BALTIMORE -- All Jackson Holliday needed to break his 0-for-20 skid on Saturday? The arrival of his own personal Golden Tee Golf arcade game, of course.
On the same day a Golden Tee machine arrived at Camden Yards -- spotted in a large package that had Holliday’s name on it outside the Orioles’ clubhouse in the early afternoon -- MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 overall prospect delivered a clutch hit off the bench. Holliday ripped a go-ahead three-run double in his first big league pinch-hit appearance in the sixth inning, lifting Baltimore to a 3-2 victory over Houston.
Holliday didn’t start the game because manager Brandon Hyde wanted to give the 20-year-old a day off due to his recent slump -- a skid that came in the absence of Golden Tee.
Maybe Holliday broke through because he knew what was waiting for him back inside?
“Yeah, who knows?” Holliday said with a smile. “They were putting it in when I was up to bat, so I guess so. My dad [former MLB outfielder Matt Holliday] actually texted me and said that he was also playing at the house. So I guess he's going to be stuck there for three hours a night.”
Earlier this month, Holliday set course records while playing the Golden Tee game in the visitors' clubhouse at Progressive Field in Cleveland, and it translated to immediate good luck on the field, as he went 6-for-13 (.462) with a double, a homer and three RBIs during a four-game series against the Guardians. He said he had similar fortune while playing the game at Triple-A Norfolk in 2023 -- which led to the Holliday family buying their own Golden Tee for their Oklahoma home.
When Holliday’s virtual golf skills went viral, the makers of Golden Tee took to social media to tell the youngster they’d send him the game for the O’s home clubhouse.
It finally arrived Saturday, and it’s a good thing it did, because the Orioles needed Holliday to come through in a big spot.
Astros left-hander Framber Valdez hadn’t allowed a run entering the sixth, when the O’s got a trio of singles from Gunnar Henderson, Eloy Jiménez and Colton Cowser. The two-out infield knock by Cowser was most impressive, as the 24-year-old rookie legged out a routine grounder to first base by sliding into the bag, keeping the rally alive and loading the bases.
“[First baseman Jon] Singleton is a big guy. I didn’t really feel like going head on with him,” said Cowser, who ran at a sprint speed of 29.7 feet per second on the play, per Statcast. “It’s kind of an unconventional thing to do, you're not really taught to do that. But just instincts took over."
As Houston turned to righty Tayler Scott, Baltimore sent Holliday to the plate in place of Emmanuel Rivera. Immediately, Holliday connected on a first-pitch splitter, sending it into the right-center-field gap at an exit velocity of 105.9 mph, per Statcast, and clearing the bases.
It was the second day in a row the Orioles beat the Astros thanks to a bases-loaded hit, as Anthony Santander hit a go-ahead grand slam in the eighth inning of Friday’s 7-5 win.
It was also the first time Holliday notched a hit since a seventh-inning single vs. the Red Sox on Aug. 17 -- a day after he recorded his first career four-hit game against Boston.
“He was on time, stayed in the middle of the field, line-drive swing, not trying to lift,” Hyde said. “Like most young hitters going through struggles, they just try to do a little bit more. I felt like he just tried to do a little bit less on that swing, just take a really, really good pass at the baseball on a pitch that he can handle.”
Unlike most 20-year-old rookies, Holliday has a previous big league slump he can draw on. In April, he began his MLB career by going 2-for-34 during a 10-game stint for the O’s, not getting his first hit until his 14th at-bat.
“Well, I've been here. I've been here before, and obviously, it's not great, but just that experience the first time is helpful,” Holliday said. “Not really thinking too much about it. I’ve hit some balls hard and just kind of had not great luck. So just sticking to my approach and just tinkering with little things, but not overthinking it.
“Obviously, the game is really hard and guys are really good and that happens. So just going out there each night and competing.”
The Orioles (76-55) gained ground on the Yankees (76-54), trimming New York's American League East lead to a half-game. Baltimore will have a chance for its first three-game win streak since July 14-20 by taking the series finale vs. AL West-leading Houston on Sunday Night Baseball.
Now that Holliday snapped his 0-fer -- and has a fresh new Golden Tee in his possession -- perhaps he’ll lead the O’s to more big wins during their pennant race down the stretch.
“It's important games. They're a good team,” Holliday said. “We've kind of been scuffling a little bit, so to get two wins in a row is obviously very helpful to build momentum.”