‘It’s like a video game’: Eflin dominates former squad in return
Jake Rill
ST. PETERSBURG — Almost everything made Zach Eflin feel right back at home.
The 30-year-old right-hander, an Orlando, Fla., native traded from the Rays to the Orioles late last month, returned to the Tampa Bay area on Thursday. He stayed at his house and held his three young daughters. On Friday, he commuted to St. Petersburg’s Tropicana Field — his home ballpark in 2023 and for the first half of ‘24 — where he even got a designated visitor’s parking spot.
Then, Eflin toed the familiar rubber at The Trop and delivered seven scoreless innings against his former team, guiding Baltimore to a series-opening 4-1 win. He yielded only four hits and one walk while recording a season-high-tying seven strikeouts in a 94-pitch gem.
“Honestly, it was kind of like an out-of-body experience,” Eflin said. “Being with these guys — what was it, like, 15 days ago? — being in that clubhouse and then showing up and seeing all the workers I was friends with, seeing some of the guys on the team and the staff.
“I have so much respect for that clubhouse and everybody that works for this organization, so it was really cool to step on that mound again and be able to face them on the other side.”
Rays fans might not have felt quite as happy to see Eflin again, even before he carved up his former team’s lineup.
Eflin was traded to the O’s on July 26, then made his debut for the team on July 29, when he recorded a quality start vs. the Blue Jays. After the outing, he was asked about pitching with the support of the fans at Camden Yards and said “the crowd was into it — a bit different than Tampa [Bay].”
As Eflin jogged onto the field for his Trop return, there were some boos from the home fans who once cheered him on. It didn’t hurt his feelings, though, or dampen his excitement to be back.
“I played parts of eight seasons in Philly, so I know what it’s like to be booed a little bit,” Eflin said. “I think if you look at the words that I said, it probably doesn’t sit well. If you hear the tone of how I said it, I don’t think it really comes off bad. It’s part of the game.”
It’s also now in the past. Eflin is focused on his future and giving his new team the type of outings he put together Friday, which was one of the best starts by an O’s pitcher this season.
The Rays had seen it before. The Orioles hope to see it a lot more.
“He was good; really good,” Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. “I mean, he had all of it going.”
“That’s so good right there,” Baltimore skipper Brandon Hyde said. “That was textbook pitching.”
Eflin didn’t allow more than one baserunner in any inning, and Tampa Bay never got a runner past second base against him. He induced 13 whiffs, including seven with his cutter — his second most with the pitch in 22 starts this season, behind only the eight he generated in his Baltimore debut.
Several members of the Rays made note of Eflin’s increased changeup usage (11 times). Because of his six-pitch arsenal, he can mix things up each time out.
“It’s like a video game. It’s a lot of fun,” said James McCann, who has caught Eflin in each of his first three Orioles starts. “You figure out what’s working that night, and you’re able to sequence pitches. You’re able to tunnel pitches. Your options are kind of endless when it comes to knowing what his strengths are and knowing what the hitter’s weaknesses are, and then combining them and finding a way to sequence them to get guys out.”
Eflin became the fourth O’s pitcher to record a scoreless start of seven-plus innings this season, joining Cole Irvin (April 27 vs. the A’s), John Means (May 4 at the Reds) and Kyle Bradish (May 26 at the White Sox), each of whom also went exactly seven. Irvin is now at Triple-A Norfolk, while Means and Bradish underwent season-ending Tommy John surgeries in June.
In 28 career outings (27 starts) at Tropicana Field, Eflin has a 2.94 ERA. The only ballpark where he’s pitched at least seven innings and has a better ERA is Wrigley Field (a 2.20 ERA over 32 2/3 frames).
Baltimore’s rotation has been banged up all year, and even more so now with Grayson Rodriguez (right lat/teres discomfort) going on the injured list earlier this week. The club needs Eflin to step up, and he’s done just that, becoming only the third pitcher in O’s history to win each of his first three starts for the team (also Kyle Gibson in ’23 and Jack Harshman in 1958).
“Every win feels as good as the last one that I had, so I don’t really focus on stuff like that,” Eflin said. “It’s a cool stat, but I try to go out there and be competitive every single game and try and do my best and stay in as long as possible.”
