RARE PHOTOS: 27 - The Real Truth

Félix Bautista used to dream of being a closer. Now that he’s here, the Orioles right-hander isn’t settling.

BALTIMORE — Before Félix Bautista began playing organized baseball, as a little kid in the Dominican Republic, he’d watch the fanfare that would follow a closer entering a game and dream.

Tribune News Service · Oct 20, 2022

Yankees starter Nestor Cortes continues year of firsts

NEW YORK — It’s been a year of firsts for Yankees’ lefty Nestor Cortes. He made his first All-Star team. He crossed the 100-inning threshold for the first time, then 125, then 150 before ending the regular season with 158 1/3 star-making innings. On Friday, he also made his first-ever…

Tribune News Service · Oct 19, 2022

Nathan Ruiz: Other teams have locked up their young stars. Will the Orioles do the same with Adley Rutschman?

BALTIMORE — The Atlanta Braves announced on Monday that they signed strikeout-inducing starter Spencer Strider to a deal that could last through the 2029 season, keeping the rookie right-hander under team control one to two years beyond when he otherwise would have become a free agent.

Tribune News Service · Oct 14, 2022

Terrin Vavra’s first homer lifts Orioles over Blue Jays, 5-4, in first game of season-ending doubleheader

BALTIMORE — Early Wednesday, sitting in the bowels of Camden Yards, executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias admitted the Orioles’ strongest season since his arrival “crept up” on him and those on the field.

Tribune News Service · Oct 5, 2022

Orioles, Blue Jays to close regular season with doubleheader after rainout

BALTIMORE — The Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays will play their final two games of the regular season Wednesday after a rainy Tuesday in Baltimore postponed the year’s penultimate contest.

Tribune News Service · Oct 4, 2022

Dean Kremer has another quality start, but Orioles bats are dampened in 5-1 rain-shortened loss to Blue Jays

BALTIMORE — With the way Dean Kremer evaluates his outings, the six innings he worked Monday in his final start of the season would be below his lofty standards. The Orioles right-hander aims for perfection — or as close to it as he can achieve — and he fell short…

Tribune News Service · Oct 4, 2022

Orioles secure winning season, keep Yankees’ Aaron Judge at 61 home runs in 3-1 victory

NEW YORK — Kyle Bradish shrugged toward first base umpire Dan Merzel, then put his right hand in his glove to mimic the check-swing New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge had taken moments earlier. Baffled that Merzel had ruled Judge didn’t swing despite thrusting his bat forward to dodge an…

Tribune News Service · Oct 2, 2022

Bill Madden: From Aaron Judge to Buck Showalter, handing out our end-of-season awards

NEW YORK — Although the postseason seedings have yet to be decided, with one notable exception — the National League MVP race — we’ve seen enough to determine the deserving individual honors. Everyone has their opinions, many even have actual votes, but here are our picks for baseball’s 2022 awards…

Tribune News Service · Oct 2, 2022

Nestor Cortes puts on a show as Yankees rout Orioles; Aaron Judge still stuck on No. 61

NEW YORK — This winter, Nestor Cortes called pitching coach Matt Blake, just to check and make sure he had a spot on the big league roster. A 38th-round draft pick who has had to earn every start and promotion in his career, Cortes didn’t want to leave anything to…

Tribune News Service · Oct 1, 2022

Rays win, clinch playoff berth for fourth straight season

HOUSTON — Much as they did for most of this season of ups and downs, the Rays rebounded from the disappointment of the previous night to win their way into the playoffs Friday, beating the Astros, 7-3.

Tribune News Service · Oct 1, 2022