Adley Rutschman went absolutely off in his first game back at Camden Yards, hitting two massive home runs and powering the Red Sox to a wild 6-5 victory over the Orioles. He was batting third for Boston, and man, the Camden Yards crowd, they gave him a standing ovation in the first. Rutschman, ever the class act, tipped his helmet to the fans who clearly still held a ton of love for the former Oriole.
Rutschman’s Opening Statement Was Pure Fire
But seriously, he repaid that love with a vengeance. He launched Brandon Young’s hanging curveball straight onto the flag court for an early 1-0 lead for Boston. You knew that one had to sting! The Orioles, though, they didn’t back down. Pete Alonso tied it up in the first with a sac fly, and then in the fourth, Alonso and Luis Robert Jr. brought some serious fireworks. Robert, making his Camden Yards debut for the Orioles, blasted a Jack Bennett fastball into the left-field stands. The Polar Bear, Alonso, followed that up by golfing a changeup below his knees just out of the reach of Boston’s center fielder for his 33rd long ball of the season. Back-to-back jacks! That put the Orioles up 3-1, and they held onto that lead for a bit.
Rally Mode Activated: Rutschman Just Wouldn’t Quit
But you know Rutschman wasn’t done. He came back up in the sixth, one out, bases empty. Young tried to challenge his former teammate with a fastball up and in. Big mistake! Rutschman turned on that heater and sent another solo shot to right field, cutting the Orioles’ lead in half. The Red Sox then tied the game 3-3 in the seventh, setting the stage for more drama. In the eighth, Jahmai Jones singled to left, bringing up the three-time All-Star Rutschman again with the winning run on first. He hit a ball that looked like a double-play, but Jones’ hard slide at second messed up Blaze Alexander’s throw, making it skip off Alonso’s forearm. Rutschman was safe at second! And just like his homers, he didn’t have to run hard to score his third run of the day. Two batters later, Nick Sogard absolutely clobbered a Yennier Cano sinker at the knees, putting the Red Sox up 5-3. That blast ended Cano’s crazy streak of 48 straight appearances without allowing a homer. Roman Anthony then took Albert Suárez deep in the ninth for Boston’s fourth homer of the night, pushing it to 6-3.
Ninth Inning Nerves and What’s Next
And man, that insurance run was SO important. Aroldis Chapman came in for the save in the ninth, and it got wild. Alonso struck out, but then Gunnar Henderson slapped a belt-high fastball to left, giving the Orioles a glimmer of hope. That hope exploded two pitches later when Christian Encarnacion-Strand absolutely tattooed a fastball at the top of the zone for a two-run homer to left, chopping Boston’s lead down to just one run. Talk about some serious ninth-inning jitters! But Chapman, the future Hall of Famer, finally got Leody Taveras to fly out to seal the nail-biting 6-5 win. What a game. You just gotta love baseball, right? Can’t wait to see what these teams bring next. Every game matters, and the season is just getting started!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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