Getty Colton Cowser reacting after being hit by a pitch during a June 19 game against the New York Yankees.
Tempers are flaring between between the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees over batters hit by pitches. Colton Cowser is the latest, but he took the high road with his response.
When asked about the pitch he took above the elbow in the eighth inning, the 24-year-old outfielder chose to look on the bright side.
“I’ll take the on-base percentage,” Cowser told reporters postgame.
Cowser was clearly frustrated by the play, made apparent when he threw his bat down on the way to first base.
Baltimore took the second game of the series 7-6 in extra innings. Cowser finished 0-for-4 with 2 strikeouts and the one walk.
The Orioles have a chance to take the series in a third-game finale on June 20. Baltimore is 1.5 games back of the Yankees for the AL East lead.
Hit By Pitch a Series Theme in Orioles vs Yankees
Cowser’s hit by pitch is just the latest of many in the rivalry series. Aaron Judge was hit by a pitch from Orioles’ starting pitcher Albert Suarez in the first game of the series.
He told reporters after the game that he was “pissed” over the pitch that would ultimately sit him for the second game of the series.
“I was definitely pissed,” Judge told reporters postgame on June 18. “There were a couple of balls up and in. But that’s part of it. They like to throw in.”
Suarez credited doing “too much” on the pitch for it’s ultimate destination on Judge’s hand.
“I was trying to go up and in, and I guess it was too much,” Suárez told reporters on June 18. “I did it before and he fouled it off, and then I was trying to go in again and happened to hit him.”
Prior to Cowser being hit, Gunnar Henderson took a pitch to the shoulder in the seventh. When asked if he thought it was intentional, skipper Brandon Hyde was non-committal. “I have no idea,” Hyde said. “Good question.”
Mullins Shines with 10th Inning Effort
Cedric Mullins desperately needed to string a couple of hits together. The seventh-year outfielder was batting .188 going into the second game of the New York series.
He found two, including a 1-run single in the 10th inning to put Baltimore ahead 6-5.
From there, he ran to second on a throw to home plate, stole third, and ran home on a throwing error. Hyde was happy to see Mullins get some contact. But he’s not surprised by the speedster’s baserunning.
There’s a lot of things he can do on the bases for us,” Hyde said postgame. “But also the defense that Ced plays in center field. It’s premiere defense, and that’s so important at a premiere position. He took really good swings tonight, too, and really happy to see him get that hit late.”
Mullins credited practice and pregame work for his takeover in the 10th.
“That’s basically what my early work is for,” Mullins said. “To get back to my game plan, being able to create chaos, getting the hits and being able to hit doubles, long balls, steal bases, doing a little bit of everything.”
The work is never done.
Mullins is still batting just .193 after the win over the Yankees. But his part in the statement victory cannot, and will not, be forgotten. Neither will all of the batters hit by pitches.