Gibson earns 100th win as O's AL East lead swells

BALTIMORE -- The Orioles had a sold-out crowd of 44,326 at Camden Yards on Saturday night. It helped that Baltimore celebrated the 1983 team, the last Orioles club to win a World Series title.

But it was right-hander Kyle Gibson who highlighted the night. He reached a milestone by winning his 100th career game in a 7-3 victory over the Mets.

“Anytime you get to a milestone, it’s pretty cool,” Gibson said. “I look back and I realize it was a long road to get here. I told the guys after the game, ‘I have [97] losses, so I’m glad to get 100 wins before 100 losses.’”

Gibson was dominant early, retiring the first nine batters and striking out six. By the time he took the mound in the fourth, the Orioles had a 3-0 lead. Gunnar Henderson highlighted the scoring with a two-run homer in the first off Mets right-hander Tylor Megill.

Gibson lost the no-hitter in the fourth. After a leadoff double by Brandon Nimmo, Gibson allowed a one-out, two-run homer to Jeff McNeil to make it a one-run game. It was McNeil’s first home run since June 11.

McNeil became Gibson’s nemesis again in the sixth, when he singled to right field to drive in Francisco Lindor.

But Gibson completed seven innings for the fifth time this season, allowing three runs on four hits and one walk and striking out nine. It helped that he had a great slider and changeup.

“He is competitive every five days, but I thought tonight was one of his better outings,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said.

The Orioles don’t have many veterans on the team. Gibson is one of them, and he is willing to share the knowledge with his young teammates.

“Just like James McCann and Adam Frazier, he is willing to share [his experiences],” Hyde said. “He has been helpful to our younger players. Unbelievably supportive, speaks up, is loud in the dugout, always encouraging, always professional all the way around.”

The Orioles added four runs after the third to pull away. Anthony Santander highlighted the scoring with a Statcast-projected 406-foot solo home run over the right-field wall off Megill in the fifth, Santander’s team-leading 20th this season.

After signing with the Orioles as a free agent in December, Gibson is having fun during his first year in Baltimore.

“This is a really fun team,” he said. “Every team I’ve been on has had their special little quirks and people and aspects to it. This team is just very different from any team I’ve ever been on with how many young guys that are so good at this game -- how many young guys that just understand how to play the game the right way.”

The Orioles now have an American League-leading 69 victories and are three games ahead of the Rays in the AL East. Tampa Bay lost to the Tigers, 4-2, earlier in the day.

“What a great atmosphere tonight,” Hyde said. “It started off with the ‘83 team in the pregame ceremony. Our players enjoyed watching that. Hats off to everybody who put that together. And then the energy in the ballpark the entire game was fantastic. It was fun to see that top deck in left field filled. It was super loud. We are playing exciting baseball, and our guys are feeding off it.”