Ok...I've put this off long enough. The pain is gone. I've gotten over the Game 5 loss to New York. I've learned to appreciate the O's 2012 season for what it was...a complete success and something I'll remember for a very long time.
The Birds took the Yankees to a winner-take-all game in New York, but fell 3-1. CC Sabathia pitched a complete game, out-dueling Jason Hammel. There was a controversial call where Nate McLouth's monster home run was ruled foul even though it appeared to nick the foul pole in right field. The O's had the bases loaded in the eighth with just one out but couldn't deliver a clutch hit to tie the game or take the lead. Still, the season was amazing...I can't complain. What a ride.
It helps that the Yankees were swept in four games by the Detroit Tigers. I can't help but think that the O's would have made the ALCS just a bit more entertaining...but who knows? The game is all about momentum, but New York looked flat after an emotional series with the Birds.
The 2012 Orioles exceeded everyone's expectations, except maybe their own. They were picked to finish last in the AL East. Many of the experts predicted them to lose 100+ games. The club flip-flopped their record from 2011, when they went 69-93. They finished 24 games over .500 and second in the division behind New York. The O's played six postseason games, winning three of them. They knocked-off the Texas rangers, the club that had gone to the World Series the past two seasons. They were one win away from advancing to the ALCS.
I'm proud. And I can't wait for next season...for the first time in a long time, I actually mean it when I say we'll get em' next year.
Thanks for the incredible season, O's.
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