A debut worthy of a backflip, plus remembering Mo Gaba

When he made his way to a major league mound on Wednesday night at New York, right-hander Dusten Knight gave up two runs in the last of the eighth inning. But the bigger story is the long odds he beat to get that far.

He made his major league debut at age 30. He was drafted in round 28 in 2013 by the San Francisco Giants out of Texas-Pan American, and there were only 851 players drafted ahead of him. Along the way, in addition to throwing in 223 minor league games, he pitched in Mexico. In 2019 he pitched for the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs in independent baseball.

But this year, the Orioles gave him a contract and gave him a chance. They signed him as a minor league free agent in February. Then he went out and pitched well for Triple-A Norfolk with scoreless outings in 23 of 25 games. He was 1-1 with seven saves and a 1.30 ERA to go with a 1.08 WHIP and .189 average against.

Then he got the call and he found himself on the mound in Yankee Stadium.

"It was everything I hoped it would be," said Knight of his first big league appearance. "Especially to be at Yankee Stadium in front of a thousand screaming Bronx fans. What better way to have my debut?

"I thought it would be a little different just because I was so numb and I was just so in the moment that I didn't get to really take it in. When I was running in, I looked up and tried to be like OK, I'm a major leaguer right now. This is my time. But once I got close to the mound I just kind of felt numb. Honestly, it is indescribable what it felt like, to be honest."

He signed here hoping for a chance and he's getting it.

"Yeah, it's good to be in an organization that allows opportunity," Knight said. "I mean, this is a great organization, you have some great people. But the vibe in Norfolk is develop and work hard, maybe you get a chance. Definitely, there is a lot of hope that you will have an opportunity to make the major leagues. ... There is always a thought in the back of your mind, 'Maybe this could be the year. Maybe this could be the time.' So just waited patiently and got to pitch, and luckily that opportunity came."

But when he gets interviewed, reporters often want to talk about him doing backflips in the minor leagues after he gets saves. You don't see that every night. It turns out, a former Oriole had something to do with how that all began on the farm.

"The backflip comes from Will Clark," Knight explained Friday in the O's dugout. "He would always see me do it in the outfield during BP. I was the eighth-inning guy at that point in Double-A (in 2018). He was like, 'If you ever get a chance to close, I want you do a backflip if you close the game out.' I got a save opportunity that night and did the backflip. He comes up to me after the game and said, 'Now you have to do that every time.' So, that's where that came from."

Would he do it in the big leagues?

"If (Brandon) Hyde gives me the green light, I'll do it. If not, I just might keep it in my back pocket. I will wait to see what he says before I try it."

Clark was a roving hitting coach when his path crossed with Knight's on the farm and he saw the right-hander doing backflips during BP.

Knight said he started doing backflips as a 9-year-old wrestler. The folks in Norfolk got to see the stunt a few times this year. Even getting a save chance with the Orioles seems like a longshot. But it was also a longshot that a 28th-round draft pick would make the majors at the age of 30.

The Hall of Famers get honored tonight: It should be a special night tonight at the ballpark with the induction of the latest Orioles Hall of Fame class of J.J. Hardy, Mike Devereaux, Joe Angel and Mo Gaba.

What a deserving and special group of four.

Hardy had some very nice things to say about the Baltimore fans during an interview Friday afternoon.

"This city absolutely loved us for all those years," he said. "I was lucky to get traded here when I did. There was a lot of young talented players already, and I was able to be a part of it. To see 2011, not as many fans, 2012 we're winning games, have a chance to win the wild card spot and fans started coming out. And then expectations started to change and we were a good team. The fans came out, and when they did this place was by far the best place to play when the stadium was full."

Most area sports fans are aware that superfan Gaba died at age 14 after battling cancer four different times. He was just special and impacted a lot of people in his 14 years on this earth.

His mom, Sonsy, talked with reporters on Friday. Mo is the second recipient of the "Wild Bill Hagy" award. On the one-year anniversary of Mo's passing on July 28, his close friend Trey Mancini homered and caught the ceremonial first pitch Sonsy threw before the game.

"I just felt Mo was there," Sonsy said. "That was all Mo. Mo was there shining his light on everybody that day. He was present for that game. His presence was strong that day. He wanted to let everybody know he was there and proud of Trey to beat cancer."

Sonsy talked about how Mo fought so hard against such enormous challenges.

"Mo was just in a league of his own. I feel like he came here, he did what he needed to do and the Lord called him home," she said.

Click here for more on the O's Hall of Famers.

Baumann was strong again: Right-hander Mike Baumann's second Triple-A start was even better than his first. He threw six scoreless innings on one hit last night for Norfolk. Baumann had a no-hitter until allowing a single with two outs in the sixth. He fanned six and has a 1.64 ERA for the Tides.

In Double-A, 21-year-lefty Drew Rom allowed five hits and two runs in five innings in Bowie's win at Somerset. In two Double-A starts, Rom has allowed three runs in 10 innings with two walks and 13 strikeouts.

High Single-A Aberdeen blanked Jersey Shore as Zach Peek and Connor Gillispie teamed on a 5-hitter. Peek is now 1-0 with a 2.77 ERA in two IronBirds starts, and Gillispie threw four hitless innings on 49 pitches.

FINAL: Norfolk 3, Durham 1

Dusten Knight is flipping good, closing out the Durham Bulls with a six-out save.

Knight this year:
1-0, 6 SV, 0.77 ERA (2 ER, 23.1 IP) pic.twitter.com/tvEnFO7LTv

-- Norfolk Tides (@NorfolkTides) July 28, 2021