BALTIMORE -- As per tradition, the Orioles spent the first couple weeks of the season tinkering with their new on-field celebrations -- a staple of the culture built in Baltimore in recent years.
When a player singles, he gives himself a wet willy behind the ear while facing the dugout.
When a player doubles, he pretends to cast a fishing rod -- then some of the teammates lined up against the dugout railing pretend to get ¡°hooked¡± by flopping around like a fish. That one stemmed from many of the O¡¯s players¡¯ Spring Training hobby.
But when a player homered, nothing happened. The Homer Hydration Station and its multiple water-drinking hoses had been absent so far in 2025 after getting plenty of use last season.
Not enough offseason use, though. It turns out the old hydration station got moldy while sitting in a warehouse during the winter, so the Orioles had to order a brand new one. On Saturday, it arrived at Camden Yards.
¡°It finally came in today, and they had that thing wrapped up and decorated in O¡¯s form as soon as we got it,¡± said Ryan O¡¯Hearn, a veteran in Baltimore¡¯s clubhouse.
Right on time.
The hydration station brought the return of big-time homers as the Orioles rallied for a come-from-behind 5-4 win over the Blue Jays. Heston Kjerstad gave Baltimore a much-needed lift with a two-run home run in the fifth, then Adley Rutschman belted a game-tying homer an inning later.
By that point, the positive vibes and good juju had returned for the scuffling O¡¯s, who took the lead for good on Cedric Mullins¡¯ two-run double in the sixth.
¡°It was great to see the hydration station back. Huge part of who we are identity-wise,¡± said Mullins, who was also featured on Saturday¡¯s giveaway T-shirt at Camden Yards. ¡°That¡¯s what our offense can do.¡±
The Orioles (6-8) have been held to four or fewer runs in all eight of their losses. Their scoreless streak that began Tuesday reached 15 innings after Toronto starter Bowden Francis retired the first 13 Baltimore batters of the game.
Mullins became the O¡¯s first baserunner when he drew a one-out walk in the fifth. Two batters later, Kjerstad homered for the first time this season to cut the Blue Jays¡¯ lead to 3-2.
The rules of the hydration station are the player who homered and anybody who was on base at the time gets to take a swig of water, so Kjerstad and Mullins broke in the new machine.
¡°We finally got energy rolling for us,¡± Kjerstad said.
It also provided the spark manager Brandon Hyde knew his sluggish team needed, as the energy shifted throughout the ballpark.
¡°I thought it changed,¡± Hyde said. ¡°I thought we were pretty quiet. I think guys were really internal the first four innings because everybody was trying to get something going, and we need to get better at that. ...
¡°But I¡¯m really proud of how our guys really kept going, and Kjerstad kind of broke the ice.¡±
Rutschman ensured the Camden Yards crowd wouldn¡¯t stay seated for long when he swatted a Statcast-projected 426-foot home run to knot the game at 3 with two outs in the sixth. The 27-year-old catcher also delivered an appropriately timed bat flip before rounding the bases and getting a solo turn at the hydration station.
¡°I think Adley delivered exactly what we needed there. Not only with the home run, but with his attitude after suit,¡± Mullins said. ¡°Just someone that's ready to get after it and ready to get this win. That¡¯s what it felt like."
Mullins kept Baltimore in a frenzy with his clutch go-ahead knock, which pushed his team-high RBI total to 16 and the Orioles¡¯ lead to 5-3. The veteran center fielder advanced to third on an error, then clapped his hands together and let out his emotion as the crowd roared around him.
Wearing their returning all-orange alternate uniforms for the first time since 2010, the O¡¯s were victorious after All-Star closer F¨¦lix Bautista recorded his first save since Aug. 24, 2023, the day before he sustained a UCL tear in his right elbow that sidelined him for all of the ¡®24 season.
The atmosphere felt much like that of the past two years because of the close, hard-fought win that featured as many antics (i.e. the hydration station) as it did memorable highlights.
The 2025 Orioles are still carving out an identity. But days like Saturday showed this year¡¯s team -- despite its slow start -- could still end up as successful as the ¡®23 and ¡®24 iterations that reached the postseason. Maybe even more so.
¡°It was a great feeling. I think a lot of guys enjoy those moments as a competitor,¡± Mullins said. ¡°It¡¯s huge for us to go through a game like today. We want to learn from a win like this. Continue to have confidence moving forward that we¡¯re never out.¡±