Flashback to May 31st, Oriole Park at Camden Yards: George Kirby and the Mariners were in town, and they couldn’t have treated their hosts any ruder. The rookie Kirby embarrassed O’s hitters with a six-inning, four-hit shutout as Mariners hitters teed off for ten runs against a bullpen outfit of Bryan Baker, Zac Lowther (no longer on the 40-man), Marcos Diplán and … position player Chris Owings, now DFA’d. Ouch.
Those days, and that Baltimore team, seem far away now. Monday night’s contest felt more reminiscent of another recent O’s-M’s matchup: the John Means no-hitter from May 5, 2021, perhaps coincidentally the last time the Birds were in T-Mobile Park.