Adley Rutschman lowered himself into a squat, just as he would within a handful of hours to catch his Baltimore teammates. In the nearest major league city to his hometown of Sherwood, Oregon, Rutschman was a popular figure throughout two days of events in which he and three teammates, outfielder Austin Hays and relievers Félix Bautista and Yennier Cano, savored.
Adley Rutschman lowered himself into a squat, just as he would within a handful of hours to catch his Baltimore teammates. But he wore no catcher’s gear. In his left hand, he did not don a mitt but instead held a pen.
Before taking batting practice ahead of Tuesday night’s All-Star Game at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park, the Orioles’ catcher took a moment to speak with a pair of young fans, dropping down as he would in a game to meet them at eye level before signing autographs. In the nearest major league city to his hometown of Sherwood, Oregon, Rutschman was a popular figure throughout two days of events in which he and three teammates, outfielder Austin Hays and relievers Félix Bautista and Yennier Cano, savored their first All-Star experience as the National League topped the American League, 3-2.
“One of those moments where result doesn’t really matter,” Rutschman said. “It’s just kind of the fact that you’re out there, that you made it to this point, you’re here together. We get to share it together.”
Typically Baltimore’s left fielder, Hays drew the start in center field for the American League, placed between the Texas Rangers’ Adolis García in right and Tampa Bay Rays’ Randy Arozarena in left. When that pair opened the game with leaping catches at the outfield wall, Hays was the first to greet each. He ran toward García to give him a high-five, and after Arozarena’s play, Hays did Arozarena’s signature arms-crossed stance in his direction.
“I was [thinking] for sure the third one was going to have to come to me,” Hays said. “I was just standing there, I’m like, ‘All right, you got to do it right here. There’s going to be a play.’ I don’t know if I’ve ever experienced anything like that to open up a game.”
Instead, the inning ended on a groundout to second base, which is also how Hays was retired in his first at-bat. But he singled to center off Chicago Cubs left-hander Justin Steele in his second chance, which he noted likely wouldn’t have come had he not started the game.
As Bautista walked alongside Boston Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen from the first base dugout to the bullpens in left before the top of the fourth, Hays patted him on the back while jogging toward center. In the middle of the inning, Orioles great Cal Ripken Jr. was shown on the scoreboard and received a large ovation; when Seattle last hosted the game in 1991, Ripken homered, starting the game at shortstop instead of third base as planned after Alex Rodriguez asked the Iron Man to swap positions.
Hays exited the game for the sixth, just as his teammates made their first All-Star appearances.
