IT'S A NIGHT OF FIRSTS FOR WIETERS
Orioles catcher nets first homer, RBI, curtain call
By Brian Eller / MLB.com
Courtesy of MLB.com
BALTIMORE -- As he sat in the Orioles' dugout in the second inning on Wednesday, Matt Wieters' teammates began to pester him.
They were all instructing the rookie to do the same thing -- "Go out there."
"There" was the top step of the Orioles' dugout. And with more than 30,000 fans still roaring from Wieters' first career home run, it was clear the crowd wasn't done congratulating him without a curtain call.
Seconds later, a gracious and somewhat timid Wieters moseyed out of the dugout, helmet raised in the air, sending the already-raucous crowd into an even bigger frenzy.
After 13 games and 49 appearances at the plate, Wieters had done what so many Orioles fans had been waiting for.
In the bottom of the second, Wieters blasted his first career home run -- a lofted two-run shot to left field -- and earned his first two RBIs, putting the Orioles ahead, 3-1, and checking off two items on his to-do list.
"It's a good feeling," Wieters said after the O's defeated the Mets, 6-4. "A good feeling first to get that zero out of the RBI column. To be able to give us a lead early is a good feeling, for sure."
The 366-foot shot was Wieters' first home run in 47 career at-bats. He took a first-pitch offering from Mets starter Tim Redding to left, where the ball hung in the air, allowing left fielder Fernando Martinez to back up against the wall to try to make the catch.
The ball had just enough to fall into the first row of the stands, allowing Wieters to keep jogging around the bases, and head in for his fifth run of the season.
"Home runs are accidents," Wieters said. "Home runs are doubles that sort of carry farther. I hit the ball well and was able to get it to carry over the fence for me."
After the curtain call, the crowd simmered down, only to give Wieters a standing ovation when he came to bat in the fourth inning. Wieters finished the game 1-for-3 with a walk, but he helped the Orioles defeat the Mets.
Wieters' debut in the Major Leagues had been arguably the most highly anticipated for a position player since Cal Ripken Jr. in 1981. Twenty-seven years ago, Ripken hit his first career home run against Kansas City, also a two-run shot in the bottom of the second inning.
The home run for Wieters was one of three in Wednesday's game, and two hit by the Orioles. Aubrey Huff, who had struggled at the plate over the past few series, broke a seventh-inning tie by blasting his ninth home run of the season onto the flag court.
After the game, Huff admitted it was good to see Wieters get the home run, but what was more important was to see the offense begin to find some luck at the plate.
"You can look at the whole team," Huff said. "We've all been struggling. I think everybody came in here and expected so much out of [Wieters]. I'm sure it's been a grind for him as far as all the hype that's been going on. Get that one out of the way, go out there, relax and play baseball now."
Orioles center fielder Adam Jones, who appears to be the team's official pie distributor, made sure Wieters didn't get away without receiving one last congratulatory gesture -- a pie in the face.
"Anytime you can get a shaving cream face," Wieters said, "that means you won a ballgame. It's always an honor to get one of those things, and I'll take as many of those as they want to give me."
Watch Wieters' First Career Home Run
By Brian Eller / MLB.com
Courtesy of MLB.com
BALTIMORE -- As he sat in the Orioles' dugout in the second inning on Wednesday, Matt Wieters' teammates began to pester him.They were all instructing the rookie to do the same thing -- "Go out there."
"There" was the top step of the Orioles' dugout. And with more than 30,000 fans still roaring from Wieters' first career home run, it was clear the crowd wasn't done congratulating him without a curtain call.
Seconds later, a gracious and somewhat timid Wieters moseyed out of the dugout, helmet raised in the air, sending the already-raucous crowd into an even bigger frenzy.
After 13 games and 49 appearances at the plate, Wieters had done what so many Orioles fans had been waiting for.
In the bottom of the second, Wieters blasted his first career home run -- a lofted two-run shot to left field -- and earned his first two RBIs, putting the Orioles ahead, 3-1, and checking off two items on his to-do list.
"It's a good feeling," Wieters said after the O's defeated the Mets, 6-4. "A good feeling first to get that zero out of the RBI column. To be able to give us a lead early is a good feeling, for sure."
The 366-foot shot was Wieters' first home run in 47 career at-bats. He took a first-pitch offering from Mets starter Tim Redding to left, where the ball hung in the air, allowing left fielder Fernando Martinez to back up against the wall to try to make the catch.
The ball had just enough to fall into the first row of the stands, allowing Wieters to keep jogging around the bases, and head in for his fifth run of the season.
"Home runs are accidents," Wieters said. "Home runs are doubles that sort of carry farther. I hit the ball well and was able to get it to carry over the fence for me."
After the curtain call, the crowd simmered down, only to give Wieters a standing ovation when he came to bat in the fourth inning. Wieters finished the game 1-for-3 with a walk, but he helped the Orioles defeat the Mets.
Wieters' debut in the Major Leagues had been arguably the most highly anticipated for a position player since Cal Ripken Jr. in 1981. Twenty-seven years ago, Ripken hit his first career home run against Kansas City, also a two-run shot in the bottom of the second inning.
The home run for Wieters was one of three in Wednesday's game, and two hit by the Orioles. Aubrey Huff, who had struggled at the plate over the past few series, broke a seventh-inning tie by blasting his ninth home run of the season onto the flag court.
After the game, Huff admitted it was good to see Wieters get the home run, but what was more important was to see the offense begin to find some luck at the plate.
"You can look at the whole team," Huff said. "We've all been struggling. I think everybody came in here and expected so much out of [Wieters]. I'm sure it's been a grind for him as far as all the hype that's been going on. Get that one out of the way, go out there, relax and play baseball now."
Orioles center fielder Adam Jones, who appears to be the team's official pie distributor, made sure Wieters didn't get away without receiving one last congratulatory gesture -- a pie in the face.
"Anytime you can get a shaving cream face," Wieters said, "that means you won a ballgame. It's always an honor to get one of those things, and I'll take as many of those as they want to give me."
Watch Wieters' First Career Home Run
