Adley Rutschman's historic 5-for-5 opener carries Orioles to win

BOSTON — Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman felt the Opening Day jitters. Last year was supposed to be his first season opener, but a right triceps strain delayed his debut until May. And so when he woke up on Thursday morning in Boston, hours away from first pitch, he felt the jitters up and down his body.

«I was hoping it would wait until I at least got to the field,» he said.

When the season officially kicked off, those jitters were nowhere to be found. Rutschman made a statement on Opening Day, going 5-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs, becoming the first player since 1937 to go 5-for-5 or better with a home run on Opening Day and the first catcher with five hits on Opening Day since at least 1900, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

The offensive outburst from Rutschman carried the Orioles' offense for the day, as Baltimore left Fenway on Thursday with a 10-9 victory, thanks in large part to the catcher's four RBIs and one run scored.

«The hits are awesome,» Rutschman said. «But the winning for me is more important.»

Orioles fans had been waiting for this. The years of losing, all for the promise that one day the team would turn things around with a plethora of young, homegrown talent. At the center of that is Rutschman, who shined once he made his major league debut in 2022. The switch-hitter slashed .254/.362/.445 with 13 homers, 35 doubles and 42 RBIs with 5.2 fWAR, the second-highest total for a catcher in the majors behind the Phillies' J.T. Realmuto.

«There's been a lot of great players who've worn this uniform,» said Orioles manager Brandon Hyde. «He's gonna be the doing other things that are the first as well.»

For the Orioles, Rutschman represents hope for the future. After finishing in