Perfect throw beats Yankees in 11th
Urshela thrown out tagging from third for final out of the game
Orioles right fielder Anthony Santander threw out Gio Urshela trying to score on a fly ball in the 11th, moments after pinchhitter Chance Sisco’s go-ahead single in the top of the inning, and Baltimore beat the New York Yankees 4-3 Wednesday night.
Brett Gardner bunted Urshela, the automatic runner, to third to open the inning. DJ Lemahieu then ripped a liner to right. Santander set his feet, caught it and delivered a perfect throw home, a couple steps ahead of Urshela, who slid face first into catcher Pedro Severino’s tag.
It was the second laser home from Santander in the game, but he’d come up just short trying to get Tyler Wade in the 10th. Santander also homered in the fifth.
Sisco’s one-out hit off Chad Green (0-1) scored Rio Ruiz from third following a sacrifice bunt by Freddy Galvis. It was Baltimore’s first hit since the fifth inning and its fourth total — New York had 13, but only three with runners in scoring position.
Cesar Valdez (1-0), working primarily with a 76 mph changeup, pitched 2 1⁄3 innings and got Baltimore through the 10th. Paul Fry got his first save, ending a 3-hour, 54-minute night.
Prior to Sisco’s hit, New York relievers pitched six perfect innings — except for shortstop Gleyber Torres’ costly throwing error — following a sharp pinstripe debut for Jameson Taillon, who started for the first time in 707 days.
Both teams scored in the 10th. Torres bounced a ball to first base with two outs, a throwing error that let the automatic runner score. His throw skipped past first baseman Jay Bruce on a grounder by the slow-footed Severino, allowing Santander to score from third. Torres has two errors this season after tying for the AL lead among shortstops with nine last year.
In the bottom of the inning, Kyle Higashioka scored pinchrunner Wade from second with a sharp single to right — Wade slickly slid around Severino, touching his left hand on the plate as he went by.
The Orioles dropped the series’ first two games after winning three straight in Boston to open the season. This win ended a franchise-record 12game skid at Yankee Stadium and improved the club to 4-25 in its past 29 against New York.
Cedric Mullins and Santander homered for Baltimore in the fifth, accounting for two of its three hits prior to the 11th. Baltimore struck out 17 times, brining its total to 44 for the series.
Urshela rallied New York with a tying double in the eighth inning, scoring pinch-runner Mike Tauchman from first. Urshela appeared shaken up after sliding into Severino in the 11th.