Baltimore Orioles rookie Coby Mayo’s first MLB RBI became a wild ride of his own making on Saturday.
Playing in his 22nd big-league game, the top-100 prospect finally delivered his first run-scoring hit with an RBI single that brought Ryan O’Hearn home from second base in the fourth inning. But the celebration was cut short when Chicago White Sox third baseman Josh Rojas intercepted a throw from left fielder Joshua Palacios and nabbed Mayo as he tried to stretch the single into a double.
That was all it took to cue the benches clearing.
The Orioles came away with a 4-2 victory, but they’re still stuck at the bottom of the AL East with a 21-36 record.
At best, you could argue that Mayo’s shove was an attempt to draw an interference call on Sosa while trying to avoid the tag and get into scoring position. But that argument falls apart when you’re the one who initiates the contact with an extended arm on a fielder who’s already out of the baseline.
Mayo later confirmed to MASN’s Roch Kubatko that this was his intent:
“Yeah, obviously, just trying to get to second base and get into scoring position for Heston [Kjerstad],” Mayo said. “He cut it off and got me in a rundown. We’re taught in the minors to try to stay alive in a rundown, and I thought he was in the base line, so I was trying to make some contact. I didn’t mean for it to turn into that. I wasn’t trying to do that, but it happened.
“The guys always have your back. I think everyone in here will fight for one another — not literally, but, you know, we’re always there for each other. That’s what happened. We’ve got each other’s backs.”
Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino elaborated on the situation and ultimately supported the umpires’ ruling:
“Now he’s an infielder, right? So in spring training, when we talk about rundowns, we always tell our infielders not to cross the line. If there’s contact with the infielder, it’s a Type 2 obstruction, and the runner automatically gets second base.
“I think Coby was instinctively trying to create that contact. It probably didn’t look great visually, but most coaches would say, ‘Not a bad baseball play.’ It just didn’t work out for us. The umpire made the right call.”
In the end, it was a rookie misstep for a player still finding his footing in the majors. Coby Mayo, one of the Orioles’ brightest young prospects—ranked No. 14 in baseball by MLB Pipeline to start the season—came into Saturday’s game with a dismal .094/.186/.094 slash line across 59 plate appearances in 2024 and 2025.
Despite his impressive power potential, which Pipeline grades as plus-plus, Mayo is still looking for his first extra-base hit in the big leagues. The opportunity to become a regular in Baltimore’s infield is there for him—if he can start hitting like he did in the minors.
For now, even his first RBI was a reminder that he still has plenty to learn.
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