Orioles Magic? O's Shock the Sox (Video)

Is Orioles Magic making a comeback?

John Smoltz was shocked as the Boston Red Sox wound up losing to the Baltimore Orioles in the biggest comeback in Orioles franchise history.

“No one would have ever dreamed it would play out the way it did,” Smoltz said after the incredible rally on Tuesday night. “It’s one of those games when you shake your head and can’t believe what you just saw.”

Nick Markakis hit a two-run double off Boston closer Jonathan Papelbon to complete the comeback before a mixture of frenzied hometown fans and shocked Red Sox supporters.

Baltimore trailed 10-1 before scoring five runs in the seventh inning and five more in the eighth. The rally was even more shocking because it came against a Boston team that had defeated the Orioles eight straight times, including five this season.

Up by nine runs in the seventh, the Red Sox probably figured the only lamentable aspect of the night was that Smoltz wouldn’t get his first win with Boston because of a lengthy rain delay.

The Red Sox had no idea how bad it would get.

“It was a weird game, a terrible loss for us,” Dustin Pedroia said. “That’s upsetting. Things just kind of spiraled on us.”

Previously, the biggest comeback in Orioles history was Sept. 2, 1956, when Baltimore rallied from an eight-run deficit at Boston. In this one, the Orioles got 13 of their 16 hits in the seventh and eighth innings.

“We just had no answer,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. “We went through everybody. Nothing we did worked.”

Mark Hendrickson (3-4) gave up one run in three innings and George Sherrill got three outs for his 17th save.

“That was probably the best game I’ve been involved in, right there,” Baltimore manager Dave Trembley said. “That was absolutely tremendous. When you talk about playing all 27 outs, that’s tonight.”

Takashi Saito (2-1) took the loss and Papelbon was charged with his second blown save, one night after he tied Bob Stanley’s career record for saves with Boston. The right-hander was 20-for-20 in save opportunities against the Orioles.

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