BALTIMORE — Jordan Westburg was the first Orioles player to walk in.

Jackson Holliday and Adley Rutschman followed. So did Gunnar Henderson, Colton Cowser and Coby Mayo. By the time the press conference started, at least half of the Orioles’ roster was in attendance.

Five hours before first pitch — and about an hour before they are normally required to arrive at Camden Yards — the Orioles’ young core made sure to be there for their teammate on one of the biggest days of his life.

Samuel Basallo, the Orioles’ 21-year-old sensation, signed an eight-year, $67 million contract extension Friday. His news conference to commemorate his and the organization’s achievement was Saturday afternoon, and the room was packed with teammates, family, coaches, scouts and many others.

“It feels really good and really special to have all my teammates here, coaches, trainers,” Basallo said through team interpreter Brandon Quinones. “I know I just got here, but having them here really does mean a lot to me. I think over the next eight years, we’re all going to try to do our best as a group to give everything that we have to try and win as much as possible.”

This month has been a whirlwind for Basallo. Ten days ago, he turned 21 years old. Six days ago, he made his MLB debut. Friday, he signed a contract that includes “life-changing money” for him and his family.

“A lot has happened over the last few days, but it’s a blessing, for sure,” Basallo said with his family sitting in front of him. Among those there were his father, Hairo; his mother, Evelyn Mendez; his brother, Hairo Sebastian; and his girlfriend, Leticia Arias. “I thank God, once again, for this opportunity. I thank the organization for this opportunity. And I’m looking forward to what’s to come, and I’m looking forward to continuing to work hard and doing what I can.”

Henderson said that he’s “super happy” for Basallo and was excited to be in the room to show his new teammate that he and the rest of the clubhouse “support him.”

“I know he’s going to be able to take care of him and his family,” Henderson said. “That’s the most important thing is being able to give them security.”

Basallo sat between executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias and vice president of international scouting and operations Koby Perez, two of the many people responsible for signing the catcher when he was a teenager in the Dominican Republic. Shortly after Elias was hired in November 2018, he hired Perez to build the Orioles’ international pipeline from the ground up after the organization neglected the international market for decades.

The Orioles began scouting Basallo when he was 14 years old, and it took seven years for him to reach his dream of being a big leaguer. It took less than seven days for an extension to get done. Elias said that talks began between he and Basallo’s agency on Sunday, the day of the catcher’s MLB debut.

“I think what separated Sam for us early on was his desire to be the best,” Perez said. “Most kids we talk to down there, they tell you they wanna play in the big leagues. He’s always said, ‘I want to be the best. I want to be the best.’ And he has worked hard to try to be the best, and we expect him to continue to do that.”

Elias said the moment of signing a player like Basallo — the first homegrown international signee to debut with the Orioles during Elias’ tenure — was “special.”

“Sam knew that it would be a big responsibility being the symbol of our program, and he’s been terrific ever since joining our system,” Elias said. “He’s one of our hardest workers, one of our more successful young players, and he’s had a tremendous minor league career to this point. So we know that his major league career holds a lot of promise, but we also know there’s a lot of work ahead. We have the utmost faith that he’s gonna continue to be the young man that he’s been since we’ve known him, which is when he was 14, 15 years old.”

Seated next to Elias was owner David Rubenstein. Speaking to local media for the first time since spring training, Rubenstein said he hopes that Basallo follows in the footsteps of past Orioles legends in spending his entire career in Baltimore. The 76-year-old billionaire also said that he and his ownership group are in a position to hand out more extensions in the future.

“The Orioles’ ownership group is fairly well capitalized, and we have the resources to do these kinds of deals,” Rubenstein said. “The best players the Orioles have had over the years historically have been homegrown. So Jim Palmer, his entire career was here. Brooks Robinson, entire career, here. Cal Ripken, entire career, here. … We’ve had a tradition of having players who spent their entire career here, and we hope Samuel as well.”

Basallo is aware of the pressure now on his shoulders. The extension takes away the financial burden a young player can feel, but it also signifies a billion-dollar business’ commitment. With that comes responsibility to be a cornerstone of a ballclub he officially joined less than a week ago.

“I think I can manage it really well. Thank God, I have a really good group around me,” Basallo said. “What I’m going to do is work really hard to make sure I can do my part. I know it’s a big responsibility. But I’ll do everything in my power to make sure I make the people around me proud.”

The Orioles have no doubt that he’ll do just that.

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