The Chicago White Sox had a statement win against the reigning World Series champion Houston Astros on Opening Day.
And starting pitcher Dylan Cease followed up a runner-up Cy Young season in 2022 with a historic performance in Houston. Cease threw 10 strike outs on Opening Day, tying a White Sox record.
It's one thing to see dominance in the stat line, it's another to see it from the batter's box. And fans got a glimpse into what facing Cease is like thanks to ESPN's umpire cam.
I mean... no one is hitting this stuff.
Cease was one of just four pitchers in baseball to hit 10 strike outs on Opening Day, a group that included notable names like Gerrit Cole and Shohei Ohtani.
After giving up a leadoff single, struck swinging the next three batters: Alex Bregman, Yordan Alvarez and José Abreu.
That was the start of a stretch when Cease retired 19 straight batters.
MLB
Cease got through 6.1 innings, allowing two hits and zero runs. He pitched 18 of 22 first-pitch strikes of the 86 pitches he threw in his first start.
You couldn't chalk up a better start for the White Sox' ace.