In the final home game of 2026, Orioles’ Trey Gibson pitches the best start of his career

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Even now, with the season almost at an end and postseason elimination nearing, these games matter. They matter to the fans who braved the chilly Baltimore weather Wednesday to soak in baseball for the last time until … whenever the anticipated lockout ends.

And it mattered to right-hander Trey Gibson, who made the ninth start of his rookie season in the Orioles’ 4-2 victory against the Toronto Blue Jays that secured a sweep. He’s vying for a place in next season’s rotation, and he made his case with the best outing of his life.

All of that is what makes this game special — a 162-game grind full of anxiety coming down to one last game, full of characters fans have watched nightly for six months. Their personalities lead to fan favorites, and fan favorites become heroes, and even in a losing season (78-81 currently) there is a reason to tune in to this recurring drama.

Take it away, Pete Alonso.

“I believe in the Baseball Gods, and I honestly believe that I’m here for a reason,” Alonso said. “I was always meant to be a Baltimore Oriole.”

See? Baseball. With all its craziness and disappointment, there’s that.

As players began to leave the field after Wednesday night’s game, manager Craig Albernaz called to a few already in the tunnel to return. There was Alonso, waving his arm, gathering his teammates. Then he saluted the Camden Yards crowd.

“I know this hasn’t been the season that we wanted internally, and it’s not the season that’s expected internally,” Alonso said. “The people who have supported us, it’s not what they expected or wanted either. For people to still show up, come out to a doubleheader today, and really just show the true support, it’s special, and that should be recognized.”

Those fans saw one heck of a pitching performance from Gibson, even with a bizarre sequence right at the end of it.

Gibson appeared to finish a career-long seven innings, although a ticky-tack challenge of the infield shift rule halfway through the seventh-inning stretch forced him to return to the mound to face another batter. In the end, after issuing a four-pitch walk, Gibson watched as right-hander Yennier Cano closed out the phantom seventh inning.

Cano retired Myles Straw to end the inning a second time — the first when Gibson recorded a groundout and again when Cano notched a strikeout.

Gibson would’ve completed an even seven innings if not for what appeared to be a late challenge call from the Blue Jays.

The fans had already sung “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” They were halfway through John Denver’s “Thank God I’m a Country Boy.” Then the umpire’s voice broke through, staticky, to announce Toronto was challenging whether second baseman Jeremiah Jackson’s cleats were on the outfield grass to begin the previous play.

By a fraction, video review deemed, Jackson was on the grass. Rules are rules, and the shift violation — which means infielders may not set up in the outfield — meant Gibson needed to take the mound again.

“It’s one of those things where, as soon as the third out happened, I wasn’t even looking to see if there was a challenge. No one was,” Albernaz said. “But it was a great job by their replay guy over there to identify that. But, yeah, we were in the midst of having the conversation with Trey [regarding the end of his outing].”

At 88 pitches and seven innings, Gibson’s start should’ve been over. He was shaking hands. Then he was thrust back onto the mound, where he uncorked four balls in a row.

That’s when Albernaz introduced Cano to get out of the unforeseen jam. Still, Gibson produced a career-high 6 2/3 innings with three hits, two walks and seven strikeouts. He managed that through the highest velocity of any of his nine career starts. He reached 98.2 mph with his four-seam fastball.

He twice used double play balls to eliminate leadoff singles.

And, more than anything else, what helped Gibson was getting ahead in the count. In his first eight starts combined, Gibson’s first-strike rate was 56%. On Wednesday, he got ahead in the count 75% of the time.

A minor delivery change allowed Gibson to find that in-zone efficiency. He reduced movement, instead lifting his left leg up and down without a hitch, and it “allows me to repeat it a lot easier,” Gibson said.

By beating the Blue Jays in both legs of Wednesday’s doubleheader, the Orioles stayed alive for a bit longer. Then eyes turned to televisions to watch the Royals face the White Sox. If Chicago wins one more game this season, the Orioles are eliminated, but Kansas City pushed that another day by beating the White Sox.

That reality has hung over Camden Yards for the last few weeks, as this season’s disappointment hit home.

To some extent Wednesday night, there was a feeling of acceptance — for this night, at least. Who knows when baseball will be back here? So, on the final night of play at Camden Yards in 2026, the crowd let its warmth for this beautiful game seep into the bones of a beleaguered fanbase, weary from poor play and a season on the brink.

“I know it’s a midweek doubleheader, a little chilly out,” Alonso said. “People didn’t have to show out the way they did, so for people to do that, we appreciate that.”

This article has been updated.