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St. Thomas grad Ryan McKenna, Baltimore Orioles have big hopes for MLB playoffs

brandon brown, portsmouth herald
·4 min read
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St. Thomas Aquinas High School graduate Ryan McKenna's early success in his Major League Baseball career is steadily growing, and it could reach new heights in October.

McKenna has contributed all season as an outfielder for the American League East-winning Baltimore Orioles, who will host the Texas Rangers in a best-of-five American League Division Series, beginning Saturday. Baltimore went 101-61 this season, capturing its first American League East championship since 2014. It was the first season the Orioles won at least 100 games since 1980.

Ryan McKenna, a 2015 graduate of St. Thomas Aquinas, hopes to be on the playoff roster with the Baltimore Orioles when the American League Division Series against the Texas Rangers begins Saturday at Camden Yards in Baltimore.
Ryan McKenna, a 2015 graduate of St. Thomas Aquinas, hopes to be on the playoff roster with the Baltimore Orioles when the American League Division Series against the Texas Rangers begins Saturday at Camden Yards in Baltimore.

"Postseason baseball. As a lover of the game, it's really awesome to see the game played at a high level, and especially being a part of the team," McKenna recently told MASN Sports, a regional sports network that covers the Orioles.

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It will be known soon if McKenna, a 2015 graduate of St. Thomas Aquinas in Dover, who was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk last Wednesday, will be on the Orioles' 26-man ALDS roster. His family formerly lived in Berwick, Maine, and his parents now live in Dover.

"Whether they activate me or not, I'm going to be rooting for the guys and doing everything I can staying ready," McKenna, 26, told MASN. "And when the time comes if they need me, I'll be ready and just enjoying the experience, as well."

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And so will his family who will head to Baltimore on Friday ahead of Saturday's 1 p.m. game against the Rangers. Texas advanced in the Wild Card round with a 2-0 sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays.

"(Ryan) won't know until probably (Friday) whether or not they're going to put him on the active roster for the division series," said Marty McKenna, Ryan's father. "But we're preparing to go down to Baltimore on (Friday) assuming he will be on the roster ... we're awaiting word of the final playoff roster for the ALDS, but yes we plan to take in as many games as we can during the playoffs."

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McKenna, in his third year with the Orioles, played in 89 games this season. He had career highs in multiple categories, including batting average (.254), on-base percentage (.316), slugging (.677), RBI (18), stolen bases (five). He also struck out a career-low 40 times in 122 plate appearances. McKenna's first hit in the majors was a triple against the Boston Red Sox, the team he cheered for as a kid.

Ryan McKenna, a 2015 graduate of St. Thomas Aquinas, right, celebrates with teammates after a win over the Boston Red Sox last month at Fenway Park.
Ryan McKenna, a 2015 graduate of St. Thomas Aquinas, right, celebrates with teammates after a win over the Boston Red Sox last month at Fenway Park.

"It has been quite a journey," Marty McKenna said. "We talk a lot about the roller-coaster ride of Major League Baseball. There's ups and downs, and at the end of the day, you look back and say, 'Wow, that was a great ride.' As his parents, we're really proud of the hard work, effort and perseverance he's put into his career."

For this season, Marty McKenna said Ryan's walk-off home run back in May against the Mariners was the moment for him.

"(Ryan) was mobbed by his teammates at home plate and received the Gatorade bath as well," Marty McKenna said. "We were just really happy for him that he was able to contribute to a win in that way."

Marty McKenna said when a player gets to the majors, it's different from any other level and there's still a learning curve.

"And to watch (Ryan) continue to excel at his craft, and continue to really dig in and learn how to be a better baseball player at the major leagues, because it's so tough, that really pleases us as well," Marty added. "We're really proud of his attitude, and how he's always kept a positive attitude throughout. He's been a good teammate. The Orioles management, including the manager Brandon Hyde, has recognized that often, and we're just really proud of that as well."

Ryan, speaking with MASN Sports, on Baltimore's World Series chances, said the Orioles can "absolutely" win it all.

"I think we proved it all year," McKenna said. "We know who we're potentially going to face (now the Rangers), and if you look back at how we played them in the past, we're very much in the mix. I think we could be a dominant force in the postseason. So, we're excited to see how it goes."

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: St. Thomas grad Ryan McKenna, Baltimore Orioles ready for playoffs