BALTIMORE — Heston Kjerstad had simply popped in a recent piece of bubble gum, decompressing after rounding the bases and taking a swig of water out of the Orioles’ homer hydration station. Then, the 25-year-old appeared up on the large display screen and noticed his face because the sellout crowd at Camden Yards was going wild on the finish of the fifth inning Saturday evening.
“Oh, whoa, we’re up there,” Kjerstad thought to himself, earlier than pumping his fist to acknowledge the ravenous followers.
The remainder of the Baltimore gamers within the first-base dugout inspired Kjerstad to step again onto the sector and tip his cap for a curtain name — that’s what a primary MLB grand slam that additionally prolonged a franchise house run document is worthy of, in any case.
“We’ve started working on that. Early work tomorrow on the timing of curtain calls, as a result of that was 5 seconds too late,” supervisor Brandon Hyde stated. “That’s 10 push-ups for that tomorrow.”
Kjerstad’s curtain calls may have enchancment. His house run swing doesn’t.
The Orioles’ No. 4 prospect (MLB Pipeline’s No. 20 total) belted a go-ahead slam off Rangers starter Michael Lorenzen within the fifth, main the O’s to a 6-5 victory. Kjerstad’s fourth large league blast was his second of the season and Baltimore’s sixtieth homer of June, its most in a single month in franchise historical past.
The O’s — who’re 53-30 and took sole possession of first place over the Yankees (53-32) within the American League East — grew to become solely the third workforce in AL/NL historical past to hit no less than 60 homers in a month.
Most house runs in a single month, AL/NL historical past
1. 74 — Yankees in August 2019
2. 61 — Braves in June 2023
3. 60 — Orioles in June 2024
“We’re main the league in homers [with 139] as a result of now we have a ton of fellows which have a ton of energy, and good hitters on prime of it,” Hyde stated. “Robust guys.”
Some, equivalent to Kjerstad, are a bit extra highly effective and stronger than others.
“The uncooked energy is on one other stage,” Hyde famous.
Moments just like the one on Saturday evening are the rationale Kjerstad continued to work exhausting at Triple-A Norfolk for a lot of the primary half of the season, slightly than be disillusioned he wasn’t within the large leagues after getting small tastes of the Majors final September/October and this April/Could.
Kjerstad, who was recalled by Baltimore on Monday, realized the magnitude of the state of affairs when he stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs, with the O’s trailing, 2-1.
“Shut recreation, sold-out stadium, bases loaded — these are the moments you wish to be part of,” Kjerstad stated.
Kjerstad wasn’t positive if the ball was going to hold over the center-field fence after he related with a 1-1 cutter from Lorenzen. It had a hangtime of 6.6 seconds (per Statcast) — however it additionally traveled 395 ft, touchdown past the wall and giving the Orioles a 5-2 lead they by no means relinquished.
In 5 video games since his newest promotion, Kjerstad is 5-for-12 (.417) with one double, two homers, seven RBIs and three walks. He reached base in all 4 of his plate appearances on Saturday.
“That’s the kind of participant I’m,” Kjerstad stated, “and that’s the kind of participant I wish to be after I come to the park, in order that approach I might help this workforce win and assist this workforce for a playoff push down the highway.”
“I’ve seen him do it so many occasions in Norfolk,” left-hander Cade Povich stated of Kjerstad’s grand slam. “It was superior to see.”
Kjerstad’s slam made Povich a winner, as Baltimore’s No. 9 prospect earned his first MLB victory with 5 innings of two-run ball in his fifth large league begin. Kjerstad additionally helped lengthen an O’s document, certainly one of two damaged by Anthony Santander earlier within the evening.
Coming into Saturday, Baltimore had 58 June homers, tied for its most in a single month in franchise historical past. Santander hit the tie-breaking 59th — a second-inning leadoff shot off Lorenzen — which was additionally the 29-year-old outfielder’s thirteenth of the month, probably the most by an O’s participant in a single June in membership historical past.
It’s been a torrid month for Santander, whose 22 house runs this season are the fifth most in MLB. The earlier O’s document for homers in a single June was 12, which was completed by 4 sluggers — Chris Davis (2013), Albert Belle (2000), Rafael Palmeiro (1998) and Boog Powell (1964).
Santander’s 13 June homers are two shy of the Orioles’ mark for many homers in a single month, a document held by Jim Gentile (15 in August 1961).
Baltimore has received 4 straight contests, together with every of its first three vs. Texas in a four-game set that includes a rematch from final 12 months’s AL Division Collection. The O’s may have a possibility to comb the workforce that swept them out of the 2023 postseason when the collection concludes on Sunday Night time Baseball.
“We’re completely satisfied that we took the primary three video games,” Santander stated. “However now we have to return again tomorrow, after which win tomorrow.”