It appears that the Baltimore Orioles are officially fun again.
The Orioles drew attention during Monday’s game against the Oakland Athletics for their creative celebration after a first-inning home run by Ryan Mountcastle. After hitting his dinger, Mountcastle went into the dugout and began drinking out of a funnel that a teammate held up for him.
A home run FUNNEL?! pic.twitter.com/JtGjUxwUEd
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 10, 2023
Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman also homered in the second inning and went straight for the funnel.
Hit the funnel, Adley! pic.twitter.com/X4TAMhU9DI
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 10, 2023
After the game, Rutschman commented on the team’s hilarious gimmick and said that it was a great way to stay hydrated.
Adley Rutschman: “We’re just huge proponents of staying hydrated.”
— Andy Kostka (@afkostka) April 11, 2023
Based on those videos, the Orioles were only pouring bottled water into the funnel. That means their new celebration is both fun and family-friendly.
Baltimore was pretty rotten from 2018-21, never reaching the 55-win mark in a single season. They beat expectations last year to go 83-79 but still missed the playoffs and ended up just fourth in their division.
This season however, the Orioles, led by the big bats of Mountcastle, Rutschman, Anthony Santander, and Cedric Mullins (all of whom are in their 20s), are finding their swagger. A home run funnel has to be one of the most elite celebrations we have had in baseball since this one from the WBC.
