Cowser Wowser! CF's game-ending HR robbery gets O's to .500 for 1st time since April

DENVER -- Inside the visitors’ clubhouse at Coors Field, the play was called “incredible,” “gutsy” and “special.” It left some Orioles players speechless. Every person in the room had wide smiles on their faces long after the game had ended.

But it was the first sentence out of Baltimore manager Craig Albernaz’s mouth that best described the game-saving homer-robbing catch made by Colton Cowser late Monday night.

“It’s the best play I’ve ever seen,” Albernaz said.

Cowser put an emphatic stamp on the O’s return to .500 with one of the best plays that truly any baseball fan has likely ever seen. The 26-year-old center fielder robbed Jake McCarthy of what would have been a walk-off two-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning and singlehandedly saved the Orioles’ 2-1 series-opening win over the Rockies.

At 69-69, Baltimore has an even record for the first time since it was 15-15 on April 30. The O’s have won eight of their past 10 games to pull within a half-game of the Guardians (69-68) for the third American League Wild Card spot as the calendar turns to September.

And on this night, the Orioles could thank Cowser for that.

So, here was the big question: How in the world did he pull that off?

“I was playing a little more shallow than I probably should have been in that situation. Just trying to cut down that runner [on second base] at home [if needed],” Cowser said. “They have such a big outfield where your normal depth is way deeper than what it should be, so it was more than normal depth. And kind of before the play -- just kind of the whole inning -- it was like, ‘If there's a ball hit kind of deep, just get your head down and go.’

“And by the grace of God, we came down with it.”

According to Statcast, Cowser had a starting depth of 329 feet from home plate. Although his average for the season is 324, he thought he should have been even deeper in this particular situation because of how spacious the outfield is at Coors Field. (The average starting distance for center fielders at Coors this season is an MLB-high 338 feet.)

McCarthy connected on a 1-0, 95 mph sinker from right-hander Andrew Kittredge and hit a 102.9 mph rocket. Rockies fans rose to their feet. Everybody in both dugouts held their collective breath and watched eagerly to see how this game would end -- one way or the other, in this case.

“I could kind of tell off the bat Cowser had a really good bead on it,” Kittredge said. “But I didn’t think he was going to make a play like that.”

Cowser got back to the warning track, timed his leap perfectly and positioned his glove at the ideal spot over the wall, all while crashing hard, backside-first into it. As he fell to the ground and ended up on his back, he immediately pumped his fist, realizing what he’d just pulled off.

As Cowser returned to his feet, he let out more emotion, unleashing a roar and more fist pumps. Kittredge stood with his jaw wide open before turning to the Orioles’ third-base dugout and smiling toward his teammates.

The reaction on the O’s side was excitement, but also continual disbelief.

“I don’t know if I can put it in PG,” Albernaz said of his words in the dugout after the grab. “I use the word ‘tight’ every time someone makes a really good play out there, that’s what we say. There were some other expletives going on in there, and rightfully so.”

“Incredible. Gutsy,” starting left-hander Cade Povich added. “To go up and make the grab, it’s just one of those plays that, if you see it in person, it’s special.”

• Greatest homer-robbing catches in MLB history

Meanwhile, over in the Rockies’ clubhouse, McCarthy tipped his cap to Cowser for the effort.

“I honestly didn't know if it was going to get out. He was playing a little shallow,” McCarthy said. “When I saw his numbers go back, I figured there was a chance that it was either going to hit off the wall or be a home run. That was a hell of a play. That was crazy, obviously, the situation, just how difficult that play is. So, that stinks. But I respect it. Great play.”

Cowser’s offensive production has been up and down a bit this season, his fourth in MLB. He’s hitting .221 with 13 home runs and a .690 OPS over 122 games. But his defense is always reliable, and his Baltimore teammates can count on him to play at a high level anywhere in the outfield -- mostly in center, but also in either corner, if needed.

At this point, Cowser is a walk-off specialist on both sides of the ball. He hit walk-off home runs on back-to-back days on May 24 vs. the Rays and May 25 vs. the Tigers at Camden Yards. Now, he even has a walk-off home run robbery, a feat only possible away from home.

“I guess this one was a walk-off for them, or it was a walk-off for us,” Cowser said. “So yeah, I guess you can say that -- a walk-off on the road.”