BALTIMORE — The defending American League East champion Orioles took the sphere Thursday afternoon to play their first sport of a brand new period. The thrill round Camden Yards — the place David Rubenstein and members of his possession group took in Opening Day with a sellout crowd of 45,029 followers — was palpable nicely earlier than the primary pitch was thrown.
In his workforce debut, Burnes racked up 11 strikeouts over six dominant innings to assist energy the O’s to an 11-3 win over the Angels of their first sport of the 2024 season. The correct-handed ace retired 18 of the 19 Los Angeles batters he confronted, the one blemish being a two-out solo homer by Mike Trout within the first.
“Couldn’t have requested for something greater than that,” supervisor Brandon Hyde stated. “Superior, superior efficiency. That’s not simple to do — new workforce, Opening Day, a number of jitters, in all probability fairly anxious. And to exit and do what he simply did, that’s actually spectacular.”
That sort of efficiency is strictly why the Orioles swung a blockbuster commerce on Feb. 1, after they acquired Burnes from the Brewers to spice up the highest of their rotation.
Burnes recorded at the very least two strikeouts in 5 of his six innings. Ten of them have been swinging Okay’s — six by curveball, two by cutter and two by slider. His offspeed breaking stuff was notably efficient throughout his 82-pitch (56-strike) outing, as he registered six whiffs on eight swings in opposition to his curve and 4 whiffs on seven swings vs. his slider.
“It’s a type of days the place all the pieces traces up, that you simply’ve acquired all the pieces working, and it turns into a extremely enjoyable day as a result of you’ll be able to simply go about it in sequence and do some issues that you simply don’t usually do if you don’t have all the pieces working,” Burnes stated. “After concerning the second or third inning there, we sort of went into cruise-control mode with simply getting forward and attempting to get fast outs.”
The one pitcher to file extra strikeouts in an Opening Day begin in workforce historical past (since 1954) is Dave McNally, who had 13 within the ‘70 opener. Burnes’ 11 Okay’s are tied for second most with Mike Mussina (‘98).
Burnes set the file for many strikeouts by a pitcher in his O’s debut. It was solely the second outing in workforce historical past of eleven-plus Okay’s, no walks and no multiple hit allowed, the primary being John Means’ no-hitter at Seattle on Could 5, 2021.
Additionally, Burnes was the primary pitcher with 10-plus strikeouts and fewer than two hits allowed in his workforce’s first sport of the season because the Cubs’ Lon Warneke on April 17, 1934, per STATS.
And he joined Corridor of Famer Bob Gibson (in ‘67) as the one AL/NL pitchers with eleven-plus Okay’s, no walks and fewer than two runs allowed in an Opening Day begin.
“It’s not only one factor he does — it’s all the pieces he does,” stated catcher Adley Rutschman, impressed by Burnes’ full arsenal whereas behind the plate.
Added first baseman Ryan Mountcastle: “That was unbelievable.”
The Orioles’ offense made it simple for Burnes to settle in at his new residence ballpark (the place he had pitched solely as soon as over his first six massive league seasons). Baltimore took the lead on Jordan Westburg’s RBI single in a two-run first inning, then added three extra runs in a second that featured a two-run single by Rutschman.
Anthony Santander (game-high 4 RBIs) belted a two-run homer within the fourth, then Cedric Mullins hit a three-run blast within the seventh.
“They received 101 video games and the offense was so potent final 12 months,” Burnes stated. “Whenever you return as many guys as you probably did with the expertise they gained from final 12 months, it turns into a really scary workforce. And I feel they confirmed that fairly shortly.”
As Baltimore’s bats poured it on, Los Angeles couldn’t do something to determine Burnes. Together with Trout’s homer, the Halos acquired 4 balls out of the infield vs. the righty — and just one over his closing three innings.
“He was very robust. I did not see something on the market that he did that I have not seen earlier than,” Angels supervisor Ron Washington stated. “You give him a lead, and he is aware of find out how to take it to the end line — and he took it to the end line.”
After Burnes threw his closing pitch, he walked off the mound, pounded his glove and seemed up on the crowd, roaring in approval.
It’s going to be a enjoyable season in Baltimore.
“They have been loud, they have been on it from pitch one,” Burnes stated. “So to soak that in and know that, hey, that is Sport 1, however we’ve acquired 161 extra video games of this. And these followers need it greater than anybody. They’re going to be there supporting us March 28 to [Sept. 29].
“It was an incredible environment, enjoyable Opening Day.”