Joey Rickard didn't expect to hit his first major league home run this early into his big league career, but what really surprised the Orioles rookie Rule 5 pick was the Camden Yards crowd's reaction to his first homer.
Rickard didn’t take time to savor his first major league home run on Thursday night. Off the bat, he didn’t know whether he got enough of Trevor May’s 1-0 delivery in the eighth inning of the Orioles’ 4-2 win over the Minnesota Twins, so he was running full speed out of the batter’s box.
So after Rickard saw the ball disappear over the left-center field fence and into the Orioles dugout, he was able to slow his pace and enjoy the moment.