BALTIMORE (AP) — Alec Bohm hit a two-run double in the top of the 11th inning shortly after a 71-minute rain delay, and the Philadelphia Phillies outlasted the Baltimore Orioles 5-3 on Friday night.
With one out in the 11th and the automatic runner on second, the Orioles intentionally walked Bryce Harper. Bohm followed with a drive to left-center off Jacob Webb (1-4) that scored both runners.
Seranthony Dominguez worked the bottom of the inning for his first save of the season.
The opener of the three-game series between two of baseball’s top teams drew a sellout of 43,987 at Camden Yards, a crowd that included plenty of Phillies fans who apparently made the short trip from the Philadelphia area. It was an electric atmosphere from the start, when Kyle Schwarber led off the game with a home run, and the night only became wilder when each team scored a run in the 10th — with two replay reviews going Baltimore’s way on plays at the plate.
“The atmosphere was tremendous,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “We got a lot of Philly fans here and obviously a lot of Baltimore fans. It was a great game, back and forth. It was just really good. It was like a playoff game.”
The sky opened and the tarp came out between the 10th and 11th. That cleared out a good number of the fans, although those that remained were spirited.
Rafael Marchán also homered for the Phillies, and Anthony Santander went deep for Baltimore. His drive to left in the eighth tied it at 2. The two-out home run came off Matt Strahm, who had gone 27 games without allowing an earned run.
The energy at the ballpark really reached another level when Craig Kimbrel came on for the Orioles to pitch the top of the ninth. His struggles in the NL Championship Series last year contributed to Philadelphia’s seven-game loss to Arizona, and the Phillies fans let him have it when he took the mound for his new team.
Kimbrel made it through a scoreless ninth, thanks in part to a diving stop by shortstop Gunnar Henderson.
Schwarber came up with the bases loaded and two outs in the 10th. He lined a sharp single to right to score a run, but Santander’s throw got pinch-runner Johan Rojas at the plate on a very close play, which was upheld after a review.
So the Orioles only needed one run to tie it, and they started with speedy Cedric Mullins on second. Orion Kerkering (2-0) hit Jordan Westburg with a pitch, struck out Adley Rutschman and pinch-hitter Ryan O’Hearn, then walked Henderson. With the bases loaded and Santander batting, he threw a wild pitch that bounced almost perfectly off the barrier behind the plate and back to Marchán, the catcher.
Mullins dashed for the plate and slid head first, Marchán came diving in for the tag, and Mullins was initially called out. But a replay showed Mullins’ arms slipping around Marchán’s glove as he reached in to touch home, and after a review, the run counted.
Santander’s flyout sent the game to the 11th — and that at-bat turned out to be Baltimore’s best chance to win.
Philadelphia’s Ranger Suárez, seeking to become baseball’s first 11-game winner this season, allowed one run in 6 2/3 innings. He also lowered his ERA to 1.77.
“We see the fans that follow us on the road,” Suárez said through a translator. “To see fans everywhere that you play at, it’s really important.”
Kyle Bradish, who missed the first month of the season because of a right UCL sprain, exited after five innings and only 74 pitches, complaining about his elbow. Keegan Akin pitched three perfect innings in relief of Bradish, keeping the Orioles close.
Schwarber gave the Phillies an immediate 1-0 lead when he hit his seventh leadoff homer of the season, tying Henderson for the major league lead. Henderson, who wasn’t batting leadoff on this night, hit a sixth-inning single to extend his on-base streak to 22 games.
Rutschman tied the game with an RBI double in the third, but Marchán untied it in the fifth with his solo shot.
Trainer’s Room
Phillies: Thomson said there’s a possibility OF Brandon Marsh (right hamstring strain) could be back Saturday.
Orioles: Top INF prospect Jackson Holliday, currently at Triple-A Norfolk, went on the injured list with right elbow inflammation. … RHP Dean Kremer (right triceps strain) is expected to pitch about four innings for Norfolk on Sunday.
Up Next
Grayson Rodriguez (7-2) takes the mound for Baltimore on Saturday against Philadelphia’s Taijuan Walker (3-1).
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