Welcome to another edition of the Orioles Beat newsletter. The O’s have two more games to play against the D-backs in Phoenix before returning to Baltimore for a nine-game homestand that begins Friday night vs. the Blue Jays. PHOENIX -- All hockey fans waited eagerly in anticipation on Sunday afternoon, Orioles outfielder Tyler O’Neill included. It’s not often the NHL’s career goal-scoring record is broken, and Alex Ovechkin headed into his Washington Capitals’ road matchup vs. the New York Islanders tied atop the all-time leaderboard with Wayne Gretzky. Ovechkin previously scored a pair of goals on Friday vs. the Chicago Blackhawks to pull even with “The Great One.” O’Neill -- a Canada native who took skating lessons growing up and was on the ice playing hockey by age 4 or 5 -- watched the first period of the Capitals-Islanders clash from the visiting clubhouse at Kauffman Stadium prior to the Orioles’ series finale in Kansas City. However, the O’s game started before Ovechkin scored his 895th career goal -- a beautiful strike on an across-the-ice pass from Tom Wilson that stopped the contest during the second period in order to celebrate history. “So cool,” said O’Neill, who was born in Burnaby, British Columbia. “I really tried to follow along his race to 894, 895. Unfortunately, missed all the close ones up to it, we were playing games every day. But definitely tracking the highlights and seeing what I could see. “Just so cool for him to chase history as a whole and to break it, man. It was just awesome to see as a sports fan and a hockey fan. I’m sure the whole hockey world was cheering that one on.” |
Count O’Neill among those excited to see Ovechkin’s 20-year chase result in a new record that now seems unbreakable. The 39-year-old forward continues to play at a high level (42 goals in 61 games this season) and could finish his illustrious career with more than 900. Although O’Neill grew up as a fan of the Calgary Flames, he appreciated Ovechkin’s excellence -- along with the emphatic celebrations accompanying his 895 goals. “I really enjoyed watching Ovechkin play. Obviously, he could just snipe,” O’Neill said. “So for me as a kid to look up to that, playing hockey growing up, was really cool and something to aspire to. The cellys were always pretty wicked and fun to watch. He’s just a character, man. He’s so electric and fun to watch. You can see any kind of sports fan liking that guy.” Baseball and hockey are two completely different sports. O’Neill knows that, considering he grew up playing both. There isn’t a ton of crossover between skills or techniques that would help a player in one have success in the other. |
However, Ovechkin’s consistency and longevity are traits that make him a good role model for any athlete. O’Neill, who is off to a strong start in his first season in Baltimore, attests to that. “He’s showing up every day and competing, and he’s one of the best in the world,” O’Neill said. “He’s obviously the best in the world at scoring goals. Obviously, something to look up to. Any time you’re breaking a world record, very amazing feat and super fun to watch.” |
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Last week, the Orioles announced the Birdland Student Pass presented by Toyota, which is a new way for students to get exclusive discounted tickets for select games at Camden Yards during the 2025 season. Students ages 18 and over can sign up at Orioles.com/StudentPass. After that, tickets can be purchased via a link texted out prior to eligible games.. The student pass will offer $10 tickets for the following April games: Friday vs. Blue Jays (7:05 p.m.) April 16 vs. Guardians (6:35 p.m.) April 17 vs. Guardians (6:35 p.m.) April 18 vs. Reds (7:05 p.m.) April 29 vs. Yankees (6:35 p.m.) Student tickets are expected to sell out. |
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Tomoyuki Sugano picked up his first MLB win on Saturday, when the 35-year-old Japanese right-hander tossed 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball in Baltimore’s 8-1 win at Kansas City. Through two turns of the Orioles’ rotation, Sugano’s 2.89 ERA ranked first among the starters. Here’s what pitching coach Drew French had to say about Sugano after watching the first two outings of his big league career. On Sugano’s pitch mix: “I told him after the game, ‘You have a ton of versatility.’ What the splitter may not have been [Saturday], the cutter took its place, or the two-seam took its place. He can beat guys in a lot of different ways, and it doesn't have to be 92-95 [mph], as we saw [Saturday] that the highest-velo fastball on the day was 93 by both teams. So in that type of environment with that type of climate, he can pitch in, he can make guys a little bit more uncomfortable on that side of the plate. But ultimately, he's got the requisite arsenal and doesn't need all of it every single time he goes out there.” On Sugano’s fastballs: “I think guys expect him to control the bottom of the zone a lot, and so I think there's some effectiveness when he's able to elevate purposefully, and with quality reps to quality locations up there. He threw some really nice four-seams [Saturday], and I think guys are going to have to really respect the split, and I think their eyes are going to be down a bit hunting that, whether it's to swing or to take it. And his ability to throw quality, uncomfortable pitches at the top and close to these guys is going to be something that's valuable for him.” |
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