BALTIMORE -- Samuel Basallo stayed in the batter’s box for a moment, waiting to see if his drive down the right-field line would stay fair and give the Orioles the lead in the bottom of the eighth inning on Friday night at Camden Yards.
It just did. And with that two-run blast, the 21-year-old rookie lifted Baltimore to a series-opening 5-3 victory over Kansas City.
But what everybody may be talking about Saturday morning was Basallo’s bat toss afterward, which was as emphatic as it was celebratory.
Once Basallo saw the ball had stayed fair, he started walking down the line, raised his bat above his head and two-hand chucked it toward the O’s first-base dugout. It was a moment filled with emotion -- and deservedly so.
Basallo’s Statcast-projected 373-foot shot was a left-on-left blast off reliever Matt Strahm. Orioles manager Craig Albernaz often looks for platoon advantages late in games, but he stuck with Basallo, who entered the night hitting .191 with one homer and a .461 OPS vs. lefties.
Blaze Alexander also homered for Baltimore (44-51), which won its second straight game as it looks to build positive momentum this weekend and heading into the All-Star break. Brandon Young delivered another quality start, allowing three runs over seven-plus innings.