The Baltimore Orioles were one pitch away from losing Monday. Instead, outfielder Colton Cowser turned a would-be walk-off home run into one of the most memorable catches of the season.
With the Orioles clinging to a 2-1 lead in the ninth inning, Colorado Rockies hitter Jake McCarthy drove a ball deep to center field with two outs and a runner on base. As Cowser retreated toward the wall, it looked as though McCarthy had just ended the game. Cowser tracked it all the way to the fence, jumped, twisted his body to face home plate, shot both legs to the side in a mid-air version of the splits, and secured the ball in his glove just before it sailed over the wall. He celebrated with an emphatic yell.
According to Yahoo Sports, the win pushed the Orioles to .500 for the first time since April and moved them to 8-2 over their last 10 games. They now sit just half a game out of an American League wild-card spot.
The game nearly did not come down to that moment. Cowser had provided the difference earlier, driving in a run with an RBI to give Baltimore its 2-1 advantage. Closer Andrew Kittredge allowed a one-out double to Troy Johnston in the ninth before getting a second out to bring McCarthy to the plate. What followed was the play that may define Baltimore's season.
The Orioles entered Monday having won seven of their last nine games, including three straight. The team spent much of the season performing below expectations, but the lineup has found something in August. Pete Alonso, Gunnar Henderson, Coby Mayo and Cowser all posted wRC+ figures of 133 or above during the month, meaning each performed at least 33 percent better than the average MLB hitter over that stretch. Those four have been central to Baltimore's recent surge.
The Rockies' most-feared hitter in Monday's game was McCarthy, whose drive to center appeared to seal a Colorado victory before Cowser intervened. Johnston's earlier double had set the stage, and the moment required Cowser to make one of the more athletic plays seen in center field this season. The catch ended the inning, the game, and any Rockies comeback.
Baltimore had been left for dead earlier in the year. The team's first half was underwhelming enough to frustrate a fan base that entered the season with high expectations. A hot September, if sustained, could change that story entirely. The Orioles are not guaranteed a playoff spot. The American League remains crowded and unsettled. But at half a game out of a wild-card position with a month to play, they are now a team that has to be taken seriously.
Cowser's catch is the kind of play that gets remembered if a run continues. If the Orioles do reach the postseason, Monday night in Baltimore will be part of the conversation.
