Shane Baz battles early struggles in his Baltimore debut, settling in to showcase his elite knuckle curve and strong fastball as the Orioles secure a series win.
On March 29, 2026, the Baltimore Orioles took on the Minnesota Twins in the series finale, in which they would win 8-6 to take the series.
Baltimore was carried by their offense, who plated eight runs throughout the game and generated a ton of base runners.
However, Baltimore would see one of their big offseason acquisitions in Shane Baz make his team debut today, in which he would struggle at first but settled in very nicely.
Baz was acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for four prospects: OF Slater De Brun, RHP Michael Forret, C Caden Bodine and OF Austin Overn.
Baltimore Orioles Starting Pitcher Shane Baz (34) | © Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn ImagesIn 5.1 innings of work, Baz allowed four runs, seven hits and struck out four batters.
All four of Baz's earned runs were given up in the second inning, where Minnesota shortstop Tristan Gray ripped a bases loaded double into the gap.
Outside of the second inning, Baz pitched a very strong game as he would hold Minnesota scoreless in the third, fourth and fifth innings.
Baz only relied on three pitches today: his four seam fastball, knuckle curve and cutter.
Out of the 78 pitches thrown, Baz threw 29 fastballs (37%), 27 knuckle curveballs (35%) and 19 cutters (24%).
Baz's knuckle curve was by far his best pitch today, as it picked up two strikeouts and generated six whiffs. Baz used this pitch 17 times against left handed hitters, but only 10 times against right handed hitters. Baz's knuckle curve averaged 47 inches of drop today, further displaying its elite stuff and movement.
Baz also relied heavily on his fastball, and although the strikeout numbers weren't as successful as the knuckle curve, it was an efficient pitch nonetheless. Baz generated three whiffs on 14 swings on the fastball and averaged 97.1 mph. If Baz can constantly find the strike zone and throw first pitch strikes with his fastball, he could perform even better than he did today.
Baz's Baltimore debut was a success, as he not only displayed what could make him elite in the future, but Baltimore was victorious. Baz's debut only comes one day after he signed a five-year, $58 million dollar contract extension, locking him in to the core of the team for the foreseeable future.
Baz is slated to pitch again on Saturday, April 4 against the Pittsburgh Pirates where he'll have the opportunity to further build on his strong debut performance.