BALTIMORE — The Orioles had October in mind when they traded for right-hander Corbin Burnes back in February.
The former Cy Young Award winner played his role, remaining the steady force of an injury-riddled rotation to help Baltimore secure its second straight postseason berth.
After a strong first regular season with the Orioles, Burnes will take the mound on Tuesday when Baltimore hosts the Kansas City Royals to begin a best-of-three American League wild-card series.
“It’s an honor,” Burnes said. “To get the ball on Opening Day (and) Game 1 of the postseason, not many guys get to do that in their career. I’ve been fortunate to do it a couple times, and to do it my first year here in Baltimore is special. This is a great group of guys, and they accepted me from Day 1.”
Tuesday’s start is one eight months in the making for Burnes, who became the Orioles’ ace as soon as Baltimore swapped two prospects with the Milwaukee Brewers for him shortly before spring training.
The 29-year-old went 15-9 with a team-best 2.92 ERA while making 32 starts, eight more than any other Orioles pitcher. He’ll make his third playoff start and ninth postseason appearance of his seven-year career.
Burnes is 1-1 with a 2.84 ERA in the playoffs, including last year’s National League wild-card round with Milwaukee against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He started Game 1 and surrendered four runs on five hits — including three home runs — across four innings in the Brewers’ 6-3 loss to the eventual NL champions.
“Postseason baseball is a different monster,” Burnes said. “… (It) isn’t necessarily about going out there and trying to score the most runs. It’s about controlling the momentum.”
Burnes made two starts against Kansas City in April, allowing a total of five runs across 11 1/3 innings while walking one and striking out seven.
His counterpart on Tuesday, Royals left-hander Cole Ragans (11-9, 3.14 ERA), will make his postseason debut.
The 26-year-old has emerged as a stout young arm in his first full season with Kansas City a year after the Royals tied a franchise record with 106 losses.
Ragans pitched to a 1.08 ERA in his four September starts and finished with the fifth-most strikeouts in the majors (223). He blanked the Orioles on one hit over 6 1/3 innings on April 3 before being shelled for seven runs in 1 2/3 frames on April 20.
“I don’t forget the second (start),” Ragans said. “It just wasn’t a good day that day. … I don’t think it’s gonna affect how I prepare. Everybody’s good in the playoffs, so just prepare the same that I have all season.”
Kansas City is making its first playoff appearance since winning the franchise’s second World Series in 2015. The Royals were baseball’s biggest turnaround team this year, posting a 30-win improvement from their historically futile 2023.
“You want to create something new,” shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. said. “In the past, everyone in Kansas City has talked about the (2015 team), and so we want to create our own legacy.”
Witt hit a major league-best .332 in the regular season to secure his first AL batting title. He also clubbed 32 homers and stole 31 bases to become the first-ever shortstop with multiple 30-30 seasons.
The 24-year-old will get his first taste of playoff baseball after enduring last-place finishes in both of his first two seasons with Kansas City.
“It’s an unbelievable opportunity,” Witt said. “… Some guys never make the postseason … so you definitely got to make the most of it, but also enjoy each and every day.”
–Tanner Malinowski, Field Level Media
