'I wouldn't be here without Jesus': Baltimore Orioles rookie explains on-field ritual after MLB debut

Second-generation Major League Baseball player Jackson Holliday explained his faith and his on-field tradition that fans noticed during his debut.

Holliday is the son of World Series winner Matt Holliday, who retired just six years prior to his son's first game with the Baltimore Orioles.

At the beginning of the game, reporters noticed that the 20-year-old made a possible marking behind second base where he was playing. Holliday explained it was part of his usual routine to showcase his faith.

"In the bottom of the first, right before the inning started, you went kind of behind second base and touched the dirt. Did you draw something in the dirt, is that kind of a tradition for you?" a reporter asked him after the game.

"Yeah, it's kind of a routine to draw a cross," Holliday replied. "I wouldn't be here without Jesus, honestly. His love that he's had on me and blessed me with the ability to play baseball, and to be here today, I probably wouldn't be anywhere without him," the rookie explained.

"Just kind of a routine that I have before every inning or at the beginning of the game on defense, or before every at bat. Just giving thanks to the Lord," he added.

Jackson has consistently referenced his faith throughout his path to the MLB. In a 2022 interview with His Huddle, Jackson credited his parents with introducing him to religion, which helped him build a foundation as a person.

"Faith has always been important to me," he told the outlet before the MLB draft. "I’m so grateful to be raised in a Christian home and have such great examples around me of how to be a follower of Christ."

"Faith plays a major role in baseball and my life. I want to honor the Lord in everything that I do, and I try to represent that on the field, through my actions and how I carry myself on and off the field," he added.

After his big league debut, Holliday was asked about the feeling of being part of another generation of baseball players.

"After watching your dad for so many years in big league ballparks, what did it mean to you to just have him in the seats watching you play your first big league game?" a journalist asked.

"It's really cool to be able to look over there and have him and my brother and my grandpa sitting down the line. It was really cool to be able to see them, and it's quite an experience."

Holliday is on an entry-level contract with the Baltimore Orioles worth $740,000. According to Spotrac, he received a signing bonus from the organization in 2020 of $8,190,000.

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