Orioles bringing back fan-favorite practice
May 14, 2022; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Baltimore Orioles cap and glove sits in dugout in the second inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
The Baltimore Orioles are bringing back the vibes for the 2024 season.
During Saturday’s home game against the Milwaukee Brewers, the Orioles treated their fans to a very welcome sight. After catcher Adley Rutschman homered in the third inning, he was spotted in the dugout drinking out of a funnel. It marked the triumphant return of last year’s “dong bong” practice, which had apparently been absent in Baltimore through the first couple of weeks of the season.
Even Orioles GM Mike Elias, who was guesting in the broadcast booth on Saturday, noted that the tradition had been missed.
"Great to see the homer hose back, we were missing it" -Mike Elias pic.twitter.com/yApQme4CsN
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 13, 2024
The “dong bong” tradition began last season when the Orioles players started drinking out of a funnel in the dugout after home runs. It took on a life of its own, and Elias himself even got in on the “dong bong” shenanigans when Baltimore celebrated their playoff berth.
It is a great time to be an Orioles fan as the team won 101 games last season and now have newcomers like Corbin Burnes and Jackson Holliday joining the fun with their current core of stars like Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, and Austin Hays. Now the “dong bong” (which Elias is probably christening as the “homer hose” to be more family-friendly) is back for another ride too.
