Sam Horn popped up on Saturday at a relatively unexpected venue. He was part of scheduled activities, but still - it's been awhile. The former Baltimore Orioles slugger participated in a friendly little home run derby at Camden Yards to celebrate the anniversary of the ballpark. He didn't emerge victorious, but his competitive streak was on full display for fans who haven't seen him swing a bat in person for years.
Orioles derby day
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Camden Yards, the Orioles invited some players back for the day. They also decided it would be fun to have a little home run competition, featuring stars of the past.
Horn was one of the top contenders to come to the plate, but so was Brady Anderson. The two only shared two things in common - they're both 53 years old, and they both look like they would still be able to mash some home runs if they played during a regular game.
At the end of the day, the derby belonged to Anderson. In the championship round, he hit five home runs, while Horn hit just four, refuting the first baseman's prediction of triumph on Friday. Other competitors included Chris Hoiles, Mike Devereaux, and Joe Orsulak. It was all in good fun, as some great Orioles descended upon Baltimore to celebrate one of the most beloved ballparks in the country - even Cal Ripken Jr. was in on the festivities.
The illustrious career of Sam Horn
Horn is not a name that will immediately be familiar to baseball fans. He spent less than a decade in the major leagues. The former first-round draft pick only smashed 62 home runs in his career, which spanned four Major League Baseball teams, plus one in Taiwan. He began his career with the Boston Red Sox and came over to Baltimore in 1990, where he played until 1992.
Horn retired in 1998 and eventually worked his way into being a broadcaster for the Red Sox.
He does have the distinction of holding some of Baltimore's most recent intriguing records, both good and bad. During Camden Yards' opening salvo in April 1992, Horn scored the first run in the history of the ballpark - that's the good.
The previous season, however, he became one of the only players in major league history to strike out six times during a single game, which happened when the Orioles played the Milwaukee Brewers in July - that's the not so good. Time seems to have healed that wound, as he prefers to hit home runs these days rather than be at the mercy of a hot pitcher.
