CLEVELAND -- It’s long been said that you never know what you’re going to see when you come to the ballpark. And most of the time that thinking applies to some kind of antic or accomplishment on the field. Maybe it’s an incredible slide or a bee interrupting an at-bat.
But sometimes, history can occur in the background. In the fourth inning of Baltimore’s 10-5 loss to the Guardians on Monday, reliever Corbin Martin entered the game in place of starter Tomoyuki Sugano, who had labored through 3 2/3 innings before being pulled after the Guardians tacked an unearned run against him.
And at first, that move looked like the right one, as Martin ended the threat by striking out Nolan Jones.
Then things got funky.
In the fifth inning, Martin got Daniel Schneemann and Brayan Rocchio to ground out before allowing a game-tying solo home run to Bo Naylor, then walking Steven Kwan, being called for a balk and hitting Ángel Martínez.
While his journey on the mound ended there after interim manager Tony Mansolino pulled him for Colin Sleby (who got José Ramírez to ground out), it meant Martin left the game with a pitching line you need to see to believe: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R/1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HR, 1 HBP, 1 balk
That’s right: Ones across the board. And not only is that stat line incredibly satisfying to look at, it’s also historic. It’s the first time someone’s recorded that pitching line since earned runs became an official stat in 1913.
There are plenty of players who have recorded ones in the first eight parts of the pitching line (David Bednar was the most recent player to do it in 2024), but the balk is what makes it special.
And that balk was set up in large part thanks to the peskiness of Kwan. Six days after he sent the All-Star Game to a swing-off with an infield single, Kwan was dancing off first base, which eventually led to Martin disengaging on the mound after already being set.
Less than a minute after Kwan lightly jogged to first base, Martin plunked Martínez in the left leg with a pitch.
The home run marked the first run that Martin has allowed this year with the Orioles. The 29-year-old had been in the Orioles system since 2023, and is on his second tour of duty with the big league club.
And, regardless of how it ends, he already knows that he’s made some history during his time with the Orioles.