Baltimore Orioles outfielder Stevie Wilkerson throws to the plate as he pitches during the 16th inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels Friday, July 26, 2019, in Anaheim, Calif. He became the first position player to earn a save with the Orioles defeating the Angels 10-8 in 16 innings. Thursday's performance was the third of the season for Wilkerson. In his first appearance against the Tampa Bay Rays on July 12, Wilkerson pitched a perfect ninth inning. He needed just 10 pitches, seven of which were strikes. </s> Stevie Wilkerson made history for closing the Baltimore Orioles' 10-8 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night, but you'll never guess how.

As a reserve outfielder, not only did the 27-year-old utility man become the first position player in MLB history to record a save, but he did so with pitches that never topped 56 mph in the 16th inning of a six-hour game.

Wilkerson, a Clemson product who debuted in the majors in 2018, pitched two other times in "mop-up duty" this month, but nothing will compare to the stunt he pulled off Thursday night.

He preserved a lead he helped blow earlier in the game when he misplayed fly ball a in center field that gave Los Angeles a seventh-inning edge. Wilkerson then came onto the mound and retired the side (including Albert Pujols) in order with "a bunch of tepid lobs" in the mid-50s, to seal the save.

The first position player to log a save since the stat became official in 1969, Wilkerson obviously capped the game in odd fashion, but it fit the evening, as Thursday's contest ended up as the second longest game in Orioles history.

"I don't think I've wrapped my head around it yet," Wilkerson said. "What a wild game. That was just crazy." </s> Baltimore’s Stevie Wilkerson became the first position player in Major League Baseball history to record a save (which has been an official stat since 1969) by blanking the Angels in the bottom of the 16th inning early this morning. Wilkerson retired all three batters he faced with truly nasty stuff you have to see to believe.

Look at that filth. A mid-50s fastball that doesn’t do anything and … well, nothing else. Tough to step into the box and feel confidence against such an overpowering arsenal.

Wilkerson may have failed to top 56 mph on any delivery, but he did channel the Earth’s gravitational forces to make his ball drop into the strike zone and then harmlessly into a fielder’s glove.

The righthanded utility man has made three appearances this year. He’s allowed a single run in four innings of work and has a WHIP of .50. So, like, an actual asset.

It makes sense that Major League hitters have a tough time adjusting to what amounts to a slow-pitch softball lob. But that doesn’t make it any less fun. </s> If you’ve spent your whole career attempting to learn how to hit 90-something MPH baseballs with unreal movement, it turns out it’s super hard to hit a 54 MPH ball thrown by someone who does not make a living as a Major League relief pitcher.

That’s perhaps the lesson we learned when Stevie Wilkerson made history on Thursday night, becoming the first position player to earn a save (although let’s remember MLB started keeping saves as a stat in 1969).

The Baltimore Orioles outfielder was forced to come in during the 16th inning of a game against the Los Angeles Angels with his team up 10-8 … and he threw a 1-2-3 inning with pitches that averaged a paltry 54.3 MPH:

Stevie Wilkerson is the first position player to record a save (saves became an official stat in 1969). #SCFacts He threw 14 pitches and NONE of them were faster than 60 mph 😳 pic.twitter.com/rkSpGUbMew

You want to poke fun at the Angels hitters — including Albert Pujols — here, but it seems like these are so much harder to hit. </s> July 26 (UPI) -- Baltimore Orioles outfielder Stevie Wilkerson became the first position player to record a save in Major League Baseball history during a 10-8 win against the Los Angeles Angels.

Wilkerson pitched a perfect 16th inning in the victory Thursday at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif. Orioles infielder Jonathan Villar hit a two-run homer in the top of the inning for the go-ahead runs in the win.

Wilkerson entered the game as the Orioles' 10th pitcher. He forced the Angels' Brian Goodwin to fly out to center field in his first exchange. He followed by getting Kole Calhoun to ground out. He ended the game by getting Albert Pujols to fly out to center field. Wilkerson's fastest pitch was 56 mph.

Justin Upton gave the Angels a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, scoring Mike Trout on a sacrifice fly. Anthony Santander tied the score with an RBI single in the fourth frame. Renato Nunez gave the Orioles a 2-1 advantage with an RBI single in the fifth inning.

Calhoun gave the Angels a 4-2 lead with a three-urn double in the bottom of the seventh inning. Baltimore responded with two runs in the eight inning, tying the score at 4-4.

Baltimore's Trey Mancini hit his 23rd home run of the season in the ninth frame. Angels slugger Brian Goodwin sent the game to extra innings with a solo shot in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Each team plated three runs in the 15th inning, before Villar headed to the plate as the fourth batter of the 16th inning. The Orioles infielder took two balls from Angels reliever Griffin Canning. He then smoked an 89.8 mph slider over the right center field fence for his 12th home run of the season. The two-run shot traveled 396 feet and had an exit velocity of 102 mph, according to Statcast.

Wilkerson then entered the game and put the Angels away on 14 pitches, picking up a historic save. Hanser Alberto and Pedro Severino each went 4-for-8 for Baltimore in the victory. Mike Trout went 3-for-7 with two RBIs, two runs scored, three strikeouts and a walk for the Angels.

The Angels host the Orioles at 10:07 p.m. EDT Friday in Anaheim. </s> Major League Baseball history was made on Thursday as Baltimore Orioles center fielder Stevie Wilkerson of Roswell, GA became the first positional player ever to record a save. Wilkerson, who began Baltimore’s game against the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday in the outfield, came into pitch in the bottom of the 16th inning with the Orioles leading 10-8 and was able to close out the game without giving up any damage.

With the Orioles leading by two runs, Wilkerson faced the minimum number of batters in the inning as he retired Brian Goodwin, Kole Calhoun and Albert Pujols. Goodwin and Pujols flew out to center field and Calhoun grounded out to shortstop as the Orioles hung on to the two run victory.

Wilkerson came into throw 14 pitches and had 10 strikes. Interestingly, it was not the first time he has pitched this season. He also pitched one shutout inning in a 16-4 Orioles loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on July 12 and gave up one earned run in two innings in a 17-6 loss to the Boston Red Sox on July 20. However it should be noted that Thursday night Wilkerson was used in a meaningful situation for the first time and delivered an outstanding performance.

Offensively, Wilkerson had one hit in seven at bats. His hit was a ground rule double with two out in the eighth inning which at the time tied the game at four runs apiece. Wilkerson’s double scored Jonathan Villar.

Wilkerson was the 10th Orioles pitcher used in the 16 inning marathon. The other nine Orioles pitchers used were Jimmy Yacabonis, Tom Eshelman, Shawn Armstrong, Paul Fry, Mychal Givens, Miguel Castro, Richard Bleier, Gabriel Ynoa and Tanner Scott. Despite giving up three runs in the 15th inning and blowing the save, Scott recorded his first win of the 2019 Major League Baseball regular season. </s> That's understandable, as Stevie Wilkerson is a center fielder for the Baltimore Orioles. Still, he has pitched before at the major-league level -- albeit in mop-up duty situations.

This was not one of those times.

It was getting so late it was getting early -- as Thursday's marathon game against the Los Angeles Angels moved into the early hours of Friday -- and the Orioles were out of pitchers. It was the bottom of the 16th inning when Wilkerson took the mound with his team up 10-8.

Pitching a perfect inning, Wilkerson became the first position player ever in Major League Baseball to record a save, MLB says. He retired Albert Pujols on a fly ball, ending the game just before 1:30 a.m. local time (4:30 a.m. ET) after six hours, 19 minutes. "I don't think I've wrapped my head around it yet," Wilkerson said, according to MLB.com Good morning to Stevie Wilkerson and Stevie Wilkerson only. pic.twitter.com/fRBttNhioD — Orioles on MASN (@masnOrioles) July 26, 2019 Earlier in the night, Wilkerson hit a game-tying double the top of the eighth inning, redeeming himself after misplaying a fly ball that had given the Angels the lead in the seventh. The score continued to climb, but neither team could seize control. Around the 13th inning in Anaheim, Wilkerson knew pitching may be a possibility, as he went to get his pitching glove. This was his third career pitching appearance, with his last coming on Saturday against the Boston Red Sox. "I knew we were running thin on guys," the 27-year-old Wilkerson said. "I knew it was a possibility when the game was getting late." In a game where both teams coughed up leads, the Angels had a chance to win in the bottom of the 15th, but David Fletcher was called out at home trying to score on a Mike Trout bases-loaded double. The call stood after review. The Orioles then took the lead in the top of the 16th with a two-run home run from Jonathan Villar, setting up the save opportunity -- which became an official stat in 1969 -- for Wilkerson. "I was just hoping somehow they would hit three balls at somebody," Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde said. "It's below hitting speed, so that's hard." Mission accomplished: Fly out, ground out, fly out. "Just a great, great baseball game," Hyde said. "A really gutty performance from our guys. It was a boxing match back and forth." </s> If the MLB's Cut4 Twitter account had its way, position players would pitch every night . Fortunately for them, it's happened quite a bit in 2019, much to the chagrin of many managers. It's a situation no team wants to be in, because it almost always means you're getting blasted by the opponent, and rather than waste an actual bullpen arm with your team down by 10 runs, you might as well trot a position guy out there and hope he gets a few outs.

RELATED: The Baltimore Orioles infield made one of the most embarrassing plays in baseball history

On very rare occasions, though, a team could be in the lead and a position player pitching is that team's only option. This was the case on Thursday night for Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde, who had no actual pitcher to turn to with his team up, 10-8, in the bottom of the 16th against the L.A. Angels. After using all eight bullpen arms and one of his starters, Hyde brought in utility man Stevie Wilkerson, who had made two appearances on the hill already this season. Wilkerson had previously pitched three innings in total, striking out a batter and giving up only one run on two hits. Pretty damn good for a position player.

Those stats look even better when you see how Wilkerson actually pitches. The right-hander throws 54-mile-per-hour meatballs right over the center of the plate, and on Thursday night, it worked! Wilkerson got the Angels to go three up, three down, giving him the save. Oh, and by the way, one of the batters he faced was Albert Pujols, who is only one of the top-10 hitters in the history of the sport:

Incredible. These guys can't touch Stevie! I'd imagine it's tough waiting on these slow-pitch softball-esque hangers after facing heaters and junk all night, but c'mon, you're still in the MLB. You should be able to tee off on one of these, no? Guess not. Wilkerson's save proved to be historic, as it was the first to be recorded by a position player since saves became a statistic in 1969. He's now made three appearances and has an ERA of 2.25, giving up two hits in four innings pitched. The Boston Red Sox would kill for that kind of production from somebody in their pen.

RELATED: Future member of the Orioles gets Barry Bonds treatment in college game </s> Baltimore Orioles outfielder Stevie Wilkerson gestures after the Orioles defeated the Los Angeles Angels 10-8 and pitching the 16th inning of a baseball game Friday, July 26, 2019, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Even after a postgame beer shower from his ecstatic Baltimore Orioles teammates, Stevie Wilkerson was shocked to learn he had just become the first position player in major league history to earn a save.

The Orioles’ center fielder certainly couldn’t believe he did it by throwing a perfect 16th inning way past midnight with a bunch of tepid lobs that never topped 56 mph.

“I don’t think I’ve wrapped my head around it yet,” Wilkerson said. “It was a wild game. It was crazy. I’m just glad I was a part of it.”

Wilkerson’s singular performance as the Orioles’ 10th pitcher was only the final flourish on a 6-hour, 19-minute epic that just might have been struggling Baltimore’s best win of the season.

Jonathan Villar threw out the Angels’ potential winning run at the plate in the 15th inning and then hit a two-run homer in the 16th as the Orioles persevered for a wild 10-8 victory over Los Angeles early Friday.

Wilkerson and Villar were the unlikely heroes of what turned into a thoroughly unique night at Angel Stadium. The Orioles have had little to celebrate during their woeful season, but they were proud of their grit and resilience while this game got weird.

“Yeah, I think that was the best day of the year for all of us,” said Villar, who snapped a 1-for-22 slump with his homer.

Both teams blew multi-run leads, and the Angels came within a desperate tag of walking off on Mike Trout’s bases-loaded double against Tanner Scott (1-0) in the bottom of the 15th. David Fletcher tried to score from first, but was called out on a bang-bang play at the plate.

Wilkerson went to get his pitching glove around the 13th inning because he figured he might be needed for his third relief appearance of the year. He moved from center to the mound in the 16th and sparked a few chuckles from the hearty remaining crowd in Anaheim with his underwhelming pitches.

But he got three straight outs when sluggers Brian Goodwin, Kole Calhoun and Albert Pujols all made easy outs.

“I was just hoping somehow they would hit three balls at somebody,” Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde said. “It’s below hitting speed, so that’s hard.”

Wilkerson also became the first player in major league history to start and earn a save in the same game.

Moments before his homer, Villar also saved the game as the shortstop in the 15th when he cut down the potential winning run with a relay throw home on Trout’s two-run double that tied it at 8. The play was reviewed and the out call upheld just after 4 a.m. at the replay center in New York.

“Quite frankly, in my mind, he was safe,” Angels manager Brad Ausmus said. “His hand was in there before the glove hit him in the chest. It’s a tough call for (plate umpire) Tony Randazzo, but I think New York missed it.”

Villar then connected off Griffin Canning (3-6), the Angels’ 10th pitcher and their scheduled starter for Friday’s game before this series opener spiraled into a magnificent mess.

The last-place Orioles rallied from a late two-run deficit and eventually snapped the Angels’ four-game winning streak, with the final out recorded just before 1:30 a.m.

Baltimore also improved to 1-62 when trailing after seven innings this season, while the Angels dropped to 46-1 when leading after seven.

The game seemed much simpler three hours earlier when the Angels were up 4-2 heading to the eighth inning after Calhoun’s three-run double. Trey Mancini put Baltimore up 5-4 with a homer in the ninth before Goodwin tied it in the bottom half with a one-out homer of his own.

And after five scoreless extra innings, the teams scored three runs apiece and resolved nothing in the surreal 15th.

Baltimore went up 8-5 in the top half with a rally highlighted by a two-run single from Jace Peterson, who was making his major league season debut.

But the Angels improbably answered — and came within a whisker of walking off. Pujols led off with a single before the Halos drew three walks from Scott to force in a run.

After winning 12 of their previous 18 games, the Angels were hoping for a dominant week at home against cellar-dwelling Baltimore and Detroit to make a push for the AL wild-card race heading into August. But now they’ll have to try it with their pitching staff in disarray for the next two days.

Pujols beat out an infield single in the seventh for his 3,155th career hit, passing George Brett for sole possession of 16th place in baseball history.

Baltimore rookie Tom Eshelman entered in the third and pitched 4 1/3 innings of four-hit ball in his fourth big league appearance. Eshelman is a native of Carlsbad, California, who played down the street from Angel Stadium at Cal State Fullerton.

Angels: C Jonathan Lucroy will begin a rehab assignment Friday. He hasn’t played since Houston’s Jake Marisnick gave him a concussion and a broken nose in a collision at the plate right before the All-Star break.

The Angels will have some scrambling to do on the mound after Canning had to pitch in this game. They will face Baltimore’s Asher Wojciechowski (1-3, 3.91 ERA), who pitched 7 1/3 brilliant innings of scoreless 10-strikeout ball against Boston last week to get his first win of the season.
Outfielder Stevie Wilkerson of the Baltimore Orioles becomes the first position player in Major League Baseball history to record a save, doing so in a 10–8 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.