The Baltimore Orioles opened the 2017 season by beating the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 in 11 innings behind a good start, a strong bullpen and a timely home run.

It was a great win for the Baltimore Orioles, in a great atmosphere between two very evenly matched games.

Let’s review some of the key moments and key participants, looking at each section of the team (offense, defense, rotation, bullpen).

Starting Pitcher: Kevin Gausman

Gausman went 5.1 innings, leaving up five hits, two runs (all earned) and four walks to go with four strikeouts.

Gausman had a solid outing going until he ran into a problematic fifth inning. Gausman walked three in the fifth, including walking in a run. However, he was able to minimize the damage and keep the lead intact by getting Troy Tulowitzki to bounce out to Manny Machado with the bases loaded to end the inning. With 35 pitches in the inning, many expect that Gausman’s day might be done.

Buck Showalter curiously brought Gausman back out for the sixth, even though Mychal Givens was likely ready to go. Gausman quickly got the first out, but then allowed a single to former Oriole Steve Pearce to put the tying run on base, which would come around to score and tie the game.

Gausman finished with 103 pitches in 5.1 innings, a high number exacerbated by his rough fifth inning. However, Gausman didn’t give in and gave the team a chance to win. His fastball frequently hit the upper 90s, and the righty also had good movement on his pitches.

It wasn’t an ace-like performance, but it was a very solid start to the season from a player who had a lot of expectations on his shoulders.