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“I thought that tied it!”
My grandfather, with a chuckle, quickly realized from the reactions around him that Dylan Beavers had just won the game for the Orioles in the bottom of the ninth, and had not, in fact, just tied things up.
Baltimore came roaring back in the eighth, highlighted by Coby Mayo’s two-run home run, but complimented by the less highlight-worthy Ryan Mountcastle run scored on a wild pitch. With things knotted in the ninth, Beavers only needed one pitch to send Orioles fans home happy.
That feeling of elation, shared by my Pop and O’s fans that had come to Camden Yards to put a bow on the 2025 season, was one that they hadn’t felt as often as they would’ve liked at their favorite ballpark. The victory improved Baltimore’s home record to 39-42, even if some walkoffs felt as if they should count as an extra crooked number in the win column.
But among the 81, No. 81 itself carries a different weight.
The 2025 season wasn’t the one that the Orioles, or their fans at home, had hoped for. High expectations were met with too many injuries to count and underperformance from key pieces. But the feeling that O’s fans are left with, the last visual from their home field, is one of hope.
Beavers, the hero of the day, was one of the best stories of the season. The former No. 33 overall pick was always a highly-regarded prospect, but question marks about his mechanics, and thus his overall upside, arose during his 2024 season in which he spent 119 games in Double-A. But the outfielder hit the ground running in Triple-A this season and has continued to mash in the big leagues.
Could a strong end to 2025 propel the Cal product into a starting role in 2026? A lasting visual of Beavers trotting down the third-base line, Ravens helmet and all, after yet another clutch moment in an Orioles uniform certainly contributes to an optimistic outlook.
That Ravens helmet, as Melanie Newman outlined, was a fun new tradition brought forth by Jordan Westburg. The clubhouse recognized that many of their new members had not been around for the birth of the sprinkler, and perhaps a new home run victory lap was necessary. Enter the helmet, donned by the home run hitter in the O’s dugout.
Or, in special cases, after a walk-off homer.
Who knows if the helmet will find its way back into the clubhouse next season. What we do know, however, is that the young core will be expected to step up and into leadership roles. Westburg introducing a new tradition is certainly the tip of the iceberg in what that leadership must entail, but those small details matter, too.
In the eighth, Mayo’s two-run home run felt typical of his excellent September. It boosted his batting average in the month to .308 with an OPS of .930, a vast improvement from his .676 OPS on the season.
The top prospect’s improvement will be key to the O’s 2026’s improvement, as his power potential, at its best, profiles in the middle of any lineup.
The Orioles bullpen, yesterday highlighted by Kade Strowd, Rico Garcia and Keegan Akin, kept the Rays off the board to keep Baltimore in the game. Its a group missing some key pieces, and names like Garcia and Strowd have made strong cases to be back contributing next year.
With plenty of holes that need addressing in the offseason, finding internal options to fill those gaps is an important piece of any turnaround.
No. 81 counts as just one of the 39 wins that the Orioles have picked up at home this season. It’s fewer than Baltimore fans had hoped for.
But 81 was an exciting, dramatic, come-from-behind victory to wrap up the year at Camden Yards. O’s fans won’t see their favorite team trot onto the field at their favorite ballpark until March 26 of 2026, when Baltimore hosts the Minnesota Twins.
In a 2025 campaign that hasn’t gone to plan, the feeling of joy and hope that only a walk-off can bring is the best way to leave the ballpark for the final time.
