On a night the Orioles bullpen gave up another lead, thanks to Miguel Tejada, the Orioles did not give up another game.
Tejada's 417-foot homer off Daniel Bard in the 8th tied the game 4-4 and his RBI single to center off Manny Delcarmen gave the Orioles the 5-4, walk-off, 10-inning win over the Red Sox.
"This is really big, not only for myself but the whole team," Tejada said. "The first day I came here I felt welcomed here. This team means a lot to me and I have a lot of respect for the fans.
"Delcarmen is a great pitcher. I just put it in my mind that I had to relax. I knew he had to throw me a strike and I was lucky to get a pitch over the plate."
Tejada said the win provides a lift for whole team, but also a bullpen that could not protect a 3-2 lead and put the O's in a 4-3 hole.
"Especially for our pitching. Our bullpen has been struggling. But we can win a bunch of games in a row.
"It felt great, that's the first (walk off celebration) of the year in twenty-something games. It feels really special to do it here at home. We played hard all game."
Tejada missed some games with a hip injury and Dave Trembley said after the game Tejada is not 100 percent but refuses to leave the lineup right now.
"I love playing baseball. I'm a little bit hurt and need to get treatment from the trainer. Sometimes you are not 100 percent physically, but have to give it all you've got. Right now I am giving the 100 percent of what I've got."
Tejada's three hits tonight raises his average to .293. Over his last eight games, he is batting .438 (14 for 32) with two homers and 6 RBI.
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