Sights & sounds from the Orioles' postseason clinch
Jake Rill
@JakeDRillThis story was excerpted from Jake Rill¡¯s Orioles Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
NEW YORK -- The champagne was popped. The music blared. The cigars were smoked. The party was on.
The Orioles clinched a spot in the 2024 postseason on Tuesday night, and they weren¡¯t going to miss an opportunity to celebrate. Getting to October is always a special accomplishment, one that Baltimore¡¯s players, coaches and staff enjoyed in the visiting clubhouse at Yankee Stadium.
¡°You don¡¯t know how many of these you¡¯re going to get to experience in a career, so we¡¯re going to celebrate this like it could be our last one,¡± All-Star infielder Jordan Westburg said.
It likely won¡¯t be, considering the talent up and down the O¡¯s roster. But of course, they didn¡¯t want to risk not holding a clubhouse party.
Here are some of the sights and sounds from Tuesday¡¯s clinching celebration.
Dean Kremer, the starter of clinchers
Last season, Kremer started on Sept. 17 vs. the Rays, tossing five innings of one-run ball on the day the Orioles clinched a postseason berth. Then, last Sept. 28, he threw 5 1/3 scoreless innings against the Red Sox on the night the club secured the American League East title.
¡°That¡¯s just the nature of being a competitor,¡± Kremer said. ¡°I like pitching in big games. I like getting the ball every fifth day.¡±
As fate would have it, the 28-year-old right-hander started on Tuesday, allowing one run over five innings vs. the Yankees as the O¡¯s went on to clinch a postseason berth. Only this time, Kremer didn¡¯t even realize what was at stake.
¡°I didn¡¯t know that we could clinch tonight. More focused on just trying to shut them down,¡± Kremer said. ¡°I really didn¡¯t know. No, not at all.¡±
Colton Cowser, the class clown
Earlier this season, Westburg called Cowser the ¡°class clown¡± of the team, and that was on display Tuesday. The 24-year-old rookie outfielder bought a $50 waterproof camera on DoorDash so that he could chronicle his first big league champagne celebration -- and within minutes, he thought he broke it.
But alas, Cowser fixed the camera and used it to snap selfies and photos all night. He strolled around in his flip-flops despite puddles of liquid on the ground. He was among the loudest in the room.
¡°I¡¯m enjoying it. Loving it, loving it,¡± Cowser said. ¡°To be able to celebrate and get to the postseason is a special thing, especially in the big leagues.¡±
Corbin Burnes, the prized offseason acquisition
At one point amid the jubilation, Burnes sought out Mike Elias and doused him with a bottle of champagne -- the ace finding the general manager who made the Feb. 1 trade that sent the 29-year-old right-hander from Milwaukee to Baltimore.
If the Orioles are going to make a deep postseason run, they¡¯ll likely need Burnes at his best. He knows that, and he expects the same from his teammates.
¡°Celebrating with your boys in here is fun. To get to this helps bring us even closer together,¡± Burnes said. ¡°If we play good baseball, we can beat anyone. We have to go out there and play our best, and we¡¯ve got five games to get ready for the postseason.¡±
Westburg, the one with quiet confidence
There wasn¡¯t a point in the night when Westburg was at the center of the party. That shouldn¡¯t surprise anyone, as the 25-year-old is typically more on the low-key side, quiet but confident. So he didn¡¯t go crazy, rather taking the time to talk with his friends.
And when given the chance to talk about the likelihood of the O¡¯s making a deep run through October, Westburg didn¡¯t mince words.
¡°I would say very strong,¡± Westburg said. ¡°The only people that believe in us is us, right? Everybody sees the struggles and wants to write the Orioles off. But we don¡¯t think about that, we don¡¯t talk about that. We¡¯re here to play ball every single day and play our best. Sometimes, it goes your way. Sometimes, it doesn¡¯t. That¡¯s baseball. But we believe in each other, so just keep going forward.¡±