BALTIMORE - GAME RECAP

August 25th - Toronto Blue Jays 9, Baltimore 0 - Attendance 42,260

Once upon this evening clear, while I watched my Blue Jays dear,
Fastballer Kelvim Escobar starting for my team,
While I waited, in great seats, my heart was skipping beats
As Baltimore's Camden Yards truly is a dream.
"Yes, this great park," I said, "this great park is a dream;
It is all that it would seem."

OK, enough poetry - just a tribute to Edgar Allan Poe who is buried in Baltimore. Anyway, the game was scoreless two when Alex Gonzalez hit a homer to center fielder with two out in the third. With Escobar throwing for the Jays, this run would be all the Jays would need, as Escobar was nearly unhittable. The Jays added 3 more runs in the 4th on a walk and four consecutive singles that sent Calvin Maduro to the showers. With two runs in the 7th, and 3 more in the 9th on Darrin Fletcher's 3-run blast, the Jays won in a blowout, 9-0. But the story of this game was Escobar, who closed things out by striking out Jeff Conine on a 98-mph fastball. He went the whole way in what was the most dominating pitching performance we have seen up to now. 

One of 3 double plays the Jays turned

This game gets a 9/10 because I am a Blue Jays fan and they won going away. As well, we met some guys up from Louisville who were a lot of fun to talk to. Here is their picture:

August 26th - Toronto Blue Jays 5, Baltimore 1 - Attendance 37,994

Cal Ripken started at third for the Orioles, but he wasn't a factor as the Toronto pitching continued to shut down the O's offense. The Jays went up in the first after Vernon Wells, who had doubled, scored on Carlos Delgados' two-bagger. They added one more run in the fifth as Chris Latham led off with a triple and scored on Fletcher's single. Meanwhile, through five innings, the Orioles could only manage a weak single off rookie Brandon Lyon. But in the sixth, after the Jays had added 3 more to make it 5-0, Melvin Mora led off for the Orioles with a home run, which would account for their only run in the entire 3-game series. 

Lyon left after 6 but relievers Bob File, Scott Eyre, and Paul Quantrill each pitched one inning as the Jays swept the Orioles with a 5-1 victory.

This game only gets an 8/10 because the Orioles scored a run, ruining my hope for a series shutout.

Ripken pops up