Adley Rutschman homered in his first at-bat back at Camden Yards on Thursday night, a solo drive that put Boston ahead 1-0.
The Baltimore crowd that rose to applaud him as he stepped in was still making noise when the ball landed, one month after the trade that split up an Orioles core he had come to define.
UPDATE: Rutschman then his a second home run, also to right field, in the sixth inning. The blast gave him two homers in his first three at-bats back in Orioles Park at Camden Yards.
Rutschman jumped on a 77.3 mph curveball from Orioles right-hander Brandon Young in the top of the first. The ball left his bat at 94.9 mph on a 32-degree launch angle and carried a projected 377 feet, a flight that would have cleared the fence in 26 of the 30 big-league ballparks, according to MLB Home Runs Statcast tracking.
It was his 10th home run of 2026 and only his second in a Boston uniform. The first came Aug. 18 at Fenway Park.
Baltimore answered in the bottom half. Pete Alonso drove in Blaze Alexander with a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 1-1 against Red Sox lefty Jake Bennett.
Rutschman Homer Snaps a Cold Boston Stretch
Rutschman arrived in Boston on the injured list with left wrist inflammation, then hyperextended his right elbow on a swing in Miami on Aug. 24. He had hit .170 with a .500 OPS through 15 games with the Red Sox and sat out three straight before Thursday. An MRI showed swelling with no ligament damage, according to MLB.com reporter Ian Browne.
He was in the lineup anyway, batting third and catching Bennett.
“We’ll see. It’s going to be interesting. Talking to guys who have done it in the past, I’m sure there will be a lot of emotions,” Rutschman said before the game, as quoted by MLB.com.
He dressed in the visiting clubhouse Thursday, then walked over to his old one. Former teammate Ryan O’Hearn had given him advice for the day — move on, but don’t forget.
Boston Landed Rutschman From Orioles at the Deadline
Baltimore president of baseball operations Mike Elias sent Rutschman and catcher Jake Rogers to Boston on Aug. 3 for catcher Carlos Narváez, right-handers Anthony Eyanson and Kyson Witherspoon, outfielder Enddy Azocar and a player to be named later, as reported by the Associated Press. Elias had drafted him first overall in 2019, the first pick of his tenure.
“I have a ton of respect for Mike,” Rutschman said, according to USA Today. “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.”
Born in Portland, Oregon, on Feb. 6, 1998, Rutschman came out of Sherwood High School as a 40th-round Mariners pick in 2016 and did not sign. Oregon State got him instead. He was the College World Series Most Outstanding Player in 2018 and swept the Golden Spikes Award, the Dick Howser Trophy and the Buster Posey Award in 2019, according to Oregon State Athletics records.
He signed for $8.1 million, debuted May 21, 2022, and became a three-time All-Star. He left Baltimore with 69 homers, a .750 OPS and 16.5 WAR.
The Orioles opened play Thursday at 69-71, 1 1/2 games behind Cleveland for the final American League wild-card spot and tied with Texas and Toronto. The Red Sox sat at 75-65 with a 4 1/2-game cushion for the second wild card and 22 games left.
Red Sox Adley Rutschman Blasts Dramatic Home Run in Camden Yards Return