CHICAGO -- Brandon Young didn’t provide the best start of the Orioles’ young season, that honor still resides with Trevor Rogers’ Opening Day gem. But the most important outing of the year? That honor does go to Young.
The 27-year-old right hander dealt five scoreless frames to lead Baltimore to a much-needed 2-1 win over the White Sox at Rate Field on Monday. After a sweep at the hands of the Pirates, all while the Orioles wait for Zach Eflin’s diagnosis on his injured right elbow, Young delivered what the O’s had been searching for so far this season -- a strong start.
“Yeah, that was awesome,” manager Craig Albernaz said. “He stepped up big for us. To give us five innings, not give up any runs, was huge. He went right up to his pitch count, as well. So it worked out great. He threw the ball well for us, kept us in the game. Could say a lot of things about Brandon Young right now -- but that was outstanding -- what he did today.”
That type of praise for Young’s two-hit outing was because outside of Rogers, only Shane Baz had reached the five-inning mark this year, Orioles starters had allowed four or more earned runs four times already and Baltimore’s 4.85 starter ERA entering the series opener ranked 22nd in MLB. Without Eflin or Dean Kremer, who started Friday at Triple-A Norfolk and was out of rotation for Monday, the Orioles called up Young for a spot start.
And he might have just earned himself another opportunity.
“It was pretty cool, again, just being back with the team, just giving us a chance to win,” Young said after his second career victory in 13 starts.
“Hopefully, I can do that for this team this year. It’s awesome.”
Young, Baltimore’s 2024 Minor League Pitcher of the Year, had a rocky first season in the Majors in 2025. He threw an immaculate inning during a July 8 outing, and even took a perfect game into the eighth inning against the Astros, but ended the year with a 1-7 record after compiling a 6.24 ERA across 12 starts.
Monday’s outing was a first step for Young proving not only his maturation as a pitcher, which he did by working around runners on base four of his five innings, but that he can learn and continue to adapt when facing a lineup for a second and third time.
“Having a good first [start] it always feels better. Having the confidence,” Young said. “Last year, I had some good ones, had some bad ones. So, I think this year is just like, ‘Who can I be consistently? Who's Brandon Young?’ Being up here with this team, it means the world.”
With a new sinker in the arsenal, which Young threw eight times (12%) against the White Sox, the right-hander kept Chicago guessing and generated weak contact before finishing with a strong 1-2-3 frame in the fifth. Not only was the pitch effective, but it also opened up the rest of his six-pitch repertoire.
“It’s just a little something different, another heater that I can throw to both sides,” Young said of the pitch. “Puts a little wrinkle in. Two-seam, sinker, I don’t even know what it is, really, but just something different to keep them off. It’s been good to me. Started in Spring Training throwing it, so I had the encouragement to throw it tonight. I think it’s going to be a big pitch for me.”
On a cold and windy night in Chicago, it was the type of outing the team needed as the bats continued to wake up slowly. Baltimore entered Monday with just six homers (28th in MLB) and 34 runs scored (T23rd), and while offense was still hard to come by, Gunnar Henderson provided a boost for Young with a sixth-inning solo blast, his third of the season.
Behind Young and the bullpen, right fielder Tyler O’Neill made a diving play, catcher Adley Rutschman had a pair of strike-’em-out throw-’em-outs and first baseman Pete Alonso made a potentially game-saving diving stop in the ninth.
A sloppy start to the season hindered the first week-plus, but Young may have started the turnaround in a game he didn’t know he was pitching in 48 hours ago.
“[Young] knows how to pitch,” Henderson said. “And I feel like that’s the biggest compliment you can give to a pitcher. He knows his stuff and thankfully I’ve got to watch it a long time. Playing with him in the Minor Leagues, and then obviously up here, he’s been incredible at every level. He controls every pitch, he gets ahead and attacks hitters. It’s really fun to play behind him.”