BALTIMORE -- When the humidity settles in and a slight breeze picks up, Camden Yards has the potential to become a haven for home run hitters. Even more so this year, now that the left-field dimensions at the ballpark are no longer as cavernous.
Still, Sunday afternoon's seesaw slugfest between the Royals and the Orioles became simply ridiculous.
The two teams combined for 11 home runs -- a franchise-record seven for Kansas City and four from Baltimore -- before the Royals eventually held on for an 11-6 victory to take the set, a rematch from last year’s American League Wild Card Series. The wildest part of the homer madness? Ten were solo shots.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the 10 solo home runs tied an MLB record achieved twice before -- a 10-6 D-backs win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field on May 20, 2022, and a 14-12 White Sox win against the Tigers at Tiger Stadium on May 28, 1995.
The ball was flying all day through the Baltimore air in a game that featured five lead changes and turned into a home run heavyweight fight, with nine players going deep.
"It was kind of like everyone was throwing punches," said O’s second baseman Jackson Holliday, who slugged two solo shots.
The result was a game unlike most have seen despite baseball’s long history.
"Certainly not often," Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. "I don't want to say I never have, but I doubt it."
Camden Yards history
Even when the left-field porch was closer to home plate, Camden Yards rarely hosted contests like this. The 11 home runs matched the most hit in a game in the history of the ballpark, which opened in 1992.
The two previous times that number was reached was a 16-7 Twins win on April 20, 2019, and a 14-7 O’s victory over the Angels on July 1, 1994.
"It's a hitters' park, we know that, generally," Quatraro said. "But still, both teams squaring balls up like that -- it was a fun game in some respects, and in other respects, it was very nerve-racking."
Royals record
The most surprising aspect of Kansas City hitting more homers than it has in any previous game is the fact that the club didn’t have many this year. When the Royals arrived in Baltimore on Friday, they had an MLB-low 15 home runs. Entering Sunday, they still ranked 30th with 18.
Maikel Garcia led the way with two, then Jonathan India, Bobby Witt Jr., Vinnie Pasquantino, Luke Maile and Michael Massey added one apiece. Witt and Pasquantino became the first Kansas City hitters to go back to back this season, and the first since those two combined for consecutive homers on Aug. 1, 2024, at Detroit.
"That's fun for us," Garcia said. "We go out there and play hard, hit our seven home runs for the first time in the franchise ... that's good for us."
The Royals are the second team to hit seven or more homers in a game this season, joining the Yankees, who slugged nine in a 20-9 win vs. the Brewers on March 29 at Yankee Stadium.
Two for the first time
Garcia and Holliday each recorded a multihomer game in the big leagues for the first time.
No Kansas City player had hit multiple homers this season. Garcia became the first since Salvador Perez had two on Aug. 26, 2024, at Cleveland.
Holliday’s home runs were the eighth and ninth of his young 88-game MLB career. He also matched the career high of his dad (former All-Star outfielder Matt Holliday), who had 22 two-homer games over 15 seasons.
"Not trying to move the ball forward, but just trying to put good swings on it," Holliday said. "However I feel when I’m feeling smooth and free to deliver a good swing is kind of how I’ve been going about it."
Nearly a unicorn
There’s never been a game with 10 or more home runs in which all were solo shots. That almost changed on Sunday.
The AL/NL record for a game with exclusively solo homers is eight, which has happened twice -- a 9-5 Mariners win over the Padres at Petco Park on June 24, 2006, and a 5-3 Rockies victory over the Marlins at Marlins Park on June 20, 2016.
After eight innings, the O’s and Royals had 10 homers, all solos. But then, Massey hit a two-run blast off Matt Bowman in the ninth to prevent an historical oddity. That was fine with the Royals, who preferred the extra breathing room.
"The vibe in the dugout today was good, and guys knew they were swinging it well, seeing the ball well," Massey said. "I don't think any of us tried to go up there and hit home runs, it's just a byproduct of getting a good pitch to hit and being on time."