Orioles Rally Past Blue Jays Avoiding In Historic Walk-Off Fashion

The Baltimore Orioles nearly lost a series for the first time in exactly two years. Adley Rutschman, though, had other ideas. Since making his major league debut two years ago, Rutschman has yet to be swept in a regular season. After two runs scored and no one out in the bottom of the ninth inning, Rutschman hit his second walk-off home run of the season. Baltimore has now gone 105 straight regular season series without a series sweep after splitting the two-game set with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Their run without a sweep was tied for the third-longest in major league history with the New York Giants (1803–05). Texas swept Baltimore in the American League Division Series the previous year. However, since 2022, they have not been swept during the regular season. The Orioles have a 197-132 overall record over that time.

Baltimore Makes History in Walk-Off Win Over Toronto

The Orioles’ 3-2 walk-off victory over Toronto on Wednesday marked their 12th comeback win of the season and their fifth walk-off triumph overall. Despite leaving 11 men on base and going 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position, Jordan Westburg and Adley Rutschman helped Baltimore win. In the bottom of the first inning, Westburg gave the Orioles the lead with a shot that went opposite field. Before Rutschman hit his tenth home run of the season off Jordan Romano in the ninth, his lone home run had been the only run scored by the Orioles. The Orioles created history with Rutschman’s game-winning home run and Westburg’s opening shot.

Baltimore is the first team to have leadoff and walk-off home runs to account for all of their runs scored in a game since 1983. The Orioles are the first team since the 1962 Mets to achieve the feat twice in the same season. Baltimore did it first on April 17th against the Twins.

The Orioles hadn’t trailed after a home run since 2019 before Adley’s blast. Baltimore (27-14) is now a half-game behind the division lead and has averted its first three-game losing streak of the season with the victory. The longest stretch in the history of the team is 17 series in which the Orioles have not lost a series against a division opponent.