BALTIMORE -- Timothy Beckham hasn't yet been with the Orioles for a week, but he's already hit a pair of significant home runs in the club's illustrious history.
Beckham's eighth-inning home run in Baltimore's 5-2 win over Detroit on Saturday didn't simply help seal a win. It made the infielder part of Orioles lore. His third homer in three games was also the 10,000th regular-season dinger in franchise history.
On Thursday, Beckham hit the 2,500th home run by an Orioles player at Camden Yards.
Baltimore became the fourth Major League club to reach 10,000 big flies since 1954, joining the Yankees, Tigers and Red Sox. Cal Ripken Jr. holds the club's all-time record with 431.
Clint Courtney hit the first in franchise history on April 15, 1954. A guy who played with the American League East-rival Rays just a week ago hit the latest.
"Oh yeah, that's a great feeling, man. Just to come in and help the club win a couple ballgames," Beckham said. "To be a part of the Orioles organization is a blessing, and like you said, 10,000 home runs, that's crazy to think about, man. That's stuff you don't think about during the game. You're just playing the game and competing and good things happen."
Beckham's drive to center field off Tigers reliever Edward Mujica was the Orioles' third homer of the game, with Adam Jones and Welington Castillo having already hit solo shots.
"A great part of Orioles history," Jones said. "It's tremendous that [Beckham] was able to do it, and this is one of the most historic franchises in all of baseball and all of sports. It's cool to be a part of that. It's going to mean something to his family and his kids down the line."
Since joining the Orioles, Beckham has been on fire at the plate. He's 13-for-20 (.650) in his first five games with Baltimore, having hit three home runs with five RBIs. Asked if he could have imagined Beckham hitting the momentous homer, Orioles manager Buck Showalter cracked, "[After] the last four days, I would. Not when he was in Tampa."
Baltimore's new shortstop and hottest hitter received the first curtain call of his career after the historic home run.
"It was a great feeling, man. My first one in my career for sure," he said. "It's a great feeling, man, to play in Baltimore, in front of the Orioles fans. The energy they bring to the stadium every night is pretty fun. "
"I think we have the smartest fans in baseball," said Showalter, a baseball lifer. "They understand what's going on. It was nice. It's another one of those things, you're in the dugout and you've got to step back and realize you're lucky to watch those types of things. That's a lot of home runs."
As for the 10,000, credit Jones with 242 of those blasts. The homer off Detroit's Drew VerHagen in the fifth was his 20th of the season. That's seven years in a row with at least 20. Only Baltimore legends Ripken (10) and Eddie Murray (9) have more in Orioles history. Jones' streak started in 2011 after hitting 19 in 2009 and 2010.
"Just being healthy, knock on wood," Jones said of his consistent production. "I think just being available. If you're not playing, you can't do much. … My teammates push me every day to be better, to be a better player. It's not just me. My teammates push me, and my health. I've been fortunate enough to be healthy."