BALTIMORE -- As a 93.5 mph fly ball left the bat of Jackson Holliday in the fourth inning at a rainy Camden Yards on Friday night -- and as it sliced down the left-field line -- a series of contradicting thoughts went through the 22-year-old’s mind.
“I was like, ‘OK, I flew out, whatever,’” Holliday said.
But the ball continued to carry.
“Then, I saw [Tigers left fielder] Riley [Greene] running back, and I was like, ‘Oh man, maybe he's not going to catch it,’” Holliday said.
It was not a flyout, and Greene did not catch it. Instead, the ball somehow snuck under the left-field foul pole, landing -- and remaining -- directly on the concrete slab beneath it, resulting in a home run. And not just any home run, but a go-ahead two-run shot that helped lift the Orioles to a much-needed 7-4 win in the series opener vs. the Tigers.
“Yeah, it might have been my farthest home run of my career,” a smiling Holliday said in jest.
At a Statcast-projected 337 feet, it was actually the shortest of Holliday’s 23 career homers. But all home runs count the same -- even one that made ballpark history due to the rarity of where he sent this one over the fence.
Holliday’s first home run of the season -- which had only a 7% hit probability -- is tied for the third-shortest over-the-fence home run hit at Camden Yards since Statcast tracking began in 2015. The three others were all hit to right field, though, making Holliday’s blast the shortest hit to left field during that span.
Shortest over-the-wall Camden Yards home runs since 2015
1 (tie). 333 feet -- Baltimore’s Tim Beckham on Aug. 3, 2017
1 (tie). 333 feet -- Toronto’s Bo Bichette on Aug. 9, 2022
3 (tie). 337 feet -- Detroit’s Jeimer Candelario on Aug. 10, 2021
3 (tie). 337 feet -- Baltimore’s Jackson Holliday on May 22, 2026
“That home run was impressive in a lot of different ways -- how it went underneath the foul pole, but also, from our vantage point in the dugout, that ball could have hooked foul,” manager Craig Albernaz said. “But his swing path is so clean where the ball flight just stayed true.”
When Holliday was asked if he could hit another home run like this one if he tried, he was quick to point out that he almost did the same thing on July 31, 2024, the day of his first MLB home run. After hitting a Eutaw Street grand slam in the fifth inning, he sliced a ball toward the left-field corner in the sixth.
That time, however, the ball hit off the top of the wall just to the left of the foul pole.
“I thought that was a home run,” Holliday said. “So, I think I have done it again."
The Orioles (22-29) are happy to have Holliday back after the former top prospect underwent right hamate surgery on Feb. 12 and had a bit of a bumpy recovery. The 2022 No. 1 overall Draft pick had three rehab assignments -- twice getting pulled back due to soreness/discomfort -- before getting activated on Monday prior to the three-game set vs. the Rays at Tropicana Field.
Holliday went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts as Tampa Bay swept the series. In his first home game of the season on Friday, he reached base three times. He singled in the third -- later scoring on Pete Alonso’s three-run homer -- and added a walk in the seventh.
“That’s what Jackson can do. He’s so talented. Great at-bats,” Albernaz said. “Getting his first hit, going down, seeing it hit the grass probably took a little bit of weight off him.”
“It's been a little bit of a grind of a year so far, and just to be up here with these guys and contributing to a win,” Holliday added, “it's awesome.”
Holliday introduced a new walk-up song, opting to go with “Mr. Blue Sky” by Electric Light Orchestra. He used it during his time at Stillwater (Okla.) High School and early in his Minor League career, and he and his wife, Chloe, recently decided it’d be a good time to bring it back. (He’s also a fan of “Guardians of the Galaxy,” which features the song.)
Although rain clouds are expected to fill the backdrop at Camden Yards all weekend, the Orioles are hopeful there are blue skies and better times ahead after a troublesome start to May that has them sitting at the bottom of the American League East standings.
Friday marked the beginning of a critical 10-game homestand that later includes series against the AL East-rival Rays and Blue Jays, so opening with a win vs. the Tigers was a positive start to a crucial stretch.
“This is a beautiful opportunity for us,” Alonso said. “We have a nice, long homestand right after [Thursday’s] off-day. I think the guys are mentally refreshed and physically refreshed, and we’re happy to be back home. This should be a really good start for us.”