SARASOTA, Fla. -- With iPad in hand, Orioles manager Brandon Hyde instructed pitching coach Drew French to close the door to the skipper¡¯s office on Friday afternoon and told right-hander Zach Eflin to take a seat on the black leather couch.
¡°We have some people that want to say some things to you,¡± Hyde said to Eflin.
At that moment, Eflin wasn¡¯t exactly sure what was happening. But the 30-year-old was hoping to see his wife, Lauren, and his four kids -- his three daughters Ashton (3 years old) and twins Austen and Hallie (almost 2) and his son Hayden (1 month) -- on the screen as he took it.
He got what he wished for. And his loved ones came bearing news.
¡°One, two, three, blast off!¡± the kids yelled.
¡°Blast off?¡± Eflin asked.
¡°You¡¯re the Opening Day starter,¡± Lauren said along with the children.
For the second time in his career, Eflin will be starting his team¡¯s first game of the season. Only this time, he got the news in the greatest way imaginable to him.
¡°Honestly, I¡¯m getting chills right now,¡± Eflin said later, reflecting on the moment. ¡°I don¡¯t know a better way to find out than from the people you love the most.¡±
Eflin may not have seen it coming, but he has been the frontrunner to get the Opening Day starting assignment since the O¡¯s reported for Spring Training in Sarasota in mid-February. Now, it¡¯s official that he¡¯ll be taking the mound on March 27 at Rogers Centre in Toronto.
It wasn¡¯t a difficult decision for Hyde, who has been impressed with Eflin since the righty was traded from Tampa Bay to Baltimore last July 26. He¡¯s the perfect fit for the responsibility, in the manager¡¯s opinion.
¡°Nothing really bothers Zach,¡± Hyde said. ¡°He¡¯s as cool and calm as they come. There¡¯s not an environment that¡¯s going to be too much for him.¡±
Eflin¡¯s first Opening Day start came last season, when he also faced the Blue Jays. He allowed six runs on six hits (including three home runs) with five strikeouts, one hit batter and one walk in 5 2/3 innings at Tropicana Field last March 28.
The rest of the 2024 season went much better for Eflin. In 28 combined starts for the Rays and O¡¯s, he had a 3.59 ERA in 165 1/3 innings. He recorded a 2.60 ERA in 55 1/3 innings over nine starts for the O¡¯s, then tossed four innings of one-run ball in their season-ending American League Wild Card Series Game 2 loss to the Royals.
¡°He was just so steady last year. He gave us a chance every start,¡± Hyde said. ¡°Made a great start in the postseason for us. He¡¯s a great teammate, he pulls for guys the other four days he doesn¡¯t start. He goes about his business the right way every single day. He¡¯s incredibly professional. He¡¯s one for a young pitcher to definitely follow because he just does everything right.¡±
Eflin will be the ninth pitcher to start for Baltimore on Opening Day over the past 10 seasons. The only hurler to do it twice over that span was left-hander John Means (2021 and ¡®22).
After last year¡¯s Opening Day experience, Eflin will better know what to expect.
¡°Now that I¡¯ve done it before, kind of know how to prepare myself,¡± Eflin said. ¡°Anxiety might be a little more heightened on Opening Day, it might be a little more heightened throughout the year and the playoffs, but you have those experiences, and you learn from it and you understand that it¡¯s just a game you¡¯ve been playing since you were 4 years old. Nothing really changes.¡±
Eflin is hopeful that his family can be there for the big day. However, there¡¯s one hang-up.
¡°I have my passport, but somehow, we cannot find the other passports right now. We¡¯re looking. We¡¯re looking everywhere. We¡¯ll see,¡± Eflin said. ¡°I don¡¯t know how realistic it is for four kids under [4] to go through customs and everything. I would probably be happy that I¡¯m not going to be part of that process. But I¡¯m hoping we can find our passports and whatnot.
¡°I probably shouldn¡¯t be telling you this because I¡¯m probably going to get a lot of crap later from my wife. But yeah, I would love for them to be there, obviously.¡±
Maybe he could take the blame for the missing passports to avoid the heat?
¡°That¡¯s a really good point,¡± Eflin said. ¡°But I¡¯m not going to because I¡¯m stubborn.¡±