Blue Jays beat Orioles 2-1 on pinch-hit walk by Pinango

A pinch-hit, bases-loaded walk by Yohendrick Pinango in the eighth inning broke a tie and propelled the Toronto Blue Jays to a 2-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday night at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The win marked the first meeting of the season between the American League East rivals.

Pinango’s decisive plate appearance came with one out and the bases full. After George Springer led off the inning with a double and was bunted to third, Baltimore reliever Anthony Nunez intentionally walked Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and then walked Daulton Varsho to load the bases. Pinango, batting for Myles Straw, worked a full count before taking a close pitch for ball four, forcing Springer home with the go-ahead run. Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman unsuccessfully challenged two called balls during the at-bat.

The game featured strong starting pitching from a pair of veterans. Toronto’s Patrick Corbin allowed one run on four hits over five-plus innings. His counterpart, former Blue Jay Chris Bassitt, delivered a similar line for Baltimore, surrendering one run on four hits across six innings in his first outing against his old team.

Both runs off the starters came via solo home...