This story was excerpted from Jake Rill’s Orioles Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
BALTIMORE -- When a baseball player collects his first big league hit, it immediately becomes the best moment of his career to that point. For some, it will always be the most memorable.
Two Baltimore players have recorded their first MLB hits so far this season -- Joey Ortiz (April 27 in Detroit) and Josh Lester (last Sunday in San Francisco). More are likely to come, as the Orioles will probably promote some of their top prospects from the upper Minors before the end of 2023.
I recently went around the clubhouse and asked a handful of O’s players what they remember most about their first hit and what it’s like to be around others when they accomplish that special feat.
When was it? Sept. 19, 2014, for the Tigers in a 10-1 win over the Royals at Kauffman Stadium.
What was it? A single off left-hander Jason Vargas in the fourth inning.
Where is the ball now? McCann has it among a collection of about 10, which also includes his first home run ball and a couple from no-hitters he’s caught.
“I feel like your first hit is a memory that you’ll always have in your career, whether you go on to be a 15-, 20-year Hall of Fame player or a guy that ends up with 15 hits in his entire career,” McCann said. “You’re always going to remember that first hit. So being able to see how excited someone is, especially when they get to share it with their family in the stands, it’s a special moment. It makes you remember your first hit. Once you’re in the big leagues, it’s like a brotherhood. And then once you get that first hit, it’s almost like your stamp of, ‘All right, I really did make it.’”
OF Austin Hays
When was it? Sept. 16, 2017, for the Orioles in a 9-3 loss to the Yankees at Yankee Stadium.
What was it? A single off left-hander Jordan Montgomery in the third inning.
Where is the ball now? Hays has it alongside his first homer ball and three of the four balls from his cycle on June 22, 2022.
“It was pretty cool that a place like that was where I was able to have my first hit and my first home run in the same game,” Hays said.
IF/OF Ryan O'Hearn
When was it? July 31, 2018, for the Royals in a 4-2 win over the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field.
What was it? A two-run home run off right-hander James Shields in the fifth inning.
Where is the ball now? It’s part of a framed memorabilia piece in O’Hearn’s house that was created by the Royals and also features his bat and the lineup card from the game.
“I think everybody recognizes how big of a deal it is to get your first Major League hit,” O’Hearn said. “Guys work so hard to get to this level, and then to get that first hit kind of solidifies you’re a big leaguer. It’s just something special that everybody understands the importance of it.”
When was it? Aug. 22, 2020, for the Orioles in a 5-4 win over the Red Sox at Camden Yards
What was it? A single off right-hander Ryan Brasier in the ninth inning.
Where is the ball now? Mountcastle has it in a case at his house. He also received a video from the team featuring his friends and family congratulating him on reaching the big leagues, because they couldn’t attend his first games, which occurred during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
“So, my debut, I didn’t get a hit -- I walked twice, believe it or not. Next day, it was the bottom of the ninth, two outs, tied game and a swinging bunt [down the] third-base line,” Mountcastle said with a wide grin and a laugh. “I got it, and it was just sort of funny. Definitely a cool moment, though. ... It’s definitely something that you dream of your whole life and you work for.”
When was it? Aug. 31, 2022, for the Orioles in a 4-0 win over the Guardians at Progressive Field.
What was it? A solo home run off right-hander Triston McKenzie in the fourth inning.
Where is the ball now? Henderson, who famously lost his helmet on the swing, got the ball back following his debut game.
“To have all [my family] there and being able to experience that with me was probably the biggest thing for me,” Henderson said. “Because it’s been a long dream of mine, and I was glad they were able to be there to be with me.”