Top Prospect Jackson Holliday’s Orioles Debut A Family Affair At Fenway Park
Image credit: (Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images)
Jackson Holliday stepped to the plate at Fenway Park, surrounded by a sea of green and the expectations that accompany the No. 1 pick and top prospect in the sport. You didn’t have to look far to understand why.
His father, MLB all-star Matt Holliday, sat seated in the front row. Gunnar Henderson, the reigning American League Rookie of the Year, stood on deck. Fellow top overall pick and face of the franchise, Adley Rutschman, was perched in the Orioles dugout, his turn in the order two batters away.
Like it came for Henderson and Rutschman before him, there’s a feeling that Holliday’s time–and the Orioles’–is now. Baltimore, a team with World Series aspirations, saw enough in their 20-year-old wunderkind to call him up after just games with Triple-A Norfolk.
Holliday’s road to this moment, from projectable second-rounder with bloodlines in the early summer prep circuit in 2021 to baseball’s No. 1 overall prospect, was a whirlwind. A debate raged on draft day in 2022 as to who deserved the top overall selection. At the time, Holliday was not considered a clear-cut choice, sharing the spotlight with Druw Jones, another prep prospect with all-star bloodlines. But that debate quickly disappeared as Holliday laid waste to pro competition in his first full minor league season while rising from Low-A Delmarva to Triple-A Norfolk by season’s end.
Now, Holliday debuted at Fenway Park soaking in the sights and sounds where his father once stood in a World Series game.
“The history of this ballpark, I got to come here as a little kid and watch my dad play. To be out there and competing it’s very special,” Holliday said.
Now, Holliday was the big leaguer and his father and family that were in attendance to see him. His father Matt, grandfather Tom and younger brother Ethan, the top prospect in the 2025 class, were all in attendance, gifted tickets coordinated by former Red Sox World Series champion Kevin Millar.
Perhaps the perk of being the son of a big leaguer, Holliday said after the game he didn’t feel overwhelmed by the moment.
“I wasn’t very nervous,” he said. “My results weren’t what I like, but I wasn’t nervous. I felt comfortable on defense and I felt comfortable at the plate.”
The game didn’t go as Holliday had hoped. It started off well, as Holliday made a strong play to start a 6-4-3 double play to end the second inning. In the top of the third Holliday stepped to the plate for the first time. He worked a 2-2 count after falling behind 1-2, but then swung through an 82 mph sweeper from Kutter Crawford for a swinging strike three.
The next inning things didn’t get much better. Holliday ranged back on a popup off the bat of Tyler O’Neill that found its way into the shallow outfield grass. Holliday lost track of the ball and it landed over his shoulder for an RBI single scoring the Red Sox first run of the game.
“With the wind kind of pushing in, I got a chance to come back and obviously I would have liked to make the play. It’s a tough one but it’s good experience and just to be able to learn from that,” he said.
Holliday had a chance to redeem himself in the fifth as he stepped to the plate with no outs and Jordan Westburg on first. Instead, he hit into a fielder’s choice, as Westburg was out at second.
Holliday stepped to the plate again in the top of sixth, with runners on second and third. He grounded out to second baseman Pablo Reyes, but it was enough to score Cowser from third and move Jordan Westburg to third. Holliday earned his first MLB RBI.
The Orioles stormed back over the final three innings of the game, overcoming a 5-0 Red Sox lead heading into the top of the sixth. The Orioles scored seven total runs across the sixth and seventh innings, as Baltimore captured a victory in Holliday’s debut.
It was a major momentous night for the Orioles, the Holliday family and the future of MLB.
