Baltimore Orioles fans stand out in Major League Baseball for their high hopes for the upcoming season. Fueled by a promising group of young position players from last year’s impressive 101-win campaign and a strong farm system, optimism abounds in Baltimore.
Under new ownership as of this week, the Orioles bolstered their roster with the addition of former Milwaukee Brewers star pitcher Corbin Burnes. Given the nod by Orioles manager Brandon Hyde to start on opening day, Burnes lived up to expectations with a stellar performance.
The 2021 Cy Young Award recipient allowed only one hit, a home run to Mike Trout in the first inning, and recorded eleven strikeouts against the Angels during an impressive six innings on the mound.
Such a performance is remarkable under any circumstances. However, conceding just one hit over six innings while achieving double-digit strikeouts is exceedingly rare.
In fact, according to OptaStats, Corbin Burnes became the first pitcher in a team’s inaugural game of the season to amass ten or more strikeouts while allowing one hit or fewer since Lon Warneke achieved this feat for the Cubs in 1934.
The Orioles dominated the entire game, accumulating ten hits and scoring eleven runs in a decisive 11-3 victory over the Angels. Widely regarded as a top contender in the American League, the Orioles demonstrated their potential with an impressive performance on Thursday.
Conversely, the narrative of the Angels heavily relying on Mike Trout was reaffirmed once more during Thursday’s game. It appears that Angels fans might be in for a challenging season ahead.
