[HOME RUN NOISES]
Adley Rutschman participated in his first Home Run Derby of his career on July 10, 2023, and while having a first-round exit, he still put on a show for Seattle and fans around the country.
Let’s relieve the entire experience for the Orioles’ star catcher.
THE PRE-SHOW
Rutschman was announced into the Derby on July 3, when it was also announced that his father, Randy Rutschman, would be pitching to him.
Rutschman was also announced soon after to be an All-Star for the first time in his career, both achievements happening in his first full major league season with the Orioles.
SHOWTIME
Rutschman entered the Derby as the eighth seed, competing against Luis Roberts Jr. of the Chicago White Sox, the first seed. Rutschman batted first among the two and started in the left-handed batter’s box.
Rutschman swung for extra time (30 seconds), where he switched batter’s boxes and hit right-handed for the remaining allotted time.
After his first round, where he was absolutely slamming balls repeatedly, he ended with 27 home runs. Rutschman was eventually beat out of the first round by Robert Jr., who surpassed his 27 bombs. Rutschman was met by a standing ovation throughout the entire stadium for his incredible performance.
On the sidelines, the Orioles’ fellow All-Star representatives, Yennier Canó, Félix Bautista and Austin Hays, waited and watched their teammate swing for the upper decks, eventually all coming out during Rutschman’s timeout to wipe his sweat and pump him up.
THE POST-SHOW
Though this Derby did not have the outcome much of Birdland had hoped for, we saw an incredible performance out of our young stud.
Rutschman ended up with the third most home runs of the eight players in the first round. He was only behind Julio Rodríguez, who ended with a 41-homer round, and Luis Robert Jr., who he was up against.
Rutschman, growing up near Portland, Oregon, was around his hometown region, among friends and family, along with spending the whole experience with his father and reflecting on the journey they had together to get there.
Now, tonight, Birdland can see Rutschman and the other 2023 Orioles All-Stars take on the National League team. And let’s all hope we can see Adley catch both Yennier Canó and Félix Bautista.
What do you think of Adley’s performance in the Derby? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, Twitter and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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