Former Mountaineer John Means Dominant in Season Debut for Orioles

Originally posted on WV Sports Now | By Mike Asti | Last updated 5/5/24

As one former Mountaineer pitcher is set to make his return, another is coming off an impressive MLB season debut on Saturday night. In his first start of the 2024 season, John Means posted seven scoreless innings for the Orioles in a win over the Reds.

Means allowed only three hits and didn’t walk any batters while striking out eight. Means’ outing made Baltimore fans remember his past brilliance like from his 2021 no-hitter or close call at recording a second one seven months ago.

John meant business. pic.twitter.com/RF32S4k8c9

— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) May 5, 2024

“That was unbelievable,” said Orioles manager Brandon Hyde after the game. “I know he feels amazing right now. To go out and do that, seven shutout innings the first time out of rehab, not being on a big league mound for a while, was way more than we anticipated and expected and just shows you the competitor Means is and how off-balance he can keep big league hitters. The changeup was fantastic.”

Means is in his seventh MLB season, all with Baltimore. He was an All-Star in 2018 and has a career 3.67 ERA and 326 strikeouts.

This article first appeared on WV Sports Now and was syndicated with permission.

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