Two outs, tie game, season on edge
With two outs in the bottom of the ninth and the crowd holding its breath, Anthony Santander turned a tense September evening into a roar at Camden Yards. After Gunnar Henderson ripped a clean single to right with two down, Santander stepped in and unloaded on a pitch from Giants closer Ryan Walker, sending it screaming over the right-field wall. The Baltimore Orioles walked off the San Francisco Giants 5-3, their losing streak finally snapping under a burst of noise and orange.
The swing was a statement and a sigh of relief all at once. It was Santander’s 42nd home run of the season and came after a night that had tested his patience. He’d struck out twice, he’d walked twice, and he’d waited. In his fifth trip, with the game still deadlocked 3-3, he got the pitch he wanted and didn’t miss.
The game felt like September baseball should: tight, stubborn, and decided by inches. The Giants grabbed the first punch when Michael Conforto jumped on a pitch for a solo homer — his 18th — to give San Francisco an early lead. Baltimore answered, San Francisco countered, and both bullpens kept the lid on until the ninth. Walker, steady most of the year in leveraged spots, retired the first two hitters before Henderson’s two-out knock set the table. One pitch later, fireworks.
Gregory Soto earned the win after a clean, late-game stint, working two-thirds of an inning without allowing a hit. His night was short and sharp, exactly what Baltimore needed at the end of a stretch where every relief appearance felt like a stress test. Walker absorbed the loss after coming within one out of sending it to extras.
The numbers matter because the calendar does. The win moved Baltimore to 85-68 and cut their magic number to five, the kind of swing that lessens the weight in the dugout this time of year. The Giants fell to 74-79 and continued to labor away from home, now 33-42 on the road, a split that has shadowed them all season.
For all the emotion of the finish, the rhythm of the night told its own story. Conforto didn’t just homer; he squared up two hits and drove in two runs, keeping the Giants steady through the middle frames. Baltimore found offense in bursts, then had to grind through San Francisco’s bullpen chess. In the ninth, it came down to two hitters and one swing. Henderson, who has been Baltimore’s switch flipped at the top of the order all year, kept the inning alive. Santander finished it.
Baltimore needed that release. The second half has been a slog — injuries, thin margins, and too many one-run games. The Orioles have searched for the kind of spark that flips a clubhouse mood. This was it. That ball clearing the right-field wall wasn’t just two runs; it was the sign that the team can still land the big punch when it matters most. The magic number dropping to five is the math; the feeling in the stands was the message.
San Francisco, meanwhile, had done most of the small things right. The Giants got the early lead, manufactured pressure, and kept Baltimore’s lineup from stringing together a crooked inning. They were one out away from breathing room and a fresh frame. Instead, they’ll relive a pitch that caught too much plate. It’s been that type of September for them, especially on the road — close enough to imagine a different result, but not close enough to grab it.
Santander’s line says plenty about his night: 1-for-3, two runs scored, two RBIs, and two walks. He was disciplined, he got on base, and when it mattered, he went big. Conforto matched the stage on the other side at 2-for-4 with two RBIs, pacing an offense that had chances but couldn’t deliver the last word. Soto’s 0.2 innings carried the win, the kind of quiet line that sits underneath the headline but makes it possible.
One more layer here: the Orioles have been chasing both health and rhythm down the stretch. A game like this can nudge both. It lets the bullpen exhale, restores the crowd to full voice, and reminds hitters that one swing can rewrite an entire week. September is cruel that way — a month where timing beats volume. When your No. 3 hitter launches his 42nd in the biggest spot, it echoes through the room.
The Giants will stew over the missed finish but take a few positives back to the hotel. Conforto’s timing looks right. The defense held up in a hostile park. Walker, one pitch aside, handled the moment until he didn’t. The loss stings because it was within reach. And with the schedule almost out of dates, there aren’t many chances left to fix the road ledger.
What’s next is simple for Baltimore: stack wins and keep the magic number ticking down. They’ve played through the bumps of a bruising second half, tried every combination in the bullpen, and survived more than a few white-knuckle nights. Thursday’s ending gives them something real to carry forward. A game-ending blast, a clubhouse volume spike, and one more step toward October.
- Final: Orioles 5, Giants 3
- Anthony Santander: HR No. 42, 1-for-3, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB
- Gunnar Henderson: two-out ninth-inning single to set up the winner
- Michael Conforto: 2-for-4, HR No. 18, 2 RBI
- Gregory Soto: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, winning pitcher
- Records: Orioles 85-68; Giants 74-79
- Giants on the road: 33-42
- Orioles’ magic number: 5
Why this swing matters in September
Late in the season, the edge isn’t just about power — it’s about proof. Santander’s shot was proof the Orioles can still land the big one in a high-leverage spot, that the lineup can cash in a thin opening with two outs, and that the bullpen can hold until the bats arrive. It also gave Baltimore a clean breakup with a rough patch that had stretched too long for comfort.
For searchers and scoreboard watchers, yes, it was a walk-off home run. For the people in the park, it was a release. And for a team staring down a tight pennant race, it was the kind of September moment that flips a page and dares you to look ahead instead of back.