Samuel Basallo made his MLB debut on Aug. 17. Five days later, the 21-year-old catcher reportedly agreed to an an eight-year, $67 million extension with the Baltimore Orioles, who originally signed him as a 16-year-old out of the Dominican Republic in January 2021.
On Friday night, two weeks after news of his extension surfaced, Basallo blasted the first walk-off home run of his career, a 433-foot no doubter off a 98 mph four-seam fastball.
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The tiebreaking swing arrived with two strikes and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. It mashed a heater from Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Tanner Scott.
“I’ve been dreaming of that moment my whole life,” Basallo said, via MLB.com. “And I hope there’s many more to come.
“It was great.”
Basallo’s towering solo shot to right-center field immediately got the attention of Orioles fans throughout Camden Yards. They watched their team win its fourth straight against an NL West contender, this time in 2-1, walk-off fashion.
The first three of those victories took place in San Diego. This one came against the visiting Dodgers, who have lost four games in a row and are only two games up on the similarly struggling Padres.
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Basallo entered the 2025 season as a consensus top-15 prospect. The Orioles didn’t call him up until August. Before Friday night, he was slashing .200/.273/.340 with two more strikeouts (12) than hits (10).
He had only one homer, and it was deposited on the road last week against the San Francisco Giants.
This time, the 6-foot-4 Basallo launched from Baltimore, teasing his potential as a difference maker in the Orioles’ lineup. He’s the latest backstop to earn a turn behind home plate. Baltimore has had a revolving door at catcher this season while two-time All-Star Adley Rutschman has dealt with a series of injures.
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“He’s going to be a big-time hitter,” Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino said, per MLB.com. “His general skills as a hitter are so advanced for such a young kid, so, in due time, we’ll see more of that.”
Mansolino added, referencing Basallo’s Friday night dinger: “It’s a really big swing and really kind of like a jumping point in his career in some ways.”
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