Baseball

Orioles rookie Jackson Holliday crushes 1st home run/grand slam, knows 'God has a plan'

By Kevin Mercer Aug 1, 2024
The Baltimore Orioles' Jackson Holliday celebrates his first MLB home run, July 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

The Orioles recalled second baseman Jackson Holliday from Triple-A Norfolk for Baltimore’s game on Wednesday against the Toronto Blue Jays, and the 2022 No. 1 overall pick delivered immediately.

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Holliday crushed a grand slam 439 feet in the bottom of the fifth inning to blow open what was previously a tight 4-3 game, and help the Orioles cruise to a win, 10-4. The blast was the 20-year-old’s first career MLB home run, making him the third Oriole to hit a grand slam as his first MLB homer and the youngest Oriole ever to hit one.

Baltimore fans gave the young star a curtain call after he rounded the bases, and his teammates gave him an on-field Gatorade bath after the game. He even got the home run ball back, and he gave one of his bats to the family who returned it.

“It’s pretty surreal,” Holliday said postgame, according to the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network. “Couldn’t have dreamt it up any better for the first home run. So, it’s just exciting to be able to help the team win. … To come through in a big spot is more important to me than anything else.”

Holliday’s heroics came at a crucial time for an Orioles team clinging to a half-game lead in the American League East over the New York Yankees, who also won on Wednesday. Baltimore is 65-44 while New York is 65-45, and both teams are eyeing what may be a decisive three-game series in New York in late September.

It appears as though Holliday will have a lengthy stay in the majors and play a part in Baltimore’s sprint to the finish. His MLB debut came in April, but he managed only two hits in 34 at-bats across 10 games and subsequently returned to the minors.

However, despite his youth and inexperience, Holliday was bold in sharing about his faith Jesus Christ with the media after his first MLB game.

“I wouldn’t be here without Jesus, honestly,” he said at the time. “Just His love that He’s had on me and blessed me with the ability to play baseball and to be here today. I probably wouldn’t be anywhere without Him. … Just giving thanks to the Lord.”

Holliday — the son of seven-time MLB All-Star Matt Holliday and his wife, Leslee (who co-hosted the “Table Forty” Podcast on the Sports Spectrum Podcast Network) — revealed that he draws a cross in the dirt at the beginning of games on defense. He also draws a cross and prays before each at-bat.

Matt and Leslee introduced Jackson to Christ at an early age, and throughout his rise to fame that began in high school, he’s spoken often about his faith. He’s appeared on the Sports Spectrum Podcast multiple times, including most recently with his younger brother, Ethan, a rising high school senior and a top baseball prospect in his own right.

In that episode, Jackson explained the importance of trusting God, who is perfectly good and also perfectly sovereign.

“I think being able to have your faith and being able to just kind of realize that everything is a plan and God has a plan for you, I think that makes it pretty easy for me,” he said. “I’m like, ‘OK, I’m gonna go out there, and I’m gonna compete, and I’m gonna do everything in my ability to succeed, but at the end of the day, like, if I do fail this, there is a purpose for that.’”

 

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With the flashes of Holliday’s baseball brilliance on Wednesday, expectations may be on the rise for him to continue to perform at an elite level during Baltimore’s stretch run. And with expectation comes pressure, but Holliday welcomes it.

“We like to say that pressure is a privilege. If you have pressure on you, you’re probably doing something right,” Holliday said on the Sports Spectrum Podcast in December 2022. “It’s just about being able to rely on God, and being able to pray, and being able to put it all in His hands to just take it day by day and play the game I’ve grown up loving.”

Holliday will seek to keep his mind centered on Christ as he and his teammates hit the road for three consecutive series away from Baltimore. First up is a trip to Cleveland to face the Guardians (65-42) starting Thursday. First pitch is set for 7:15 p.m. ET.

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RELATED STORIES:
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– SS PODCAST: Orioles No. 1 draft pick Jackson Holliday on humility, trusting God
– TABLE FORTY PODCAST: Jackson Holliday, son of Matt & Leslee Holliday
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