It was a whirlwind day for Seranthony Domínguez. But to cap it off, he was called upon to do what he knows best, what the Orioles acquired him for, what’s been the lone constant over his winding career: pitch.
The right-hander entered Friday night’s game in the eighth inning with the Orioles down 4-2. He got a quick out on a weak ground ball to first. He struck out Manny Machado with his signature sweeping slider. Singles from Xander Bogaerts and Jackson Merrill provided a brief scare before an infield popup got the newest Oriole out of his introductory inning.
Seventeen pitches after jogging onto the Camden Yards mound for the first time, Domínguez joined his new teammates in the dugout. Finally, he could breathe. His day was over.
“I’m happy to be here,” Domínguez said. “It’s a new family for me.”
Baltimore acquired the hard-throwing reliever Friday afternoon along with outfielder Cristian Pache for Austin Hays, one of the final holdovers from the Orioles’ excruciating rebuild.
The team announced the trade at 12:30 p.m. Domínguez had just gotten out of bed when a call from the Phillies informed him he was being moved. His next few hours were spent packing and hitting the road. While driving to Baltimore, Domínguez’s wife called him to break the news that his new club also acquired starting pitcher Zach Eflin, who spent seven seasons in Philadelphia and four alongside Domínguez.
Domínguez arrived in Baltimore at 5 p.m., giving the 29-year-old just a couple hours to meet a new clubhouse, settle in and prepare for a game. Brandon Hyde didn’t want to rely on his new pitcher too heavily, but the eighth inning represented a chance to get Domínguez in a game without adding too much stress to his already hectic day.
“Kind of wanted to get his feet wet in a lower-pressure situation,” Hyde said. “If he went in the game tonight, it was going to be — I didn’t want to put him in a real tough spot. So down two there, I felt like it was a good time for him. I thought he threw the ball well.”
Domínguez’s importance to his new club was demonstrated one inning after his debut. Craig Kimbrel entered in a tie game and promptly allowed a game-winning two-run homer to Jurickson Profar, the veteran closer’s second costly performance in as many days. After giving up three runs in the ninth in the Orioles’ eventual 7-6 win over the Miami Marlins on Thursday, Kimbrel has allowed eight runs (six earned) over his past four games. His ERA in that stretch has ballooned from 2.10 to 3.32.
Acquiring another late-inning option such as Domínguez was critical for the Orioles, even if only to occasionally spell Kimbrel in ninth innings or help get to the veteran closer quicker.
“Great stuff. Throws hard,” said Kimbrel, who shared a bullpen with Domínguez last season in Philadelphia. “He’s got a knockout slider. He competes. So having a guy down there with us like him, is gonna make us better.”
Pache also debuted in his first day with his new team. The speedy outfielder entered as a pinch runner for Heston Kjerstad after the rookie’s eighth-inning single and went first to third on a base hit to left by Colton Cowser before being stranded.
That’s likely a preview of Pache’s role in Baltimore. His bat has always been subpar — he’s a career .179 hitter across five major league seasons with four teams — but his speed and glove are where his value lies. Eflin, the third player the Orioles acquired via trade Friday, was not at Camden Yards. The right-hander, who allowed two runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings Wednesday against the Toronto Blue Jays, could join the team Saturday or Sunday, Hyde said.
Domínguez was the first of the trio of new Orioles to play in front of their new hometown fans — 43,692 of them packed Camden Yards for the team’s seventh sellout of the year. That surely didn’t help calm him, but Baltimore’s proximity to Philadelphia did alleviate some nerves. He’s also relieved that he went from one championship-contending team to another.
The next time he sees his old teammates might be in the World Series. Both the Phillies and Orioles are atop their respective divisions, and their regular-season series last month offered a glimpse at the excitement a postseason meeting between them could provide. Domínguez hopes it happens.
“I would like to see the Phillies back in the World Series,” he said. “This is one of my wishes.”