Baltimore Orioles Veteran Smashes Expectations In Season Debut

John Means was dominant in his season debut for the Baltimore Orioles.

Baltimore Orioles pitcher John Means (47) delivers a pitch in the first inning of Saturday's game. / Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY

With the Baltimore Orioles locked in a tug-of-war with the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East, the Orioles could use all the help they can get if they want to repeat as division champs this year.

Fortunately, Baltimore received some reinforcements on Saturday in the form of John Means. The former All-Star made his season debut against the Cincinnati Reds, returning to the rotation after missing the start of the year with a forearm injury.

With fellow starter Grayson Rodriguez landing on the injured list with shoulder inflammation, the Orioles need Means to pick up the slack in his absence. He proved up to the challenge in his first start in over seven months, dominating the Reds over seven shutout innings at Great American Ball Park.

In his first start of the season, John Means was dealing. 😎 pic.twitter.com/bXEeumbez0

— MLB (@MLB) May 5, 2024

Means pitched Baltimore to a 2-1 victory, outdueling Andrew Abbott (5 innings, two runs, eight strikeouts) behind solo homers from Jorge Mateo and Adley Rutschman. The 31-year-old lefty silenced the Reds, yielding just three hits and no walks while racking up eight strikeouts. He was efficient, too, needing only 85 pitches to complete seven frames.

It was a highly encouraging outing for Means, especially given his dismal performance at Triple-A. In six rehab starts before being activated from the IL, Means posted an ugly 8.68 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP in 18 2/3 innings, not instilling much confidence that he was ready to return to action.

Fortunately, he seems to have shed the rust and worked out the kinks. Means is one of the better arms in the American League when healthy, as evidenced by his career 3.67 ERA and 1.05 WHIP.

The main issue for Means is that he's had trouble staying on the field lately, missing most of 2022 and 2023 with Tommy John surgery before opening 2024 on the IL. He also lost over a month to a shoulder strain in 2021, so hopefully his injury woes are behind him and he can be a key contributor for the rest of the season.

If his first start of 2024 was any indication, Means is fully back and ready to go.