Orioles’ Mike Wright Allows Five Runs To Yankees In First Inning, Angrily Punches Dugout Wall After Being Pulled [VIDEO]

by Pablo MenaApril 9, 2018, 5:40 pmDaily Digest, News, Z-Home Slider >

Baltimore Orioles pitcher Mike Wright Jr. had a rough first inning against the New York Yankees on Sunday.

Orioles pitcher Mike Wright Dugout Meltdown News

The right-hander allowed five runs and was pulled after only 2/3 of an inning in the 8-7 Orioles win, the finale of a four-game series at Yankee Stadium.

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Wright did not take his exit well: he punched the padded dugout wall five times in frustration.

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“I felt like I was throwing some pretty good pitches,” Wright told the Baltimore Sun. “They’re a good-hitting team. They made some quality contact. I think the one pitch I really, really wish I had back was the last one to [Ronald] Torreyes. But other than that, I feel like I battled and threw some pretty good pitches.”

Yankees center fielder Brett Gardner opened the first inning, reached third base on a single from Aaron Judge. Giancarlo Stanton then struck out and neither Gardner nor Judge kept running after that, but Wright’s hasty decision ended his afternoon early.

Neil Walker lightly hit a pitch just in front of the mound. Then, instead of attempting to retire Gardner at home, Wright turned and tossed to second base to try to begin a double play that would give Baltimore three outs. That throw caused shortstop Manny Machado to jump off the bag, and all runners remained safe and one Yankee even scored.

“I thought it was hit hard enough that we could turn it,” Wright said. “Obviously, with Manny’s arm, if I get it there and we turn that, we’re out of the inning. We’ve got one of the best turning middle infields in the league. I was trying to utilize them.”

Catcher Austin Romine singled to put New York up 4-0, and then came the RBI double from Ronald Torreyes off the left-field wall that led manager Buck Showalter to pull out Wright.

“Mike, like a lot of starting pitchers, you’re hoping he can get in that inning and give us some length,” Showalter said. “He’s a pitch away from getting out of that inning. He just couldn’t make the pitch, but he’s going to have to be better than that. He knows that.”