MLB Rankings: Baseball’s Greatest Hits of Week-25

MLB Rankings: Greatest Hits in Week-25

9. Austin Hays, Baltimore Orioles, 40 percent

Judging by the standings, Saturday’s game between the Orioles and Seattle Mariners in Baltimore was a nothing burger. But the 22,556 fans who paid their way into Camden Yards to watch it came away feeling energized by an energetically fought contest.

Baltimore built an early lead, Seattle tied it, Baltimore jumper back in front, Seattle overcame that, then Baltimore sent the game into extra innings, where the Mariners eventually prevailed in 13. That ought to be enough excitement from a pair of last-place clubs.

Hays’ moment arose in the bottom of the eighth and it followed Mariner heroics…more on those later. Suffice for the moment to say that the home team trailed 6-4 at the time.

Seattle reliever Sam Tuivalala, who had recorded the final out of the seventh, stayed in to begin the eighth but walked Anthony Santander. Tuivalala got Renato Nunez and Jonathan Villar on strikes, then faced Hay, who since his September call-up has shown some promise.

Hays entered the game having hit safely in his three most recent appearances, and in six of his 13 games since being promoted. That evening, however, he had managed nothing more profound than a couple of groundouts.

But when Tuivalala fell behind 2-1, Hays lined the next pitch deep into the left-field seats for only the third home run of his sparse big league career. The shot evened the score at 6-6, where it remained until the Mariners pushed across the winning run in the 13th.