Boston Red Sox pitchers will have nightmares about catcher Adley Rutschman. The Baltimore Orioles member delivered a historic performance in a 10-9 victory at Fenway Park on Thursday.
The 25-year-old became the first catcher in major league history to hit five hits and hit the bases six times in the regular season opener.
Rutschman announced his intentions in the first inning by sending Corey Kluber’s (0-1) offering out of bounds. He added two more productive singles and was never struck out in six at bats.
The Orioles were heading for an easy victory at the end of the seventh end, leading 10-4. The hosts had not said their last word, however, although they were unable to complete their comeback. In his first career major league game, Japanese sensation Masataka Yoshida cut the lead to a single run in the ninth inning with a one-run groundout.
Visitors starting gunner Kyle Gibson (1-0) added the win to his record. He struck out three in five innings, allowing six hits and four earned runs. Félix Bautista meanwhile signed the save by frustrating Adam Duvall in the last engagement.
Elsewhere in Major League Baseball
At Kauffman Stadium, Paulo Lopez (1-0) left almost nothing for the Kansas City Royals in a 2-0 win over the Minnesota Twins. The Venezuela native passed eight batters in the mitt and allowed just two hits in five and a third innings.
At Wrigley Field, Marcus Stroman (1-0) was the first gunner to get slapped on the knuckles for not sticking to the new dial between throws, but that didn’t dampen his enthusiasm. He terrorized the Milwaukee Brewers hitters in a 4-0 win over the Chicago Cubs.
At Globe Life Field, the Texas Rangers had a most productive fourth inning, scoring nine runs en route to an 11-7 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. In the loss, Alec Bohm drove in three runs, thanks in part to a long ball.
