Rogers and the Orioles have a long way to go, but what a start.
The Baltimore Orioles kicked off the 2026 season exactly how they wanted to on Thursday afternoon at Camden Yards, and their ace was the biggest reason why.
Trevor Rogers spun seven scoreless innings in a 2-1 win over the Minnesota Twins, picking up right where he left off after one of the best individual seasons in franchise history.
After the game, Rogers couldn't help but soak in what the day meant for a team that spent six weeks grinding through spring training together.
"We put the work in for six weeks in spring training, and finally get the dub on opening day, you kind of forget we have 161 more after today," Rogers said.
"It's huge."
And he's right, because Opening Day wins carry a different kind of weight when you're a club trying to prove last year's disappointing 75-87 finish was a fluke and not a trend.
Rogers Looked Like the Same Guy From 2025
Rogers wasn't overpowering every single batter he faced, but he didn't need to be.
The lefty scattered three hits over seven innings and struck out five, and while the four walks weren't ideal, he consistently worked out of trouble thanks to three double plays turned behind him.
He threw 88 pitches with 56 going for strikes, and the Twins had runners in scoring position in four different innings without pushing a single run across.
That's the kind of composure you want from a guy coming off a 1.81 ERA season where he went 9-3 with 103 strikeouts in 18 starts.
Rogers won the Most Valuable Oriole Award last year and entered this season as the clear No. 1 option in a rotation that looks a whole lot deeper than it did a year ago.
The Bats Woke Up Just in Time
The offense was mostly quiet through the first six innings, with Twins starter Joe Ryan holding Baltimore to just one hit while striking out seven.
But the seventh inning changed everything.
Samuel Basallo led off with a single and hustled from first to third on a base hit by Tyler O'Neill, and Colton Cowser brought Basallo home with a sacrifice fly.
Blaze Alexander followed with an RBI single of his own to make it 2-0, and those two runs ended up being all the Orioles needed.
The ninth inning brought the debut of new closer Ryan Helsley, and he looked every bit worth the investment.
Helsley struck out the side while throwing six pitches at 100 mph or harder, even though he did allow a single and uncork a wild pitch in between all those punchouts.
Where Things Stand Now
The Orioles sit at 1-0 on the young season while the Twins fall to 0-1, and Baltimore won't play again until Saturday when Kyle Bradish is expected to get the start in Game 2.
It's only one game, and Rogers said as much himself, but there's something about the way this team came together on Thursday that felt like more than just a box score.
First-year manager Craig Albernaz got doused in beer by his players in the clubhouse after the win, and for a franchise that missed the postseason last year after reaching it in 2023 and 2024, the energy around Camden Yards felt real again.
A lot can change over the next 161 games, but the Orioles couldn't have asked for a better start.