It was a night of near-misses and dramatic tension in Baltimore, as the Orioles narrowly avoided the sting of a no-hitter in a 4-2 loss to the Cleveland Guardians. The story of the game was rookie pitcher Parker Messick, who flirted with history by carrying a no-hitter into the ninth inning, threatening to deliver Cleveland's first no-no in a quarter-century.

Messick was masterful through eight, having allowed just two walks while racking up nine strikeouts on 106 pitches. The tension peaked as he took the mound for the final frame. On the very first pitch of the ninth, Orioles center fielder Leody Taveras shattered the bid, slashing a cutter back up the middle for a clean single, just beyond the reach of the second baseman.

That first hit opened the floodgates for a late Baltimore rally. Messick stayed in to face Blaze Alexander, who promptly lined another single to center, forcing Guardians manager Stephen Vogt to call upon closer Cade Smith. The Orioles, sensing an opportunity, continued to claw back. Taylor Ward worked a full count before lining a single to load the bases, bringing star shortstop Gunnar Henderson to the plate as the tying run.

Henderson came agonizingly close to being the hero, just getting out in front of a Smith splitter and sending a 355-foot sacrifice fly to deep right-center. The very next batter, Pete Alonso, attacked a first-pitch fastball and drove it off the top of the right-field wall for an RBI double—a hit that was mere feet from being a game-tying three-run homer. Suddenly, the tying run was on second with only one out, and memories of Baltimore's miraculous walk-off win against the Dodgers last September began to stir.

The drama culminated with pinch-hitter Colton Cowser stepping in. After fouling off several tough pitches in a gritty at-bat, Cowser ultimately grounded into a game-ending double play, sealing the Guardians' victory and leaving the Orioles to ponder what might have been after a thrilling, last-gasp escape from a historic night of futility at the plate.