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Baltimore Orioles' Adley Rutschman Bats Both Ways in Home Run Derby, Comes Up Short

One of baseball's brightest young stars was unable to beat Luis Robert Jr. in the opening round of Monday's skills competition.
Sam Connon|
Baltimore Orioles' Adley Rutschman Bats Both Ways in Home Run Derby, Comes Up Short
Baltimore Orioles' Adley Rutschman Bats Both Ways in Home Run Derby, Comes Up Short

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Baltimore Orioles

An all-time individual performance was not enough to keep Adley Rutschman alive in the 2023 Home Run Derby.

The Baltimore Orioles catcher stepped up to the plate as a left-handed hitter for his allotted three minutes in Monday's first round, and he launched 21 home runs. For his 30 bonus seconds, Rutschman hit as a righty and jacked six more to finish with 27.

Rutschman, who had his father pitching to him, looked like he was going to be hard to beat after Tampa Bay Rays left fielder Randy Arozarena won with 24 homers in the opening matchup. However, Chicago White Sox centerfielder Luis Robert Jr. had other plans.

Robert hit 27 homers in the opening three minutes alone, and he only needed a few seconds of bonus time to hit his 28th and advance to the semifinals.

Despite the loss, Rutschman made waves as a switch-hitter in his extra 30 seconds.

Rutschman hit a home run on the first pitch he saw as a righty, and only two of the pitches he saw didn't get over the outfield wall. The ESPN announcers laughed their way through the 25-year-old's unique bonus session, and videos of his performance started to pick up steam online in real time.

Rutschman became the first catcher to participate in the Home Run Derby since 2017, though, and just the second since 2005. A catcher has never won the Home Run Derby, and that cold streak will continue at least another year thanks to Rutschman's loss.

The 2022 American League Rookie of the Year runner-up was not chosen to be a starter for the AL in Tuesday's All-Star Game, but he will be in the dugout as a reserve. The Midsummer Classic will start at 8 p.m. ET right back at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer covering baseball for “Fastball on SI.’’ He previously covered UCLA Athletics for On SI’s All Bruins site, and is a UCLA graduate, with his work there as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for On SI’s New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Sam lives in Boston.

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