Raymond Mitchell of Germantown was watching the Orioles game with excitement on April 16, as he won $6,500 as the the Home Run Riches Contestant of the Game.
He received a good chunk of his prize when Jackson Holliday hit a grand slam for the Orioles, giving Raymond $5,000. It was the first grand slam of 2025 for a Baltimore Orioles player, but not the first time that Holliday has helped a Maryland Lottery Contestant of the Game win big. When the Baltimore second baseman hit his first career home run last season it was also a grand slam, on a day when a Glen Burnie man won $6,000.
Contestants of the Game receive $500 for being selected, and $500 for each home run the Orioles hit, unless the homer is a grand slam, which pays $5,000. “I was cheering and yelled out, ‘that young man just won me $5,000!’ He is the guy for grand slams,” Raymond said.
The Montgomery County resident said he plays Home Run Riches Walk-Off Winnings so he can enter into the Contestant of the Game Promotion. When he received the call that he had been selected and was assigned to the April 16 game against the Cleveland Guardians, Raymond told all of his friends to watch the game and to root for home runs. He posted about being the Contestant of the Game on social media and used the hashtag #grandslam before the game.
The 62-year-old was watching in the second inning and saw multiple Orioles getting on base. Then Holliday came to the plate with the bases loaded and blasted a homer off Cleveland pitcher Gavin Williams. Ryan O’Hearn and Ramón Laureano also hit homers in the game, bringing Raymond’s total to $6,500 in prizes.
The federal worker is no stranger to the contest. He was selected for a 2024 game and won $2,000 after the Orioles hit three home runs during that game. Raymond said he plans to keep entering and hopes to be selected again.
“To see your name on TV for being selected as a Contestant of the Game was cool,” Raymond added.