The New York Mets are paying James McCann millions of dollars this season to not play for the club. His two-run homer lifted the Baltimore Orioles over his former team on August 20.
McCann sent a 90 mph sinker from Jose Quintana 408-feet into the second deck in the top of the fourth inning to score two.
The Masked Dinger
It was the third meeting between McCann and the Mets, who signed him to a four-year, $40.6 million deal in 2021. New York traded him along with $19 million in cash to the Orioles after two years with the club.
McCann told reporters he was unsure how his return to Citi Field was going to go.
“You know, I’ll say I didn’t know what I was going to feel like coming back here,” McCann told reporters. “I have good memories here. My family loved our time here. My tenure individually didn’t go the way I anticipated or expected, things happen for a reason and I’m at peace with it.”
But he reiterated that, ultimately, he’s at peace with how things shook out in New York.
“I’ve said it before, things just didn’t go the way I expected,” McCann continued. “Things happen for a reason. I’m at peace with that. I trust God’s plan. Do I wish that things had gone differently? Absolutely. I wish that it would have been the opposite but it wasn’t and there’s nothing I can do about it now.”
The 34-year-old is slashing .226/.277/.339 this season with 4 home runs and 19 RBIs. McCann is 3-0 against the Mets as a member of the Orioles.
Brandon Hyde on James McCann’s HR: ‘Beautiful Swing’
Team skipper Brandon Hyde didn’t discount the moment for McCann in his return to Queens.
“Anytime you’re facing a team that you previously played for, I think there’s always a little extra,” Hyde told reporters postgame. “I know that homer felt good. It was a beautiful swing. It ended up being a huge hit for us.”
McCann is two home runs shy of his 2023 total with 35 games to go.
But Hyde was most emphatic about Baltimore’s starting pitcher, Dean Kremer, who threw 6 innings of one-run baseball in the win.
“That was enormous,” Hyde continued. “He threw the ball so well. Totally in command. The split was good again, he’s got a good fastball, two-seamer, cutter. Dumped some curveballs in. I just thought he did a great job of mixing and pitched extremely well.”
It’s a second-consecutive quality start for Kremer, who’s now 6-9 on the year with a 4.30 ERA.
Cole Irvin Returning to MLB in Spot-Start
Baltimore swapped two starters and relievers prior to the win over New York, when they placed Zach Eflin on the 15-Day Injured List with right shoulder inflammation.
We have made the following roster moves:
Eflin has been the Orioles’ best starter since arriving at the trade deadline. He’s undefeated through four starts, having struck out 25 of 102 batters faced, and boasting a 2.13 ERA in that span.
Hyde told reporters it should be a short absence for Eflin.
“We’re optimistic that he’s gonna be able to not miss much time after the IL, if any,” Hyde told reporters, according to Roch Kubatko. “But yeah, it’s a big loss. He’s pitched great for us, but hopefully we’ll have him in September.”
His absence paves the way for Cole Irvin to return to Baltimore. The sixth-year lefty appeared in 21 games for the Orioles this season — including 14 starts — before being optioned to Triple-A after the trade deadline.
Irvin will get the start in the series finale against the Mets on August 21. He pitched 94.2 innings earlier this year with the Orioles and recorded a 4.85 ERA and 6-5 record.
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Orioles’ James McCann Responds After HR vs. Former Team