Orioles rookie Heston Kjerstad proud to ‘earn my stripes’ with champagne and condiment shower to celebrate first homer

Heston Kjerstad realizes he got lucky.

As his teammates dumped seemingly the entire contents of the clubhouse kitchen on his head Sunday as he sat awkwardly in a laundry cart, he closed his mouth in time to avoid most of the disgusting concoction — including Chick-fil-A sauce, smoothies, beer and salad dressing.

“All I tasted was balsamic vinaigrette,” Kjerstad said with a laugh. “It could’ve been worse.”

In any other setting, what happened at the end of the Orioles’ playoff clinch party Sunday would be downright bizarre. But not in an MLB clubhouse, where career firsts and milestones are often met with similar celebrations.

It’s a rite of passage for ballplayers — a shared experience to commemorate their first home runs, wins, saves and other accomplishments. Kjerstad’s celebration capped off what was a Read Entire Article