The Baltimore Orioles launched their 2025 season with a commanding 12-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on March 27 at Rogers Centre, driven by an explosive offense that delivered 14 hits, including a franchise-record six home runs on Opening Day. Despite the absence of star shortstop Gunnar Henderson, sidelined by a mild right intercostal strain, all nine starters reached base at least once, showcasing the team’s depth and firepower in a game that underscored their World Series ambitions.
Adley Rutschman and Cedric Mullins led the charge, each hitting two home runs. Rutschman opened the scoring with a solo shot in the first inning and added a two-run homer in the eighth, finishing 3-for-5. Mullins ignited the fourth with a leadoff homer and capped a seven-run seventh with a three-run blast. Tyler O’Neill and Jordan Westburg also went deep, contributing to the historic outburst. The six homers surpassed the Orioles’ previous Opening Day high of four, set in 1982 and 2006, and tied for the second-most in American or National League history since 1901, trailing only the 2019 Dodgers’ eight, per MLB.com.
“Honestly, I thought we had a great day as a team,” Rutschman said. “Opening Day is always an interesting one, lot of nerves flying around. But I felt like our guys did a great job of coming out ready to go, and to put up a 12-spot, that always gives us a little bit of comfort.”
Henderson, the two-time defending Most Valuable Oriole, was placed on the injured list earlier Thursday and will miss at least the first five games. Filling in at shortstop, Jackson Holliday marveled at the team’s potential. “I was just thinking during the game,” Holliday said, “I’m like, ‘Man, we don’t even have Gunnar yet. This is pretty sweet.’”
O’Neill’s homer extended his AL/NL record streak of consecutive Opening Days with a home run to six, a feat manager Brandon Hyde called “mind-boggling.” No other player has exceeded four. “It was special,” O’Neill said. “It was really cool to see all the guys show up today.”
Rutschman and Mullins joined an elite group as the third and fourth Orioles to hit two homers in an opener, following Brooks Robinson (1973) and Sam Horn (1990). Rutschman’s career Opening Day stats improved to 10-for-14 (.714) with three homers across three seasons, including a .600 average (15-for-25) against Blue Jays starter José Berríos. “The way he swung the bat in Spring Training, he looked as locked in as I’ve seen him,” Hyde said. “He’s playing so motivated right now, and awesome to see him get off to an unbelievable start.”
Mullins emphasized the team’s approach. “We have the potential to do a lot of good things out there,” he said. “Saw a lot of really good at-bats, guys grinding through at-bats and getting good results from it.”
The Orioles’ 12 runs marked their third straight Opening Day with double-digit scoring, tying a record set by the 1893-95 Reds and 1994-96 Brewers, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. They edged the Red Sox 10-9 in 2023 and beat the Angels 11-3 in 2024. “It’s a good start,” Rutschman said. “Got a lot more games left, and we’re just going to try and keep doing the same thing and keep working.”
Now 1-0 for the fourth time in five years, Baltimore signaled its offensive prowess. “I think you have to go back to, it’s one of 162,” Hyde said. “But I think that we showed the type of offense that we can be.”
