Baltimore Orioles' Adley Rutschman Joined Rare Place in Franchise Lore on Saturday

Adley Rutschman.... leadoff hitter?

The Baltimore Orioles lost to the New York Yankees on Saturday 8-3 to split the first two games of the weekend series.

Aaron Judge had his first home run back from the injured list, while Giancarlo Stanton and Kyle Higashioka also homered for New York. 

But in the loss, Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman joined some unique team history, doing something that's only been now five times in the history of the franchise.

Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com:

Adley Rutschman is the 5th different Orioles/Browns player to start at leadoff as catcher in a game, joining: 

Chance Sisco (8/19/20) 

Floyd Rayford (6/26/85, 7/30/84) 

Curt Blefary (4/17, 18 & 19 1968) 

Clint Courtney (9/26/53)

Adley Rutschman is the 5th different Orioles/Browns player to start at leadoff as catcher in a game, joining:

Chance Sisco (8/19/20)
Floyd Rayford (6/26/85, 7/30/84)
Curt Blefary (4/17, 18 & 19 1968)
Clint Courtney (9/26/53) https://t.co/EZPX07f4Hy

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) July 29, 2023

Manager Brandon Hyde is clearly trying to get his best players more at-bats and Rutschman is an on-base machine, so he figures he can help set a tone at the top of the lineup.

The second-year pro out of Oregon State has had quite a season for the upstart Orioles, making the All-Star Game and participating in the Home Run Derby.

He's hitting .267 in 99 games this year and has popped 14 homers and driven in 46. He's also posted a .369 on-base percentage and has 50 runs scored.

After the loss, the O's lead the American League East by 1.5 games over the Tampa Bay Rays. They are 63-41 on the year and are looking to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

They will take on the Yankees again as part of 'Sunday Night Baseball.' First pitch is 7:10. 

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