. But none of these were the most impressive. The most impressive thing about this home run is that there was some dude asleep in the center field bleachers, and the home run woke him. 

Mike Bordick described this homer as “majestic” and “classic Davis.” For once, he was not wrong. Or reading it off the screen.

1. Crush smashes bat, team slams ball

You wouldn’t like him when he’s angry. Except that you do. Oh, do you like Chris Davis when he’s angry.

Davis got drilled, and was pissed about it… which brings us to the next item on the list: the team definitely picked him up. The Orioles hit two grand slams in a single inning, with a solo shot by Manny Machado in between. Davis scored on one of those homers. But the bat smash is almost as impressive as the dongs.

Check it out:

Credit for this video goes to Steven Greenstreet, who was kind enough to allow us to embed it here.

There you  have it. That’s our list. What did we miss? What are your favorite… whatevers? Comment below, or point out our lack of insight and baseless opinion over on Twitter, @birdseyeviewbal.