– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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BALTIMORE — Though not in the “death and taxes” category of certainty, a win for the Baltimore Orioles when second-year pro Brandon Young takes the mound has almost become a sure thing in 2026. What also is close to certain is that Jackson Holliday reserves the biggest swings of his career for games where dogs are the centerpiece during in-game promotions. Both came through once again on Wednesday.
Young threw seven scoreless innings while Holliday capped the bottom of the seventh with his third career grand slam as the Orioles defeated the Seattle Mariners 7-2 inside Oriole Park at Camden Yards to snap a four-game losing streak. Pete Alonso also homered for Baltimore, leading off the bottom of the sixth to provide the first run of the game and break up the pitcher’s duel with Mariners starter George Kirby and Young.
Young twirled his fourth consecutive quality start, allowing just two hits while walking two and striking out five as he improved his record to 5-1. The Orioles are now 9-1 in games that Young has started in 2026 and just 23-36 in every other game so far this season.
“It’s the main goal, like I’ve said every time,” Young said. “As a starter, it’s our goal to keep the team, give them a chance to win. And to do that, yeah, it means a lot. It’s very satisfying.”
Holliday has now hit a grand slam in each of his first three years in the league, with his first career dinger coming with the sacks packed during a July 31, 2024, win against the Toronto Blue Jays. His last two have come during the Orioles’ “Bark in the Park” promotion, including during last year’s win against the Cleveland Guardians last April in which he dedicated the homer to his dog, a bernedoodle named Coconut.
In the seventh, and with the Orioles’ up 3-0, Mariners’ rookie reliever Domingo Gonzalez barked up the wrong tree by throwing a 1-1 fastball to Holliday that the latter deposited 391 feet into right field to give the Orioles some insurance with two outs in the inning. He also became only the second player in Orioles history (since 1954) to have three slams among his first 25 career home runs, joining Orioles Hall of Famer Brian Roberts.
“It feels like we’ve had a lot already this year. But I mean, I think every night should be Bark at the Park,” Holliday said. “I don’t think there should be any rules. It’s always fun.”
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Wednesday evening’s game, with photos taken by staff photographer Dale Horton. After clicking on a photo to enlarge the picture, press the left and right arrow buttons on either side of the caption to scroll through the rest of the pictures that appear on the first page. Also, click on the numbers and/or arrow appearing immediately below the picture grid to load the next set of photos. There are 30 pictures in total.
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