Kyle Bradish jogged out of the dugout, twisted his body sideways while leaping over the first base line and pounded his fist into his glove. The same routine. Like it was any other night.
It wasn’t.
Bradish hadn’t surrendered a home run in his last 10 starts dating back to the 2023 season, but Phillies leadoff hitter Kyle Schwarber sent a 2-1 curveball into the right-center field seats – a 406-foot shot that made the red-clad sections of Camden Yards explode. The decibel level jumped in the same way that the ball left Schwarber’s bat.
Manager Brandon Hyde removed Bradish after only 74 pitches through five innings and the Orioles behind 2-1. Not at all like any other night.
Anthony Santander hit a two-out, game-tying home run off Matt Strahm in the eighth in front of an announced sellout crowd of 43,987 at Camden Yards before rain interrupted play in the top of the 11th. Alec Bohm delivered a two-run double off Jacob Webb in the Phillies' 5-3 victory, but talk of measuring sticks and a possible World Series preview were shoved aside amid concerns over Bradish.