Baltimore Orioles' Eflin to Be Only 4th Player in Last 124 Years of History to Accomplish This Feat

Zach Eflin, getting the ball on Opening Day for the Orioles, will start against the Blue Jays for the second consecutive Opening Day.

Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Zach Eflin (24) pitches in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field in 2024. / Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles will open up the regular season on Thursday afternoon on the road at the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Orioles are coming off a second-place finish in the American League East. They made the playoffs but were upended in the wild card round by the Kansas City Royals.

The O's made some nice moves this offseason, bringing in veteran slugger Tyler O'Neill and pitchers Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano, but the offseason was marred by things they didn't do as well. The team let Corbin Burnes go in free agency and didn't replace him with a high-end starter, and they let Anthony Santander go as well - who signed with the Blue Jays.

Spring training has seen the O's undergo some injuries as well, including ace pitcher Grayson Rodriguez, who will open the year on the injured list. As a result of that, Zach Eflin will take the ball on Opening Day. The O's acquired him last season at the trade deadline from the Tampa Bay Rays.

He's set to join some extremely rare history, per MLB.com:

Eflin also faced the Blue Jays on Opening Day last year, when he was a member of the Rays. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, he will become the fourth pitcher since 1900 to start consecutive Opening Day contests against the same club while pitching for two different teams, joiningSad Sam Jones (1921 Red Sox and ’22 Yankees vs. Washington), Wes Ferrell (’37 Red Sox and ’38 Nationals vs. Philadelphia A’s) and Madison Bumgarner (2019 Giants and ’20 D-backs vs. San Diego)

Happy Opening Day! Here's MLB-dot-com's ultimate guide to every matchup: https://t.co/0yXxfyADuZ

— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) March 27, 2025

Eflin, 31, is entering the 10th year of his career with the Philadelphia Phillies, Tampa Bay Rays and Orioles. He's gone 62-62 for his career and owns a 4.17 lifetime ERA.

He was 10-9 a season ago.

Related MLB Stories

FUTURE FOR ADLEY? Adley Rutschman and the Orioles haven't come together on a long-term contract agreement yet, but the bar has been set after Cal Raleigh's extension with the Mariners. CLICK HERE:

JAYS LOOKAHEAD: According to Fastball columnist Brady Farkas, the Toronto Blue Jays are the most intriguing team in baseball this year. Here's why:

PETTITTE BACK IN NY: New York Yankees legend Andy Pettitte will be back in New York for Opening Day on Thursday as he'll throw the ceremonial first pitch. CLICK HERE: