On a rainy night at Camden Yards with little left to play for, an errant pitch created a heart-in-throat moment for Orioles fans.

Right-hander Pete Fairbanks plunked rookie Samuel Basallo on the right wrist area with a 96.6 mph fastball in the ninth inning. Basallo immediately sunk to his knees in pain and was escorted off the field.

The X-rays for Basallo, however, were negative for a fracture, meaning the catcher/first baseman avoided a serious injury.

“To hit a guy, especially a young guy who’s getting his first taste and looking to make an impression, is not something I would ever want to do,” Fairbanks said. “It’s a tough spot. But, unfortunately, that is part of the game, when you’re throwing a five-ounce ball and they’re trying to hit it, sometimes stuff like that happens. And I feel terrible. I hope that it’s nothing lasting.”

It’s the second straight game a pitch got away from a Tampa Bay Rays pitcher and hit Basallo. On Tuesday in the sixth inning, Basallo was hit in the right elbow area. He stayed in the game.

The Orioles have been struck by poor injury luck all season, and in the penultimate game at Camden Yards this season, there is concern regarding the latest incident, even with an X-ray that showed no fractures. Basallo, who signed an eight-year contract extension last month, is one of many promising young players in Baltimore. At this point in the year, a healthy offseason leading into 2026 vengeance for a club that underachieved this year is all that can be hoped for.

Instead, Basallo left the game swiftly. He was replaced by pinch runner Coby Mayo. With four games remaining in the year, it remains to be seen when he’ll get back into the lineup.

There was a momentary stir after the game when Fairbanks blew a kiss following the final out toward the Orioles dugout. He said the kiss was actually intended for a fan sitting above the dugout who hurled insults at Fairbanks, the likes of which are “words I’m not allowed to say on air.”

Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino backed that account, noting that there “was somebody above our dugout screaming at Pete. ... I’m making the assumption it was at the fan above the dugout that was yelling at him.”

Fairbanks reiterated that he wouldn’t blow a kiss at the Orioles.

“From everything I’ve heard about their squad from Bake [Bryan Baker] and everything, I don’t think I’d be chirping a group of LEGO-loving people like that, especially after unfortunately smoking their No. 1 prospect,” said Fairbanks, who is a LEGO fan like Orioles players Colton Cowser and Gunnar Henderson. “I have nothing but respect for the guys over there who are playing hard and competing. That’s the last thing on my mind, to do anything that looks like — obviously, I might have [looked like that] — but to rub in anything that I feel terrible about is not what happened.”