Baltimore Orioles Tap Bruce Zimmerman As Starting Pitcher For Home Opener
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Maryland-born pitcher Bruce Zimmermann will be the starting pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles on Opening Day at Camden Yards.
The team said in a social media post on Sunday that Zimmermann was a hometown kid who grew up watching Opening Day every year.
And come Monday, 2022 will finally be his "dream to reality" year.
"I know the nerves are going to be really high but I'm very excited. It's an awesome opportunity," Zimmermann said.
Dream to reality.
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) April 10, 2022
Bruce is the first Maryland-born pitcher to start a home opener at Camden Yards. pic.twitter.com/IzsJYvYkIU
Zimmermann grew up in Ellicott City, played high school baseball at Loyola Blakefield High School, played college baseball at Towson University.
The lefty pitcher and Orioles fan focused his energy during spring training on trying to earn a spot in the team's starting rotation in what would be his third year in the majors.
Last month, Zimmermann noted that the abbreviated spring training in 2022 turned the exhibition games into an even more intense proving ground for anyone fighting to make the roster.
He said he faced a little extra pressure when pitching for his hometown team.
"I try not to think about it," he told WJZ during the training period. "I think it's just an amazing experience to represent the city that I grew up in and, you know, went to high school around. My whole family has been since my grandparents' generation and the one before. So, I think it's just an honor to be able to do it."