Jackson Holliday made a grand entrance upon his return to Baltimore.
The 20-year-old Orioles rookie belted a 439-foot grand slam — his first MLB homer — in the fifth inning of Wednesday’s 10-4 win over the Blue Jays, one day after being recalled from Triple-A.
“That’s about as best as I can hit a ball,” Holliday told reporters about his grand slam. “That’s about all I got.”
The 20-year-old etched his name into the MLB history books, becoming the third-youngest player in the American League to have his first career homer be a grand slam, according to OptaSTATS.
The son of seven-time MLB All-Star Matt Holliday had a short stint with the Orioles earlier this season, where he went 2-for-34 in 10 games, recording 18 strikeouts and two walks in April.
Subsequently demoted, he returned to the farm, where he showed notable growth.
“I’m definitely more prepared than I was last time,” Holliday told the Baltimore Banner on Wednesday. “Getting that debut out of the way, and all the stuff that comes with that, it’s definitely a little bit easier coming up here the second time and just being relaxed and comfortable with the environment.”
Despite missing a few games in June due to elbow inflammation, the infielder boosted his numbers in Triple-A, hitting eight homers with a .271 average and .908 OPS.
“I think it can always be looked at as a good start to learning how to fail, because this game is the worst sometimes,” he added. “To be able to go up there and fail at a high level, in the long run, I think will be very beneficial for me and my career.”
On Tuesday, the Orioles acquired Marlins pitcher Trevor Rogers, shipping second baseman Connor Norby to Miami as part of the return package.
With infielder Jorge Mateo getting transferred to the 60-day injured list with a dislocated elbow, the Orioles, in need of keystone insurance, brought up Holliday — their 2022 No.1 draft pick — giving him another chance in the majors.
With Norby in Miami and Mateo injured, Holliday is expected to play some middle infield for the time being.
“That’s definitely my goal this time to be able to come up here and help this team win and hopefully make a long playoff run,” the young star said.
The Orioles and Holliday begin a four-game series against the Guardians on Thursday night.
The infielder said he’s going to soak it all in while he’s up.
“I’m just going to enjoy it,” Holliday said. “I’m going to enjoy being here and being present. I feel like, last time, it was all a blur.”