It’s August 31, 1996, and Pete Incaviglia keeps making a great first impression on his new teammates. A day after hitting a grand slam in his first game with the O’s, Inky added three more hits, including a home run, to help the Birds pick up another critical win in Seattle, 7-6.

O’s manager Davey Johnson has been approaching this series like it's the playoffs. He’s used 15 relief pitchers in the three games.

“These games are wearing me out,” Johnson said to the Sun’s Buster Olney. “It feels like we’re in the playoffs already.” (Baltimore Sun, p. 1D, September 1, 1996)

In addition to Incaviglia’s blast, Brady Anderson added his 41st homer of the season and Bobby Bonilla hit his 22nd. The O’s now have 215 homers on the season, passing the club record of 214 set in 1985.

Starter Scott Erickson wasn’t sharp, giving up five runs in 6⅓ innings, but that was good enough for the win as the bullpen held on against the Mariners’ star-studded lineup.

Johnson used three pitchers to get through the ninth, starting with Alan Mills, then going to closer Randy Myers, before bringing in Armando Benitez to get the final out. It was Benitez’s first save of the season.

“I probably over-managed,” Johnson admitted later.

With the win, the O’s remain tied with the White Sox atop the wild card standings. The Mariners are now two games back.

“Both teams know how important every game is from here on out,” Anderson said. “We have to treat it like the postseason.” (Baltimore Sun, p. 6D, September 1, 1996) 

Here’s the box score with the lovely totals.

Myers has been removed from save situations in two straight games after giving up a walk-off grand slam in the first game of the series.

“There’s no problem,” Myers said. “I’ve been on and off with my pitching. I haven’t been in a real groove all year. … Roles change.” (Baltimore Sun, p. 6D, September 1, 1996)

Incaviglia’s hot start — and the addition of Todd Zeile — has meant that B.J. Surhoff has been moved to the bench the last two games. While Surhoff has been nursing some minor injuries, Johnson noted that he would have been in the lineup had Inky not hit a grand slam yesterday.

“He doesn’t want to be a platoon player,” Johnson said of Surhoff potentially only facing right-handed pitchers. “And he’s not a platoon player. … He understands.” 

Well, now Inky has stayed hot so Johnson has a good problem on his hands. How will he find at bats for so many hot hitters?

Inky, Brady, Bobby, we’re building the wall.

Another one for Brady gets him to 41!

Orioles (72-63) at Mariners (70-65), 8:05 p.m.

Starting Pitchers
BAL – LHP David Wells (10-12, 4.70 ERA)
SEA – LHP Terry Mulholland (2-1, 5.05 ERA)

In a sign of things to come, the Sun has a front page feature on Empower America, a right-wing think tank set up by Republican vice-presidential candidate Jack Kemp, which is “among a growing number of political groups trying to use tax-exempt status, once reserved for groups like the Lions Clubs and Rotary chapters, to gain influence over voters.”

Empower America has been pushing Bob Dole’s platform, particularly his quest for low taxes and “homespun values.”

Empower America once to be certified as tax-exempt by the IRS because if it is, it can evade Federal Election Commission rules that limit how much candidates may accept from a single contributor. And, of course, they can duck laws that require political organizations to disclose where the money comes from. (These are c4s and PACs today.)

“It’s the great untold story of the 1996 campaign,” said Gregory L. Colvin, a lawyer and expert on nonprofits (according to the Sun). “The news media are mainly focused on what the candidates and the campaigns are doing, but not on … groups that are going to influence the election.”

Well, Greg, I got some bad news for you. This is the era of money in politics, and in 14 years there will be a Supreme Court decision that will really blow your mind if you give a shit about election influence.

Welcome to a recurring segment where I find fun things in today’s (in 1996) Baltimore Sun!

Back in the good old days the easiest way to do sports betting was to call a shady 800 number and place bets with a place in London.