It was kind of weird. Anthony Santander said it himself.

He stepped in to the batter’s box at Camden Yards on Saturday afternoon and for the first time, he wasn’t here wearing orange. Santander was head-to-toe in Toronto’s baby blue. Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman patted the back of his former teammate. Then Santander dug his left cleat into the dirt, as if he wasn’t expecting such a warm reception in his first at-bat.

When he noticed those bearing the chilly Baltimore conditions rose to give him an ovation, Santander backed off the plate. He tipped his cap. It was a special moment that Orioles fans presumably have not been looking forward to; the day their beloved, homegrown Silver Slugger returned with a division rival.

A couple hours earlier, while the Orioles and Blue Jays were warming up for the first of a now two-game series thanks to Friday’s postponement, Santander made his rounds. One Orioles fan shouted out from behind the first base netting, “Anthony!” “We miss you, Anthony!” another roared. A few more pleaded for pictures, their orange outfits clashing against Santander’s new threads.

The whole thing was weird.

Then, in his second at-bat, he barreled a home run to right field — his first as a Blue Jay. The reaction from those in attendance was somewhere between shock and awe. Some didn’t know if it was appropriate to clap.

The whole thing felt familiar, even if Santander had to feel his way around first.

It was the first time Santander got dropped off at the ballpark’s main entrance and had to take the longer walk past the home clubhouse to find the visiting side. The always convivial Santander stopped to poke his head into the kitchen then the Orioles’ training room to visit staffers and old friends.Part of that walk was accompanied by his former manager, Brandon Hyde. The Orioles skipper — the one who helped turn Santander into an every day starter — is a “big fan” but hopes “he has a tough series against us offensively.” (So much for that.) Santander nearly tackled a security guard, embraced a few public relations staffers and reconnected with former teammates, too.

“Everybody knows me as a good guy,” Santander said. “I got good relationships with pretty much everybody. Hopefully we can keep that even if we aren’t teammates.”

Santander was one of the remaining survivors of Baltimore’s oft-discussed rebuild. He stuck it out through the dog days, rewarded with a pair of playoff appearances. In 2024, the outfielder set career highs with 44 home runs and 102 RBIs before heading into free agency.

Baltimore pitched the former Rule 5 draft pick on a three-year deal below his asking price. He declined. “It wasn’t even close,” Santander said during spring training. Toronto met the number, and more importantly, long-term security, with a five-year, $92.5 million contract. Poof, the fan favorite was gone.

He faced the Orioles during spring training and opened the season hosting his former teammates with a three-game set in Toronto. Fourteen games into his Blue Jays tenure, he’s managed only 10 hits and struck out 17 times.

But Saturday was his first appearance back in the ballpark where he forged an All-Star caliber career.

This Camden Yards looks a tad different. The switch-hitting Santander was asked about that new left field wall that was pulled in over the offseason. He peered out, “It looks amazing. I wish I could have had it when I was here,” he laughed. “It took at least seven homers [from me].”

Santander met with reporters in one of the few spots within Camden Yards that’s still foreign to him: the visiting dugout. That toothy smile was as infectious as ever for this homecoming.

“It’s great coming back to the city that saw me grow as a player and a person,” Santander said. “I got here really young. I’m excited for tonight.”

Even more so when he saw his guy: Baltimore’s team interpreter.

When Santander arrived in the United States at 16, he didn’t know a lick of English. By the 2020 season, then 25 and coming off a breakout season in which he played 93 games and hit 20 home runs, he started to sound more confident exchanging pleasantries, even if he was careful with his words, enunciating at a steady pace.

In 2022, the Orioles hired Brandon Quinones as their team interpreter. He and Santander became fast friends. Anyone tuning in to games on Mid-Atlantic Sports Network quickly got used to the “My man!” that accompanied every shared interview.

Santander’s command of the English language has improved drastically since. He’s more confident to handle interviews alone if need be, leaning only on an interpreter as backup. But when Quinones roamed past the dugout and Santander caught him on the horizon of a scrum of reporters, he called out for his pal.

“One more time,” Quinones laughed, wearing a black and orange Orioles hoodie, as he sat down beside Santander donning Toronto blue. It was undoubtedly a jarring scene for Orioles fans. But a wholesome one, nonetheless. Like seeing your home friends for the first time after leaving for college.

Quinones smacked Santander’s leg. They shared a laugh just like old times. Santander dapped him up. He put some extra oomph in the, “My man!”

That’s how all of Camden Yards is feeling heading into this weekend series. Just happy to see their man.

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