HOUSTON -- As soon as the ball left the bat and rocketed toward deep right field, Samuel Basallo thought he had done it. The 21-year-old phenom appeared to have blasted a three-run home run in the seventh inning on Sunday during his MLB debut for the Orioles.
Except Astros right fielder Jesús Sánchez spoiled it, leaping and taking it away from Basallo -- one of two homer-robbing catches Sánchez made on the afternoon.
“He caught it, I was like, ‘Dang, I thought I had it,’” Basallo said via team interpreter Brandon Quinones. “I think any time anyone is trying to get their first hit, they obviously want it to be a home run.”
Basallo’s first hit didn’t end up being a home run -- but it was still a good one.
During the eighth inning of Baltimore’s 12-0 rout of Houston at Daikin Park, Basallo knocked a two-run single to cap a five-run rally. The youngster from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic -- clearly enjoying the moment with a big smile on his face -- had erased the heartbreak from an inning earlier in an instant.
“When I was able to get that first hit, I was like, ‘All right, much better feeling,’” said Basallo, who planned to give the ball to his dad, Jairo Fernando Basallo, who broke the news of his son’s callup to him on Saturday morning.
Basallo’s first home run will surely come soon enough -- and there are likely to be many more. The 6-foot-4 slugger’s best tool is his bat, which he used to post eye-popping numbers at Triple-A Norfolk all season. It’s why he’ll be playing catcher, first base and designated hitter (as he was Sunday) for Baltimore, which wants the kid in the lineup as much as possible.
How about that lineup, though? Basallo (the Orioles’ No. 1 prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 8 overall) wasn’t the only potential future star added to the O’s offense this weekend. A day earlier, outfielder Dylan Beavers (Baltimore’s No. 3) made his own big league debut.
Beavers doubled for his first hit on Saturday, then recorded a single, a walk and two runs scored on Sunday. Basallo was hit by a pitch in his first plate appearance -- becoming the first player in Orioles history (since 1954) to have that happen -- as part of his 1-for-4 day.
Not bad showings for two guys who were playing on the biggest stages of their career thus far.
"They’re the future. It's been very clear, and the fans are excited about it. We’re excited about it,” third baseman Jordan Westburg said. “Brings some fresh and new energy into this clubhouse, it’s always a positive thing. And for them to step right in and take some really comfortable at-bats, it’s only going to help us."
The bottom half of Baltimore’s lineup lacked a bit of punch during the first half of August, the product of July 31 trades that sent Ryan O’Hearn and Ramón Laureano to the Padres and Cedric Mullins to the Mets. Now, Beavers and Basallo have created more depth.
The rest of the season for the Orioles (57-67) is all about development and building momentum toward 2026. And it was easy to watch Sunday’s game and see how this team could realistically return to contention next year and make ‘25 an outlier among a run of sustained success.
Westburg tallied a career-high five RBIs and a career-high-tying four hits, including a three-run homer in the fifth. Jackson Holliday reached base four times (two singles and two walks) and scored three runs out of the leadoff spot.
Gunnar Henderson drew a pair of walks and scored a run. Adley Rutschman had an RBI single. Colton Cowser had a single in his return from the concussion injured list. Coby Mayo doubled and scored a run. Jeremiah Jackson -- a 25-year-old unexpectedly making the most of his first run in the Majors -- recorded another three hits to boost his average to .333.
The 14-hit attack was encouraging on all fronts for the Orioles, whose lineup is much more impressive leaving Houston than when they arrived.
“We felt that here for the last week since the Trade Deadline. I mean, we traded away three of our everyday players,” interim manager Tony Mansolino said. “The guys that came in did a good job, but obviously, when you’ve got kids that put up the numbers that they did at the ages they do and the inexperience that they do in the Minor Leagues, when they get here, they’re going to be pretty good players and they’re going to help contribute to nine guys stringing together at-bats.”
Basallo may only have one day of big league experience, but even he can see the vision of a positive future in Baltimore.
“I think we have a chance to be really, really good,” Basallo said. “I think we have a lot of talented players in this clubhouse that have a chance to do really special things. I know that we’re pretty young, but I think we have a chance to be really good for a long, long time.”