Sunday, November 01

Welcome to another edition of the Orioles Beat newsletter. The O’s are set to open a six-game homestand on Friday night, as they’ll play the Phillies before welcoming the Angels to town next week. It’s also Orioles Hall of Fame weekend at Camden Yards.

BALTIMORE -- One of the greatest home-run hitters in Orioles history is returning to Baltimore to be celebrated and honored this weekend.

Chris Davis is the headliner of the 2026 O’s Hall of Fame class and is set to be inducted prior to Saturday night’s game vs. the Phillies at Camden Yards. The former slugger will be honored at a Friday afternoon luncheon, before the weekend celebration concludes the next night.

Some of the top Orioles players from the mid-2010s era have already been inducted, as Davis is set to join former teammates J.J. Hardy (2021), Nick Markakis (‘24) and Adam Jones (‘25).

Davis played 10 seasons for Baltimore from 2011-20 and had a tremendous peak, which included setting a franchise record with 53 home runs during the ‘13 season. “Crush” slugged 197 homers over a five-year run from 2012-16, during which he helped lead the O’s to the postseason three times.

1. The Fenway pitching performance

Although Davis was a power-hitting first baseman, one of the most talked-about moments of his career is easily his first of two times taking the mound as a pitcher.

Back in the days before the automatic runner in extra innings, games were much more likely to go well beyond nine innings. And on May 6, 2012, the Orioles and Red Sox played a 17-inning contest at Fenway Park that featured no runs scored between the ninth and 16th.

Both teams ran out of relief pitchers and sent position players to the mound -- Davis for Baltimore and outfielder Darnell McDonald for Boston. Davis won the duel, recording two strikeouts over two scoreless innings to earn the win in a 9-6 victory. A major assist went to center fielder Adam Jones, who threw out Marlon Byrd trying to score to end the 16th.

2. Grand slam in the home opener

Davis began the 2013 season by homering in each of the Orioles’ first three games, which came in a road series vs. the Rays at Tropicana Field. The O’s then headed home with a lot of excitement and anticipation, considering the momentum they had coming off of ‘12, when they ended a 15-year postseason drought.

Naturally, Davis served as the hero early in what would become a special season for the slugger. In a tie game in the bottom of the eighth inning, he swatted a go-ahead grand slam that lifted Baltimore to a 9-5 win.

3. No. 51

The Orioles’ single-season record for home runs had been 50, set by Brady Anderson in 1996. That mark never stood a chance against Davis in 2013.

On Sept. 17 of that year, Davis broke the record by hitting his 51st home run of the season in a 3-2 win over the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Anderson was in attendance for the moment, as he was serving as the club’s vice president of baseball operations at the time.

"To be honest, I took a deep breath when I hit 50," Davis told reporters on the night of his 51st homer. "To be tied with him, in the same conversation -- the biggest thing for me is to go out and have quality at-bats and help the team win."

4. No. 53

Davis padded his O’s record with another pair of home runs down the stretch in 2013. On Sept. 27 of that year, the slugger belted his 53rd homer of the season, which ended up being his final one of the historic campaign.

At the time, only three players in AL/NL history had recorded a season with 50 or more home runs and 40 or more doubles, as Davis (53, 42) joined Babe Ruth and Albert Belle.

5. One-handed walk-off home run

When Davis was at his best, he made hitting homers look easy. For example: Aug. 15, 2015.

Davis slugged a walk-off homer off A’s reliever Pat Venditte, lifting the Orioles to a 4-3 victory at Camden Yards. But there’s a reason why this particular home run was so impressive.

"It's off the plate away, and he ended up one-handing it out of the park," A's manager Bob Melvin said at the time.

That’s right. A one-handed home run. That was the type of power that Davis had.

Former Saturday Night Live cast member Ego Nwodim will be at Camden Yards for Friday’s 7:05 p.m. ET matchup vs. the Phillies, and she’ll be serving as the latest guest splasher in the Bird Bath Splash Zone.

The list of past guest splashers has become star-studded. Now, Nwodim will join the group.

“Every game from here on out -- whether it's [Trade] Deadline three days away or the end of the season -- every game is crucial for us right now in getting to where we need to go. Piggybacking off what [manager Craig Albernaz] said, we can't control what the front office is going to do. But we know in that locker room that these next three games are even more important.” -- left-hander Trevor Rogers, on upcoming series vs. Phillies and Monday’s 6 p.m. ET Trade Deadline

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