Cole Irvin. Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Watch: Orioles pitcher becomes latest victim of announcer jinx

By Colum Dell | Last updated 5/10/24

Baltimore Orioles left-hander Cole Irvin is enjoying the best start to a season of his career, but that doesn't mean he's immune to the dreaded announcer jinx.

After pitching 6.1 shutout innings in a 3-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds last week, Irvin became the sixth pitcher in Orioles history to have three consecutive scoreless starts of at least 6.1 IP.

During Friday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Irvin extended his scoreless innings streak to 22.2 IP. This prompted Apple TV+ broadcaster Ryan Spilborghs to mention Irvin's recently accomplished feat, which hadn't been achieved since Fernando Valenzuela did so in 1993, so viewers would know the historical significance in case he posted another shutout outing.

Naturally, Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte hit a 400-foot home run, his eighth homer of the season, less than a second later. For what it's worth, Spilborghs apologized for jinxing Irvin after Marte came around to score.

what a jinx pic.twitter.com/9WmgBTnpiE
— Cut4 (@Cut4) May 10, 2024

Marte's shot to right field was one of a few blemishes in an otherwise solid outing for Irvin, who gave up two runs and five hits across 5.2 innings while striking out six batters, bringing his ERA to 2.90.

The 30-year-old's emergence this season has been nothing short of remarkable, considering he was pitching for Triple-A Norfolk at this time last season. As MASN's Steve Melewski highlighted in a recent piece, Irvin credits his turnaround to working with mental skills coach Brian Cain.

If Irvin can remain consistent, it'll be much harder for American League East rivals to slow down the division-leading Orioles.

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