BALTIMORE -- As Adley Rutschman made his first visit to Camden Yards as an opposing player, he said he held nothing but gratitude for the organization that drafted him.
Once the Orioles’ 6-5 loss to the Red Sox began, though, his bat told a different story.
Following a 45-second standing ovation in the first at-bat of his return to Baltimore in Thursday night’s series opener, Rutschman turned on Brandon Young’s 1-1 curveball, driving it a Statcast-projected 377 feet over the out-of-town scoreboard in right.
“It was special to feel that kind of love. It was really cool,” Rutschman said of the whole sequence. “Emotional moment, and really special.”
Five innings later, Rutschman hammered Young's fastball a projected 389 feet into the seats in right-center.
Those were his 10th and 11th home runs of the season, his 38th and 39th at the ballpark where he spent the majority of his MLB career, and the second and third for his new club. And they helped send the Orioles (69-72) to a third consecutive defeat as they remained 1 1/2 games behind the Guardians and fell one back of the Blue Jays and Rangers for the final AL Wild Card.
“I left both of them right down the middle,” said Young, who held the rest of the Red Sox hitless until Eli White’s double set up Isaiah Kiner-Falefa's RBI single in the seventh. “Jumped on the heater in the sixth, and left a curveball up in the zone. Yeah, I mean it is what it is.”
Between Rutschman’s twin shots, Luis Robert Jr. and Pete Alonso hit back-to-back homers in the fourth to give the Orioles a 3-1 lead. It was Alonso’s 33rd, coming on a two-RBI night, and Robert’s first as an Oriole after arriving on a waiver claim from the Mets on Monday.
Christian Encarnacion-Strand also went deep late to put a brief scare into Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman.
Even after his home runs, Rutschman kept helping his new team get the better of his former club.
He legged out a potential double play to keep the eighth inning live, providing an extra out that set the table for Nick Sogard’s two-run go-ahead shot, the first homer allowed by Yennier Cano in 49 outings. And there was his extensive knowledge of the O’s pitching staff and game planning, another potential advantage for his new club.
“He knows the pitching staff extremely well,” said Orioles manager Craig Albernaz. “He knows our game planning and prep side extremely well. And I’m imagining that he was juiced up for today, and rightfully so.”
Rutschman's authoritative power show came in stark contrast to his pregame expression of thanks for his previous organization, including Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias, who pulled the trigger on the blockbuster deal at the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline that made the three-time All-Star a Red Sox catcher.
“I have a ton of respect for Mike,” Rutschman said before the game. “He’s got a tough job. He’s got to make tough decisions. And I always respect that he’s really good at what he does. And he has reasons for everything that he does. I’ve always had a good relationship with him.
“It’s just one of those things in baseball, that you kind of understand this business part of the business aspect of it. And he’s got to do what he thinks is best for the organization in the short term and long term. So I don’t have any ill feelings toward anyone in the Orioles' organization at all. It’s been nothing but positive, and will continue to be that way.”
Elias sent Rutschman, catcher Jake Rogers and cash considerations to the Red Sox for catcher Carlos Narváez and a group of four Minor Leaguers led by right-hander Anthony Eyanson, the No. 49 prospect in baseball, per MLB Pipeline.
Rutschman’s rookie campaign came during an 83-79 season in 2022, the Orioles’ first winning showing since 2016. They followed that with playoff appearances in '23 and '24.
That’s perhaps why Rutschman’s departure felt so painful for many Orioles fans, even if several analysts suggested that Elias won the trade on paper.
With the club sitting at 54-58 at the time, it represented the end of the idea that the understated, well-liked switch-hitter would one day be the one leading the O's to a first World Series title since 1983.
Rutschman admitted lingering disappointment that he never accomplished that in Baltimore.
“Especially at the time [of the trade], absolutely,“ Rutschman said. “I think you always want to be able to achieve goals that you've set. At the beginning of the year and in years past, you’ve set goals at the beginning of the year. And in years past, you've set goals to win the World Series, and you come up short. But like I said, you have a new opportunity and a new situation. Today's a new day.”