Jackson Holliday’s first MLB hit important to Orioles’ 6-4 win over Brewers

They had been waiting for this — the crowd at Camden Yards that stood with anticipation during each of his plate appearances, an Orioles lineup that needed a spark at the bottom of the order, and most of all, the kid who now stood at first base.

That was Jackson Holliday. This had hung over him since his debut Wednesday at Fenway Park. For three straight games, the top prospect in the sport strode to the plate, and yet the hit was elusive. He sat Saturday and returned to the lineup Sunday, just to strike out for the eighth and ninth times since arriving less than a week earlier.

And then he saw it: the 99.3 mph sinker on the inner half of the plate, belt high. Holliday unleashed on it, driving it at 101.4 mph through the infield for a single in the seventh inning.

The crowd erupted.

The players in the dugout raised their arms.

And Holliday stood at first, poised, a baseball game still to be won.

That knock from Holliday played a vital role in the Orioles’ come-from-behind win against the Milwaukee Brewers, 6-4. A string of three straight singles from Jordan Westburg, Holliday and Gunnar Henderson brought home the tying run. Holliday ran first to third on Henderson’s hit, positioning him as the go-ahead run later in the frame.

“Pretty relieved,” Holliday said. “It’s pretty nice to finally get it out of the way and just kind of enjoy playing baseball now vs. trying to fight for a hit. Now I can go out there and play.”

Fellow rookie Colton Cowser said that “someone made a joke that he just had to face someone with 100.” And manager Brandon Hyde was “just happy for the kid, just to see the look on his face.”

It was a mixture of jubilation and determination, an act-like-you’ve-been-here-before composure coupled with a weight off his shoulders.

“Kind of a free feeling,” Holliday said, “you know?”

Cowser then continued his onslaught at the plate with his fourth homer in his last four games. With a blast in the eighth, Cowser offered right-hander Craig Kimbrel wiggle room for his save.

Before the game, co-hitting coach Ryan Fuller preached patience with Holliday. The top prospect was experiencing the growing pains that are typical for a 20-year-old making the leap to the majors, Fuller said, and as general manager Mike Elias said, the quality of pitching at this level is markedly higher than in Triple-A.

The attention on Holliday has been intense. Every trip to the plate, there’s a spotlight brighter than the one usually reserved for players. The stadium fills with an air of expectancy. Phones taped each plate appearance, hoping to capture the first hit of what is assumed to be a long, successful career.

“He’s had all the cameras in his face, a lot of stuff going on the first couple of days,” Fuller said. “We can’t wait to just have him be in a normal routine and be one of the guys and come here and not feel like he has to get a hit today.”

When Holliday’s wait ended in the seventh inning with a single through the right side of the infield off right-hander Abner Uribe, his dad, seven-time All-Star Matt Holliday, and his wife, Chloe, celebrated with Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr.

But it was Holliday’s heads-up baserunning that was perhaps most pivotal.

“If I’m on second base, I don’t score on the double play,” Holliday said. “It’s a lot more valuable to be at third base and something that they preach in the minor leagues, to go first to third every chance you get.”

Before that breakthrough for Holliday — a hit that will surely allow for a deep breath — he continued to fall behind in counts, leaving himself open to a pitcher’s full array of offerings with two strikes. That led to nine strikeouts in his first 13 at-bats, with two more coming early Sunday.

Against right-hander Colin Rea, Holliday chased a sweeper below the zone for his first punchout. He then watched a ball that was called strike three on the far side of the zone — the kind of hard luck that can befall a player stuck in a rut.

“It’s good learning,” Holliday said. “If you go 0-for three or four games, that’s going to happen in baseball. I’d prefer it not to be at the beginning of my career, but it’s going to happen, and I’m glad to hopefully learn from it.”

Before Holliday’s knock in the seventh, several players around him in the batting order made louder impacts. Ryan O’Hearn, who has ample extended family from Wisconsin, left them conflicted. O’Hearn drove in Henderson with a single in the first before driving a solo homer in the third.

Cedric Mullins also powered a solo homer off Rea in the second frame. It was Mullins’ third of the season and a continuation of his strong week that includes seven hits and four walks.

That production covered for right-hander Corbin Burnes, who didn’t have his best stuff yet still gave Baltimore the chance to win. In five innings, Burnes allowed six hits and three runs (two earned), including a leadoff homer for William Contreras that extended his streak of conceding a first-inning run to four games.

“I’ve done a great job of giving up runs in the first inning for the first four starts, if you want to pick something,” Burnes said. “Definitely having to grind through it.”

The Orioles covered for that slight blip from Burnes, however, with a late offensive push in the seventh. There were Henderson’s RBI single and Cowser’s pull-side homer. And there was Holliday with perhaps the hint of a smile on his lips, standing at first base.

That first hit is out of the way.

Andy Kostka

andy.kostka@thebaltimorebanner.com

Andy Kostka is an Orioles beat writer for The Baltimore Banner. He previously covered the Orioles for The Baltimore Sun. Kostka graduated from the University of Maryland and grew up in Rockville.

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