Inside The Orioles

WATCH: Baltimore Orioles Star Reliever Dominates Red Sox in Return to Mound

The Baltimore Orioles closer returned to the mound after almost two years and was looking as good as ever.
Dylan Sanders|
Aug 22, 2023; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Felix Bautista (74) throws a ninth inning pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
Aug 22, 2023; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Felix Bautista (74) throws a ninth inning pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

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Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles saw their star closer return to the mound for the first time in nearly two years on Monday afternoon, and the results were about as good as they could have hoped for.

Felix Bautista suffered an elbow injury late in 2023 that kept him out all of 2024. He made his first appearance this spring training against the Boston Red Sox and sat the batters down in order.

Bautista did so with two strikeouts and a groundout.

When walking back to the dugout, he was met with a standing ovation from the home crowd filled with Orioles fans.

It was mentioned on the broadcast that his fastball has been gaining speed with every throwing session. He sat at 96 mph during his outing and even got up to 97 twice later in the inning.

When Bautista was last healthy, he was averaging 99.5 mph so there is still a little bit to go before he his back to that level of dominance.

Still, this was a good sign.

What was very promising is the fact that his splitter is looking dominant again. Pulling the rug out from underneath batters with that off-speed pitch in the mid-80s while having a high-90s fastball is what makes him so successful.

When healthy, the 29-year-old is one of the best closers in all of baseball.

He will look to quickly re-establish himself at the top, and outings like this will help his case.

Baltimore can let out a huge sigh of relief that he was able to go out, pitch a great inning and walk off the mound healthy in the spring as he gets ready for Opening Day.

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Dylan Sanders
DYLAN SANDERS

Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders

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