Everyone knew their role. The starting pitcher who stepped to the back of the mound. The catcher who walked to the infield grass. The umpire who stood in front of home plate rather than behind it.

The ovation already was building tonight as Adley Rutschman strolled from the on-deck circle to the batter’s box. He swiped at the front chalk line with his right foot and surrendered to the moment, waving as he backed to the edge of the dirt circle, raising his helmet and making a slow turn toward his old dugout.

And then, he homered onto his old flag court.

Rutschman could have stopped there, but the second hit allowed by Brandon Young was another home run by the three-time All-Star in the sixth inning. Young spun to check whether the ball was going to land in the right field seats and shook his head in disbelief.

Luis Robert Jr. and Pete Alonso detoured the sentimental journey by hitting back-to-back home runs to begin the fourth inning, but Rutschman scored on Nick Sogard’s tie-breaking, two-run shot in the eighth in the Orioles’ 6-5 loss to the Red Sox before an announced crowd of 19,720 at Camden Yards.

Yennier Cano replaced rookie Luis De León with Rutschman on second base and two outs. Sogard launched a sinker 395 feet to right-center field to give De León his second major league loss in two appearances.

Roman Anthony homered off Albert Suárez in the ninth, Christian Encarnacion-Strand answered with a two-run shot off Aroldis Chapman in the bottom half, but the Orioles lost their third game in a row. They’re 69-72 and remain 1 ½ behind the last Wild Card. The Blue Jays and Rangers are a half-game back.

Cano went 48 consecutive appearances without allowing a homer.

“He fell behind Sogard and yeah, a sinker that just didn’t get down to the right spot,” said manager Craig Albernaz. “We love the matchup with Sogard, especially with first base open and then (Caleb) Durbin behind him. It was just a sinker didn’t get where it needed to go and Sogard put a good swing on it.

“Sogard is performing better right-handed and the way Yennie’s been throwing the ball, we like that matchup.”

The Orioles played a video tribute to Rutschman after the bottom of the first inning. He smiled, clapped and waved, and made the heart gesture to the person filming him for the team’s social media account.

“It was special to feel that kind love,” he said. “It’s really cool. Emotional moment and really special. Just a really, really special moment.”

Rutschman watched clips from the day that he was called into his manager’s office at Triple-A Norfolk and given the news of his promotion, his debut, a swing from the Home Run Derby, and the cigar and champagne celebration in the clubhouse after a playoff clincher.

In the best-case scenario for the Orioles, they’ll get to party again without him.

Young struck out the first two batters on splitters and hung a 1-1 curveball to Rutschman. He issued a two-out walk in the third and walked a batter and hit another in the fourth.

Young retired the side in order in the fifth, struck out Mickey Gasper leading off the sixth and served up Rutschman’s 39th career homer at Camden Yards and third in 16 games with the Red Sox. This time, it was a first-pitch sinker that resulted in Rutschman’s fifth career multi-homer game and second this season – the other on April 24 against Boston.

“I left both of them right down the middle,” Young said. “Jumped on the heater in the sixth and left a curveball up in the zone. Yeah, I mean, it is what it is. Could’ve executed better, but yeah, kudos to him.”

“I think just trying to compartmentalize as much as possible,” Rutschman said. “I’m trying to move on, you know, like you’re in a big league baseball game and you’ve got to lock in for your at-bat, so (tried) to move into that mindset as quickly as possible.”

Rutschman is the 13th player in the expansion era to switch teams and later homer in his first career plate appearance against the former team in the same season, and the first since Abraham Toro on July 27, 2021 with Seattle versus the Astros. He’s the second since at least 1900 to homer multiple times in his first game, joining Toronto’s Willis Otanzez versus the Orioles on July 8, 1999.

“He knows the pitching staff extremely well,” Albernaz said. “He knows our game planning and prep side extremely well, and I’d imagine that he was juiced up for today, and rightfully so. The ovation the crowd gave him was awesome, and obviously, it goes without being said, rightfully deserved. I just wish two of those balls got off the wall.”

Eli White doubled with two outs in the seventh and Isiah Kiner-Falefa poked a single down the right field line with the count full to tie the game. Young allowed three runs and four hits in 6 2/3 innings, striking out seven and throwing 98 pitches.

“Outside of Adley, he pitched extremely well,” Albernaz said. “He was efficient, did a great job mixing his pitches. I think the split looked like the best it’s been I wouldn’t say all year but as of late. Did a great job pounding the strike zone, making pitches, and then yeah, just the two pitches to Adley. And IKF did a great job of taking what he gave them and punching it down the line to tie the game. But B.Y. was outstanding tonight.”

He also was ill, waking up this morning with a fever, aches and other cold symptoms.

“He’s an awesome dude, great hitter, had the best of me,” Young said. “Yeah, it’s interesting. He’s been catching me ever since I’ve been in the big leagues, so yeah, I mean, it’s a tough situation. But yeah, he put two good swings on it. He got me, tip the cap off to him. He was in here before the game, we were talking to him and stuff. I wasn’t trying to talk to him, really, just kind of joke around and stuff.

“Woke up this morning pretty sick, so if you would have told me I was going to get into the seventh, I’d be really surprised, honestly, for how I was feeling. Yeah, I felt better than I thought, threw better than I thought I was going to. But left on a sour note. Tough ball game right there.”

The lead provided by Rutschman in the first was gone in an instant. Blaze Alexander and Coby Mayo singled off left-hander Jake Bennett, and two fly balls to deep center field, the last by Alonso, tied the score.

Robert led off the fourth inning with his first Orioles home run in only his second game following yesterday’s two-run double against the Rockies. Alonso’s fly ball to center field eluded White, who thought that he timed the leap properly but whiffed. Alonso’s 33rd homer came after a 4-for-29 stretch over his last eight games.

Rutschman was robbed of a hit in fourth inning on Leody Taveras’ sliding catch in shallow right field. Pinch-hitter Jahmai Jones led off the eighth with a single off De León and Rutschman bounced into a force and moved to second base on Alexander’s throwing error. De León struck out Wilyer Abreu, but Cano couldn’t put away Sogard, who spoke to Rutschman during the pitching change as if collecting a scouting report.

“I was like, ‘Hey, this is what I’m thinking. What do you got on that?’” Sogard said. “
And he liked it.”

Tomorrow is another day, followed by two more games in the series. Rutschman will be cheered again. He’ll express his gratitude and try to kill the mood with a few more swings of his bat.

“The people in Baltimore have always treated me with an unbelievable amount of respect and love, and I’ve always felt that when I’ve been here,” Rutschman said earlier today. “So just a huge thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who’s supported me in my journey from 2019 to a month ago.”

Down on the farm

Anthony Eyanson, the No. 2 prospect acquired from the Red Sox in the Rutschman trade, allowed one run in six innings tonight for Double-A Chesapeake. He walked none and struck out eight.

Vance Honeycutt had three more hits and drove in a run.

High-A Frederick’s Boston Bateman allowed three runs and four hits in three innings, with three walks and three strikeouts. Enddy Azocar collected two more hits and drove in a run after being named South Atlantic League Player of the Month for August. Yasmil Bucce hit his 10 homer and finished with three RBIs.