BALTIMORE — Philadelphia fans had a chance to show Craig Kimbrel how do you feel.
Over the past two days, the Baltimore reliever has had an answer.
Kimbrel struck out the final three batters on Saturday to close out the Orioles‘6-2 victory over the Phillies. It wasn’t a saving grace, but it certainly was a charged atmosphere. The first two games of this series were sold out Camden Yards, with many Baltimore and Philadelphia fans in the stadium.
“I was in Philadelphia all of last year, so I knew fans would travel, especially being so close,” Kimbrel said. “I thought it would get a good reception.”
The greeting, of course, was not pleasant at all. Kimbrel lost Games 3 and 4 of the National League Championship Series last year, and the Phillies lost the series in seven games to Arizona.
So Philadelphia fans gave him a decidedly unbrotherly welcome when he entered the ninth Friday. Kimbrel pitched a scoreless inning, but the Phillies won in 11. On Saturday he took the mound with a four-run lead. He walked the first batter before outscoring the next three.
“It’s not something that normally happens at your home stadium, but Phillies fans travel far and they were here today,” Kimbrel said. “I definitely heard them.”
Orioles starter Grayson Rodriguez He also listened to the crowd. He went seven innings and got the win on Saturday.
“It felt like a playoff game. It was a pretty hostile environment,” Rodriguez said. “Having a lot of Phillies fans there, that helped me a lot. Obviously you want to see the stadium full of orange, but there was some animosity there, and that made pitching today fun.”