A young team like the Orioles is bound to have plenty of firsts both on and off the field, and the shortened 2020 season should be no different.
For third baseman Rio Ruiz and reliever Paul Fry, this would have been their first full seasons as fathers after welcoming babies last year. As it is, they relished the time at home with their families when the game was shutdown and are keeping their newborns in the front of their minds as they return to Baltimore to restart their baseball careers.
It’s another unprecedented aspect of this summer for the Orioles, and one that provides some of the players a bit of extra perspective on their lives and careers.