BOSTON — The last time Adley Rutschman recalls feeling this level of emotion on a baseball field was playing in front of intimate, 5,000-seat crowds in college at Oregon State.
He trumped that experience at Fenway Park on Thursday in his first career opening day start.
“This blows that out of the water,” Rutschman said.
Rutschman became the first catcher in major league history with five hits in an opener, and the Baltimore Orioles survived a wild ninth inning to beat the Boston Red Sox 10-9.
“To have that close game in the ninth inning and the crowd get so loud. You kind of sit there and say, ‘This is pretty cool,’ ” said Rutschman, the top overall pick in the 2019 draft.
Rutschman — the native of Sherwood, Ore., who debuted for the Orioles last May and quickly became indispensable to the young, resurgent club — homered in his first at-bat and finished 5-for-5 with a career-best four RBI and a walk on a chilly day at Fenway Park, with a temperature of 38 degrees at first pitch.
Ramon Urias hit a two-run homer for Baltimore, which finished with 15 hits, nine walks and five stolen bases.
Kyle Gibson (1-0) allowed four runs and six hits over five-plus innings to earn his first opening-day victory since his 2021 All-Star season with Texas. Gibson gave up an RBI groundout in the first inning before retiring nine straight Red Sox hitters.
The Orioles nearly gave the game away in the ninth.
With Baltimore leading 10-7, closer Félix Bautista walked pinch-hitter Raimel Tapia. Alex Verdugo followed with a single and advanced to second on an error by center fielder Cedric Mullins.
Rafael Devers struck out. Justin Turner then reached on an infield single to third when Urias’ throw was wide, scoring Tapia. Masataka Yoshida grounded to shortstop Jorge Mateo, who stepped on second for the force but threw wildly to first, allowing Verdugo to score.
Bautista struck out Adam Duvall on three pitches to end it and earn the save.
The Orioles scored four runs in the fourth and three in the fifth to take an 8-2 lead. Baltimore led 10-4 before Bryan Baker allowed three runs in the eighth to give the Red Sox some hope.
The eighth could have been even better for the Red Sox had Devers, who led off the inning, not become the first player in major league history to strike out on a pitch clock violation. Devers was looking down and kicking debris off his cleats when umpire Lance Barksdale signaled a violation that resulted in strike three.
“There’s no excuse,” said Alex Cora, who dropped to 0-5 in opening-day games as Boston’s manager. “They know the rules.”
Boston offseason addition and two-time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber (0-1) struggled in his Fenway debut, surrendering five runs on six hits and four walks in 3 1/3 innings.
“Less than ideal,” Kluber said. “Didn’t turn out the way I would have hoped for.”
GOOD COMPANY
Rutschman, one of six Baltimore players making his first opening-day appearance, became the youngest Oriole to homer in his first opening-day at-bat since Cal Ripken Jr. in 1984.
