How far have these Orioles fallen from the successes of yore?
The famed Earl Weaver Special that's lived on for generations — the three-run home run — has gone almost extinct this year, but a slumping Danny Valencia resurrected it in a 5-4 win Monday over the New York Yankees in the first half of a doubleheader.
Valencia, whose sixth-inning blast took Yankees starter CC Sabathia out on his 99th and final pitch of the game, hit just the fourth three-run home run of the Orioles' season. Combined with Mark Trumbo's two-run blast in the fourth inning, which chopped away at an early Orioles deficit, it was enough to reward another intriguing start by Jimmy Yacabonis and a winning relief effort from Mike Wright Jr.