Oftentimes judging a reliever’s performance off his ERA, especially in a small sample, is not a solid path to take in evaluating that pitcher. Take O’s right-hander Bryan Baker.

His ERA is 5.79 in four games to start the new season. But his batting average against is .200 and opponent batters have an OPS of just .544 versus Baker. 

On Opening Day in Boston he gave up three runs over two-thirds of an inning. In three games since then, he has thrown four scoreless innings on one hit with no walks and four strikeouts.

Thanks to the help of third sacker Ramón Urías, who turned a nifty 5-3 double play, and his own strikeout of Isiah Kiner-Falefa on a 96 mph heater in the eighth inning here yesterday, he got three huge outs in the O’s 7-6 win over the New York Yankees.

The Orioles improved to 4-3 on the year, and to 46-24 all-time in home openers.

Annual promotion will deliver two $50,000 prizes, including one for the O’s 50th home run of 2023

With the 2023 season underway, Orioles fans are enjoying a new level of excitement. Last season brought the first fruits of a years-long rebuild, as the O’s registered a winning record for the first time since 2016 and stayed in the hunt for a playoff berth all the way through September. Throughout last season, there was a sense that something special was going to happen each game and that there are even bigger moments ahead.

Some of the fans hoping for big moments from the Orioles in 2023 are also participating in this year’s Home Run Riches Contestant of the Game promotion from the Maryland Lottery. The fan-favorite Home Run Riches FAST PLAY game and second-chance promotion are back this year and even bigger than before. 

The Maryland Lottery will again hold monthly drawings to select Contestants of the Game for each of the Orioles’ 162 regular season games. Each winner receives $500 for being picked, and will be designated as the Contestant of the Game for an upcoming Orioles matchup. They’ll also win an additional $500 for each home run the Orioles hit during their designated game.

Last year, the Orioles slugged 171 home runs, led by 33 from outfielder Anthony Santander. The $500 for each of those homers, combined with the $500 each Contestant of the Game won for being drawn, delivered a total of $166,500 prizes. 

When it comes to facing left-handed pitchers, O’s center fielder Cedric Mullins, no longer a switch-hitter, has had success in the past batting left-on-left.

But the hits were not coming to him very often against lefty pitchers last year, when he hit .209/.265/.313/.578 against left-handers. That was very different from his solid numbers of 2021, when he produced a .277 batting average and .788 OPS left-on-left.

So Mullins’ winter focus was on getting back to stats like those in this 2023 season.

“Just really kind of dug deep into how some of my at-bats went last year,” he said this week at Globe Life Field. “Kind of getting a sense of what guys were trying to do to me and kind of make adjustments from there. Tried to simulate as much as I possibly could (this winter).”

The deep dive included a closer look at how those southpaws were getting him out.

ARLINGTON, Texas – During a series when they lost a pitcher to injury, the Orioles added a rookie flamethrower from the farm and restored some order on the mound.

It was a nice step forward for a pitching staff that had given up 27 runs at Fenway Park and had a staff ERA of 8.42 after the season’s first three games. The O’s staff ERA was just 2.42 in the Texas series. There, against a Rangers team that had scored 29 runs with a club OPS of .966 in sweeping the Phillies, the O’s allowed just seven runs, 17 hits and just three walks to 24 strikeouts.

They threw a one-hitter on just 108 pitches here Monday night. That win was big for the Orioles as the bullpen stepped up, especially Tyler Wells, after Kyle Bradish got hurt. They shut down the Rangers and put back-to-back losses in Boston in the rear-view mirror. Kyle Gibson followed that with an outstanding outing, and then Grayson Rodriguez had a solid big league debut yesterday at Globe Life Field.

Even after the Bradish injury, suddenly the pitching is showing more promise. And Bradish, who manager Brandon Hyde said had great stuff before he took a liner off his foot Monday night, could be returning as soon as his stint on the injured list is up.

The bullpen was much better here, even if Austin Voth did allow three runs yesterday after inheriting a 2-2 tie in the Rangers' 5-2 win.

The Orioles today have announced plans to welcome fans back to Oriole Park for the 2023 season during the club’s Home Opener on Friday, April 7, at 3:05 p.m. ET against the New York Yankees. The originally scheduled Home Opener was slated for today, Thursday, April 6, but was postponed due to the forecast of severe inclement weather.

Home Opener Celebrations

Festivities will begin at 2:30 p.m. with a special pre-game ceremony emceed by Orioles broadcaster KEVIN BROWN. The Home Opener will feature:

• National Anthem: PARIJITA BASTOLA will perform her rendition of the national anthem prior to the game. A Severna Park, Md. native and team John Legend contestant on season 22 of NBC’s “The Voice,” Bastola also performed at Maryland Governor Wes Moore’s inauguration earlier this year. A 30’ x 42’ flag from Fort McHenry will be lowered from the batter’s eye during the performance. The flag is a replica of the one that flew over Fort McHenry when Francis Scott Key wrote the national anthem.
• Honor Guard: Colors will be presented by members of THE BALTIMORE CITY POLICE HONOR GUARD and BALTIMORE CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT HONOR GUARD.
• Flag Kids: Children from the YMCA of Central Maryland will line the orange carpet, holding Orioles flags during the pregame ceremony.
• Ceremonial First Pitch: Maryland’s 63^rd Governor, WES MOORE, and his children, MIA and JAMES, will throw out ceremonial first pitches prior to the game. Moore was sworn in as Maryland’s Governor on January 18, 2023. The historic event made Moore Maryland’s first Black governor, and the third African American elected Governor in the history of the United States. 
• Mo Gaba’s Fan of the Year: The Orioles will recognize MERRILL HEIM, also known as “Fired Up Guy,” as Mo Gaba’s Fan of the Year, representing all O’s fans from the 2022 season. A Maryland native, Heim began attending Orioles games with his parents at Memorial Stadium. He, his wife, and their three daughters have since become regulars at Oriole Park. Heim can often be heard yelling “I’m Fired Up. You Fired Up?” from his seats along the first base line. Last year, Heim helped start the home run chain celebration after leaving his home run chain in the care of LOGAN SANDERS, the son of Orioles First Base Coach ANTHONY SANDERS, who shared it with the team. The home run chain celebration became one of the most well-known and popular celebrations throughout Major League Baseball during the 2022 season.
• Ceremonial “Play Ball”: MIA and JAMES MOORE, the children of Maryland Governor WES MOORE, will yell the ceremonial “Play Ball” prior to the game.
• Birdland Community Hero: Again this year, the Orioles will honor and recognize those in our community who have distinguished themselves by selflessly volunteering in fields that care for, serve, teach, protect, and improve the lives of others through the Birdland Community Heroes program. On Thursday, the Orioles will recognize GEOFF MEEHLE, a health and physical education coordinator for Baltimore City Public Schools and the volunteer President of the Society for Health and Physical Educators Maryland. SHAPE Maryland enhances and promotes the health and wellness of all Maryland citizens by providing advocacy, resources, and professional learning opportunities for current and future health and physical education educators. Meehle got involved with SHAPE Maryland to advocate for children and their needs when it comes to their health, physical education, and overall well-being. He believes in the importance of providing health and physical education teachers with resources and opportunities for professional learning and collaboration. As part of his recognition the Orioles Charitable Foundation will make a $5,000 donation to SHAPE Maryland.
• Budweiser Clydesdales: The world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales will parade from Lee Street to Eutaw Street beginning at 11:30 a.m. They will return to Lee Street at approximately 2:00 p.m.
• Giveaway: All fans in attendance will receive an Orioles 2023 schedule magnet.
• Opening Day Auction: Fans will have the opportunity to bid on game-used memorabilia from the Orioles Home Opener to benefit the Orioles Charitable Foundation and its efforts to support worthy youth and community groups throughout Birdland. The auction will run on Orioles.com/Auction from Monday, April 10, at 5:00 p.m. through Sunday, April 16, at 10:00 p.m. 

New Features at OPACY

• New Retail Experience: As part of a new long-term partnership, the Orioles and Fanatics worked this offseason to make significant investments to elevate the team’s retail footprint and enhance the fan experience, including renovating the Orioles Team Store location in the ground floor of the Warehouse on Eutaw Street. The store now features a new customer journey, including additional point-of-sales options and a Nike concept shop, the ability to customize jerseys on-site, and a Mitchell & Ness concept shop featuring authentic vintage jerseys and apparel.
• Brick & Whistle Food Co.: After announcing Levy as the official hospitality partner earlier this year, the Orioles and Levy created “Brick & Whistle Food Co.,” to provide fans with a one-of-a-kind, exclusive hospitality experience that is synonymous with the historic Baltimore Orioles brand. Brick & Whistle Food Co. B&W will provide new signature offerings highlighting the iconic tastes of Baltimore and the Chesapeake Bay, as well as upgraded technology to allow faster and frictionless check-out options.
• New food offerings include:
• The 410 Menu – available at select locations throughout the ballpark, hot dogs, popcorn, soft pretzels, cracker jacks, peanuts, and select beverages are only $4.10.
• Boog’s BBQ – the famed rolling smoke will make its return to Eutaw Street in 2023 with Boog’s BBQ house-smoked meats on game days. 
• “For The Birds” – New signature items include the Buffalo Bird Dog, B’More Chicken Box, Yard Dog, The Havana, Hot Honey Pepperoni Pizza, O’s Hand-Rolled Pretzel, and the Crab Pretzel Boule.
• Upgraded technology includes:
• A frictionless dining experience using Zippin technology at the B&O Market located along Eutaw Street, self-service kiosks by Mashgin technology at locations throughout the main concourse, powered by payment technologies using Shift4’s end-to-end commerce ecosystem.
• SuperBook Bar & Restaurant Fans will be able to experience the first-ever sports lounge at Oriole Park as part of the long-term partnership between the Orioles and SuperBook Sports. The SuperBook Bar & Restaurant will provide fans with first-rate food and beverages, as well as a state-of-the-art viewing experience featuring newly installed televisions, odds boards, and sports tickers. The restaurant will officially open its doors to fans during the Orioles Home Opener on Friday, April 7, and will continue to evolve throughout the season. SuperBook Bar & Restaurant will open to fans when gates open for each game.
• Pepsi All-Inclusive Picnic Perch: This offseason, the Orioles upgraded the Pepsi All-Inclusive Picnic Perch to give fans an even better gameday experience. Located in left field, the picnic perch now features televisions and a fresh redesign, including updated graphics and paint. Fans can experience every Orioles home game from the redesigned Pepsi All-Inclusive Picnic Perch. For tickets starting as low as $45, fans receive exclusive access to the Club Level, a Left Field Club seat in sections 282-288, and access to an unlimited food menu. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit Orioles.com/PicnicPerch.

Fan Reminders

After consultation with Major League Baseball, tomorrow’s Home Opener at Oriole Park at Camden Yards between the Orioles and Yankees has been postponed due to the forecast of severe inclement weather. The game will be made up on Friday, April 7 at 3:05 p.m. ET.

Tickets for tomorrow’s postponed game will be valid for the April 7 game, no exchange necessary. If you are unable to attend on April 7 and are the original ticket purchaser, you can exchange your tickets online at Orioles.com/MyAccount on a dollar-for-dollar basis. All exchanges must be completed before 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 6. Some restrictions may apply. For more information, please visit Orioles.com/Weather. 

The gates to Oriole Park at Camden Yards will open three hours before first pitch, at 12:00 p.m. Fans attending Friday’s game are encouraged to be in their seats, and fans at home are encouraged to tune to MASN, by 2:20 p.m. to enjoy the Home Opener pregame festivities. All fans in attendance will receive an Orioles 2023 schedule magnet.

Complimentary tickets are non-exchangeable and must be used for Friday’s makeup date. 

ARLINGTON, Texas – O’s rookie right-hander Grayson Rodriguez, ranked as the No. 6 prospect in the sport by Baseball America and No. 7 via MLBPipeline.com, today makes his long-anticipated major league debut. Rodriguez will face two-time National League Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom as the Orioles and Texas Rangers conclude a three-game series at Globe Life Field.

After wins of 2-0 and 7-2, the O’s can sweep this series today and beat Texas for the ninth straight time, going back to last year. Baltimore pitching has thrown 18 innings this series, allowing just eight hits and two runs with two walks and 15 strikeouts.

The Orioles (3-2) begin play today tied with the New York Yankees for second in the American League East, two games behind unbeaten and division-leading Tampa Bay at 5-0. Boston and Toronto are 2-3.

Rodriguez had some struggles in spring training and posted a 7.04 ERA over 15 1/3 innings. It looked like he would break north with the team in the Opening Day rotation to start the year, but instead he was optioned to the minors and made one start for Triple-A Norfolk. But due to the injury to Kyle Bradish, who was placed on the injured list today, here he is already, ready to debut, and in his home state of Texas.

He made his Triple-A season debut in Norfolk’s season opener at Durham last Friday night, allowing three runs (two earned) over four innings. He was scheduled to pitch tomorrow for the Tides at home, but now that plan has changed. Rodriguez will be pitching on normal rest today.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Recalled RHP Grayson Rodriguez from Triple-A Norfolk. Rodriguez will start today’s game against Texas, which will be his Major League debut. He will wear No. 30.
• Placed RHP Kyle Bradish on the 15-day Injured List with a right foot contusion, retroactive to April 4. 
  

The warning, or maybe it was just a gentle reminder, came from executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias on the day that the Orioles made their deepest roster cuts in spring training.

“We’re going to need more starters,” Elias said, as media crowded him outside the baseball operations center and sought an explanation for Grayson Rodriguez’s unexpected optioning to Triple-A.

Elias wasn’t breaking new ground, of course, as he stood on the concrete. No team goes through an entire 162-game grind with the same five members of its rotation. But the Orioles were only four deep into their season, the home opener on hold until later in the week, when Jonah Heim’s 104 mph line drive nailed Kyle Bradish on the right foot Monday night and made those words echo louder.

It also made a sickening thud, with initial fears that Bradish suffered a fracture. X-rays were negative for that, but further tests had to be scheduled because MRIs always reveal more.

I wonder why teams even bother with X-rays. There’s always the inevitable MRI.

ARLINGTON, Tex. – Sometimes in baseball it is said that momentum can be hard for a team to build because it is only as good as the next day’s starting pitcher. Meaning someone can shut you down and beat you. In the case of the Orioles the next day’s starter built on what happened the previous day in a twist on the phrase.

When asked about his strong seven-inning start last night as the Orioles beat Texas 7-2, right-hander Kyle Gibson first spent quite some time talking about the job Tyler Wells did the night before when Kyle Bradish got hurt. The Orioles were still marveling yesterday at Wells’ performance to bolster the pitching staff Monday night in the series-opening 2-0 win.

“I don’t think we can say enough about what Tyler Wells did for this team (Monday) night,” said Gibson. “That set us up for me not needing to go seven innings tonight. I was thankful I was able to do it, but what a job by him. When I found out he was going in, they asked me if I could throw (yesterday) and that’s a no brainer. If Wellsy can step up and do that I can take my turn the next day. Anytime a starter can get to the seventh, I think it’s big for the bullpen. I told Hyder I could go another one and try to save one more inning, but he said they were fresh enough down there and handed the ball off.”

The Orioles realized what Wells did Monday was pretty special in how he stepped up and Gibson said good teams need such things.

“It’s necessary, right,” he said. “There is something on the line behind the scenes like every time a guy is on the mound. That put him in a tough spot - he is not staying on routine, mentally he is not locked in when Hyder asked him that. But it shows a lot about his routine and how he stays prepared. He had done a really good job of staying prepared and ready. I think that is what this team is all about – we’ve got a lot of young guys that have really good heads on their shoulders and understand that if they start the game on the bench, they are one play away from being out there. Hats off to him. That gave us a lot of momentum going into today.”

ARLINGTON, Texas – After their four-pitcher one-hitter in the series opener here Monday night, the Orioles look for a series-clinching win tonight at Globe Life Field versus the Texas Rangers.

The Orioles (2-2) got solo homers from Gunnar Henderson and Jorge Mateo in Monday’s 2-0 win, in which four hurlers combined to need just 108 pitches in the first Baltimore one-hitter since a 4-1 win at the Chicago White Sox on June 24, 2022.

Right-hander Tyler Wells threw five no-hit innings on 47 pitches as the Orioles won their seventh straight game versus Texas, going back to last season. Baltimore starter Kyle Bradish took a liner off his right foot, suffered a contusion, and had to leave the game in last of the second inning after pitching 1 2/3.

Then the Baltimore bullpen, featuring Danny Coulombe, Wells and Félix Bautista went 7 1/3 scoreless without allowing a hit and Texas, which was 1-for-29 batting on the night, was 0-for-23 against the O’s bullpen, which had an ERA of 5.93 in the Boston series.

Last night marked the first time in Orioles history that the bullpen worked at least seven no-hit innings in a game. The previous record was six hitless innings, done twice: Sept. 8, 2011 against the Yankees and June 24, 2022 at the White Sox.

ARLINGTON, Tex. – Well, that was unexpected and unlikely but most welcome.

An Orioles pitching staff that had allowed nine runs three straight games completely reversed its fortunes last night deep in the heart of Texas. They threw a four-pitcher, one-hitter at Globe Life Field. Against a Texas team that was 3-0 and leading all of MLB with 29 runs scored.

Last night Texas went 1-for-29 for the night and 0-for-24 after Josh Jung’s infield single with one out in the second inning. It was the fewest hits allowed by the Orioles since they one-hit the Chicago White Sox on the road on June 24, 2022.

The pitching game plan had to call an early audible when starter Kyle Bradish took a liner off his right foot. He suffered a contusion, but preliminary X-rays were negative for a fracture. We should get an update later today at the ballpark.

Lefty Danny Coulombe came in and got four outs, three against lefty hitters. In the dugout, Tyler Wells was not dressed in full uniform because he wasn’t scheduled to pitch until tonight. But he told Brandon Hyde to use him if needed and Hyde took him up on the offer. Grab that jersey quick.

There are certainly a few things to clean up as the Orioles play at Texas tonight in their second series of the year. They scored 23 runs in three games at Boston, but allowed nine runs three straight games and no one thinks that is nearly good enough or close to it from the mound.

The O’s defense was shaky for three days in Boston, particularly in the outfield and there was not nearly enough pitching or defense to start the 2023 season. An out away, a catch away, from a 2-0 record on Saturday, instead the Orioles are 1-2 heading to play Texas.

"We swung the bat well enough (to win), but we've got to pitch and play defense and we didn't have our best series on the mound or defensively," manager Brandon Hyde said. "Those are two things we've got to do better to win series' in this league."

The Orioles won 10-9 Thursday before 9-8 and 9-5 losses in the last two games as the teams combined for 50 runs and 74 hits in the series.

The O’s had 10 hits or more each game, producing 38 in the series with nine doubles, seven homers and 10 stolen bases. They are batting .339/.426/.607/1.033 as team right now.

BOSTON – With his starters churning out a combined eight innings in the first two games and his calls to the bullpen exceeding any level of comfort, Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said it would be “huge” today for Cole Irvin’s debut to carry deep in the series finale.

“We’ve used a lot of people the first couple games,” he said.

The wheels already were turning. Who would provide length if Irvin had an early exit? How many times could the baton reasonably be passed from hand to hand, with the bullpen covering the last six innings on Saturday?

“We’re in the third game of the year and we’re already talking about (this),” Hyde said, laughing.

And then Irvin took the mound in the bottom of first inning and threw 32 pitches.

The Orioles have exchanged one-run wins with Boston, and both clubs are 1-1 as they wrap up this three-game series today at Fenway Park. The Orioles won 10-9 on Thursday and lost 9-8 yesterday. After the series wrap-up game, the O’s head to Texas for three games to conclude the season-opening road trip.

The Orioles have scored 18 runs on 26 hits with five homers and 10 stolen bases to start the year. Five different players have already hit home runs and five have stolen bases. Catcher Adley Rutschman is 6-for-10 and Austin Hays is 5-for-10 through two games.

Lefty Cole Irvin (9-13, 3.98 ERA in 2022 with Oakland) makes his O’s debut this afternoon. He pitched 181 innings last season, the 12^th-most in the American League. He recorded a 1.160 WHIP, allowing 1.2 homers per nine innings with a 1.8 walk rate and 6.4 strikeout rate.

Irvin is an outstanding control pitcher with a career 2.0 walk rate. His 14.4 pitches per inning were the second-fewest in the AL last year, while his 1.79 BB/9 ratio ranked sixth-best among qualified AL hurlers. And his 4.9 percent walk rate ranked in the 89th percentile of MLB, per Statcast. He did that while ranking near the bottom of all MLB pitchers last season in fastball and curveball spin rate.

Irvin had an 8.40 ERA in the first inning last season when opponents produced an OPS of 1.095 against him. He went 2-1 with a 2.93 ERA in five April starts in 2022.

BOSTON – The Orioles will try for the series win this afternoon with the latest outfield alignment putting Terrin Vavra in left field.

Three games and three different left fielders, including Anthony Santander on Opening Day and Ryan McKenna last night.

Jorge Mateo is out of the lineup after sustaining two cuts on his right index finger last night. He stayed in the game and said he was fine, but Gunnar Henderson is playing shortstop and Ramón Urías is at third base after he struck out five times last night.

Urías drops from the leadoff spot to ninth.

Santander remains the designated hitter and Austin Hays is in right field. Kyle Stowers is on the bench again.

How do the Orioles bounce back after such a brutal loss? I don’t have that answer, but what choice do they have? A good thing about baseball sometimes is that it's everyday nature. They have another game today and need to win it to win this series.

I’ve been in their clubhouse over the years a day after a tough, tough loss and am always surprised at how well the players can move on. They just know they have to. There isn’t much to learn from their loss on Saturday when Ryan McKenna’s dropped popup should have been the third out of a win. Instead, it gave Boston another swing. And a player having a huge day, Adam Duvall, hit a two-run homer off Félix Bautista for a 9-8 win.

The Orioles should be 2-0. They are 1-1.

How do they respond? We begin to find out this afternoon.

The start of the year has produced some record-setting performances. According to STATS, the Orioles are the first team with two players having five hits in the first two games of a season since 1901. Adley Rutschman did it on Opening Day, and yesterday, Austin Hays went 5-for-5 with two doubles and a solo homer.

BOSTON – A long season awaits Anthony Bemboom, whether he’s in the majors or catching at Triple-A, but he’s already set aside some time for reflection. How could he not?

Bemboom has been through a lot, starting with his decision to re-sign with the Orioles following the 2022 season. He was put on the 40-man roster and removed a month later, already knowing, it appeared, that the Orioles wanted to keep him in the organization but likely would have to outright him.

More unexpected was the trade that brought catcher James McCann from the Mets on Dec. 21. Bemboom had no shot at making his second straight Opening Day roster unless an injury created an opportunity.

The unpredictability of sports struck again.

McCann developed soreness in his left oblique about a week before the Orioles broke camp. He tried hitting off a tee, the session didn’t go as he hoped, and the Orioles placed him on the 10-day injured list and selected Bemboom’s contract.

BOSTON – Adley Rutschman lined a single into left field in the first inning today, his determination growing to reach base in every plate appearance in 2023. To keep spinning major league and franchise records.

The ball left Rutschman’s bat at 109 mph, and it was a foreshadowing of things to come against Chris Sale. But there was no way to predict what would happen in the ninth inning.

No lead is safe at Fenway Park, but this?

Félix Bautista retired the first two batters, but Ryan McKenna dropped a fly ball from Masataka Yoshida and Adam Duvall lined a ball to the first row above the Green Monster for a stunning 9-8 win over the Orioles.

"Ran to it pretty hard, it was up in the sky, and I guess I just didn't follow all the way through with it," McKenna said. "It hit the (heel) of my glove and just fell out. It was unfortunate timing. Bautista was throwing a hell of an inning there and all of our guys were really working hard to give us a chance to win that game. Just tough timing."

The Orioles and Boston Red Sox resume their season-opening series at Fenway Park this afternoon. The Orioles had 15 hits - including homers from Adley Rutschman and Ramón Urías - drew nine walks and stole five bases in their Opening Day 10-9 win on Thursday.

The Orioles hit .395 (15-for-38) in the win and produced four doubles and two homers while going 5-for-14 with runners in scoring position. They led 5-2 after four innings and 10-4 after seven before holding off Boston’s late rally. The Red Sox scored three runs in the eighth and two in the last of the ninth.

The Orioles won on Opening Day for 10^th time in the last 13 games. They are now 45-25 all-time in openers, 13-12 when they open on the road and 8-3 when they open versus Boston. They are 7-1 in the last eight openers against the Red Sox.

Rutschman went 5-for-5 with a home run, a run scored, four RBIs and a walk in his first Opening Day action. The five hits, four RBIs and six times reaching base safely all marked career highs. He became the first player in O's history to reach base safely six times on Opening Day, and the eighth major league player to do so since at least 1901, per Stathead, and became the first catcher to reach base safely six times in a game since the Mets' Kevin Plawecki did it on Aug. 16, 2018 at Philadelphia. He is the first O's catcher to record five hits in a game since Matt Wieters did it on Aug. 14, 2016 at San Francisco. According to ESPN Stats & Info, Rutschman is the first player to go 5-for-5 (or better) with at least four RBIs on Opening Day in major league history

Right-hander Dean Kremer (8-7, 3.23 ERA in 2022) makes his season debut on the mound. Last year in 125 1/3 innings, he allowed 123 hits and 1.253 WHIP. Kremer allowed 0.8 homers per nine innings with a 2.4 walk rate and 6.2 strikeout rate.