Tampa Bay Rays Shane Baz (26) secured his first win of the season with overwhelming pitching.

On the 2nd (Korean time), Baz started in a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates held at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida, United States, recording 6 innings, 7 hits allowed, 10 Samjin, and no runs.

Baz struck out lead-off batter Jack Swinski in the first inning and recorded Brian Reynolds as a left-field fly out before dispatching O'Neil Cruz with a Samjin, starting the game with three outs in order. In the second inning, where Tampa Bay scored first with a 3-0 lead, he cleanly managed the Pittsburgh lineup of Joey Bart, Tommy Pham, and Emmanuel Valdez with three outs in order.

In the third inning, Baz allowed a hit to lead-off batter Ke'Bryan Hayes but induced Jared Triolo into a 6-4-3 double play. Although he allowed another hit to Isaiah Kiner-Falefa, he caught Jack Swinski with a line drive to right field, finishing the inning without significant threats. In the fourth inning, Baz faced a crisis with no outs and runners on 1st and 2nd after allowing consecutive hits to Reynolds and Cruz. However, he struck out Bart and induced Pham into a 5-4-3 double play, escaping the threat without giving up a run.

In the fifth inning, Baz retired lead-off batter Valdez with a swinging Samjin. After allowing consecutive hits to Hayes and Triolo, he induced Kiner-Falefa into a ground ball to shortstop, catching a runner at second base. He turned Swinski into a swinging Samjin to escape from the crisis. In the sixth inning, Baz returned to the mound, striking out both Reynolds and Cruz, and although he allowed a hit to Bart, he handled Pham with a Samjin to maintain his scoreless outing. With Tampa Bay leading 6-0 in the seventh, he handed the mound over to Mason Engler and finished his day.

Baz recorded 96 pitches, utilizing his curve (34 pitches), four-seam fastball (31 pitches), slider (19 pitches), and changeup (12 pitches). The maximum speed of his four-seam fastball reached 100.4 mph (161.6 km/h), and his most actively used curve had a swinging strike rate of 50%.

Baz, who joined Pittsburgh as the 12th overall pick in the first round of the 2017 amateur draft, wore the Tampa Bay uniform after a trade in 2018. Since then, Baz has garnered expectations as a key prospect for Tampa Bay, demonstrating strong performances in the minor leagues and was even selected for the United States national team for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics held in 2021.

However, Baz's career, which seemed to be on a winning streak, was marred by injuries. He made his big league debut in 2021 but started the season on the injured list after undergoing surgery for an elbow injury in 2022 and eventually underwent Tommy John surgery, missing the entire 2023 season.

After returning from injury last year, Baz recorded 4 wins, 3 losses, and an earned run average of 3.06 in 14 games (79 and 1/3 innings), showcasing his potential. In today's game, he broke his personal record for most strikeouts in a game, displaying overwhelming pitching. Major League Baseball (MLB.com) noted, 'Baz became only the 12th starting pitcher in Rays history to record over 10 strikeouts without a walk,' highlighting Baz's performance.

Tampa Bay second baseman Brandon Lowe said, 'From a fielder's perspective, you just watch from the back and feel grateful. I keep thinking how fortunate we are to have Baz on our team. I thought about that a lot tonight,' laughing.

Continuing the relay of strong performances from the Tampa Bay starting rotation, Baz said, 'I just didn’t want to be a pitcher who didn’t perform well from the first game. It was really fun. It’s enjoyable to watch. I feel something special can happen in every game. It’s an honor to be part of such a team,' expressing his feelings after the victory.

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