BALTIMORE (AP) — Trey Gibson pitched brilliantly into the seventh inning and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-2 on Wednesday night to sweep a doubleheader and at least temporarily stay alive in the American League playoff race.
One more loss by the Orioles — or a win by the Chicago White Sox, who played at Kansas City on Wednesday night — would eliminate Baltimore. The Orioles also won the opener 4-2 against Toronto, then the 24-year-old Gibson (2-3) was outstanding in the nightcap.
Click to Gallery
Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Charles McAdoo (26) throws to first to make the out against Baltimore Orioles' Pete Alonso during the third inning in the second baseball game of a doubleheader, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher CJ Van Eyk reacts after retiring the side during the first inning in the second baseball game of a doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Baltimore Orioles' Christian Encarnacion-Strand (32) scores on an RBI double hit by Colton Cowser during the first inning in the second baseball game of a doubleheader against the Toronto Blue Jays, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Trey Gibson (43) delivers during the first inning in the second baseball game of a doubleheader against the Toronto Blue Jays, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
He would have completed at least seven innings if not for a rare defensive positioning violation that kept the top of the seventh going. Sean Keys grounded out to second for the third out, players left the field, and the Orioles were already playing “Thank God I'm a Country Boy” — which comes after "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the seventh-inning stretch — when an umpire interrupted the song to say the Blue Jays were challenging.
A replay appeared to show second baseman Jeremiah Jackson's heel on the outfield grass before the grounder, so Keys was awarded first. The play was scored an error on Jackson, but no at-bat was charged to Keys. Gibson walked the next hitter and was pulled. Yennier Cano then issued a walk before striking out Myles Straw with the bases loaded to end the inning for real.
In his eighth career start, Gibson allowed three hits in 6 2/3 scoreless innings with seven strikeouts and two walks. Christian Encarnacion-Strand homered and drove in three runs.
Davis Schneider hit a two-run homer for Toronto in the ninth. The Blue Jays, eliminated from the playoff chase with their loss in the first game, are assured a losing season one year after winning the AL pennant.
Toronto starter CJ Van Eyk (0-2) allowed four runs and four hits in five innings.
Encarnacion-Strand opened the scoring with a two-run single in the first, then scored on Colton Cowser's double. Encarnacion-Strand's solo shot in the fourth made it 4-0.
Two of the three hits Gibson allowed were infield singles in the third.
Both teams are off Thursday. The Orioles play the Yankees in New York on Friday night, and the Blue Jays host Cincinnati.
See AP’s full MLB coverage here
Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Charles McAdoo (26) throws to first to make the out against Baltimore Orioles' Pete Alonso during the third inning in the second baseball game of a doubleheader, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher CJ Van Eyk reacts after retiring the side during the first inning in the second baseball game of a doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Baltimore Orioles' Christian Encarnacion-Strand (32) scores on an RBI double hit by Colton Cowser during the first inning in the second baseball game of a doubleheader against the Toronto Blue Jays, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Trey Gibson (43) delivers during the first inning in the second baseball game of a doubleheader against the Toronto Blue Jays, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Three people who went to California's Six Flags Magic Mountain have filed lawsuits saying they were left with traumatic brain injuries from the park's famed X2 roller coaster that is advertised as a rite of passage for the “ultimate daredevil.”
The filings are the latest against the world-famous amusement park operator and S&S Worldwide, the manufacturer of the X2 roller coaster cars. Six Flags recently settled a wrongful-death lawsuit from the family of a 22-year-old man who died after riding the coaster in 2022.
According to documents filed Monday, Pamela Guillen and her family visited the park in July for her daughter's 16th birthday and decided to ride the X2 roller coaster. When the ride stopped, her daughter saw her “sitting with a vacant stare and her mouth open,” confused and unable to exit the ride.
Shortly after she got out, the previously healthy 39-year-old collapsed and was taken to a hospital, where she underwent emergency brain surgery, according to the lawsuit.
Just five days later, 25-year-old Naomi Greer-Wilkinson boarded the ride with her siblings. She also collapsed shortly after the ride ended and was taken to a hospital, where she was found to have massive brain bleeding inside the skull that required emergency brain surgery. She remains in a vegetative state in the hospital, unable to speak or move and dependent on a ventilator. Her family filed the lawsuit on her behalf.
Their attorney, Gary Dordick, said the firm has been retained by more than 100 clients who suffered brain injuries after riding the X2 roller coaster within the past two years.
“It’s inexcusable that more isn’t done,” Dordick said. “It was known by Magic Mountain that those injuries and deaths occurred, and they kept the ride open.”
A spokesperson for Six Flags said it's the company's policy not to comment on pending litigation. The ride has been closed since the evening of July 12.
According to the Six Flags Magic Mountain website, the X2 roller coaster reaches a top speed of 76 mph (122 kph) and has a total length of 3,610 feet (1,100 meters). The seats rotate 360 degrees “so your body will be flipping around the entire time,” and the ride features two “raven turns” — half loops that turn into sheer drops midway. It debuted at the park in 2002 as the world's first “fourth dimension” rollercoaster and reopened in 2008 with new trains and special effects. The uniqueness of the ride drew thrill-seekers from around the world and garnered a fervent fanbase.
Frequent riders of X2 have discussed on Reddit forums the “unspoken rules” of how to ride the roller coaster without getting injured. Many cite the final raven turn as the most extreme part of the ride and say they have gotten major headaches and what felt like concussions if they didn't brace their heads properly. One even said they wore a soft head helmet the last time they were on the ride.
“The snapping bangs the head against the headrest and it’s causing brain damage, it’s causing hemorrhaging within the skull,” Dordick said.
Another one of his clients, Michael Wilk, visited the park with his daughter and grandchildren in February. Immediately after going on the ride, he felt stabbing pain in his head, dizziness and had difficulty walking, the lawsuit states.
While he didn't seek medical attention immediately, his cognitive function quickly declined in the following weeks as he tried to return to his job as an insurance defense attorney. An MRI scan a few months later showed massive bleeding and swelling inside his skull, requiring multiple surgeries to relieve the pressure on his brain. He said he continues to suffer debilitating headaches, confusion, dizziness, memory loss, and personality changes, and can no longer practice law.
The lawsuit accused Six Flags of intentionally restricting “public disclosure of evidence concerning X2 injuries and safety issues.”
The new lawsuits follow a settlement for wrongful death in the case of Christopher Hawley, a 22-year-old who died the day after he rode X2 and was rushed to the hospital after the ride with severe brain bleeding. The medical examiner's office said his death was from “blunt head trauma.”
An engineer involved in testing the ride when it reopened in 2008 said in court filings for Hawley's case that the acceleration forces exerted on a rider by the X2 roller coaster abided by standard practices for amusement park rides that were adopted by California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health. The division also inspected the ride's seat restraints and head padding, a state employee said in a deposition.
The employee also testified that more testing was done in 2022 following Hawley's death, but Six Flags provided them with data showing the acceleration forces exerted by the roller coaster were still within standards. The division allowed Six Flags to reopen the rollercoaster after their findings.
Hawley's attorneys alleged in court filings that the ride's headrest failed to secure or protect the rider's head and neck from the extreme forces exerted by the roller coaster. They also alleged that there was inadequate maintenance when the wheels on the ride exhibited excessive wear or degradation, affecting the forces exerted on a rider.
Dordick said the amusement park operator has argued that people are accepting risk by voluntarily going on a thrill ride, and that people who suffer injuries often have preexisting conditions.
“The risk people reasonably assume is they get dizzy, maybe someone might throw up,” Dordick said. “No one goes to a family fun amusement park and assumes the risk of brain damage.”
This aerial view shows the X2 roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, Calif., Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The X2 roller coaster is seen at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia , Calif., Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The X2 roller coaster is seen at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia , Calif., Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
This aerial view shows the X2 roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, Calif., Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
This aerial view shows the X2 roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, Calif., Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
