Samuel Basallo made his MLB debut on Aug. 17. Five days later, the 21-year-old catcher reportedly agreed to an an eight-year, $67 million extension with the Baltimore Orioles, who originally signed him as a 16-year-old out of the Dominican Republic in January 2021.
On Friday night, two weeks after news of his extension surfaced, Basallo blasted the first walk-off home run of his career, a 433-foot no doubter off a 98 mph four-seam fastball.
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The tiebreaking swing arrived with two strikes and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. It mashed a heater from Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Tanner Scott.
“I’ve been dreaming of that moment my whole life,” Basallo said, via MLB.com. “And I hope there’s many more to come.
“It was great.”
Basallo’s towering solo shot to right-center field immediately got the attention of Orioles fans throughout Camden Yards. They watched their team win its fourth straight against an NL West contender, this time in 2-1, walk-off fashion.
The first three of those victories took place in San Diego. This one came against the visiting Dodgers, who have lost four games in a row and are only two games up on the similarly struggling Padres.
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Basallo entered the 2025 season as a consensus top-15 prospect. The Orioles didn’t call him up until August. Before Friday night, he was slashing .200/.273/.340 with two more strikeouts (12) than hits (10).
He had only homer, and it was deposited on the road last week against the San Francisco Giants.
This time, the 6-foot-4 Basallo launched from Baltimore, teasing his potential as a difference maker in the Orioles’ lineup. He’s the latest backstop to earn a turn behind home plate. Baltimore has had a revolving door at catcher this season while two-time All-Star Adley Rutschman has dealt with a series of injures.
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“He’s going to be a big-time hitter,” Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino said, per MLB.com. “His general skills as a hitter are so advanced for such a young kid, so, in due time, we’ll see more of that.
“It’s a really big swing and really kind of like a jumping point in his career in some ways.”
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