Orioles' Jacob Webb destroying Giancarlo Stanton with buzzsaw slider flipped AL East

In the biggest games of any given season, the unlikeliest heroes can emerge out of nowhere. Cedric Mullins isn't the best example here, as he is a former All-Star, but Mullins had multiple huge moments last year in key games (after being overshadowed by the "kids") that allowed the Orioles to secure the AL East title. In Tuesday's win against the Yankees, one of the Orioles' heroes from that game that does definitely fit the mold was Jacob Webb.

Just looking at the box score, all that can really be gathered is that Webb got his first save by pitching a clean 1.1 innings with an impressive three strikeouts. However, that only tells part of the story, as Webb's annihilation of some of the Yankees' most prominent hitters was a truly clutch performance that put the Orioles in the driver's seat in the AL East.

Jacob Webb came up huge for the Orioles when they needed it most

Webb's career as a big league reliever has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride. After a great first year with the Braves, Webb struggled with inconsistency, as he bounced from the Braves to the Diamondbacks to Atlanta once more to the Angels before finally landing with the Orioles via a waiver claim. While his 3.27 ERA last season with Baltimore was fine, there were certainly some outings that could be described as "adventures," and he was a polarizing figure in some segments of the fanbase.

Webb has rewarded the Orioles' faith in him with a 2.03 ERA in his 15 appearances this season, but he was far from the team's first choice to close this game out. However, Craig Kimbrel is hurt at the moment, and Yennier Cano had pitched three of the previous four games. So, it was up to Webb to get the job done.

In short, Webb was filthy when it counted against the Yankees. He got Aaron Judge swinging on a tough pitch to end the eighth inning, made Giancarlo Stanton look silly as he waved at a slider for strike three, and then blew a high fastball right by Anthony Rizzo for his third strikeout of the game. One grounder to third later, Webb had secured the win for the Orioles. That win could prove to be a pivotal one, as these two teams are set to battle atop the division the rest of the season.

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