Crab-crackin’ Maryland kid: Wood enjoys return to Camden Yards

BALTIMORE – Like most Maryland kids, James Wood grew up going to Orioles games at Camden Yards. And like most Maryland kids, he also grew up picking steamed blue crabs.

On Tuesday night, the Olney, Md., native got to relive both childhood memories in the Nationals’ 9-3 rout of the Orioles in Baltimore.

“It was definitely cool coming to Baltimore because, a lot of times, this is where I would watch games growing up,” Wood said after last night’s game. ”It was just a lot of fun out there. I was just enjoying it.”

What was not to enjoy? Wood finished his first game at Camden Yards 4-for-5 with a double, an RBI and three runs scored. His four hits had exit velocities of 99.5, 102.7, 105.8 and 105.9 mph to keep him in the 95th percentile in the major leagues.

After Wood started his night 4-for-4 – already his second four-hit performance in his first 37 big league games – his mom, Paula, tweeted a picture of a young James and his grandfather watching a game at Camden Yards.

“I know it was my birthday. I can't remember how old I was turning,” Wood said. “But yeah, I would say there's that one (memory). I mean, I didn't go to a ton of baseball games when I was younger, but I do remember a couple of them. I know I came in like Chris Davis (era). (Gerardo) Parra might have been on the team the other time, I was trying to figure that out. But Chris Davis, Zack Britton, I'm pretty certain when he was like having record-save years and all of that.”

It is entirely possible Wood watched his now first base coach and outfield coordinator Gerardo Parra play for the Orioles back in 2015 when he was barely 13 years old. But this week, it’s his turn, now as a 21 year old, to take the field at Camden Yards.

And not only play, but excel.

“We've talked about him all the time just staying in the middle of the field. He's really good,” manager Davey Martinez said of Wood’s four-hit game. “I'm very proud of him because left-handed at-bats against lefties, and he really focused on getting the ball up and staying in the middle field. He had a great day.”

Then a question was posed to Martinez: What was the conversation between player and manager like about what it would mean to Wood to have a game like that at the stadium he grew up attending?

“Nice try. He's a National,” he quickly replied with a laugh. “No, he told me he loves coming here. It's probably where he grew up watching baseball. But I love having him. He's a baseball player. He's getting better every day.”

So what does a Maryland kid do to celebrate a great night in Baltimore? Pick some crabs, of course.

The Orioles provide visiting teams with a couple dozen freshly steamed crabs after games as a “Welcome to Baltimore” treat. Not everyone has picked a crab before, so it is nice to have a local star in the making to teach his teammates the proper technique.

Take Mitchell Parker for example. The left-hander was born and raised in Albuquerque, N.M. His experiences with Maryland crabs is little to none.

“I thought I did a pretty good job,” Wood said of his teaching job. “There are some people who have never done it before. Like Mitch is from New Mexico, so I know he's never even been within 200 miles of crabs.”

As for Wood himself, he said his mom taught him how to properly pick crabs. And he starts with the claws with a side of butter.

Whether or not that’s actually the best way to eat a crab (I prefer to start with the body with sides of Old Bay and vinegar) is up for debate. What cannot be debated is Wood’s stellar return to Camden Yards.

“It's definitely cool to do it at a place I kind of have been to a decent amount as a spectator,” he said.