Adley Rutschman: Two Home Runs in His Return to Baltimore

Last night, Adley Rutschman was back in Baltimore for the first time since the trade that sent him to the Red Sox.

Naturally, there was a lot of emotion in the air.

The catcher received a warm welcome from the Orioles organization and Baltimore fans before his first at-bat.

And he managed to channel his emotions to hit a long ball just seconds after the tribute—even though he isn't 100% physically.

But he didn't stop there.

Later in the game, the catcher managed to hit a second home run off his former teammates.

That made all the difference in a crucial game for both teams. Boston pulled off a 6-5 road victory.

The Red Sox now hold a 5.5-game lead over the Guardians, who are currently the last team to qualify for the playoffs in the American League.

Because the Blue Jays (against Cleveland, of all teams) and the Rangers won yesterday, they're now half a game away from the playoffs.

The Orioles are 1.5 games back at the moment. It's pretty much a four-way race among these teams for the last available playoff spot, but that could change.

This weekend, the Guardians will face the Tigers at home. The Orioles are in Boston, the Rangers host the Rays, and the Blue Jays are in Kansas City.

The standings can change from day to day. We'll keep an eye on them until the end of the season.

• The standings in the National League.

• Concerns are growing over Shohei Ohtani's health.

• Another 20/20 season for Julio Rodríguez.

• Great outing by Kevin Gausman.

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