Gibson
Staff report
Greenfield’s Kyle Gibson got his National League championship ring on Monday and pitched well enough to win on Tuesday, but his former team, the Philadelphia Phillies, rallied with two runs in the ninth inning to defeat the Baltimore Orioles 4-3 at Citizens Bank Park.
Gibson, an 11-year big-league veteran, pitched in the World Series for the first time in his career in 2022. He appeared in relief for the Phils in last year’s series won by the Houston Astros in six games.
The 35-year old right-hander signed a free agent contract with the Baltimore Orioles in the offseason. He was the Opening Day starter for the O’s and has been a key part to the team’s rise to the top of the American League.
On Tuesday, Gibson went six innings and gave up four hits and two earned runs. He struck out five, but with two outs in the sixth, leading 2-1, he gave up a solo home run to Brian Harper.
Baltimore regained the lead with a run in the eighth inning, but the Phillies came back to win with two ninth-inning runs charged to Orioles reliever Yennier Cano.
Cano retired Trea Turner on a grounder for the first out of the ninth, as the shortstop finished an 0-for-4 night with one strikeout that set off boos from the Phillies fans. The slumping Turner, who is batting .245, had two errors and was ejected in Monday night’s loss to Baltimore.
Austin Hayes and Adam Frazier each had RBI doubles off Phillies starter Taijuan Walker, giving the Orioles a 2-0 lead.
Gibson allowed a run in the third and had put two runners on with one out. Turner weakly grounded to short for a fielder’s choice and the second out. Gibson then got his former teammate Harper to ground out and end the inning.
The Phillies let Gibson walk away after a 14-14 record over parts of two seasons in Philadelphia. He signed a $10 million, one-year contract and had been a 2023 version of an innings eater for the Orioles. He made his AL-high 22nd start, and his nine wins are one reason the Orioles entered leading the American League.
Gibson retired 11 straight at one point while nursing a 2-1 lead. The 11th batter was a strikeout of Turner. Turner has faced a season of adversity in Philly and was voraciously booed.
Harper turned the boos into a wild applause when he jacked his fifth homer of the season into the right field seats and tied the game at 2.
Gibson’s next scheduled start is Monday, July 31 at Toronto. He’ll go up against Blue Jays right-hander Chris Bassitt (10-5, 3.92).
(The Associated Press contributed to this story)
