When he was at the plate in the fifth inning, Orioles catcher Matt Wieters stepped out of the batter's box to allow the applause from the frenzied crowd to grow louder. It was his night, so it seemed the least that the 23-year-old could do for one of his new teammates.
Wieters' efforts were rewarded when Luke Scott finally emerged from the home dugout and briefly acknowledged the curtain call and the chants of "Luuuuke" with a quick wave. Scott did the impossible Friday night, overshadowing the much-anticipated major league debut of the Orioles' top prospect. Wieters might have been the player the crowd came to see, but it was Scott whom they cheered loudest by night's end.
"That was awesome," Scott said of the curtain call. "Those are moments you cherish."
Scott slammed two home runs for the second straight night, including a third-inning grand slam, powering the Orioles to a 7-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers and pushing their winning streak to five before an announced 42,704 at Camden Yards.
Approximately 15,000 of those tickets were sold after Tuesday when president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail announced that Wieters' much-anticipated debut with the Orioles (23-26) would arrive Friday. His every move applauded and scrutinized, Wieters lined into a double play in his first at-bat and went 0-for-4, his greatest contributions coming defensively as part of the battery with rookie starter Brad Bergesen.
"I was very excited to be able to call a good game and get a win because I think that is something with a young catcher that you really want to see," said Wieters, who adeptly fielded a bunt and threw out Josh Anderson on the first pitch of the game. "I didn't have to do much with Bergesen, but I was able to help him in any way I could to get that win."
Bergesen, who manager Dave Trembley said was the "happiest guy in the world" after learning of Wieters promotion because the two were teammates last year, pitched into the ninth inning before being removed with two on and nobody out. The rookie right-hander allowed two runs and seven hits in notching his first win since April 21, his first major league debut. Jim Johnson relieved him and got the last three outs without allowing a run.
"Everything felt good," said Bergesen, who took a shutout bid into the seventh inning, retiring 12 straight Tigers at one point. " I really just tried to pound the strike zone and let my defense work. I was mad with myself that I didn't finish it."
