Buck Showalter was adamant. The Orioles manager said Zach Britton was going to pitch the ninth inning of the game, no matter what.
The Orioles had taken a 7-6 lead against the Seattle Mariners Aug. 28, and after sidearmer Darren O'Day pitched a scoreless eighth, Britton, who hadn't pitched since blowing his first save Aug. 23 after 60 consecutive successful ones, was back on the mound in the ninth.
A day before, Britton didn't warm up, as right-hander Brad Brach got the final five outs during a 2-1 win against the Boston Red Sox. Afterward, Showalter said the left-hander was unavailable.
