Inside The Orioles

Baltimore Orioles Superstar Makes MLB History with Latest Home Run

The Baltimore Orioles superstar has looked much more comfortable in his second stint, now landing in the MLB history books thanks to his hot streak.

Dylan Sanders

Aug 7, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday (7) hits a two run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during the seventh inning at Rogers Centre.
Aug 7, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday (7) hits a two run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during the seventh inning at Rogers Centre. / Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
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The Baltimore Orioles rookie had a dire start to his career, but recently joined elite franchise company thanks to his turnaround before making Major League history on Wednesday night.

Jackson Holliday made news earlier this year when he got off to a 2-for-34 start at the plate and got sent back down. He even lost his spot as the top prospect in baseball with some publications concerned about what occurred during his first stint.

No one is doubting Holliday's abilities anymore, though, as he has gone on a hot streak that has reached historic levels.

The 20-year-old's latest home run against the Toronto Blue Jays pushed him into the American League history books as the youngest player to ever hit a home run in three straight games.

Just a couple of days ago, he joined a short list of Orioles players as he become the third under the age of 21 to hit at least three homers in a six-game span, per MLB's Jake Rill.

The others were Manny Machado (who did it twice in 2012 and 2013) and Boog Powell (the first in team history back in 1962).

Powell fell short of the big league Hall of Fame, but had 14 years in Baltimore were he was always at least very solid. He had a four-year stretch of All-Star seasons in his mid-20s and also won an MVP award.

Machado is a different story as he's still in the midst of his career.

He broke out onto the scene with the Orioles, but was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for a haul of prospects. He's spent the last six campaigns with the San Diego Padres.

While Holliday turning into Manny Macahdo has a player isn't the worst-case scenario, Orioles fans would likely rather him go the route of Powell.

The second baseman's slash line has now risen to .190/.254/.414 on the season. While those numbers may be disappointing in a vacuum, it certainly is an improvement compared to where he was coming into his second stint.

Pretty much everything from his demeanor to his actual swing motion has improved since returning to the MLB level. He looks much closer to the player he was projected to be coming out of the draft just a couple of years ago.

The front office is certainly breathing a sigh of relief that their young star wasn't ruined by being thrown into the fire too quickly, but certainly no one feels better right now than Holliday himself.

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Dylan Sanders

DYLAN SANDERS

Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders

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