TORONTO — If there was ever a time for the Orioles to break out of a mold that has been cast for their offense so far in September, it was here, in the ninth inning of what felt like a must-win game against the Toronto Blue Jays. To keep even a glimmer of postseason aspirations alive — no matter how faint they might remain — Adley Rutschman’s at-bat against closer Jordan Romano felt pivotal.
Baltimore has relied upon its rookies for much of its success. Since his call-up at the end of August, Gunnar Henderson has been the brightest spark at the plate. And since Adley Rutschman’s promotion in May, Baltimore has turned into a winning ball club, one capable of competing with American League East foes.
So in stepped Rutschman with no outs and the bases loaded and the Orioles trailing 3-2. And as he has proven for this organization, the rookie catcher isn’t afraid of the moment. He poked an opposite-field single to drive in two runs, and while Toronto intentionally walked Henderson, Jesús Aguilar came up with a run-scoring single of his own to set the stage for closer Félix Bautista.
