BALTIMORE (AP) — The hero of Baltimore's win over Cleveland sat calmly outside the clubhouse, being a very good boy.
That would be Coconut, Jackson Holliday's dog. He was in attendance for the team's Bark at Oriole Park promotion. Holliday hit a grand slam in the second inning on Wednesday night, and the Orioles went on to beat the Guardians 9-1. It was the second grand slam of the 21-year-old infielder's career.
“I've played pretty well on Bark in the Park in the minor leagues," Holliday said. "It's always fun. I enjoy dogs. My family has a bunch of them."
Coconut is apparently no stranger to ballparks.
“He came to Norfolk and Charlotte," Holliday said. “He's been to a lot of Bark in the Parks. Big night for him.”
The victory for the inconsistent Orioles continued a feast-or-famine start for their offense. This was the fifth time in 17 games they've scored at least eight runs, but they've also been held to one or fewer four times.
Ramón Laureano and Ryan O'Hearn also homered for Baltimore.
“We've shown some signs of being a super-awesome team, playing really well together, and our offense really playing well,” Holliday said. “And we've struggled at the same time. Overall, I think we've taken good at-bats and hit the ball hard.”
Holliday was mired in an 0-for-17 slump before hitting a drive to center with the bases loaded.
“It's always fun to hit a home run and score a bunch of runs as a team,” Holliday said. “I think it was really good for us.”
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
Noah Trister, The Associated Press
