Sights & sounds from the Orioles' postseason clinch
Jake Rill
@JakeDRillThis story was excerpted from Jake Rill’s Orioles Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
NEW YORK -- The champagne was popped. The music blared. The cigars were smoked. The party was on.
The Orioles clinched a spot in the 2024 postseason on Tuesday night, and they weren’t going to miss an opportunity to celebrate. Getting to October is always a special accomplishment, one that Baltimore’s players, coaches and staff enjoyed in the visiting clubhouse at Yankee Stadium.
“You don’t know how many of these you’re going to get to experience in a career, so we’re going to celebrate this like it could be our last one,” All-Star infielder Jordan Westburg said.
It likely won’t be, considering the talent up and down the O’s roster. But of course, they didn’t want to risk not holding a clubhouse party.
Here are some of the sights and sounds from Tuesday’s clinching celebration.
Dean Kremer, the starter of clinchers
Last season, Kremer started on Sept. 17 vs. the Rays, tossing five innings of one-run ball on the day the Orioles clinched a postseason berth. Then, last Sept. 28, he threw 5 1/3 scoreless innings against the Red Sox on the night the club secured the American League East title.
“That’s just the nature of being a competitor,” Kremer said. “I like pitching in big games. I like getting the ball every fifth day.”
As fate would have it, the 28-year-old right-hander started on Tuesday, allowing one run over five innings vs. the Yankees as the O’s went on to clinch a postseason berth. Only this time, Kremer didn’t even realize what was at stake.
“I didn’t know that we could clinch tonight. More focused on just trying to shut them down,” Kremer said. “I really didn’t know. No, not at all.”
Colton Cowser, the class clown
Earlier this season, Westburg called Cowser the “class clown” of the team, and that was on display Tuesday. The 24-year-old rookie outfielder bought a $50 waterproof camera on DoorDash so that he could chronicle his first big league champagne celebration -- and within minutes, he thought he broke it.
But alas, Cowser fixed the camera and used it to snap selfies and photos all night. He strolled around in his flip-flops despite puddles of liquid on the ground. He was among the loudest in the room.
“I’m enjoying it. Loving it, loving it,” Cowser said. “To be able to celebrate and get to the postseason is a special thing, especially in the big leagues.”
Corbin Burnes, the prized offseason acquisition
At one point amid the jubilation, Burnes sought out Mike Elias and doused him with a bottle of champagne -- the ace finding the general manager who made the Feb. 1 trade that sent the 29-year-old right-hander from Milwaukee to Baltimore.
If the Orioles are going to make a deep postseason run, they’ll likely need Burnes at his best. He knows that, and he expects the same from his teammates.
“Celebrating with your boys in here is fun. To get to this helps bring us even closer together,” Burnes said. “If we play good baseball, we can beat anyone. We have to go out there and play our best, and we’ve got five games to get ready for the postseason.”
Westburg, the one with quiet confidence
There wasn’t a point in the night when Westburg was at the center of the party. That shouldn’t surprise anyone, as the 25-year-old is typically more on the low-key side, quiet but confident. So he didn’t go crazy, rather taking the time to talk with his friends.
And when given the chance to talk about the likelihood of the O’s making a deep run through October, Westburg didn’t mince words.
“I would say very strong,” Westburg said. “The only people that believe in us is us, right? Everybody sees the struggles and wants to write the Orioles off. But we don’t think about that, we don’t talk about that. We’re here to play ball every single day and play our best. Sometimes, it goes your way. Sometimes, it doesn’t. That’s baseball. But we believe in each other, so just keep going forward.”