Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jeremiah Jackson hit the foul ball that caused manager Craig Albernaz to suffer a broken jaw and seven facial fractures on Monday.
Jackson gave fans something more pleasant to talk about Friday night when he hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the eighth inning off reliever Connor Brogdon, capping a 6-4 comeback win for the Orioles against the Guardians in Cleveland.
The four-game series will continue Saturday evening when Orioles right-hander Dean Kremer (0-0, 3.60 ERA) opposes Guardians right-hander Gavin Williams (2-1, 2.38).
Cleveland won the opener 4-2 on Thursday.
“For me, it’s just about making the most of opportunities, whether it’s pinch hitting or starting,” said Jackson, who is batting .317 with five homers and 17 RBIs this season.
“To get the chance to come up and hit in that situation, I give credit to the guys in front of me. I give all the credit for the team getting on base.”
Television cameras caught Albernaz yelling in celebration after Jackson’s homer, then spending the rest of the game holding his face in obvious pain. The first-year skipper is able to speak clearly, but he is limited to soft foods and liquids.
“I think (Albernaz) has a lot of influence on the team, and he represents what we do,” Jackson said. “Games are nine innings for a reason, and we have a squad that works all nine innings.”
Jackson has been a unique story this season, ranking among the American League leaders in multiple categories after making the club out of spring training for the first time.
Remarkably, the 26-year-old has yet to draw a walk in 62 plate appearances over 18 games. And the three-run homer wasn’t even his biggest hit this week.
That occurred Monday when Jackson hit two home runs, including his first grand slam, and had five RBIs in a 9-7 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. The slam took place shortly after the line drive struck Albernaz’s face, sending him to the hospital.
“When I got hit on the jaw and JJ did his thing, that was pretty big, but I wasn’t there to see it,” Albernaz said, forcing a smile. “The impressive thing today was his previous at-bats weren’t the best, but he got a good pitch to hit, and did what JJ does and put a good swing on it.”
The game was scoreless until the seventh inning, when the Guardians took a 4-0 lead on Daniel Schneemann’s grand slam.
The Orioles came right back, with a sacrifice fly by Johnathan Rodriguez scoring one run and pinch hitter Weston Wilson hitting a two-run double to close the score to 4-3. Jackson’s home run followed.
Baltimore became the first team in MLB history to give up a grand slam to break up a scoreless game in the seventh inning or later, then go on to win. It was a painful turn for the Guardians, who wasted six shutout innings by starter Tanner Bibee.
“(Brogdon) just left a fastball over the middle and got burned,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. “Just an unfortunate way for this game to end. The eighth inning was just a one-off for us. Tanner was tremendous.”
Kremer is 1-3 with a 5.40 ERA in five career games against Cleveland, making one start in each of the last five seasons, with the win coming in 2025. His only appearance for Baltimore this year was a five-inning, no-decision on the night Albernaz was hurt, the win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
In two career outings against the Guardians, Kremer is 0-2 with a 9.28 ERA and has allowed 11 runs in 10 2/3 innings.
–Field Level Media
