Wrapping up a 7-4 11-inning win

NEW YORK - Players were challenged to remember a stranger game in their careers. Reporters were challenged to make sure every detail got into their stories, with so many key moments and bizarre twists and turns that led to the Orioles' 7-4 11-inning win over the Yankees.

Everyone inside the visiting clubhouse seemed to be in agreement that reliever Darren O'Day didn't commit a balk in the ninth inning, as ruled by plate umpire Stu Scheurwater. Logan Verrett threw to the wrong base to complicate his 10th inning, then performed an impressive escape act with the help of shortstop J.J. Hardy and catcher Welington Castillo, who combined for a huge force out at home plate.

The Yankees used pitcher Bryan Mitchell in the ninth, moved him to first base in the 10th and returned him to the mound in the 11th, where he surrendered three runs. Mark Trumbo broke a 4-4 tie with an RBI single after Mitchell intentionally walked Manny Machado, gambling that last year's major league leader in home runs would make the final out. Castillo followed with a run-scoring single and Trumbo raced home while the Yankees were figuring out where to throw the ball.

Chris Davis, a late scratch due to a sore right elbow, replaced Trey Mancini at first base in the 11th inning and is expected to play Monday night in Boston. Craig Gentry, added to the lineup in right field, had a hit, RBI, walk and two stolen bases. Of course he did.

Verrett flew into New York last night, worked two innings to pick up his first Orioles win in his debut with the club, and could be the pitcher who's optioned this week to make room for closer Zach Britton. Britton is joining the Orioles in Boston on Monday after throwing 11 pitches today in a scoreless inning at Double-A Bowie.

Manager Buck Showalter, who was ejected for arguing a balk call that initially was ruled obstruction on Hardy, indicated that Britton could be activated Monday or Tuesday. He doesn't want the world to know.

Richard Bleier would be a candidate for demotion after arriving with Verrett, but Showalter likes having a left-hander to back up a right-handed starter and the Orioles are sending Alec Asher to the mound on Tuesday night. Showalter made it official.

But back to today's madness ...

The Orioles averted a sweep and moved into a first-place tie in the American League East. The bullpen let them down and then picked them up.

Wade Miley allowed eight hits and walked five batters in five innings, but he held the Yankees to two runs before exiting at 114 pitches.

"It's very much like the (Monday) game at home with nobody there, the rain, the weather," Showalter said. "It's one of those things you do. Our guys refused to lose.

"They let us hang around a little bit there early. They had a chance to open some things up and Wade didn't let it happen. That will not go forgotten. He didn't implode and let the game get away from him. They kind of let us hang around there and our guys got back in it.

"Mychal (Givens) had a real big outing. I thought Jonathan Schoop had an unbelievable day defensively at second base. Those are hard plays. Real glad we got Logan here. Stepped up and gave us some things in time of need."

Verrett began the 10th inning by allowing a single to Austin Romine. He fielded Brett Gardner's bunt and threw late to second base instead of taking the easy out at first. Another bunt moved up the runners and Verrett hit Greg Bird to load the bases. With disaster looming, Verrett induced a ground ball from Starlin Castro that Hardy charged before throwing home for the force. Castillo played the ball on the hop, an extremely difficult maneuver.

Verrett struck out Aaron Judge, also an extremely difficult maneuver.

"I haven't beat him up on that yet," Showalter said when asked about Verrett's throw to second base. "I'll ask about it. He was one of our best in the spring at that with some of the bunt plays you have on there. They work on them down in Norfolk, so very similar stuff.

"You get on a plane last night and you get here and you're pitching in that situation, but that's why they do what they do."

Verrett pitched for the Mets last season and gets the whole New York vibe. It carries between the two ballparks.

"I was standing on the mound there in that jam and kind of thinking, at Yankee Stadium everyone has a big moment sometime," he said. "I thought to myself, 'This is my opportunity to have a big moment at Yankee Stadium and put a stamp on my Orioles debut.' I thought it was a lot of fun out there. It was a long game, but glad we came out on top.

"I just told myself to keep making pitches. The first guy got on with a perfectly placed little pop fly and the next one I messed up on a bunt play. It is what it is. That's how the inning started, but you've still got to pitch out of it. Those guys still have to put the ball in play and find holes. It's me versus them out there and I have a pretty good defense behind me, so it's easy to make pitches when that's the case."

The force out at home was one of those plays.

"Exactly," Verrett said. "Example A. J.J. making that play, that's a slow roller and that's not an easy throw. And Welington digging it and hanging on and avoiding the collision on that ball. That's a huge play. Obviously saved the game, but also it just gets that momentum going and gives you that confidence that, 'Hey, let's go, let's make a pitch right here and these guys are going to make a play.' "

An insane game and a crazy 24 hours for Verrett.

"About this time yesterday, I was scrambling to get my stuff packed and get on a plane," he said. "It's been a fun 24 hours. I was glad I made the flight and able to fly in last night. Got to the park today and just kind of said what's up to all the guys and went about our business, just like any other day."

Hardy praised Castillo for saving him from an error by playing the short hop. Castillo called it "instinct."

"I just tried to play it as first baseman, but as soon as I see the throw, I've got to make sure that I hold the ball and that's what I did," Castillo said. "The throw turned into the line and I just went down there and grabbed the ball and tried to get one out.

"That (ninth) inning, with all that stuff happened - the balk and all that stuff - after we get in there, we say, 'Here we go, we can win this game.' We kept fighting with our bats and our players and we never give in. We never give up. We put everything together and that's how we get the win."

The balk in the ninth was a sore subject. It allowed two runners to move up and they scored on Didi Gregorius' bases-loaded single off Donnie Hart.

"I thought it was a good move, honestly," Castillo said. "That's the way that he pitches. I don't know what they're seeing honestly. That's the way they saw it."

Showlater was furious, of course, and said later that he didn't really get an explanation.

"Not a whole lot," he said. "I don't know. There wasn't a lot of give and take. Same thing he's been doing for eight or nine years. One out of four saw something that wasn't there. I think we call it over-officiating in basketball. He had a pretty good game going until that."

Said O'Day: "Yeah, I've been doing the same move my whole career and nobody's every called it a balk, so it's a bit surprising that he could see that from there. He called a balk, it would have been interesting if I had made a good throw and picked him off because that would have been the game. Yeah, this is what, my 10th season and it's never been called before. I guess I'll continue to do it. I don't know, but yeah, it was a good opportunity there to steal an out and win the game. It didn't work out."

Well, at least they won. It just took 11 innings.

"It would have been tough having two leads and leaving with no wins, so the guys bailed out the bullpen tonight," O'Day said. "They did a great job. Logan did a great job in extras. It was a good win."