McCann on Irvin's strong pitching and more on the Jim Henneman Press Box

Catcher James McCann could see that lefty Cole Irvin had good stuff and strong location early on Saturday versus Oakland. Irvin rolled through three perfect innings on 33 pitches.

But McCann was not thinking scoreless start at that point. He was trying to set up and work the hitters for later in that game.

“No, not trying to think that far ahead,” he said after the Orioles’ 7-0 win. “What you try to do is get certain pitches involved at certain times. And then make adjustments as to how that pitcher is landing the pitches.”

Irvin kept getting outs and pitched seven scoreless innings and joined Corbin Burnes and Dean Kremer as O’s pitchers to go seven this year. He allowed just four hits and is now 2-1 with a 3.49 ERA.

“He had a really good mix. He’s using both sides of the plate. Able to use his off-speed early, his fastball early and locate it all. Had four pitches to both sides of the plate,” said McCann.

So what has been the biggest key as Irvin has now thrown 13 2/3 scoreless innings back-to-back against the Royals and A’s. And has an ERA of 0.98 and WHIP of 0.87 his past three starts?

“I think it’s been getting ahead and then using the ability to not fall into patterns and use all his pitches," McCann said. "That is something that goes unsaid for all pitchers. If you are not locating all your pitches, the hitters can eliminate a pitch or two. When you are able to throw all your pitches, hitters are kind of in between.”

The Orioles have four scoreless starts this season, two each now by Albert Suárez and Irvin.

They are getting Kyle Bradish and John Means back soon and they have done a nice job without them, going 17-9.

‘With those two guys down early, we’ve had a few guys step up. Another tip of the cap to the organization for the depth that is available. And a tip of the cap to those guys doing the job for us,” said McCann.

* In this series, O’s starters have allowed just one run in 13 innings to an Oakland team that has now gone nine straight games scoring three runs or fewer, with 21 total runs in that span.

* The Orioles hit three homers yesterday and are now 12-1 when they hit two or more.

* Gunnar Henderson is off to a hot-hitting start versus lefty pitching. Last year against southpaws he hit .209 with a .617 OPS and three homers in 167 plate appearances. This year against lefties he’s batting .341 with a 1.087 OPS and has three homers in just 47 plate appearances.

Against lefties and righties combined, Henderson has hit three homers his last four games and six in the past 11 games.

* The Orioles have now gone 100 straight regular-season series of at least two decisions without being swept. That is the fourth longest streak in major league history. Next on the list in third are the 1903-05 New York Giants at 105 series.

The Jim Henneman Press Box: Earlier this year, the Orioles named the press box at Oriole Park at Camden Yards the Jim Henneman Press Box in honor of longtime Baltimore sportswriter and official scorer Jim Henneman, who has covered Baltimore sports during eight decades. On Saturday, in what was a special ceremony for so many, including the local media, that press box was dedicated, and to celebrate this recognition, “Henny” threw out the ceremonial first pitch, which was caught by Orioles head athletic trainer Brian Ebel.

During that ceremony in the press box, Jim spoke through a few tears and with much appreciation and emotion.

“We’re in the best press box in baseball, in the park that forever changed the game, and my name is on it," Henneman said. "I can only hope that each and every one of you someday can have something like this kind of feeling that I have right now. And seeing all these people that have been around me for a good part of this career journey, it means the world to me.”

So many from the O’s and Jim’s past returned to the Yard Saturday. including former Baltimore Sun writer Tim Kurkjian and former Orioles public relations director Rick Vaughn, to name two. Hall of Famer Jim Palmer was there also to honor Jim.

Henneman thanked many of the Orioles staff, including the Angelos family, for the honor, which is so very well deserved. It’s an honor to work in a press box with his name on it.

Henneman is a Baltimore native who attended Calvert Hall College High School and Loyola College in Maryland, which is now Loyola University Maryland. He worked in the clubhouse for the O's when they were a minor league club in the International League, and he was an 18-year-old at Memorial Stadium on Opening Day 1954, the day of the O’s return to the big leagues. 

He covered some of the greatest players and teams in O’s history. His first job was as a copy boy for the Baltimore News American in 1958. In 2023, Henny, now 88, attended his 50^th Orioles spring training.

The word "legend" gets thrown around a lot in sports. But Henny is a legend, and this honor is so perfect.

“I just can’t adequately express the humility that I feel," he said. "I’m so humbled. So proud. I have 140 people here today. I’m not real good at this kind of stuff, but hopefully you understand what this means to me. I want to hug all of you if you’ll let me.”

I got my hug from the man whose name will be on that press box forever.

Some Twitter pics of the day are here, here and here.

Click here for a video that aired on the "O's Xtra" pregame show.