The 'streaking' Orioles and a Little League ace highlight this week's Good Times
By Jake Mintz
FOX Sports MLB Writer
Welcome to Good Times.
Every Friday, we focus on three things from the previous week in baseball — fans, managers, players, teams, cities, fan bases or mascots — for which the times were good.
Here we go.
1. The Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles are the hottest team in baseball. Or at the very least, their 2-0 record in their past two games is tied for the best record in MLB during that span. You say "small sample," and I say, "OK, whatever."
After rattling off a mind-boggling 19 consecutive losses, tied for the seventh-longest streak in baseball history, the Birds of Baltimore finally got themselves in the win column Wednesday night. Then, on Thursday afternoon, they stayed scalding, besting Shohei Ohtani and the Angels to win the series against the Halos with their second consecutive win.
It’s less than ideal that it got to this point, but their win to snap the streak was, for me, an Orioles fan, the most fun I’ve had watching a Birds game in a long time. Maybe that was the front office’s strategy all along: Lose enough games in a row, and the season will start to have some dramatic tension. I kid, I kid.
You know the feeling when you go for a long hike, or a lengthy bike ride (I do), and you’re so hungry that a bite of anything tastes like the greatest thing you’ve ever eaten? That’s how Wednesday night’s win felt. You appreciate the things that don’t happen often — like if Christmas (or Chanukah, in my case) came once every 19 years.
Being a fan of a bad team requires you to separate all the infuriating crap happening at the macro level — ownership’s unwillingness to spend, 100-loss seasons, lack of pitching development — from the genuine, day-to-day joy that comes from caring about your club. So while the sheer embarrassment that comes with losing 19 consecutive games is nothing to be proud of, the suspense, tension and jubilation of Baltimore’s emotionally fulfilling win Wednesday were real!
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When Austin Hays smacked a double off the wall to break the game open in the eighth, we Orioles fans weren’t concerned about any five-year plan or worried about which under-qualified starting pitcher would appear from Triple-A next. A win is a win is a win is a win. And when they come less often, you cherish them more.
Or maybe the O’s will win 17 more in a row.
2. South Dakota baseball fanatics
Gavin Weir is the greatest pitcher in Little League history. The 12-year-old lefty from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, has racked up some absolutely eye-popping numbers during his team’s run to the Little League World Series semifinal in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
In eight starts across the District, State, Regional and now World Series tournaments, Weir has struck out 114 batters in 43⅔ innings and has allowed … one hit. That hit — a single — came on July 24 in the fifth inning of a South Dakota state tournament game against Harney Little League. Other than that one single and the six walks he has issued, Weir has been immaculate.
On Wednesday, in what was essentially the World Series quarterfinal, Weir tossed yet another no-hitter, his second of the tourney, striking out 14 in a 1-0 win over California. His Chris Sale-esque delivery and fastball/slider combination gave the Torrance, California, hitters no chance. Four balls were put in play, all grounders to the right side of the infield; everything else was a strikeout.
We’ve seen outstanding pitchers on Little League’s biggest stage before, but no one as outright untouchable as Weir. During most of the season in Sioux Falls, he plays with the 14-year-old kids on a major-league-sized diamond — 60 feet, 6 inches mound to plate and 90-foot bases. But because he’s still only 12, he’s eligible for official Little League and has made the most of that opportunity to be the most incredible pitcher ever at that level.
When you watch Weir's highlights, you’re struck by the inevitability of it all. His mannerisms are that of a major leaguer, the way his face looks at release point, the way he moves around the mound. He is pushing the Little League rules and their 46-foot, 6-inch mounds to the limit. The playing field was quite simply not designed for kids this good.
Unfortunately for those of us who love penciling in a no-hitter on our baseball-watching schedule, Weir is most likely done for the tournament. He threw more than 65 pitches Wednesday, which means he isn't eligible to pitch — according to Little League’s pitch-count rules — until Monday. South Dakota plays in the semifinal Saturday, with the final set for Sunday.
There is, however, rain in the forecast all weekend in the Williamsport area. If the heavens open up over the weekend and push the final to Monday, it would allow Weir to take the bump one final time, with the championship on the line.
I don’t know about you, but I’m hoping for a torrential downpour.
3. The Dodgers
I’d like to talk about this video:
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I have zero interest in fantasy football (though my high school friends force me to play every year), nor do I have any interest in golf (I’ve played one round in my life). Nevertheless, this video really hits home for me.
There’s something about seeing the incredible players on the Dodgers, lined up, out of uniform, hanging out together that is absolutely incredible. I know these guys suit up alongside one another every night, but this feels so different and joyful.
The funniest part is that this is only like half of the amazing Dodgers. There’s no Max Muncy, Mookie Betts, Chris Taylor, Julio Urías or Will Smith here, and those dudes are five of their top seven most valuable players by WAR.
What a good team! And they’re still trailing the Giants! Baseball!
Jake Mintz is the louder half of @CespedesBBQ and a baseball analyst for FOX Sports. He’s an Orioles fan living in New York City, and thus, he leads a lonely existence most Octobers. If he’s not watching baseball, he’s almost certainly riding his bike. You can follow him on Twitter @Jake_Mintz.