Mere minutes before Jackson Holliday homered to break up Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s no-hit bid with two outs in the ninth, kickstarting a whirlwind comeback victory for the Orioles, there was another member of the family connecting on a wallop of his own: Ethan Holliday, with his second pro homer.
It marks the first time that the brothers have homered on the same night since Ethan, MLB Pipeline's No. 17 prospect, was chosen with the fourth overall pick by the Rockies in July's Draft.
Ethan’s homer, 9:37 p.m. ET:
The beauty of Minor League Baseball is that it’s truly a melting pot of the best talent in the world all fighting for the same goal. Holliday has faced a panoply of pitchers over his first month with Single-A Fresno (all of whom have been older), but the Oklahoma Gatorade Player of the Year was tasked with facing Rancho Cucamonga's Hyun-Seok Jang on Saturday night, a 21-year-old that was previously considered a top Draft selection in his native Korea.
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After taking a first pitch strike and then swinging through the next offering, Holliday found himself in an 0-2 hole. He laid off the next pitch below the zone before connecting on a tape-measure shot, way beyond the 401-foot marker on the center-field fence.
"I think this has kind of been what I expected for the most part," Ethan said. "But the talent is crazy. I mean, we're facing teenagers like myself that are throwing 100 miles per hour. It's pretty cool to watch. Even the guys [on my] team are unbelievable."
Jackson’s homer, 9:52 p.m. ET:
Two years ago to the day, Jackson was suiting up for his second game at Triple-A. The fact that he was doing so -- at age 19 -- was entirely mystifying as he climbed all four levels of the Orioles’ full-season affiliates in his first full year as a pro.
After debuting at age 20 in April 2024 to uneven results, MLB Pipeline's former No. 1 overall prospect has settled in with Baltimore in '25. His home run to break up a no-hit bid with just one out remaining marks just the third-such instance dating back to 1896.
As soon as Ethan's contest for Fresno ended, he found about Jackson's homer. It took him back to their days at Stillwater (Okla.) HS, the last time the two had homered on the same day.
It would be unfair to compare the brothers and expect similar production, although it is a fair barometer of what could be to come. Jackson has spoken before about how Ethan is even more advanced at the plate than he was at the same age. That’s a scary prospect for California League pitchers who have found that the 6-foot-4 slugger has a discerning eye at the dish and the power to capitalize on any mistake in the heart of the plate.
The fourth overall pick in the 2025 Draft has begun to put his stamp on the Single-A Fresno lineup since debuting back on Aug. 12. He started his career with a modest four-game hitting streak and has reached base safely in 15 of his 17 contests.
"I'm just trying to get settled and kind of find a groove and figure out what works for me," Ethan said. "I'm just kind of starting to let the game come to me and not trying to hit everything. ... I'm definitely starting to feel like myself again."
In addition to running a high strikeout rate, Ethan has also routinely played in some of the most cavernous parks in the Minors, but that power -- which received a 65 grade on the 20-80 scale during the pre-Draft evaluation process -- has begun to show through.
From the time both Ethan and Jackson were little, they were at the ballpark with their dad, Matt. But now, they’re two professionals crushing home runs of their own.
"They both have incredible insight for me," Ethan said. "But I'm playing the game myself now. I'm not just watching them. So I just find those adjustments to being able to learn more about yourself, learn more about the pitchers and just remember that you're not a finished product. Just go out there and compete -- you got to play the mental game around here.
"Having my dad and my brother has been been huge, but also having a great community around me and having great coaches down here, I'm blessed for sure."