BALTIMORE (AP) ― In a duel for first place in the AL East, neither team was happy after a tense game that went down to the final questionable out.
The Orioles beat the Yankees 5-4 on Saturday night to regain a share of the top spot in the division with New York, but Baltimore lost right fielder Nick Markakis for six weeks in the process.
Markakis broke his left thumb, the result of being struck by a fifth-inning pitch from left-hander CC Sabathia. The injury will keep him sidelined for the rest of the regular season and deep into the playoffs ― if Baltimore gets that far.
Markakis can only hope the Orioles make a lengthy postseason run and he has a quick recovery.
“Yeah, hopefully,” he said. “We’ll see how it goes. It’s just a matter of healing. I’ll be in a brace for a while and hopefully it will heal up quicker than I think it will.”
Orioles manager Buck Showalter said, “It breaks my heart personally, and for him. I know how much this time of the season means to him. We’ll go forward from there.”
