Bruce Zimmermann allowed the emotions to wash over him Sunday night. He snuck onto the darkened field at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, soaking in the silence — a silence far from anything he’d experience the next afternoon.
When he grew up in Ellicott City, the Loyola Blakefield graduate had dreamt of moments such as these. And because of those dreams, Zimmermann hoped taking some time in the pitch-dark quiet would make Monday easier.
There was no avoiding the magnitude: The 27-year-old left-hander was the starting pitcher for his childhood ballclub on Opening Day. But there was a chance to dull it just enough, to allow himself to experience the awe by himself rather than with 44,461 onlookers shouting his name.
“Walking out on that field and seeing the ‘Opening Day’ spray-painted on the grass and the new left field wall and the warehouse lit up, it was kind of storybook in a way,” said Zimmermann, the first Maryland-born pitcher to start a home opener in 30 years at Oriole Park.
And as is the case in any good story, there was a happy ending. Zimmermann pitched four scoreless innings, holding the Milwaukee Brewers largely in check before handing the ball over to the bullpen to secure a 2-0 win in the home opener.
“The way today went was kind of the cherry on top,” Zimmermann said.
When Zimmermann sat in his childhood bedroom not far from Camden Yards all those years ago, his dreams had included him running out on the orange carpet from center field. He didn’t have that distinction Monday, warming in the bullpen during those pregame introductions.
But that amendment to his dream was minute considering the overall nature of his outing, as he struck out four Brewers while allowing three hits. He worked out of danger in the third inning, when he loaded the bases with two walks before forcing an inning-ending fielder’s choice. He showed emotion throughout, earning choruses of an elongated “Bruce” from a hometown crowd lauding one of their own.
All that made missing the orange carpet introduction worthwhile.
“I think he’d much rather be pitching,” Zimmermann’s father, Bruce Sr., said.
“We’d much rather have him pitching,” his mother, Marcie, added.
His parents were in the crowd, as well as several of his aunts and uncles and siblings. His college coach at Mount Olive, Carl Lancaster, invited himself, texting Zimmermann for tickets as soon as he heard the young pitcher would start.
It was Lancaster’s first time seeing Zimmermann in person at the major league level, and given how well his former pupil pitched Monday, it probably won’t be the last. Zimmermann mixed his changeup in with his fastball heavily, but his slider — used sparingly — also kept the Brewers off balance.
“His changeup has always been really good, all the way through,” Lancaster said. “And it looks like his slider is much better than it was back in the day. Velo’s up and he’s very composed out there. We’re all excited for him, very proud of him, and he’s very deserving. He’s worked hard. He’s a hard worker.”
To be here, on the bump for Opening Day at Camden Yards, it took more than a solid spring training. Zimmermann dealt with a disjointed 2021, hampered with bicep tendonitis and a severely sprained right ankle. But despite a stint on the 60-day injured list, he returned in six weeks from that ankle injury, determined to make a good impression to position himself to be in the starting rotation this season.
The results were a mixed bag. He allowed one run across four innings in his first start back, a 4-2 win over the Boston Red Sox, before recording just two outs and allowing three runs in a 12-4 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. Still, being on the mound showed his perseverance — an aim for bigger moments in the future.
“He was driven to make those starts at the end of last season thinking about that for this year,” his father said. “He wanted to leave an impression before this season started.”
Usually, Zimmermann will take a peek into the stands to see his parents, a quick acknowledgment before he refocuses on his next pitch. But Zimmermann didn’t so much as glance into section 38 on Monday, not even as he departed the mound after the fourth inning.
But if Zimmermann didn’t look at his parents, they could hardly look anywhere else.
As they watched their son on the mound for Opening Day, at the ballpark they had routinely attended through the years, there were shakes of the head, smiles and laughs, and shouts whenever Zimmermann retired another batter. Expressing that emotion in other ways, though, was more arduous.
“No words,” Bruce Sr. said.
“Indescribable,” Marcie said.
“Pretty awesome, man,” Lancaster said. “I think everyone in the ballpark is very proud of him.”
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Source: Berkshire mont
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