Watch: Orioles' father and son duo return Jackson Holliday's first MLB home run ball, receive personalized memorabilia
Upon his return to the majors on Wednesday, Jackson Holliday proved his top baseball prospect status. The Baltimore Orioles' 2022 No. 1 overall pick crushed a grand slam home run in the fifth inning at Camden Yards, a 439-foot dinger against the Toronto Blue Jays' pitcher, Yerry Rodríguez.
His maiden major league home run ball was caught by a father-son duo seated in right field in Orioles jerseys. After the game, Holliday met with the father and son, who returned the ball. In return, Holliday gifted the son his bat:
"If he gets the opportunity, I hope he would get his ball back," the father said.
"How did the Gatorade feel?" the son asked Holliday.
"It was cold," Holliday replied.
Watch the interaction between Holliday and the father and son below:
Jackson Holliday becomes youngest player in Orioles history to hit a grand slam
In his 39th at-bat in the majors, Jackson Holliday became the youngest batter – 20 years, 240 days old – in Baltimore Orioles history to hit a grand slam. The ball left his bat with an exit velocity of 109.2 mph.
“That’s about as best as I can hit a ball,” the Orioles’ second baseman said. “That’s about all I got.”
Moreover, Holliday became just the third player in Orioles history (since 1954) to hit a grand slam for his first MLB home run, following Frank Baker (Sept. 28, 1973) and Fritz Connally (April 19, 1985). According to Elias Sports Bureau, he is the eighth-youngest AL/NL player to hit a grand slam for their debut home run.
“It’s pretty surreal. Couldn’t have dreamt it up any better for a first home run,” Holliday said via MLB.com. “It’s just exciting to be able to help the team win, you know? When I was struggling, I felt like I couldn’t really do that. But to be able to come through in a big spot is more important to me than anything else.”
In Wednesday's game, Holliday batted eighth in the lineup, going 1-for-5 and contributing four runs in the team's 10-4 win against the Blue Jays. The win also secured the three-game series for the club, which continues to sit at the top of the AL East standings with a 65-44 record for the season.
Holliday and Co. will travel to Cleveland next to take on the Cleveland Guardians in a four-game series at Progressive Park that begins on Thursday.