Athletes seem to do a fantastic job of blocking out the crowd noise most of the time. Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman may have let some of the noise creep in during his last at-bat on Thursday, but it worked in his favor.
Rutschman hit his first career walk-off home run to beat the Oakland Athletics. Shortly after, the Orioles posted a video of the homer on Twitter and you can clearly hear someone, presumably a fan, say “finish it” almost as soon as the ball hit Rutschman's bat.
A slugfest between the two teams gave way to three straight scoreless innings before Rutschman ended things in the ninth inning for the 8-7 win. The first overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft said he “kind of blacked out” while rounding the bases.
Rutschman has been everything the Orioles hoped he'd be through his short career thus far. After a 12th-place finish in AL MVP Award voting in his rookie season last year, Rutschman has picked up right where he left off this season. He had a five-hit game on Opening Day and is currently riding a seven-game hitting streak.
Overall, Rutschman has a .373 batting average with four home runs and nine RBIs. He has immediately become the Orioles' best player and is already seen as the face of the franchise.
Orioles fans can expect more of the same from Adley Rutschman in 2023 and beyond. Baltimore has a superstar in the making behind the plate that's ready to lead the Orioles out of mediocrity and into playoff contention.
Follow Us
Subscribe