NEW YORK -- Buck Showalter was standing in his office at Yankee Stadium when Baltimore reliever Tommy Hunter popped in and grabbed the manager's arm, nudging him toward the thumping party in the clubhouse across the hall.
And when Showalter emerged through the protective plastic sheets hanging above the entryway, his players roared and doused him in bubbly.
Thanks to a victory in their regular-season finale, the power-hitting Orioles are on to the playoffs.
Matt Wieters homered from both sides of the plate, Kevin Gausman gave Baltimore a clutch pitching performance and Baltimore snagged an AL wild card by beating the New York Yankees 5-2 Sunday.
"It never really got away from us," Showalter said. "You go through periods when you're like, you've got a chance to win a division, you've got a chance to be a wild card, then you've got a chance to not even be in it. And you don't overcome that without having a real strong mentality."
Baltimore will play Tuesday night at AL East rival Toronto for a chance to face AL West champion Texas in a best-of-five Division Series.
"All we asked for is an opportunity, and right now, we have an opportunity. So, let's celebrate and enjoy this and get back to work," outfielder Adam Jones said.
Zach Britton got five outs and finished perfect in 48 save chances this year with a 0.54 ERA. Wieters had four RBIs and Gausman (9-12) was charged with two runs in 7 1/3 innings as the Orioles -- who led the majors by a wide margin with 253 home runs -- closed with their seventh victory in nine games to reach the postseason for the third time in five years.
They're looking for their first World Series championship since 1983.
"You just roll the dice and see if you can knock on the door and break through this time," said Dan Duquette, executive vice president of baseball operations.
Baltimore (89-73) barely celebrated on the field after Britton struck out Brett Gardner to end it. Several players hugged each other behind the mound, but others simply walked out of the dugout and formed the customary handshake line.
Back in their raucous clubhouse, however, the Orioles let loose. They sprayed beer and champagne, joining the AL East champion Red Sox as opponents who celebrated in the visitors' clubhouse at Yankee Stadium within the past five days.
"I think it's even more fun to do it here," Gausman said. "They beat us up a lot over the years, way past before my time, so it's good to celebrate here."
In his final game before retiring, New York slugger Mark Teixeira went 0 for 3 and showed off his Gold Glove form with a couple of slick plays at first base. Honored during a 12-minute ceremony and feted with several gifts before the game, he was removed with one out in the top of the seventh inning so he could soak up the cheers while he walked off the field, fully composed as he hugged his teammates one at a time.
"Mentally and emotionally, I kind of prepared for it," Teixeira said. "It wasn't as weird as I thought it would be."
Baltimore squandered a three-run lead Saturday in a 7-3 loss to the Yankees that made its playoff prospects more complicated. But the Orioles got help that night when Detroit and Seattle were beaten, so they knew when they arrived at Yankee Stadium on Sunday that all they needed was a win to get in.
"When I woke up, I was ready to go," Gausman said. "I wanted the game to start at 12 o'clock. I was pacing back and forth in here a long time and I wanted the ball today."
Jonathan Schoop, who started every game this season, reached on a pop-fly double leading off the third and put Baltimore ahead when he scored on J.J. Hardy's sacrifice fly.
In the fourth, Wieters was batting left-handed when he hit a two-run homer into the second deck in right field on a 3-0 pitch from Luis Cessa (4-4). That came one batter after Mark Trumbo reached on an infield single when Teixeira failed to scoop third baseman Ronald Torreyes' short-hop throw.
Manny Machado singled in the sixth and Wieters, batting right-handed, greeted lefty reliever Tommy Layne with another two-run drive just inside the left-field foul pole.
Brian McCann went deep for the fourth-place Yankees (84-78), reaching 20 homers for the ninth consecutive season and 10th time overall.
Didi Gregorius had an RBI single off Britton with two outs in the eighth before first baseman Chris Davis grabbed Aaron Hicks' sharp grounder with two on to end the inning.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Orioles went 9-10 against the Blue Jays (89-73) this season. They were 4-5 in Toronto, but took two of three crucial games there just last week. "We won five straight series on the road at the end of the year. That is a very, very hard thing to do," Jones said.
DOUBLE TROUBLE
Wieters became the first Orioles player to homer from both sides since Hall of Fame second baseman Roberto Alomar against Cleveland on July 25, 1996. ... Wieters has seven career multihomer games, three this season.
YANKEE DOODLE DANDY
Gausman was 3-1 with a 1.10 ERA in six starts against the Yankees this year.
LET THE RECORD SHOW
Teixeira finished with the same amount of hits as games played (1,862). He batted .268 with 409 home runs and 1,298 RBIs.
UP NEXT
Orioles: RHP Chris Tillman (16-6, 3.77 ERA) figures to start the wild-card game, but Showalter did not announce his plans.
Yankees: Play their season opener next year April 2 at Tampa Bay.
Baltimore Orioles
And when Showalter emerged through the protective plastic sheets hanging above the entryway, his players roared and doused him in bubbly.
Thanks to a victory in their regular-season finale, the power-hitting Orioles are on to the playoffs.
Matt Wieters homered from both sides of the plate, Kevin Gausman gave Baltimore a clutch pitching performance and Baltimore snagged an AL wild card by beating the New York Yankees 5-2 Sunday.
"It never really got away from us," Showalter said. "You go through periods when you're like, you've got a chance to win a division, you've got a chance to be a wild card, then you've got a chance to not even be in it. And you don't overcome that without having a real strong mentality."
Baltimore will play Tuesday night at AL East rival Toronto for a chance to face AL West champion Texas in a best-of-five Division Series.
"All we asked for is an opportunity, and right now, we have an opportunity. So, let's celebrate and enjoy this and get back to work," outfielder Adam Jones said.
Zach Britton got five outs and finished perfect in 48 save chances this year with a 0.54 ERA. Wieters had four RBIs and Gausman (9-12) was charged with two runs in 7 1/3 innings as the Orioles -- who led the majors by a wide margin with 253 home runs -- closed with their seventh victory in nine games to reach the postseason for the third time in five years.
They're looking for their first World Series championship since 1983.
"You just roll the dice and see if you can knock on the door and break through this time," said Dan Duquette, executive vice president of baseball operations.
Baltimore (89-73) barely celebrated on the field after Britton struck out Brett Gardner to end it. Several players hugged each other behind the mound, but others simply walked out of the dugout and formed the customary handshake line.
Back in their raucous clubhouse, however, the Orioles let loose. They sprayed beer and champagne, joining the AL East champion Red Sox as opponents who celebrated in the visitors' clubhouse at Yankee Stadium within the past five days.
"I think it's even more fun to do it here," Gausman said. "They beat us up a lot over the years, way past before my time, so it's good to celebrate here."
In his final game before retiring, New York slugger Mark Teixeira went 0 for 3 and showed off his Gold Glove form with a couple of slick plays at first base. Honored during a 12-minute ceremony and feted with several gifts before the game, he was removed with one out in the top of the seventh inning so he could soak up the cheers while he walked off the field, fully composed as he hugged his teammates one at a time.
"Mentally and emotionally, I kind of prepared for it," Teixeira said. "It wasn't as weird as I thought it would be."
Baltimore squandered a three-run lead Saturday in a 7-3 loss to the Yankees that made its playoff prospects more complicated. But the Orioles got help that night when Detroit and Seattle were beaten, so they knew when they arrived at Yankee Stadium on Sunday that all they needed was a win to get in.
"When I woke up, I was ready to go," Gausman said. "I wanted the game to start at 12 o'clock. I was pacing back and forth in here a long time and I wanted the ball today."
Jonathan Schoop, who started every game this season, reached on a pop-fly double leading off the third and put Baltimore ahead when he scored on J.J. Hardy's sacrifice fly.
In the fourth, Wieters was batting left-handed when he hit a two-run homer into the second deck in right field on a 3-0 pitch from Luis Cessa (4-4). That came one batter after Mark Trumbo reached on an infield single when Teixeira failed to scoop third baseman Ronald Torreyes' short-hop throw.
Manny Machado singled in the sixth and Wieters, batting right-handed, greeted lefty reliever Tommy Layne with another two-run drive just inside the left-field foul pole.
Brian McCann went deep for the fourth-place Yankees (84-78), reaching 20 homers for the ninth consecutive season and 10th time overall.
Didi Gregorius had an RBI single off Britton with two outs in the eighth before first baseman Chris Davis grabbed Aaron Hicks' sharp grounder with two on to end the inning.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Orioles went 9-10 against the Blue Jays (89-73) this season. They were 4-5 in Toronto, but took two of three crucial games there just last week. "We won five straight series on the road at the end of the year. That is a very, very hard thing to do," Jones said.
DOUBLE TROUBLE
Wieters became the first Orioles player to homer from both sides since Hall of Fame second baseman Roberto Alomar against Cleveland on July 25, 1996. ... Wieters has seven career multihomer games, three this season.
YANKEE DOODLE DANDY
Gausman was 3-1 with a 1.10 ERA in six starts against the Yankees this year.
LET THE RECORD SHOW
Teixeira finished with the same amount of hits as games played (1,862). He batted .268 with 409 home runs and 1,298 RBIs.
UP NEXT
Orioles: RHP Chris Tillman (16-6, 3.77 ERA) figures to start the wild-card game, but Showalter did not announce his plans.
Yankees: Play their season opener next year April 2 at Tampa Bay.
| View: Play-By-Play | Pitch-By-Pitch | Inning: All | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Baltimore - Top of 1st | SCORE | |
|---|---|---|
| Luis Cessa pitching for New York | BAL | NYY |
| Bourn grounded out to second. | 0 | 0 |
| Jones struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Machado grounded out to third. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| New York - Bottom of 1st | SCORE | |
| Kevin Gausman pitching for Baltimore | BAL | NYY |
| Gardner struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Ellsbury singled to right. | 0 | 0 |
| Sánchez grounded into double play, shortstop to second to first, Ellsbury out at second. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Baltimore - Top of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Luis Cessa pitching for New York | BAL | NYY |
| Trumbo struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Wieters grounded out to first. | 0 | 0 |
| Davis struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| New York - Bottom of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Kevin Gausman pitching for Baltimore | BAL | NYY |
| McCann flied out to center. | 0 | 0 |
| Teixeira grounded out to shortstop. | 0 | 0 |
| Gregorius singled to right. | 0 | 0 |
| Hicks flied out to left. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Baltimore - Top of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Luis Cessa pitching for New York | BAL | NYY |
| Schoop hit a ground rule double to right. | 0 | 0 |
| Kim grounded out to pitcher, Schoop to third. | 0 | 0 |
| Hardy hit sacrifice fly to left, Schoop scored. | 1 | 0 |
| Bourn grounded out to shortstop. | 1 | 0 |
| 1 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| New York - Bottom of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Kevin Gausman pitching for Baltimore | BAL | NYY |
| Torreyes grounded out to shortstop. | 1 | 0 |
| Solano grounded out to third. | 1 | 0 |
| Gardner singled to left. | 1 | 0 |
| Ellsbury singled to right center, Gardner to third. | 1 | 0 |
| Sánchez struck out swinging. | 1 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Baltimore - Top of 4th | SCORE | |
| Luis Cessa pitching for New York | BAL | NYY |
| Jones lined out to third. | 1 | 0 |
| Machado struck out swinging. | 1 | 0 |
| Trumbo reached on infield single to third. | 1 | 0 |
| Wieters homered to right (371 feet), Trumbo scored. | 3 | 0 |
| Davis singled to left. | 3 | 0 |
| Schoop struck out swinging. | 3 | 0 |
| 2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| New York - Bottom of 4th | SCORE | |
| Kevin Gausman pitching for Baltimore | BAL | NYY |
| McCann homered to right (333 feet). | 3 | 1 |
| Teixeira grounded out to second. | 3 | 1 |
| Gregorius grounded out to first. | 3 | 1 |
| Hicks grounded out to second. | 3 | 1 |
| 1 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Baltimore - Top of 5th | SCORE | |
| Luis Cessa pitching for New York | BAL | NYY |
| Kim grounded out to first. | 3 | 1 |
| Hardy struck out looking. | 3 | 1 |
| Bourn grounded out to first. | 3 | 1 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| New York - Bottom of 5th | SCORE | |
| Kevin Gausman pitching for Baltimore | BAL | NYY |
| Torreyes grounded out to third. | 3 | 1 |
| Solano grounded out to shortstop. | 3 | 1 |
| Gardner reached on infield single to shortstop. | 3 | 1 |
| Ellsbury grounded out to second. | 3 | 1 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Baltimore - Top of 6th | SCORE | |
| Luis Cessa pitching for New York | BAL | NYY |
| Jones lined out to right. | 3 | 1 |
| Machado singled to left. | 3 | 1 |
| Trumbo lined out to center. | 3 | 1 |
| Layne relieved Cessa. | 3 | 1 |
| Wieters homered to left (376 feet), Machado scored. | 5 | 1 |
| Davis struck out looking. | 5 | 1 |
| 2 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| New York - Bottom of 6th | SCORE | |
| Kevin Gausman pitching for Baltimore | BAL | NYY |
| Sánchez walked. | 5 | 1 |
| McCann lined out to right. | 5 | 1 |
| Teixeira flied out to center. | 5 | 1 |
| Gregorius grounded out to shortstop. | 5 | 1 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Baltimore - Top of 7th | SCORE | |
| Blake Parker pitching for New York | BAL | NYY |
| Parker relieved Layne. | 5 | 1 |
| Schoop singled to right. | 5 | 1 |
| Schoop caught stealing second, catcher to shortstop. | 5 | 1 |
| Kim walked. | 5 | 1 |
| Stubbs ran for Kim. | 5 | 1 |
| Austin at first base. | 5 | 1 |
| Hardy struck out looking. | 5 | 1 |
| Stubbs caught stealing second, catcher to shortstop. | 5 | 1 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| New York - Bottom of 7th | SCORE | |
| Kevin Gausman pitching for Baltimore | BAL | NYY |
| Stubbs in left field. | 5 | 1 |
| Hicks flied out to left. | 5 | 1 |
| Torreyes singled to center. | 5 | 1 |
| Solano struck out looking. | 5 | 1 |
| Gardner flied out to center. | 5 | 1 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Baltimore - Top of 8th | SCORE | |
| Adam Warren pitching for New York | BAL | NYY |
| Warren relieved Parker. | 5 | 1 |
| Bourn grounded out to second. | 5 | 1 |
| Jones flied out to left. | 5 | 1 |
| Machado fouled out to third. | 5 | 1 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| New York - Bottom of 8th | SCORE | |
| Kevin Gausman pitching for Baltimore | BAL | NYY |
| Ellsbury grounded out to first. | 5 | 1 |
| Sánchez singled to left. | 5 | 1 |
| Britton relieved Gausman. | 5 | 1 |
| McCann singled to right, Sánchez to second. | 5 | 1 |
| Austin struck out looking. | 5 | 1 |
| Gregorius singled to center, Sánchez scored, McCann to second. | 5 | 2 |
| Williams ran for McCann. | 5 | 2 |
| Hicks grounded out to first. | 5 | 2 |
| 1 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Baltimore - Top of 9th | SCORE | |
| Richard Bleier pitching for New York | BAL | NYY |
| Bleier relieved Warren. | 5 | 2 |
| Trumbo grounded out to shortstop. | 5 | 2 |
| Wieters lined out to second. | 5 | 2 |
| Davis lined out to right. | 5 | 2 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| New York - Bottom of 9th | SCORE | |
| Zach Britton pitching for Baltimore | BAL | NYY |
| Torreyes struck out swinging. | 5 | 2 |
| Butler hit for Solano. | 5 | 2 |
| Butler grounded out to pitcher. | 5 | 2 |
| Gardner struck out swinging. | 5 | 2 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
Baltimore Orioles
| Hitters | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | #P | AVG | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bourn RF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | .283 | .358 | .435 |
| Jones CF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12 | .265 | .310 | .436 |
| Machado 3B | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17 | .294 | .343 | .533 |
| Trumbo DH | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 15 | .256 | .316 | .533 |
| Wieters C | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 14 | .243 | .302 | .409 |
| Davis 1B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 16 | .221 | .332 | .459 |
| Schoop 2B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | .267 | .298 | .454 |
| Kim LF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | .302 | .382 | .420 |
Stubbs PR-LF
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .214 | .346 | .357 |
| Hardy SS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 10 | .269 | .309 | .407 |
| Totals | 31 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 127 | |||
| BATTING 2B: Schoop (38, Cessa) HR: Wieters 2 (17, 4th inning off Cessa 1 on, 2 Out; 6th inning off Layne 1 on, 2 Out) RBI: Hardy (48), Wieters 4 (66) SF: Hardy 2-out RBI: Wieters 4 Orioles RISP: 0-1 (Kim 0-1) Team LOB: 1 | ||||||||||
| BASERUNNING CS: Stubbs (1, 2nd base by Parker/Sánchez); Schoop (2, 2nd base by Parker/Sánchez) | ||||||||||
| FIELDING DP: 1 (Hardy-Schoop-Davis). | ||||||||||
Game Information
| Stadium | Yankee Stadium, New York, NY |
| Attendance | 33,277 (67% full) - % is based on regular season capacity |
| Game Time | 2:32 |
| Weather | 60 degrees, cloudy |
| Wind | 4 mph |
| Umpires | Home Plate - CB Bucknor, First Base - Fieldin Culbreth, Second Base - Jim Reynolds, Third Base - Manny Gonzalez |
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