BALTIMORE — Muscle reminiscence took over for Anthony Santander at Camden Yards Saturday afternoon.
Lengthy earlier than first pitch he needed to decide up a supply, so he walked alongside the ballpark’s service stage towards the proper area line, the place he’d at all times gone as an Orioles participant. However realizing he was now a customer on the ballpark he’d referred to as dwelling for the final eight years, he circled and headed to the suitable entrance then again to the Toronto Blue Jays’ clubhouse.
“Sort of bizarre,” he acknowledged. “(However) it feels nice coming again to the town.”
What occurred later was much more acquainted for the group of twenty-two,130 at Camden Yards as Santander hit a no-doubt dwelling run over the proper area wall — his first as a Blue Jay — to offer his new staff a 3-0 lead within the third inning. Finally, that lead can be short-lived although because the Orioles rallied towards Toronto starter Bowden Francis and put collectively a 5-4 win over Santander and his new staff.
Santander acknowledged the group’s ovations a number of instances, forward of his first at-bat as a customer and later after a video montage celebrating his time in Baltimore performed on the centre area scoreboard. Even after his dwelling run there have been loads of cheers for Santander, who hit 155 profession dwelling runs with the Orioles.
“Once you really feel that followers actually love you it means quite a bit,” stated Santander. “Particularly since they noticed me develop up right here as a participant and as an individual.”
It’s been a sluggish begin for the 30-year-old, however the familiarity of Camden Yards boosted his spirits as he arrived on the ballpark Saturday.
“I at all times go in with the mentality of hitting the ball onerous,” he stated with a smile. “It took me 15 video games, however I’m so blissful that I did it … I haven’t been performing the way in which I needed, however I’ll maintain working onerous.”
From the third base dugout, Santander’s teammates observed the reception from the group.
“It’s superior,” Francis stated. “For them to welcome him again like that was particular and I do know he felt it. Once you’re again the place you began I feel it’s sort of a sigh of reduction or a reset for him and I feel it’s going to open up the season for him.”
Earlier than the sport, a chilly climate contest by which the Orioles wore full orange uniforms and the Blue Jays wore child blue, supervisor John Schneider expressed optimism that Santander was about to interrupt out of his early season stoop. Quickly afterwards, one other coach predicted the change hitter would homer Saturday.
“Cool second right here,” Schneider stated following the sport. “Actually cool that they acknowledged him the way in which they did and rightfully so for what he did right here. So hopefully he can take a deep breath and I can cease saying earlier than the video games that he is getting shut as a result of he took some actually good swings right this moment.”
However one dwelling run wasn’t sufficient on a day the Blue Jays’ offence slowed down late, they usually now rank thirtieth among the many 30 MLB groups with simply seven whole homers this season. Clearly, they want extra energy to enhance on their 8-7 document and whereas historical past tells us the likes of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette will present loads of dwelling runs, the earlier that occurs the higher.
Within the fifth inning with the Blue Jays wanting so as to add onto their lead, the umpires dominated that Guerrero Jr. left first base early on a Santander fly ball, so the Orioles have been credited with double play. But replays have been removed from conclusive on the matter, and there are restricted digicam angles of first base so the Blue Jays determined to not problem as the decision would very possible have stood.
“I really like Vlad’s intent there,” Schneider stated. “(However) the decision’s not getting overturned. Simply stunned the decision was made on the sphere.”
As for Francis, the right-hander took an ideal recreation into the fifth inning earlier than permitting a Heston Kjerstad dwelling run for his first hit of the day. Adley Rutschman added a house run of his personal within the sixth, an inning that spiralled for Francis when Cedric Mullins doubled to left centre area and two runners scored.
“I’ve simply received to make an adjustment,” Francis stated. “Seize onto that point once they attempt to achieve the momentum and cease the momentum.”
Nonetheless, there have been loads of positives to be discovered for Francis on Saturday. The Orioles are a legitimately powerful offence and his splitter continued to appear to be a difference-making pitch, main to 2 strikeouts of leadoff hitter Gunnar Henderson.
“It simply provides his fastball extra deception, after which he is been finding his fastball,” Schneider stated. “It places somewhat little bit of doubt into hitters’ heads. He is at all times had a really misleading fastball along with his supply. And I feel simply having one other pitch that tunnels off of that has been actually good for him.”
“I feel I had good really feel for it,” Francis added. “We have been on a very good roll there with mixing it up.”
In the long run, although, it wasn’t sufficient to carry off the Orioles offence and the Blue Jays had few solutions past Santander’s early homer. Now they hand the ball to Jose Berrios Sunday within the hopes of ending this three-city street journey 4-5 somewhat than 3-6.
