Miguel Tejada has many good memories of being an Oriole.
His 102 home runs and 429 runs batted in during four seasons with the team are proof of that.
And the all-star shortstop says that?s why you can?t blame him for the team?s .449 winning percentage and zero playoff appearance in those seasons.
“You see what I do every day. I come to the ballpark and play like a champion,” Tejada said. “This game is all about pitching, and you can see how our pitching did last year. That?s why we weren?t winning.”
Tejada returned to Camden Yards on Tuesday as a member of the Houston Astros, the team that traded five players for the now-known-to-be 34-year old in December.
He was greeted in his first plate appearance in the top of the first inning with a mostly positive reaction by the Orioles faithful that had so much hope for him as the savior of their team when he signed a six-year, $72 million contract before the 2004 season.
“When I left they loved me, and I don?t know how they?re going to treat me now,” Tejada said surrounded by a throng of media in the visitor?s clubhouse hours before the game. “No matter what their reaction is, I really have a lot of great memories and I?ll remember all the times the fans were behind me and supported me.”
Orioles fans have had a lot to cheer about this season, thanks in part to the five players they received in return for Tejada.
Three players, outfielder Luke Scott and relief pitchers Matt Albers and Dennis Sarfate, have contributed right away to help the Orioles hang around .500 through the first two and a half months of the season. The Orioles also got minor leaguers Troy Patton and Michael Costanzo in the deal.
For them, this series is bigger than Tejada?s return.
“Every organization has the right to run the team the way they feel,” said Scott, who is tied for the team lead with 11 home runs. “I can handle if someone doesn?t believe in me. That?s fine, but if I have a choice, I?d rather be somewhere I know I?ve got people in the front office that are really pulling for me.”
Manager Dave Trembley said the trade has benefitted both parties and Tejada deserves the respect of Orioles fans, calling him one of the game?s great players for a long time.
But he couldn?t lead the Orioles to the playoffs, in part because of the team?s pitching woes, something the team obtained when they traded him.
And that trade has set up a series where players have a chance to prove a lot of things to their former teams.
“I thought I was going to be a mainstay there, and then I get traded here, and it?s been a blessing,” said Sarfate, who is 4-1 with a 3.38 ERA in 28 games this season. “I hope we just pound them to tell you the truth.”
