Going into Tuesday night's game, the Baltimore Orioles knew the New York Yankees were rained out and that a win would tie them atop the AL East for the sixth time this month. They just didn't know it would take until early morning the next day to find out if they could do it.
The Orioles outlasted the Seattle Mariners 4-2 in 18 innings on Tuesday night to pull into another tie for the division lead. The Orioles have one more win than the Yankees (84 to 83), but are tied in percentage points.
The Yankees will play a split doubleheader on Wednesday to make up for the rainout.
Baltimore used a pinch-hit RBI in the 18th to win the game and also kept hold on their three game lead over the Los Angeles Angels in the wild-card race. The Angels beat Texas on Tuesday 11-3.
In the 18th inning Baltimore outfielder Nate McLouth took a walk off Lucas Luetge and then attempted to steal second as the next batter, JJ Hardy, blasted a single into the outfield. McLouth ended up on third with no outs.
"I felt like I could get the bag. He had a strike on him so he swung," Mclouth said to the Associated Press. "It happened to go in a good spot."
Taylor Teargarden then came in as a pinch hitter and hit a ball down the right-field line that scored McLouth. Baltimore later added another run on a fielder's choice from Mark Reynolds.
Pitcher Tommy Hunter got the win for Baltimore after coming into the game as a reliever in the 16th inning. Strangely and coincidentally, Hunter got a special gift from one of the seagulls that were flying around the stadium, landing right on his hat.
"Here I was minding my own business," Hunter said. "Guys were dying laughing. Then everyone said it was good luck. Then we won the game."
Jim Johnson entered the game and finished off the Mariners for his 44th save on the season, which leads the major leagues.
The only runs the Mariners scored were the first of the game, a two-run home run from Miguel Olivo that travelled 425 feet to left field.
"It's a challenge," Mariners manager Eric Wedge said. "It's a scenario you don't get into too much, but every now and then it happens. It's tough on both sides offensively. Everyone wants it so bad. We had so many opportunities. One more hit and the game's over."
Amazingly, this season Baltimore has won 14 extra-inning games in a row, which is the longest streak since 1949 when the Cleveland Indians won 19 straight.
"It's tough," said McLouth. "When you start going that long, there's a part of you that has to fight the feeling, 'Oh, let's just get this game over with.' Especially in the position we're in. It's a really important game. It's hard to stay locked in that long."
The team has gone 14-2 in extra-inning games as they try to make their first postseason appearance since 1997. The win also brought the Orioles to 20 games over .500 for the first time since that year.
Baltimore tied the game in the ninth inning off Mariners starter Erasmo Ramirez, who was pitching a gem. Ramirez had given up only two hits and no runs with six strikeouts before the Orioles rallied late. Ryan Flaherty got a pinch-hit single and McLouth added another one to put two men on before Wedge pulled Ramirez for his closer Tom Wilhemsen.
After a sacrifice bunt, Chris Davis hit a two-run single to send the game into extra frames.
Baltimore started Wei-Yin Chen, who allowed the two runs on six hits and lasted 5 1/3 innings.
McLouth had three hits for the Orioles while Justin Smoak and Dustin Ackley each had three for Seattle.
Matt Wieters and Miguel Olivo, the catchers for both teams, played the entire game.
"This is the first game I catch two games in one," Olivo said.
The Orioles are now 3-2 on this late-season West coast road trip. The team will travel to Boston after finishing the Seattle series on Wednesday.
Felix Hernandez, who was honored at the game as Seattle's candidate for the Roberto Clemente Award, will start on Wednesday against Baltimore's Joe Saunders.
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