BALTIMORE -- On Aug. 22, 2025, the Orioles signed Samuel Basallo to an eight-year, $67 million extension. In doing so, they showed their strong belief in the then-21-year-old, who had played only four MLB games at the time but had massive potential.
One year later, Basallo has continued to show why that was a wise investment by Baltimore.
On Saturday night, Basallo clubbed his first career pinch-hit home run -- a game-tying two-run blast in the bottom of the eighth inning. Then, the O’s went on to walk it off in the 10th, recording a 3-2 victory over the Rays on Dylan Beavers’ walk-off RBI double.
The Orioles (63-67) have now won eight of their past nine meetings with American League East rival Tampa Bay, including all three extra-inning matchups between the two teams this season.
Basallo wasn’t in Baltimore’s starting lineup, as he had played each of the previous three days after coming off the injured list on Wednesday. He previously missed a month due to right shoulder inflammation.
But the Orioles were ready to deploy Basallo in one of the biggest moments of the game. Jackson Holliday led off the bottom of the eighth with a single. Two batters later, Basallo was sent to the plate to face right-hander Kevin Kelly and belted a Statcast-projected 411-foot home run to straightaway center field.
It was the sixth pinch-hit homer by a Baltimore batter this season, as Tyler O’Neill has three and Coby Mayo and Leody Taveras have one apiece. The O’s lead MLB with 34 pinch-hit RBIs.
Baltimore’s defensive play then kept the game tied after Basallo’s clutch home run.
O’Neill made a diving catch in right field to end the top of the ninth, robbing Palacios of what likely would have been a go-ahead RBI knock. It wasn’t the first nice play of the night for O’Neill, who previously threw out Taylor Walls at third in the sixth for his career-high-tying seventh outfield assist of the season.
In the top of the 10th, right-hander Rico Garcia fielded a one-out bunt attempt off the bat of Walls and threw out Richie Palacios at home plate. Garcia worked a scoreless inning to preserve the 2-2 tie.
The Rays turned to All-Star closer (and former Orioles reliever) Bryan Baker in the bottom of the 10th. Beavers worked the count to 2-2 before connecting on a changeup and driving it to deep right field for his fourth career walk-off hit (and second this season).