TORONTO -- The velocity still wasn¡¯t as high, but the splitter was nasty. The vibes were up.
It finally felt a bit like 2023 again on Saturday for the Orioles, who turned the ball over to Félix Bautista -- the towering 6-foot-8 right-hander fittingly known as ¡°The Mountain¡± -- for the ninth inning of a close game. Everybody in Baltimore¡¯s dugout or bullpen couldn¡¯t help but smile.
¡°I got goosebumps watching him run onto the field,¡± right-handed reliever Yennier Cano said via team interpreter Brandon Quinones.
¡°That was so exciting for all of us,¡± manager Brandon Hyde said.
Bautista¡¯s performance made it even more thrilling. The 29-year-old recorded three strikeouts in a scoreless frame, closing out the Orioles¡¯ 9-5 win over the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. The All-Star hadn¡¯t pitched in a regular-season game since Aug. 25, 2023, having missed all of the ¡®24 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
Although it wasn¡¯t a save situation, Hyde opted to use Bautista, the only member of the eight-man bullpen who hadn¡¯t pitched over the first three games of the season.
¡°I was really waiting for this game,¡± Bautista said via Quinones. ¡°I was waiting for my chance, waiting for my opportunity, just waiting for whenever my name was called.¡±
Hyde was hoping to find a low-stress spot for Bautista -- who pitched in six Grapefruit League games during Spring Training -- to make his regular-season return. The O¡¯s had a four-run cushion, but the top of the Blue Jays¡¯ lineup was looming.
Bautista struck out Nathan Lukes swinging before giving up a double to red-hot Bo Bichette. Then, Bautista punched out Vladimir Guerrero Jr. swinging.
After issuing a two-out walk to former teammate Anthony Santander, Bautista polished off his performance with a third swinging strikeout, fanning Andr¨¦s Gim¨¦nez to end the game.
Bautista¡¯s sinker, which frequently hit 100-plus mph pre-surgery, maxed out at 97.9. It often sat around 96-97 mph during the spring, though he expects it to tick up through the season.
But Bautista¡¯s splitter was as nasty as always. He threw it six times and induced four whiffs, including the final swings on each of his strikeouts.
¡°We all know that¡¯s his main pitch, his punchout pitch, and it was working today,¡± said Jordan Westburg, who slugged a pair of homers in support of the pitching staff. ¡°It¡¯s good to have the big man back, shutting down games in the ninth inning.¡±
As Bautista looks to be effective without dialing up his heater to triple digits, the splitter will be a key to his success, as well as his slider and the new cutter he has added to his arsenal.
¡°I felt a lot looser today, I think the adrenaline definitely helped,¡± Bautista said. ¡°I think playing in a game that counts definitely helped me today, but I did feel really good with [the splitter].¡±
Bautista was dominant over his first two big league seasons. As a 27-year-old rookie in 2022, the Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, native posted a 2.19 ERA in 65 appearances, becoming the club¡¯s closer during the second half and picking up 15 saves.
In 2023, Bautista was even better, recording a 1.48 ERA and 33 saves over 56 games.
Bautista¡¯s absence was greatly felt in 2024, when the Orioles signed Craig Kimbrel to a one-year deal to fill in as closer. Kimbrel had a 5.33 ERA in 57 outings before he was designated for assignment in September, after which Baltimore closed by committee, often utilizing Seranthony Dom¨ªnguez in the role.
¡°All the people in this room know what [Bautista has] gone through, and how he was itching to be a part of our team last year so badly and unable to do that,¡± Hyde said. ¡°Everybody was pumped up that he was coming into the game.¡±
Bautista was excited, too, even if his stoic demeanor didn¡¯t show it.
¡°No anxiety with him,¡± said Cano, Bautista¡¯s best friend on the team. ¡°He was very calm the entire time and very relaxed.¡±
Now that Bautista is back, his focus can solely be on building upon his first positive outing and trying to have another strong season.
After such a long journey while recovering, did Bautista take a moment to reflect on Saturday?
¡°Not yet,¡± Bautista said with a smile. ¡°It all happened so fast, getting into the game, playing and then getting ready to hit the gym after my outing. So I'm sure once I get to the hotel and once I have a chance to relax and cool down, then I'll be able to reflect on it.¡±