After beginning his season on the IL and completing a rehab assignment with the AAA Norfolk Tides, former WVU and current Baltimore Orioles pitcher John Means made his first start of the season on Saturday.
In a 2-1 O’s win over the Cincinnati Reds, Mean tossed seven shutout innings, striking out eight batters and allowing just three hits and no walks, picking up the win.
“That was unbelievable,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said of Means’ start. “To go out and do that, pitch seven shutout innings, first time off of rehab, not been on a big-league mound for a while, that was way more than we anticipated.”
Means hasn’t pitched a full season in the bigs since 2021, pitching just four games in 2023 and two in 2022 after dealing with injury. He was an All-Star and runner-up for Rookie of the Year in 2019 when he pitched in 31 games, starting 27 with a 3.60 ERA and 121 strikeouts across 155 innings.
Means pitched at West Virginia in 2013 and 2014 after starting his collegiate career at Fort Scott Community College. He was drafted by Baltimore in the 11th round of the 2014 MLB Draft and became the franchise’s 10th pitcher to toss a no-hitter on May 5, 2021.
