The 2014
American League Championship Series
The American League Championship Series (ALCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. It is contested by the two winners of the American ...
was a
best-of-seven playoff
There are a number of formats used in various levels of competition in sports and games to determine an overall champion. Some of the most common are the ''single elimination'', the ''best-of-'' series, the ''total points series'' more commonly kn ...
pitting the
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...
against the
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...
for the American League pennant and the right to play in the
2014 World Series
The 2014 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2014 season. The 110th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion San Francisco Giants and the Ameri ...
. The Royals won the series four games to zero. The series was the 45th in league history with
TBS airing all games in the United States. Even as the Royals swept the series, each game was decided by two runs or fewer.
To reach the 2014 ALCS, the Orioles (East Division champions, 96–66) defeated the Tigers (Central Division champions, 90–72) in the
ALDS
In Major League Baseball, the American League Division Series (ALDS) determines which two teams from the American League will advance to the American League Championship Series. The Division Series consists of two best-of-five series, featuring ea ...
, 3 games to 0. The Royals (Wild Card, 89–73) defeated the
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...
in the AL Wild Card Game and then defeated the Angels (West Division champions, 98–64) in the ALDS, 3 games to 0.
It was the first-ever postseason meeting between the two teams. It was the first ALCS since 2005 not to feature the Yankees, Red Sox, or Tigers.
The Royals would go on to lose to the
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...
in the
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...
.
Matchup
Baltimore Orioles vs Kansas City Royals
*: postponed from October 13 due to rain
Game summaries
Game 1
The
Royals Royals may refer to:
Entertainment
* The Royals (band), a Jamaican reggae vocal group
* The Royals, original name of The Midnighters
* "Royals" (song), a 2013 single by Lorde
* ''The Royals'' (TV series), a 2015 E! network drama series
* ''The ...
drew first blood in a back-and-forth opener that featured high offensive output from both teams. After hitting just three
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
s in the regular season,
Alcides Escobar
Alcides Escobar () (born December 16, 1986), is a Venezuelan professional baseball infielder who is currently a free agent. He previously played in MLB with the Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals and Washington Nationals, and the Tokyo Y ...
hit a one-out homer to left to give the Royals a 1–0 lead. Later in the inning, with the bases loaded,
Alex Gordon
Alexander Jonathan Gordon (born February 10, 1984) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played his entire career for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2007 to 2020. Prior to playing professiona ...
hit a broken bat, looping fly ball that dropped just fair inside the right-field line to plate all three runners. Suddenly, it was 4–0 Kansas City.
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
got a run back in the bottom of the inning on
Adam Jones' RBI-single, but it could have been more had it not been for a great diving catch by Gordon in the left-center field gap, robbing
Steven Pearce of a hit. In the bottom of the fifth, after the Royals added a run in the top of the frame, the Orioles finally got to
James Shields.
Nelson Cruz
Nelson Ramón Cruz Martínez Jr. (born July 1, 1980) is a Dominican-American professional baseball designated hitter and right fielder who is currently a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, Texas ...
added to his postseason legacy with an RBI-double and
Ryan Flaherty
Ryan Edward Flaherty (born July 27, 1986) is an American professional baseball coach and former infielder. He is an advance scout and development coach for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the Baltimore Or ...
delivered a two-run single to make it a one-run game, 5–4. In the sixth, after a walk to
Jonathan Schoop
Jonathan Rufino Jezus Schoop ( ; born October 16, 1991) is a Curaçaoan professional baseball second baseman for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Baltimore Orioles, Milwaukee Brewers, and Minnesot ...
and a flare single to right by
Nick Markakis
Nicholas William Markakis ( ) (born November 17, 1983) is a Greek-American former professional baseball right fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 15 seasons for the Baltimore Orioles and Atlanta Braves. Markakis was the Orioles ...
,
Alejandro De Aza
Alejandro Alberto De Aza Ceda (born April 11, 1984) is a Dominican professional baseball outfielder for the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida Marlins, C ...
hit a high chopper past the pitcher's mound that shortstop Escobar had no play on; Schoop scored to tie the game. Jones hit what appeared to be a
double play
In baseball and softball, a double play (denoted as DP in baseball statistics) is the act of making two outs during the same continuous play. Double plays can occur any time there is at least one baserunner and fewer than two outs.
In Major Leag ...
ball, but
Mike Moustaskas' relay throw short-hopped
first baseman
A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...
Eric Hosmer
Eric John Hosmer (born October 24, 1989) is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres, and the Boston Red Sox ...
and the inning continued to bring up Cruz. He could not deliver the big hit this time as he rolled into an inning-ending double play.
The game turned to the
bullpen
In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if t ...
s, generally decided to be a strength for both teams, but in the top of the ninth, Orioles' reliever
Zach Britton
Zackary Grant Britton (born December 22, 1987), known professionally as Zach Britton until February 2019, is a professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles an ...
struggled to find the
strike zone
In baseball, the strike zone is the volume of space through which a pitch must pass in order to be called a strike even if the batter does not swing. The strike zone is defined as the volume of space above home plate and between the batter's kn ...
, walking the first three batters; at one point, Britton missed with 12 straight pitches. Britton then got out of the jam by getting Hosmer on a force play at home, before
Darren O'Day
Darren Christopher O'Day (born October 22, 1982) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, New York Mets, Texas Rangers, Baltimore Oriole ...
was brought in to pitch, getting
Billy Butler to hit into a double play to keep the game tied heading to the bottom of the ninth.
Wade Davis finished a strong outing by striking out the heart of the Orioles' lineup in the bottom of the ninth, and Game 1 was headed to extra innings. Alex Gordon's postseason breakout was complete when his tenth inning fly landed over the top of the high right-field wall to give Kansas City a 6–5 lead, but they weren't done yet.
Salvador Pérez
Salvador Johan Pérez Diaz (born May 10, 1990), nicknamed "Salvy", is a Venezuelan-American professional baseball catcher for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He is a seven-time MLB All-Star, five-time Gold Glove Award win ...
reached on a walk, then Moustakas launched his third home run of the playoffs, giving the Royals a three-run lead.
Royals' closer
Greg Holland
Gregory Scott Holland (born November 20, 1985) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, Colorado Rockies, St. Louis Cardinals, Washington N ...
got the first two outs in the bottom of the tenth, but then gave up a single to Flaherty. Pinch-hitter
Jimmy Paredes reached on a walk, then
Delmon Young
Delmon Damarcus Young (born September 14, 1985) is an American professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter for the Melbourne Aces of the Australian Baseball League. He played in Major League Baseball for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Ray ...
delivered a pinch-hit single to make it a two-run game. Holland would then get Markakis to ground out to second, ending the game.
Game 2
The Royals struck first in Game 2 off of
Bud Norris
David Stefan "Bud" Norris (March 2, 1985) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Baltimore Orioles, San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles ...
when with one out in the first when
Nori Aoki
is a Japanese professional baseball outfielder for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He previously played for the Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, Houston Astros, Toro ...
singled,
Lorenzo Cain
Lorenzo Lamar Cain (born April 13, 1986) is an American professional baseball center fielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers and the Kansas City Royals. The Brewers drafted him in the ...
doubled, and
Eric Hosmer
Eric John Hosmer (born October 24, 1989) is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres, and the Boston Red Sox ...
singled to score both runners. In the bottom of the second,
Yordano Ventura
Yordano Ventura Hernández (; June 3, 1991 – January 22, 2017) was a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Ventura made his MLB debut on September 17, 2013. Known as a power pitcher ...
walked three batters to load the bases for the Orioles before
Caleb Joseph
Caleb Martin Joseph (born June 18, 1986) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He previously played in Major League Baseball for the Baltimore Orioles, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Toronto Blue Jays.
Career High school and college
J ...
's sacrifice fly cut the Royals' lead to 2-1. They get the run back in the third when Cain singled with two outs, moved to third on Hosmer's single and scored on
Billy Butler's double. In the bottom of the inning,
Alejandro De Aza
Alejandro Alberto De Aza Ceda (born April 11, 1984) is a Dominican professional baseball outfielder for the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida Marlins, C ...
doubled before
Adam Jones's two-run home run tied the game. In the fourth,
Mike Moustakas
Michael Christopher Moustakas (; born September 11, 1988) is an American professional baseball infielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, and Cincinnati Reds.
Moust ...
's home run put the Royals back in front 4-3. The Orioles tied it in the fifth when De Aza singled, moved to third on Jones's single, and scored on
Nelson Cruz
Nelson Ramón Cruz Martínez Jr. (born July 1, 1980) is a Dominican-American professional baseball designated hitter and right fielder who is currently a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, Texas ...
's groundout.
The Kansas City defense continued their postseason run of highlight reel plays in the 6th when Adam Jones led off the inning with what appeared to be (at least) a double to the right-center field gap. However, Cain made diving catch to retire Jones.
Statcast
Statcast is a high-speed, high-accuracy, automated tool developed to analyze player movements and athletic abilities in Major League Baseball (MLB).
Statcast was introduced to all thirty MLB stadiums in 2015, a year now considered the beginning ...
calculated that Cain covered in 3.65 seconds, reaching a top speed of on the play. In the 7th, Cain (now playing in right field) would make another great catch, with the bases loaded, down the right field line to rob
J. J. Hardy
James Jerry Hardy (born August 19, 1982) is an American former professional baseball shortstop. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, and Baltimore Orioles. Hardy attended Sabino High School in T ...
of at least 2 RBI.
The game stayed tied until the top of the ninth when
Omar Infante
Omar Rafael Infante n-FAHN-tay(born December 26, 1981) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Atlanta Braves, Miami M ...
hit a leadoff single off of
Darren O'Day
Darren Christopher O'Day (born October 22, 1982) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, New York Mets, Texas Rangers, Baltimore Oriole ...
.
Terrance Gore
Terrance Jamar Gore (born June 8, 1991) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He played college baseball at Gulf Coast Community College. He made his MLB debut in 2014 with the Kansas City Royals and has also played ...
came in to pinch-run for Infante and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt after
Zach Britton
Zackary Grant Britton (born December 22, 1987), known professionally as Zach Britton until February 2019, is a professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles an ...
relieved O'Day, and the speedy runner scored easily on
Alcides Escobar
Alcides Escobar () (born December 16, 1986), is a Venezuelan professional baseball infielder who is currently a free agent. He previously played in MLB with the Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals and Washington Nationals, and the Tokyo Y ...
's double. After
Jarrod Dyson
Jarrod Martel Dyson (born August 15, 1984) is an American professional baseball center fielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, Pittsburgh Pirate ...
reached on an error,
Lorenzo Cain
Lorenzo Lamar Cain (born April 13, 1986) is an American professional baseball center fielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers and the Kansas City Royals. The Brewers drafted him in the ...
's single made it 6-4 Royals. Greg Holland threw a scoreless bottom of the ninth for his second save of the series.
Game 3
The Orioles struck first in Game 3 on back-to-back doubles in the second by
Steve Pearce and
J. J. Hardy
James Jerry Hardy (born August 19, 1982) is an American former professional baseball shortstop. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, and Baltimore Orioles. Hardy attended Sabino High School in T ...
off of
Jeremy Guthrie
Jeremy Shane Guthrie (born April 8, 1979) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Baltimore Orioles, Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals, and Washington Nationals ...
, but that would be the only time they led in the series as four relievers threw four perfect innings. The Royals loaded the bases in the fourth on two singles and a walk off of
Wei-Yin Chen
Wei-Yin Chen (; born July 21, 1985) is a Taiwanese professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He previously played in the Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles and Miami Marlins, and in the NPB for the Chunichi ...
before
Alex Gordon
Alexander Jonathan Gordon (born February 10, 1984) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played his entire career for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2007 to 2020. Prior to playing professiona ...
's groundout tied the game. In the sixth,
Nori Aoki
is a Japanese professional baseball outfielder for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He previously played for the Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, Houston Astros, Toro ...
hit a leadoff single off of Chen, moved to third on
Eric Hosmer
Eric John Hosmer (born October 24, 1989) is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres, and the Boston Red Sox ...
's single one out later, and scored on
Billy Butler's sacrifice fly. The Royals' 2-1 lead held, with
Jason Frasor
Jason Andrew Frasor (born August 9, 1977) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He made his debut with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2004, and had a 4.08 ERA in 63 games. He also played in MLB for the Chicago White Sox, Texas Rangers, ...
pitching a perfect 6th,
Kelvin Herrera
Kelvin de Jesús Herrera Mercado (born December 31, 1989) is a Dominican Republic, Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals from 2011 to 2018, Washington Nationals in 20 ...
a perfect 7th,
Wade Davis a perfect 8th, and
Greg Holland
Gregory Scott Holland (born November 20, 1985) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, Colorado Rockies, St. Louis Cardinals, Washington N ...
a perfect 9th for the save, putting them one win away from the World Series.
The Royals continued their postseason streak of highlight reel defensive plays, this time highlighted by
Mike Moustakas
Michael Christopher Moustakas (; born September 11, 1988) is an American professional baseball infielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, and Cincinnati Reds.
Moust ...
. In the 4th he dove and snagged a hard liner from Steve Pearce for an out, but that play seemed routine compared to his play in the 6th. Adam Jones popped a ball up in foul territory past 3rd base. Moustakas gave chase and caught the ball while falling over the railing and into the fan dugout, where the loyal Royals fans caught him to prevent him from landing on his head.
Game 4
In Game 4, the Royals took a 2-0 lead in the first off of
Miguel Gonzalez
-->
Miguel is a given name and surname, the Portuguese and Spanish form of the Hebrew name Michael (given name), Michael. It may refer to:
Places
*Pedro Miguel, a parish in the municipality of Horta and the island of Faial in the Azores Islands ...
when
Alcides Escobar
Alcides Escobar () (born December 16, 1986), is a Venezuelan professional baseball infielder who is currently a free agent. He previously played in MLB with the Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals and Washington Nationals, and the Tokyo Y ...
hit a leadoff singled and moved to second on
Nori Aoki
is a Japanese professional baseball outfielder for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He previously played for the Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, Houston Astros, Toro ...
's hit-by-pitch.
Lorenzo Cain
Lorenzo Lamar Cain (born April 13, 1986) is an American professional baseball center fielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers and the Kansas City Royals. The Brewers drafted him in the ...
's sacrifice bunt (the eventual ALCS MVP's first ever sacrifice bunt) moved both runners a base before
Eric Hosmer
Eric John Hosmer (born October 24, 1989) is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres, and the Boston Red Sox ...
grounded to first. Baseman
Steve Pearce threw the ball to catcher
Caleb Joseph
Caleb Martin Joseph (born June 18, 1986) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He previously played in Major League Baseball for the Baltimore Orioles, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Toronto Blue Jays.
Career High school and college
J ...
, but the ball got away, allowing Escobar and Aoki to score. Though Gonzalez and the Orioles bullpen shut out the Royals for the rest of the game,
Jason Vargas
Jason Matthew Vargas (born February 2, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida Marlins, Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Angels, Kansas City Royals, New York Mets and Ph ...
and the Kansas City bullpen limited Baltimore to only
Ryan Flaherty
Ryan Edward Flaherty (born July 27, 1986) is an American professional baseball coach and former infielder. He is an advance scout and development coach for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the Baltimore Or ...
's home run in the third and four hits. The Royals extended their postseason win streak to 11 games, dating back to Game 5 of the
1985 World Series
The 1985 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1985 season. The 82nd edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion Kansas City Royals and the Na ...
. This win gave Kansas City its first American League Pennant since 1985 (and third overall, the most of any AL expansion franchise), and for the first time in Major League history, a team won all eight of their first postseason games (the previous record was seven, held by the
2007 Colorado Rockies and the
1976 Cincinnati Reds).
The Kansas City 8-game postseason winning streak wouldn't be complete without a defensive gem, this time provided by multi-time gold-glove left-fielder
Alex Gordon
Alexander Jonathan Gordon (born February 10, 1984) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played his entire career for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2007 to 2020. Prior to playing professiona ...
. In the 5th, J. J. Hardy looked to have an extra-base hit deep to left-center field, but Gordon, running full speed, leaped and caught the ball, while crashing into the wall for the out.
Composite line score
2014 ALCS (4–0):
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...
over
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...
Aftermath
The Royals lost the
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...
in seven games to the Giants, in a series defined by the dominance of
Madison Bumgarner
Madison Kyle Bumgarner (born August 1, 1989), commonly known by his nickname, "MadBum", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). Previously, he pitched for the San Francisco Giants ...
. Bumgarner won twice in the series and held a lead in game seven with a five inning save on 2-days rest. Their disappointment would be short lived as the Royals finished off the job the following season, beating the Mets in the
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...
in five games. It was their first World Series victory since
1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
.
There would be a bit of bad blood between the two teams in 2015 and 2016, with
Yordano Ventura
Yordano Ventura Hernández (; June 3, 1991 – January 22, 2017) was a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Ventura made his MLB debut on September 17, 2013. Known as a power pitcher ...
and
Manny Machado
Manuel Arturo Machado (; born July 6, 1992) is an American professional baseball third baseman and shortstop for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). Very highly recruited from an early age, he was raised in Miami, where he at ...
at the center of it. In a game on September 12, 2015, Ventura hit Machado and
Chris Davis Christopher or Chris Davis may refer to:
Sports American football
* Chris Davis (running back) (born 1979), American football fullback
* Chris Davis (wide receiver, born 1983), American football wide receiver
* Chris Davis (wide receiver, born 19 ...
with pitches which ultimately just led to words between exchanged between the two teams. Tensions exploded in the fifth inning of a June 7, 2016 game between the Kansas City Royals and the Baltimore Orioles after Ventura hit Manny Machado again with a pitch in the back. This time it led to Machado rushing the mound and getting a few punches in on Ventura before his Royals teammates intervened. Both players were ejected and MLB suspended Ventura for 9 games, while Machado received a 4 game suspension.
![Manny Machado 2019](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/Manny_Machado_2019.jpg)
The Orioles could not build off their AL Championship Series appearance, as it represented a peak for the franchise under the
Buck Showalter
William Nathaniel "Buck" Showalter III (born May 23, 1956) is an American professional baseball manager for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). Previously, he served as manager of the New York Yankees (1992–1995), Arizona Diamondb ...
-era. They finished with a .500 record in 2015, as they lost the
wild card game
The Wild Card Series (formerly known as Wild Card Game from 2012 to 2019 and in 2021) are games that serve as the opening round of the Major League Baseball (MLB) Major League Baseball postseason, postseason. A single wild card game was first ...
to Toronto on a walk-off home run by
Edwin Encarnación
Edwin Elpidio Encarnación (born January 7, 1983) is a Dominican former professional baseball designated hitter, third baseman and first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland Ind ...
in 2016, and in they finished with a losing record for the first time since 2011 in 2017. Headed into the 2018 season, the Orioles were uncertain whether they were still a contender, in spite of having finished last in the AL East the previous season. On-field results quickly demonstrated that contention was out of the question, as they were instead threatening the franchise record for most losses in a season. With the trading deadline approaching, the front office decided to clean house. In the span of a few days, they traded veteran SS
Manny Machado
Manuel Arturo Machado (; born July 6, 1992) is an American professional baseball third baseman and shortstop for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). Very highly recruited from an early age, he was raised in Miami, where he at ...
, their lone All-Star, 2B
Jonathan Schoop
Jonathan Rufino Jezus Schoop ( ; born October 16, 1991) is a Curaçaoan professional baseball second baseman for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Baltimore Orioles, Milwaukee Brewers, and Minnesot ...
and pitchers
Brad Brach
Brad Brach ( ; born April 12, 1986) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Baltimore Orioles, Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, and Cinci ...
,
Zach Britton
Zackary Grant Britton (born December 22, 1987), known professionally as Zach Britton until February 2019, is a professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles an ...
,
Kevin Gausman
Kevin John Gausman (born January 6, 1991), nicknamed "Gaus", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Baltimore Orioles, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, ...
and
Darren O'Day
Darren Christopher O'Day (born October 22, 1982) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, New York Mets, Texas Rangers, Baltimore Oriole ...
, netting a total of 17 players in return with only IF
Jonathan Villar
Jonathan Rafael Villar Roque (born May 2, 1991) is a Dominican professional baseball second baseman who is a free agent. He has previously played in MLB for the Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, Baltimore Orioles, Miami Marlins, Toronto Bl ...
having any significant major league experience. They also attempted to trade CF
Adam Jones, but he vetoed a deal as was his right as a 10-5 player, i.e. one who had ten years of major league experience, including the past five with the same team. The only veterans which the Orioles retained were those who were basically unmovable because of bad contracts, such as underperforming 1B
Chris Davis Christopher or Chris Davis may refer to:
Sports American football
* Chris Davis (running back) (born 1979), American football fullback
* Chris Davis (wide receiver, born 1983), American football wide receiver
* Chris Davis (wide receiver, born 19 ...
. The Orioles did end up setting a new franchise record for losses in 2018, finishing at 47-115, a whopping 61 games behind the first-place Boston Red Sox. The Orioles next winning record did not come until
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
, when they went 83-79.
References
External links
2014 Postseason Scheduleat
MLB.com
MLB.com is the official site of Major League Baseball and is overseen by Major League Baseball Advanced Media, L.P. (a subsidiary of MLB). MLB.com is a source of baseball-related information, including baseball news, statistics, and sports column ...
2014 MLB postseason schedule at ESPN2014 American League Championship Series at Baseball Reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:2014 American League Championship Series
American League Championship Series
The American League Championship Series (ALCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. It is contested by the two winners of the American ...
American League Championship Series
Baltimore Orioles postseason
Kansas City Royals postseason
American League Championship Series
The American League Championship Series (ALCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. It is contested by the two winners of the American ...
2010s in Kansas City, Missouri
American League Championship Series
The American League Championship Series (ALCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. It is contested by the two winners of the American ...
2010s in Baltimore
American League Championship Series
The American League Championship Series (ALCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. It is contested by the two winners of the American ...