In their opening game of 2024, the O’s looked every bit like the heavyweight team they hope to be, plating 11 runs and enjoying a brilliant debut from their new ace.
Good morning, Camden Chatters.
It’s safe to say the Orioles’ 2024 season couldn’t have gotten off to a better start.
In one of the most lopsided Opening Day victories in club history, the Birds clicked on all cylinders in an 11-3 drubbing of the Angels in front of a sellout crowd of 45,029 at Camden Yards. Despite the chilly weather, the O’s were sizzling hot, getting a complete team effort from the offense — where every starter reached base and eight of them had hits — and a brilliant performance on the mound from new ace Corbin Burnes, who was a Mike Trout homer away from six perfect innings, settling for retiring 18 of the 19 batters he faced.
Burnes became the only pitcher in modern baseball history to rack up at least 10 strikeouts, no walks, and one or zero hits on Opening Day, and his 11 strikeouts were the most in O’s history for a pitcher making his team debut. His first outing as an Oriole was everything the team could have hoped for and more. Something tells me we’re really going to enjoy watching him pitch this year.
The O’s never trailed at the end of a full inning, and they had pretty much iced the game by the second. The eight-run win was their largest margin of victory on Opening Day since 1982, when they beat the Royals, 13-5. It also extended their streak of regular season series without being swept to 92 in a row. That decisive win, combined with the arrival of new owner and man of the people David Rubenstein to kick off the franchise’s next chapter, made for an overall great day at the ballpark.
This was the Orioles at their very best, and hopefully a sign of wonderful things to come for the rest of 2024. One down, 161 to go.
Links
Ghiroli: This is the Orioles’ ‘Next Chapter,’ and it’s scary how good it looks – The Athletic
It’s only been one game, but the hype train is officially full steam ahead for the 2024 Orioles.
Rubenstein says his goal is an Orioles World Series in 2024 – BaltimoreBaseball.com
Aiming high in his first press conference. I like this new guy already.
Ripken ready for new role in organization, Rubenstein talks stadium lease, All-Star Game and more – School of Roch
“Maybe Cal Ripken will buy the Orioles” used to be a desperate fever dream of O’s fans during the darkest days of the Angelos era. And now it’s actually happening! It’s pretty awesome.
Corbin Burnes sets Orioles record with 11 strikeouts in debut – The Baltimore Sun
Is anyone still concerned about Burnes’s 6.75 spring training ERA? Yeah. Didn’t think so.
Out with the sprinkler, in with the engine rev? The Orioles have a new celebration. Maybe. – The Baltimore Banner
The Orioles are apparently still workshopping some ideas for their 2024 celebration, including an engine rev. If this all leads to, like, Mr. Splash dousing fans with motor oil, I’m out.
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! The only Oriole in history born on March 29 was the late infielder Juan Bell (b. 1968, d. 2016).
The O’s have played one regular season game on this date in history, a walkoff Opening Day win over the Twins in 2018. The Orioles’ Dylan Bundy fired seven shutout innings, and the Birds broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the seventh on a Caleb Joseph two-run triple. But Brad Brach, filling in for injured closer Zack Britton, gave up a two-run single with two outs in the ninth to knot the score. It stayed that way until the bottom of the 10th, when Adam Jones smacked Fernando Rodney’s first pitch as a Twin into the left-field seats for a game-ending homer, and what remained of the sellout crowd 45,469 went home happy.