Oriole broadcaster Jim Hunter sounded something like this: “Ground ball to first. Pearce is there! The Orioles win the American League East!”

Those words haven’t been uttered in these parts since the end of the last century.

They beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 8-2 behind five solid innings from Ubaldo Jimenez. Jimenez is the star free agent who has failed to deliver much in 2014 – and yet last night twirled the biggest regular season win since 1997.

That’s how these Orioles 2014 roll. If things aren’t going well – tomorrow is another day. If one key player can’t step up, someone else can.

Clutch Contributors

The “team effort” sports cliche is appropriate here. Along with Jimenez’ performance there were big hits delivered by two other recent additions, Jimmy Paredes and Alexander de Aza.

Steve Pearce blasted a three-run homer to right center to give the Orioles a 3-1 lead in the first inning. They never looked back.

Pearce (released on April 27th and re-signed on the 29th) headlined an improbable group of clutch contributors who have delivered in the wake of losing Matt Wieters, Manny Machado and now Chris Davis for 25 games.

Stepping up have been: Caleb Joseph, Nick Hundley, Ryan Flaherty, Delman Young and T.J. McFarland, to name only a few.

This Oriole band of brothers approaches the game like a football team. It’s the “next man up” philosophy – when someone goes down (and they’ve had a plethora of injuries and one recent suspension to deal with) the next player available steps in. Regardless of what happens, this group will be remembered as one of the great Oriole teams for their resilience alone.

At 91-60, they’ve remained unfazed by anything except the next day’s game.

Pies Were Flying

The guys clearly came ready not only to play but to party. Centerfielder and team leader Adam Jones did a victory lap – similar to Cal’s 2,131 promenade – and delivered several pies into faces of Orioles fans.

Tommy Hunter’s pockets were stuffed with Budweisers to spray the crowd. The locker room erupted with bursts of champagne. In the center of it all was Buck Showalter, a big smile on his face, thinking about former manager Earl Weaver.

“There are some great moments in your life,” he said in a MASN interview. “This ranks right up there. That 9th inning, I went over and rested on Earl’s number.”

Showalter came here in 2010 and turned around a moribund franchise with class, exceptional leadership skills and a gift for putting unheralded players in positions to succeed beyond all expectations.

“We’ve got eleven games left. We’re gonna try and win them all,” he said.

The club has its sights on finishing with the best record in baseball. It’s the first time the Orioles have won a division title since 1997 and the first one at home since 1969.

“We’re going to party like its 1969,” said VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette on the MASN postgame telecast.

Along with Showalter, Duquette also deserves credit for assembling key pieces of the title-winning team -personnel  like Nelson Cruz who leads the American League in home runs. Buck and Dan, two men with unfinished World Series business, have put together one of the best teams in Major League Baseball.

“We did it for the fans, and for the city,” said Showalter.

Now that the team, and eager fans, have set their sights on a deep postseason run, the question hovering over Baltimore like a high pop fly in the lights is, can they do it?

Said the ever dry and understated Showalter, “Our curiosity will be satisfied.”