Orioles beat Angels; Burnes strikes out 11
BALTIMORE — Corbin Burnes allowed one baserunner in a dominant debut for Baltimore, and Anthony Santander and Cedric Mullins both homered as the Orioles began their AL East title defense with an 11-3 rout of the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday.
Mike Trout hit a first-inning home run off Burnes, but the Angels managed nary a peep against the new Baltimore ace after that. Burnes (1-0) struck out 11 in six innings in his first start after the Orioles acquired the right-hander from Milwaukee in an offseason trade.
Baltimore’s Adley Rutschman, who had five hits and a walk on opening day last year in Boston, started this season off with hits and the first and second innings, then later drew a walk. He scored three runs and Santander drove in four.
YANKEES 5, ASTROS 4
In Houston, Juan Soto threw out the potential tying run at the plate in the ninth inning of his Yankees debut after starting New York’s comeback from a four-run deficit in a season-opening win over Houston.
Oswaldo Cabrera homered and Aaron Judge doubled and scored the go-ahead run in the seventh inning as the Yankees went ahead.
Mauricio Dubón and Yordan Alvarez singled off Clay Holmes to give the Astros two on with one out in the ninth. Kyle Tucker lined a single to right and Soto, an AllStar acquired from San Diego in a December trade, made a one-hop throw slightly up the third-base line. Catcher Jose Trevino made a sweep tag and caught Dubón’s left arm just before the runner’s finger touched the plate. Umpire James Hoye’s call was upheld in a video review.
RANGERS 4, CUBS 3 (10 INNINGS)
In Arlington, Texas, Jonah Heim hit a game-ending RBI single with two outs in the 10th inning as World Series champion Texas opened the season with a win over the Chicago Cubs.
Adolis García and Travis Jankowski homered for the Rangers, who unfurled the franchise’s first World Series championship banner from
the rafters high above right field before the dramatic victory.
Drew Smyly, the Cubs’ seventh pitcher, walked two to load the bases before Heim lined a sharp hit into right-center field and was mobbed by his teammates.
BLUE JAYS 8, RAYS 2
In St. Petersburg, Fla., George Springer, Cavan Biggio and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. homered to lead Toronto to a season-opening victory over Tampa Bay.
Alejandro Kirk and Bo Bichette drove in two runs apiece for the Blue Jays, who scored five times in the sixth inning after being limited to one hit — Springer’s solo homer in the fourth — off Rays starter Zach Eflin (0-1) through five innings.
José Berríos (1-0), making his second opening-day start for the Blue Jays and fourth overall, gave up a leadoff homer to Yandy Díaz on his fifth pitch of the day and also yielded a RBI double to the defending AL batting champion in the sixth.
PADRES 6, GIANTS 4
In San Diego, Jake Cronenworth’s two-run double highlighted a fourrun seventh inning for San Diego, who beat San Francisco to spoil Bob Melvin’s return to San Diego.
While it was opening day for the Giants, the Padres began the season by splitting a two-game series last week against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Seoul, South Korea.
Melvin managed the Padres for the last two seasons before leaving for the Giants with a year left on his contract. He skippered the Padres into the 2022 NL Championship Series and then presided over a disappointing season that included
reports of an irreparable relationship with general manager A.J. Preller. He was replaced by Mike Shildt.
DIAMONDBACKS 16, ROCKIES 1
In Phoenix Lourdes Gurriel Jr. had five RBIs and three hits, including a two-run homer, and Arizona used a franchise-record 14-run third inning to rout Colorado.
The 14 runs were the most in an inning on opening day for any team since 1900.
Arizona — the defending National League champions — led 2-1 going into the bottom of the third, but then sent 18 batters to the plate and had 13 hits, two walks and a sacrifice fly.
REDS 8, NATIONALS 2
In Cincinnati, Nick Martini homered twice and drove in five runs in his first opening-day start, Frankie Montas pitched six shutout innings in his Cincinnati debut as they cruised to a win over Washington.
Martini, a 33-year-old designated hitter with his fourth major league team since 2018, hit a two-run homer in the second inning and a three-run shot in the third for a 7-0 lead off Josiah Gray (0-1). Martino became the first Cincinnati player to hit two homers on opening day since Adam Dunn in 2007.
Montas (1-0) joined with Reds with a $16 million, one-year deal as a free agent and the 31-year-old right-hander allowed four hits in six innings, striking out four and walking none. He had labrum surgery last Feb. 21 while with the New York Yankees and made his only big league appearance of the year on Sept. 30.
RED SOX 6, MARINERS 4
In Seattle, Tyler O’Neill homered in his fifth straight opening day game to set a major league record, this time against the organization that drafted him, and Boston beat Seattle.
Rafael Devers homered and doubled off Seattle ace Luis Castillo, but it was O’Neill’s homer on the first pitch from Cody Bolton in the eighth inning that gave the Red Sox a 6-4 lead and made history.
O’Neill homered the previous four opening days with St. Louis, tying him with Todd Hundley (199497), Gary Carter (1977-80) and Yogi Berra (1955-58). He was a top prospect in the Mariners organization before being traded to St. Louis in 2017.
TWINS 4, ROYALS 1
In Kansas City, Mo., Pablo Lopez allowed one run over seven innings, Royce Lewis homered before leaving with an injury, and Minnesota beat Kansas City to begin defense of their AL Central crown.
Carlos Correa added three hits and two RBIs to back a near-peerless performance by Lopez, who picked up where he left off last postseason. The right-hander allowed four hits and struck out seven without a walk in his first opening-day start.
The lone run Lopez (1-0) allowed was a homer to Maikel Garcia, the first batter he faced.
PIRATES 6, MARLINS 5 (12 INNINGS)
In Miami, Jared Triolo hit a RBI single in the top of the 12th inning to finish Pittsburgh’s rally and beat Miami.
Triolo’s line drive single against Marlins reliever Declan Cronin (0-1) scored automatic runner Ke’Bryan Hayes. Pirates reliever Jose Hernandez got the save, retiring 2023 NL batting champion Luis Arraez, Josh Bell and Bryan De La Cruz in his only inning of relief.
Luis Ortiz recorded the win for the Pirates.
TIGERS, 1 WHITE SOX 0
In Chicago, Tarik Skubal pitched six innings of three-hit ball and Detroit opened a promising season on a winning note, beating the Chicago White Sox.
Skubal and three relievers combined to retire the final 17 batters. The White Sox did not advance past first base and wasted a terrific start by Garrett Crochet.
GUARDIANS 8, ATHLETICS 0
In Oakland, Calif., Shane Bieber struck out 11 in six shutout innings, David Fry had three hits and Stephen Vogt won his managerial debut as Cleveland beat Oakland.