Samuel Basallo saw a second straight fastball from Dodgers closer Tanner Scott in a tie game in the bottom of the ninth, fouling it off to stay alive in the at-bat. He did damage with a third consecutive four-seamer.

Basallo absolutely demolished the middle-in pitch, sending the 433-foot blast high into the Baltimore sky. Scott walked off the field as Basallo jogged around the bases. Basallo flung his helmet, raised his hands in the hair and jumped onto home plate before getting two Gatorade coolers dumped on him.

The 21-year-old enjoyed his first signature moment as an Oriole on Friday. It marked the second home run of his career and his first at home.

“I’ve been dreaming of that moment my whole life,” Basallo said. “I hope there’s many more to come.”

Basallo went up to the dish not looking to do too much, just trying to put his best swing on the ball. It was a monumental one.

“It’s a really big swing and kind of like a jumping point in his career in some ways,” interim manager Tony Mansolino said.

The home run secured the second walk-off win of the season for Baltimore (65-76). It came against one of the most electric lefty relievers in the game and one of the best teams in all of baseball in Los Angeles (78-63). The Orioles just swept the Padres, who sit less than two games behind the Dodgers in the NL West.

Basallo was impressed with himself, able to blast the 98.7 mph fastball over the wall in right-center. Scott started the at-bat with a slider in that Basallo fouled away, then followed with a slider outside. Then came the three-fastball sequence.

Basallo has faced his fair share of lefties during his short time in the majors. The home run was just his second hit in 12 at-bats against southpaws.

However, the at-bat against Scott was Basallo’s second of the game against a left-hander. Facing Anthony Banda with runners on corners in the fourth inning, he grounded out on the seventh pitch of the at bat after drawing the count full. Banda’s three sinkers thrown were all over 94 mph.

Among lefties who have thrown at least 500 pitches this season, Banda averages the 14th-hardest fastball velocity and Scott averages the ninth. Adrian Morejon, whom Basallo faced and popped out against in San Diego, averages the seventh.

The hardest throwing lefty in the game is Boston’s Aroldis Chapman. Basallo faced him twice in the Orioles’ last homestand, flying out on a first-pitch fastball the first time and striking out after being frozen on a 3-2 fastball the second time.

“I think that prepared me for that at-bat,” Basallo said.

Basallo has taken the reins as Baltimore’s primary catcher since Adley Rutschman landed on the injured list with an oblique injury. Mansolino says how no moment has been too big for him.

While the results haven’t necessarily been there — Basallo is hitting just .204 with a .660 OPS — he turned 21 less than a month ago and has already showed signs of his potential. He has one of the quickest bats in all of baseball, which showed on his swing against Scott.

“His just general skills as a hitter are so advanced for such a young kid,” Mansolino said.

Basallo has given Baltimore a spark since his call-up in a year of disappointment, and on Friday, he gave the Orioles a night of excitement.

Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox