O's follow in Brooks' footsteps as they near AL East title

BALTIMORE -- When Brooks Robinson was a fixture in the Orioles’ lineup during the late 1960s and early ‘70s, the club was a perennial World Series contender. The Hall of Famer led Baltimore to the first championships in franchise history in ‘66 and ‘70.

The 2023 Orioles aim to follow in those footsteps amid the organization’s return to prominence. As the team began its final push toward the postseason on Tuesday night, it honored Robinson -- a career-long Oriole and an adopted Baltimorean who died Tuesday at age 86 -- by moving another step closer to its first American League East title since ‘14.

Shortly following the announcement of Robinson’s death, Baltimore opened its final homestand of the regular season, defeating Washington, 1-0, at Camden Yards. Kyle Bradish tossed a season-high eight dominant innings, while Gunnar Henderson’s leadoff home run provided the game’s only offense.

• Games remaining (5): vs. WSH (1), vs. BOS (4)
• Standings update: The Orioles (98-59) and the Rays (96-62) are in a tight race atop the AL East, with Tampa Bay 2 1/2 games back. However, should that gap tighten further, Baltimore owns the tiebreaker by virtue of winning the season series between the two teams, 8-5. The AL East champion would be the No. 1 seed and get a bye into the best-of-five AL Division Series. If the O’s fall out of first place, they would be the No. 4 seed and host a best-of-three Wild Card Series at Camden Yards.
• Magic number for AL East: 2

“A lot of guys played tonight with a heavy heart,” manager Brandon Hyde said.

With a magic number of two to clinch the AL East, the Orioles could win the division as soon as Wednesday if they take the finale of their two-game Interleague set vs. the Nationals and the Rays also lose to the Red Sox at Fenway Park.

It’s fitting that Henderson's homer was the night’s only run. The 22-year-old rookie has the potential to be the next great Orioles player on the left side of the infield, an area patrolled by Robinson (1955-77) and Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. (1981-2001) for decades.

“It’s some of the best to ever do it. To be able to be behind them and just kind of fill their shoes, it’s been really fun,” said Henderson, whose 28 home runs this season are tied with Ripken for the second most by an O’s rookie. “Just kind of following their footsteps, it’s been really phenomenal.”

Here’s another way Henderson followed in Robinson’s footsteps: By driving in the lone run of a 1-0 victory, a feat Robinson accomplished an AL/NL-record 10 times.

Henderson and many of his Orioles teammates had an opportunity to spend a bit of time around Robinson last year. On Sept. 24, 2022, Baltimore hosted “Thanks, Brooks Day,” which came 45 years following the end of Robinson’s illustrious playing career. The franchise legend met a new generation of O’s players prior to throwing out the first pitch that night.

About an hour before first pitch on Tuesday, the Orioles held a team meeting during which the players were informed of Robinson’s death.

“It was definitely sad news,” Bradish said. “He means so much to this city and this team.”

After a pregame moment of silence, Bradish took the mound and again provided a steady presence, as the 27-year-old right-hander was in control the entire way. The Orioles’ burgeoning ace allowed only three hits while walking two and striking out four. He retired the final seven batters he faced and 13 of the last 14.

It was the second time this year that Bradish blanked the Nats, as he tossed six scoreless against them on April 19 at Nationals Park. This time, he further strengthened his AL Cy Young Award case by lowering his ERA to 2.86, a mark that ranks third in the AL behind only the Yankees’ Gerrit Cole (2.75) and the Twins’ Sonny Gray (2.80).

“He’s just becoming a complete pitcher,” Hyde said. “The command has improved so much in the last year and a half, and that’s why he’s turned out these lights-out performances.”

Bradish didn’t have his most overpowering stuff, getting only five whiffs, per Statcast. He instead relied on inducing soft contact, as the Nationals put only three balls in play at an exit velocity of greater than 99 mph.

The Orioles played a clean, error-free contest behind Bradish -- perhaps the best possible tribute to the 16-time Gold Glove-winning Robinson, long known as the “Human Vacuum Cleaner.”

“It’s only right that the defense was working today,” Bradish said.