Jackson Merrills First Camden Yards Home Run Helps Padres Beat Orioles 9-3
Jackson Merrill’s first professional home run at Camden Yards turned a regular Saturday into a nostalgic flashback for the San Diego Padres. The center‑fielder’s two‑run blast on June 12, 2026, not only gave San Diego a lead it never lost, it also marked the first time a player who once walked through that very park as a high‑school senior had taken a swing there and sent it over the fence.
Merrill grew up in Severna Park, just 15 miles south of Baltimore, and his love affair with Camden Yards began in 2021 when, as a senior, he launched a home run in the Brooks Robinson High‑School All‑Star Game held at the same venue. The Padres drafted him 27th overall that same year, and he made his MLB debut on March 20, 2024.
The game opened with a four‑run first inning that set the tone for a 9‑3 victory. Merrill’s two‑run homer off Orioles starter Trey Gibson sparked the Padres’ rally and was the first of five homers the team hit. Manager Craig Stammen chuckled afterward, saying, "It’s nice to hit in Camden Yards rather than Petco Park, sometimes…The heat and humidity, the hitters seem to like that a little bit. But it’s nice for those guys to feel, ‘Hey, we still got it’. And they do still got it." His words underscored the comfort the Padres felt at a familiar park.
Statcast projected Merrill’s homer to travel 372 feet over the left‑center‑field wall on an 88‑mph slider. He recalled that his high‑school shot went to right field, noting, "As a high schooler, it was pretty cool…I wasn’t really a power hitter, so to hit one at Camden Yards is pretty cool. But to hit one now, all I could think about is winning the ballgame."
Samad Taylor, the team’s left fielder, added his own moment of glory with a first‑career MLB home run—a two‑run shot that gave San Diego a 4‑0 cushion. Taylor’s swing was projected at 407 feet with a 99.6‑mph exit velocity. He finished 3‑for‑5, driving in three runs and scoring one. "I’ve known it’s there…It’s just a matter of it showing up," Taylor said.
Randy Vásquez earned the win for San Diego, his first since May 15, allowing two runs in five innings on six hits, two walks, and five strikeouts. Stammen praised him, saying, "That’s kind of Randy for you…He hangs in there. He competes his tail off and figures out a way to have a good game."
On the Orioles’ side, Gavin Sheets—whose father Larry played for Baltimore in the 1980s—led the offense with a solo shot in the seventh inning and boasts a .356/.408/.533 slash line in 12 career games at Camden Yards. Former Orioles star Manny Machado, now with the Padres, added a solo homer in the ninth—his 12th of the season—and contributed three extra‑base hits and three runs scored in the series.
The Padres’ offensive explosion, anchored by Merrill’s return to his home state, highlighted the team’s power surge and gave them momentum heading into the remainder of the season. The win improves their record in the series and underscores the impact of players who have grown up in the Baltimore area.
