Baltimore Orioles Rookie Has Surprising Take on First Start

Baltimore Orioles rookie Chayce McDermott had some surprising thoughts on his MLB debut.

Jul 24, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Chayce McDermott pitches against the Miami Marlins. / Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Orioles lost again on Wednesday, but it wasn't Chayce McDermott's fault.

The Orioles' top pitching prospect held his own in his highly anticipated MLB debut against the Miami Marlins, yielding three runs on five hits and two walks with three strikeouts over four innings. He didn't allow any runs through the first three frames but stumbled his second time through the order, surrendering three runs in the fourth.

Brandon Hyde lifted McDermott after he completed the frame, taking him out after 82 pitches (52 strikes). Baltimore rallied to tie the game in the sixth but ultimately lost 6-3, resulting in a no-decision for the rookie.

After the game, the 25-year-old righty broke down his debut and shared some surprising takeaways from his first taste of the big leagues.

Tonight marked the big league debut for Chayce McDermott.

The righty after his first career start. pic.twitter.com/4iR9xJmPNa

— Orioles on MASN (@masnOrioles) July 25, 2024

McDermott admitted to being "a little bit nervous, but at the same time, kind of overjoyed." He was happy to have 12 friends and family in the stands at loanDepot Park, including his parents, brother and wife.

As for his performance, McDermott wasn't particularly pleased. "Disappointed a little bit. Didn't execute some pitches. Wanted to give the team a chance to win...and I didn't feel like I really did that."

The former fourth-round draft pick also explained where he went wrong and could have done better. "The splitter was kind of off today, and I feel like that's been a really big pitch for me recently. The misses led to some misses with the fastball, which put me in bad counts."

While McDermott's start wasn't perfect, he's being a bit too hard on himself. He was called up from Triple-A on relatively short notice and gave his team a chance to win. Unfortunately, the Orioles' offense (three runs on four hits) and bullpen weren't up to the task.

After back-to-back 6-3 losses, Baltimore will try to avoid the sweep on Thursday behind Corbin Burnes. Meanwhile, McDermott has some things to work on before he takes the mound again.