Adley falls in first round, but makes a memory

Sports
Written By Kerry Eggers
Photo of Adley Rutschman answers questions from the media during a session Monday afternoon

Adley Rutschman answers questions from the media during a session Monday afternoon

SEATTLE — During a Monday afternoon meeting with the media, Adley Rutschman allowed how his participation in the MLB Home Run Derby “will be a memory for a lifetime.”

For posterity sake, I would say mission accomplished.

Rutschman didn’t win the derby, the matinee draw to Tuesday night’s All-Star Game at T-Mobile Park. Didn’t advance past the first round, in fact, due to a bad draw and a flawed system.

The Sherwood native did himself, his family and the state of Oregon proud, however, with a worthy performance in his first official duty as an All-Star.

Rutschman slugged 27 home runs — including six straight in 30 seconds of bonus time — to finish third among the eight first-round contestants. Unfortunately for the Baltimore Orioles’ second-year catcher, the set-up in the first round was four head-to-head matches, with each winner advancing to the semifinals. Rutschman, the No. 8 seed, was up against top seed Luis Robert Jr. of the Chicago White Sox, who used his 28 dingers to eliminate Rutschman from the competition.

Memo to Commissioner Manfred: Change the format next year. The top four finishers in the first round move on. And lay off the Oakland A’s.

It was a special night for the ex-Oregon State standout for lots of reasons, but none bigger than the man serving up gopher balls to him on the mound — his father, Randy Rutschman, who estimates he has thrown Adley batting practice “about 2,000 times in his life.”

Randy wasn’t really on the mound. He stood midway between the 60-foot slab and home plate, guarded by a screen, the object to throw as many homer-hittable pitches as possible.

Decked out in an authentic Orioles jersey — his son’s No. 35, of course — Randy did his job well. The birth certificate says 64, but the arm looked 35. Adley didn’t swing at only one pitch over 3 1/2 minutes. That means his dad was putting it on the spot. Rutschman hit enough taters to rile up the sellout crowd of 48,000 more than anyone but hometown hero Julio Rodriguez.

Rutschman is more a complete player than a slugger, coming in with fewer round-trippers (12) than any other contestant. The switch-hitting former National College Player of the Year was up to the challenge Monday, though, starting out batting from the left side. He sent 21 into the stands, earning a 30-second bonus round and a long hug from his father.

He turned around and swung right-handed — and mashed six in a row. A seventh cleared the fence, too, but was ruled to be after time had expired. The crowd roared, Adley smiled, and they hugged again. His longest bomb was 445 feet, and he kept those folks in the outfield seats busy.

“Adley Rutschman just made me care about the Home Run Derby,” legendary Boston sportswriter Bob Ryan tweeted.

Hundreds of media members interviewed All-Star players Monday. Adley Rutschman is in a white uniform above the pink rail at the center of the frame

The Rutschmans sat in front of the American League dugout to watch the rest of the first round, and it was the Mariners’ Rodriguez — who beat out Rutschman for AL Rookie of the Year honors a year ago — putting on a dazzling show. Rodriguez had the fans standing and cheering as he blasted 32 homers in regulation, then another nine in a 60-second bonus round for a total of 41 — an all-time record in the derby’s 39 years.

The magic faded fast, however. In the semis, Rodriguez lost 21-20 to Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who would go on to beat Tampa Bay’s Randy Arozarena 25-23 in the finals. That made Guerrero and his father — Vladimir Sr. — the first father-son combination to win the title. The senior Guerrero won back in 2007.

Earlier in the day, Adley spoke about what making the All-Star Game means to him.

“It means everything,” he said. “To be this close to home, having my dad throw me BP like it’s just another day back at home in the offseason. … Ever since I’ve grown up he has been the one has tossed me BP. It’ll be a memory for a lifetime.”

Rutschman said the idea of being a part of this had crossed his mind.

“At the beginning of the year, you look and say, ‘Oh, the All-Star Game is in Seattle. How cool would that be to be there?” he said. “And now I’m here. You feel blessed. You feel fortunate to have this kind of opportunity. It’s amazing.”

During the 40-minute session, Rutschman had waves of reporters stop by his booth for questions. He heard many of the questions several times and patiently repeated mostly the same responses. Adley seems a bit uncomfortable with his media duties, but he spoke humbly and politely.

Besides his father, mother Carol and sister Josie were in the stands to watch Rutschman compete in derby. He also said he had “quite a few” friends from Oregon who were coming for the festivities.

“It’s just so cool,” Adley said. “To have something you dream about as a kid, to have this opportunity to do it here in Seattle — it’s crazy how that all works out. Life is funny that way.”

I asked Rutschman if he had ever competed in a Home Run Derby before.

“Not since I was eight years old,” he said.

What was that?

“A kids tournament for anyone who wanted to participate,” he said, not elaborating.

KPTV’s Nick Krupke asked how he felt about playing in what was known as Safeco Field during Adley’s childhood.

“I remember seeing this field for the first time, when I was eight,” he said. “We were sitting in the upper deck in right field. I saw Adrian Beltre hit an opposite-field home run. And after the game, we got to go down on the field. It felt surreal being on a big-league field like that at that age.”

Another reporter mentioned Oregon State’s announcement of a new hitting facility behind centerfield in Goss Stadium (kerryeggers.com subscribers, you read it here first months ago).

“They have a great program,” Rutschman said with a smile. “Those guys deserve it. They are taking care of their guys. All the best of luck to them.”

In 2021, the Orioles finished at 52-110, tied for the worst record in the majors. In 2022, Adley’s rookie year, they improved to 83-79, just missing the playoffs. This season, they are 54-35, the third-best record in baseball. They almost surely will be part of the postseason.

“It’s one of those things that has been slowly building for us as a team,” Rutschman said. “We have been fortunate enough to have a great clubhouse, great guys, and we are excited to play every day.”

Baltimore teammate Austin Hays, who will start in center field for the American League in Tuesday’s All-Star Game, talks mostly about the mental part of the game when asked about Rutschman.

“He is so consistent with his preparation, with the pitching staff, what he is trying to do offensively, his plate discipline,” Hays said. “He is a guy who hits with power but also gets on base and will pass the bat to the next guy in the lineup. He is not trying to do too much, trying to do it all himself.

“He is a great team guy. You see it with the pitchers. They always have a smile on their face coming off the mound. He greets them right there at the line before he goes to the dugout, even if he’s got to to lead off the inning. He still goes out there to have that moment of acknowledgement with his pitcher.

“Adley is a great baseball player, but the way he handles himself inside the clubhouse, and handles getting ready to play the game every night — that’s what makes him so good.”

Braves catcher Sean Murphy, who will start for the National League Tuesday night, said he has watched enough of Rutschman to have an educated opinion.

“Adley has been fantastic,” said Murphy, who saw Rutschman often last season while playing with the Oakland A’s. “You can tell his pitchers trust him, and that he is a good leader out there. He does so many of the intangible things that great catchers do.”

Next comes the biggest plum of the week — the All-Star Game. Rutschman isn’t sure how much action he will see. There are three catchers on the AL roster. Texas’ Jonah Heim is the starter. Rutschman and Kansas City veteran Salvador Perez — making his eighth All-Star appearance — will surely see some action, too.

“Just being here is such an honor,” Rutschman said. “I am going to try to soak it all in and enjoy the moment.”

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Kerry Eggers

 

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