Adley Rutschman burst onto the scene in 2022 and instantly became one of the best catchers in the league. The Baltimore Orioles’ stud catcher wasted little time making MLB history in 2023.
Rutschman became the first MLB catcher since at least 1901 to reach base safely six times and go 5-for-5 on Opening Day.
.@RutschmanAdley became the first catcher to have 5 hits and reach base 6 times on #OpeningDay since at least 1901.
(h/t @SlangsonSports) pic.twitter.com/3MIYUxl3Wr
— MLB (@MLB) March 30, 2023
Rutschman homered once, drew a walk, and drove in four runs in the Orioles’ 10-9 victory over the rival Boston Red Sox. The O’s arrived in Boston ready to hack and spoiled the fun at Fenway Park for Sox fans.
Last season, Adley Rutschman debuted in the big leagues and went on a tear. In 398 at-bats, he posted a 5.2 bWAR with 13 home runs, a slash of .254/.362/.445, and 70 runs scored. Strong numbers to say the least for a rookie.
From the looks of it, early on, Rutschman is going to be a pain for AL East teams to deal with for a while.
He wowed the MLB world who were in awe of his sparkling performance.
FanDuel asked if Rutschman is the best catcher in the sport. Honestly, might be worth asking at this point.
Best catcher in baseball? 🤔#Birdland | #OpeningDay pic.twitter.com/imjcPuF3Ks
— FanDuel (@FanDuel) March 30, 2023
“Dadley Rutschman at your service,” the Portland Pickles tweeted at Jeff Passan of ESPN.
Dadley Rutschman at your service
— Portland Pickles (@picklesbaseball) March 30, 2023
Rutschman joined some elite company with his spectacular performance.
Here are some of the hitters who recorded 5 hits on Opening Day since at least 1901:
Eddie Collins (1913)
Babe Ruth (1921)
Nellie Fox (1959)
Jeff Kent (1998)
Craig Biggio (2001) https://t.co/PcFxtrde5V— Mathew Brownstein (@MBrownstein89) March 30, 2023
“That boy good,” one user put it. Yes, yes he is. Yes he is indeed.
That boy good https://t.co/kNIhYMzS7e
— Nonito Dunnaire (@RealFakeSamDunn) March 30, 2023
[MLB]
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022