Adley Rutschman went deep twice in his first game back at Camden Yards since being traded away, and the Boston Red Sox held off a late Baltimore rally to beat the Orioles 6-5 on Thursday night and open a four-game series.
The loss drops Baltimore to 69-72, its third straight, and to 1.5 games back of the final American League wild-card spot. Boston (76-65), playing meaningful September baseball of its own, took the opener behind a four-homer night that also included blasts from Nick Sogard and Roman Anthony.
After receiving a standing ovation from the Camden Yards crowd before his first at-bat, Rutschman went deep to right field with two outs in the top of the first to give Boston a 1-0 lead, then he drilled another solo homer off Orioles starter Brandon Young in the sixth to trim an Orioles lead to 3-2.
It was Rutschman's second two-home run game of the season. The first came, ironically, on April 24 — when he was still with the Orioles, facing the Red Sox, with Young also starting for Baltimore, just like Thursday.
Talk about a full-circle night.
Rutschman was Baltimore's No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft and a cornerstone of the rebuild under general manager Mike Elias. The Orioles built around the catcher for years and reached the playoffs twice with him behind the plate, but never won a postseason game.
Rutschman reportedly wasn't interested in signing a long-term extension — he stayed noncommittal on the idea as recently as July, when he made his third All-Star Game appearance — and the 28-year-old dealt with a string of injuries over the past two seasons, including the wrist injury he was nursing when Elias sent him to division rival Boston in a trade that brought back a haul of prospects.
Ahead of Thursday's return to Baltimore, Rutschman was hitting just .169 (9-for-53) with one home run and four RBIs in 15 games in a Red Sox uniform, and hadn't played since August 30 because of a hyperextended elbow.
"Some of the guys were giving me a little bit of crap," Rutschman said before the game. "They were texting me, saying, 'Make sure you don't take a right turn to the dugout after you ground out.'"
He didn't have to worry about that. Apart from the two homers, Rutschman lined out to right in the third and finished 2-for-4 with three runs scored.
Rutschman also reached base in the eighth, grounding into a fielder’s choice and moving to second on a throwing error by Blaze Alexander on a broken-up double play attempt. And before it all, a Baltimore crowd, also filled with Red Sox fans, gave him a generous welcome back.
“It was special to feel that kind of love, it’s really cool,” Rutschman said afterward. “Emotional moment and really special."
“I’d imagine that he was juiced up for today, and rightfully so,” Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said after the game. “The ovation the crowd gave him was awesome, and obviously, it goes without being said, rightfully deserved. I just wish two of those balls got off the wall.”
Luis Robert Jr. and Pete Alonso answered with back-to-back home runs in the fourth to give Baltimore a 3-1 lead. It was Robert's first homer as an Oriole. Alonso finished 1-for-3 with two RBIs.
Young worked 6 2/3 innings, departing after allowing a game-tying single down the right-field line to Isiah Kiner-Falefa on his 98th pitch of the night. He struck out seven and walked two while allowing three runs and the two homers to his former catcher, who seemed to know what was coming.
"I've seen him in spring training and those live at-bats," Rutschman said. "You know how good the fastball and the splitter is."
“He’s been catching me ever since I’ve been in the big leagues so, yeah, I mean, it’s a tough situation,” Young said of Rutschman. “But he put two good swings on it. He got me, tip the cap off to him.”
Lefty Luis De León entered in the eighth in his second career MLB appearance and allowed a leadoff single. Rutschman grounded to third for the fielder's choice and got to second on an Alexander bouncing throw that was too tough for Alonso to snag clean at first. Two batters later, Sogard cleared the bases with a two-run homer to right-center off Yennier Cano, putting Boston ahead 5-3.
Anthony added Boston's fourth home run of the night in the ninth off Albert Suárez, an insurance run that made it 6-3 — and Boston needed it.
In the bottom of the ninth, with Aroldis Chapman on for the save, Gunnar Henderson hit a one-out single and Christian Encarnacion-Strand drilled a homer to left to get the Orioles within one. Leody Taveras flied out to right-center on a ball a pair of Red Sox outfielders nearly misplayed, and Chapman struck out Dylan Beavers to end it.
The Orioles and Red Sox continue the four-game series Friday at Camden Yards.