Hicks endures boos with a shrug and a blast

NEW YORK -- Returning as a visitor to Yankee Stadium, Aaron Hicks knew what to expect. He’d seen plenty of guys come to the Bronx and get booed by a hostile crowd over his eight-year stint with the Yankees.

“They’re normally pretty tough on visiting players,” Hicks said prior to Monday’s Orioles-Yankees series opener.

But they’ve been especially tough on Hicks this week.

Regardless, Hicks shrugged off the repeated boos -- and drew more of them -- when he belted a solo home run in the fifth inning of Baltimore’s 8-4 loss to New York on Tuesday afternoon. It was the 33-year-old outfielder’s sixth homer of the season, five of which have come since he was released by the Yankees on May 26 and signed with the O's on May 30.

It was also Hicks’ 50th career home run at Yankee Stadium. However, it was the first time he went deep here while not in Yankees pinstripes since Aug. 17, 2015, when he was with the Twins.

Hicks did not receive a warm welcome while going 1-for-4 with a single on Monday. There were even boos from the crowd when the Yankees played a “Welcome back” montage on the video scoreboard early in the game.

“I mean, it was like that when I was here,” said Hicks, likening the negative reaction to what he heard earlier this year. “I don’t really know how to explain it better than, it’s just what it is.”

Expected or not, has Hicks been disappointed by what he has heard over the past two days?

“I definitely enjoyed my time here,” Hicks said. “I enjoyed being a Yankee, and I enjoyed the team. It’s one of those things where it’s a little disappointing, but at the same time ... they’re going to do what they’re going to do, and I can’t control that.”

Perhaps it’s happening due to Hicks’ lackluster finish to his time with New York. He slashed .188/.263/.261 with one homer and five RBIs in 28 games before getting designated for assignment on May 20, which led to his release.

Or maybe it’s happening because Hicks has thrived since signing with Baltimore. Through 28 games with the Orioles, he’s slashing .264/.379/.494 with nine extra-base hits and 13 RBIs.

“I just think that opportunities and injuries and stuff like that kind of happened,” Hicks said. “I kind of went down a struggling road which I really couldn’t get myself out of it. I feel like when I started to have success, I really wasn’t given an opportunity. And now that I’m over here, I’m getting a lot of opportunities, and I’ve been trying to make the most of it.”

Hicks has still seemingly enjoyed his return to the Bronx. He caught up with some former teammates on Monday, some of whom he has kept in touch with since his departure. Hicks said he texted Aaron Judge when the slugger went on the injured list in early June, and he frequently chats with Willie Calhoun.

But Hicks has also enjoyed getting to know his new teammates in a clubhouse where he has been warmly embraced.

“I know that he was injury-riddled a little bit there toward the end of his stretch here,” said Orioles right-hander Kyle Gibson, who was also teammates with Hicks on the Twins from 2013-15. “But playing with him in Minnesota and understanding how good of an athlete he is and how good of a player he is, he’s fit in really well here.”

Added manager Brandon Hyde: “We don't have a ton of older veteran presence in our lineup, and so I was hoping that he could come here and just maybe play easy and play like he has nothing to lose, and he did that.”

Hicks may have gotten a bit of revenge with his home run, but it wasn’t enough to snap the O’s (49-35) out of their recent funk. They have lost six of their past seven games and 11 of their past 18.

With five games to go until the All-Star break, Baltimore has only a two-game advantage over New York for the top spot in the American League Wild Card standings. The two teams could be tied by Thursday, unless the Orioles can get back on track.

As Hicks surely continues to get booed in the Bronx, he’ll focus on trying to help his new team end its skid against his old one.

“You’ve got to control your mistakes,” Hicks said. “Can’t give a good team extra outs, and you’ve got to play clean baseball. You’ve got to be able to drive runs in whenever you can. That’s pretty much how you’ve got to do it. Just keep grinding, don’t stop fighting.”