BALTIMORE — Kyle Stowers let out a roar and pumped his fist as he reached second base. While rounding third to face the Orioles’ dugout, he yelled “Come on!” and flexed, doing so again as he stepped on home plate.
His excitement after his first career home run matched those who remained of the announced 13,905 at Camden Yards on Thursday night. The solo shot, coming in an 0-2 count with two outs against Chicago White Sox All-Star closer Liam Hendricks, tied the game in the bottom of the ninth.
Chicago had retired 12 straight Orioles when Stowers came up, the rookie himself hitless in his past 13 at-bats. He lofted Hendricks’ first pitch down the left-field line and into foul territory, but Adam Engel, brought into the game as a defensive replacement an inning earlier, was unable to complete the catch after a long run, keeping Stowers’ at-bat alive. He swung through an elevated fastball to leave Hendricks one strike away from striking out the side and completing the save. But Stowers powered the next, a curveball that hung in the middle, out to center field for a home run.
