Holliday shows bark and bite with 3rd career slam on Bark at the Park Night

BALTIMORE -- Jackson Holliday has that dog in him. Or to perhaps phrase it better -- the dogs bring out the best in him.

Another Bark at the Park Night at Camden Yards on Wednesday brought yet another grand slam for the 22-year-old Holliday, who continued his long-standing tradition of raking when there are canines in the ballpark.

Holliday belted his third career grand slam in the seventh inning of the Orioles’ 7-2 win over the Mariners, helping Baltimore snap its four-game losing streak. It was also Holliday’s third home run of the year, and it backed a seven-inning scoreless gem from right-hander Brandon Young.

Each of Holliday’s slams thus far have been memorable ones.

On July 31, 2024, Holliday belted his first career home run -- a grand slam vs. the Blue Jays. He also became only the second player to hit his first homer onto Camden Yards’ Eutaw Street, joining former Astros outfielder Robbie Grossman (July 31, 2013).

On April 16, 2025, Holliday’s second career slam came in a win over the Guardians -- on Bark at the Park Night. Afterward, he dedicated the homer to his bernedoodle, Coconut, who was in attendance.

And on Wednesday, it happened again -- Holliday hit a slam on another Bark at the Park Night. Although this time, Coconut was home at Holliday’s apartment with Jackson’s wife, Chloe.

• Every slam from 2026

“No Coconut. Guess he must have been watching,” a smiling Holliday said.

The Orioles have already hosted multiple Bark at the Park Nights this year. But Holliday -- who said he always hit well on those promotional nights in the Minor Leagues and has since brought those results to the Majors -- is ready to open the gates to the dogs on an even more regular basis.

“It feels like we’ve had a lot already this year. But I mean, I think every night should be Bark at the Park,” Holliday said. “I don’t think there should be any rules. It’s always fun."

Holliday’s bases-clearing jack extended Baltimore’s lead to 7-0. He also became only the second player in Orioles history (since 1954) to have three slams among his first 25 career home runs, joining O’s Hall of Famer Brian Roberts.

After not making his season debut until May 19 following a recovery from right hamate surgery, Holliday has brought some pop to the bottom of Baltimore’s lineup. The youngster has a .743 OPS through 20 games and has recorded at least one hit in nine of his past 14 games.

“It was great to see him get that swing off and do some damage,” manager Craig Albernaz said of Wednesday’s slam.

The Orioles’ first three runs were scored off Mariners starter George Kirby in the sixth. Pete Alonso led off the inning with his 14th homer of the season, then Leody Taveras and Blaze Alexander each added an RBI double.

Meanwhile, Young allowed only two hits (both singles) and two walks while striking out five during his 88-pitch, 55-strike performance. It was the second time this season a Baltimore pitcher has tossed seven-plus scoreless innings, with the first instance occurring on Opening Day on March 26, when Trevor Rogers went seven scoreless vs. Minnesota.

Twelve of Young’s 21 outs recorded came on ground balls. He induced 11 whiffs -- six by slider, three via his recently revamped splitter and one apiece from his four-seam fastball and his sinker.

The 27-year-old Young has unexpectedly been the O’s best starter this season, recording a 3.04 ERA over 10 outings.

“It’s been awesome to watch,” Holliday said. “B.Y. is an amazing guy, so it’s even more fun to watch him just go out there and dominate.”

The Orioles (32-37) are now 9-1 in games started by Young this season. Per the Elias Sports Bureau, it’s the first time the club has won nine of the first 10 games started by a pitcher since 2008, when the O’s went 9-1 in Daniel Cabrera’s first 10 starts.

“It’s the main goal, like I’ve said every time,” Young said. “As a starter, it’s our goal to keep the team, give them a chance to win. And to do that, yeah, it means a lot. It’s very satisfying.”

Although Baltimore hit another rough patch early this week, Holliday credited Albernaz for helping the team maintain the belief it can get hot and make a run this summer.

“It’s easy to come to the field and have a reset kind of mindset of, ‘Today’s a new day.’ I think he’s done a great job of that,” Holliday said. “I mean, it’s baseball. You kind of have to have a short memory, and he’s done a great job of just bringing good energy every day and a positive attitude. That can go a long way.”