BALTIMORE – Philadelphia fans had their chance to show off Craig Kimbrel How do they feel?
Over the past two days, Baltimore relievers have had their answer.
Kimbrel struck out the final three on Saturday to close out the game oriole‘ 6-2 win first Phillies. It wasn’t a life-saving situation, but it was certainly a tense atmosphere. The first two games of the series were sold out at Camden Yards, with many Baltimore and Philadelphia fans in attendance at the ballpark.
“I was in Philadelphia all last year, so I knew that fans would travel, especially since it was so close,” Kimbrel said. “I think I’ll get a good reception.”
Of course, there was nothing nice about the greeting. Kimbrel lost Games 3 and 4 of the NL Championship Series last year, and the Phillies went on to lose the series after the previous seven games Arizona.
So Philadelphia fans gave him a warm welcome when he took the field in the ninth Friday. Kimbrel pitched a scoreless inning, but the Phillies went on to win at 11. On Saturday, he blew a four-run lead. He walked the first batter before walking the next three.
“It’s not something you usually see in your home stadium, but Phillies fans, they dug deep and they’re here today,” Kimbrel said. “I definitely heard them.”
Orioles appetizer Grayson Rodriguez also heard the crowd. He fought seven rounds and won on Saturday.
“It was like a playoff game,” Rodriguez said. It was a pretty hostile environment.” “There were a lot of Phillies fans there, which helped me a lot. Obviously you want to see the stadium filled with orange, but there was some hostility there, and man, did that make pitching became fun today.”
