Ceremonies completed, time to start 2017 season (O's win in 11th)

Kevin Gausman's first pitch this afternoon to Blue Jays leadoff hitter Devon Travis was a 96 mph fastball for a called strike, and the second landed in shallow right field for a single.

The 2017 season was underway.

The Orioles did the usual fine job with the pregame ceremonies.

Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson was booed upon his introduction, but the volume level was nothing compared to what awaited José Bautista.

Executive vice president Dan Duquette wasn't kidding. Fans don't like that guy.

Buck Showalter, undefeated in six opening days since being named manager, received the usual rousing ovation. The crowd erupted for Adam Jones as he ran down the orange carpet, but Manny Machado trumped him.

Hyun Soo Kim didn't hear any boos, unlike last year's opening day. He was given a warm ovation.

The crowd helped MASN's Jim Hunter introduce No. 9 hitter J...J...Hardy.

The Orioles provided a special touch to the ceremonial first pitches by having Oliver Drake, Trey Mancini and Donnie Hart catch them in their first opening days. A wonderful idea. And Richard Troxell nailed both anthems.

Mark Trumbo received his Silver Slugger Award and we were ready to start the 2017 season.

Showalter again was asked to reflect on what opening day means to him.

"I'd like to say one of 162, but we had, what, 38 this spring? We're going to be at the 200 mark this year. But no, you do take it in," he said.

"Not anxiety, but you really want the weather to be good, you want the trip in to be good, the parking to be where people enjoy it. More importantly for me, they bring their kids and there's another generation of baseball fans and Oriole fans. Just a great memory that I think a lot of us here share some form of, whether it be covering your first game or something that made you want to do this. All of us. So, I look at it as a day of responsibility that you're Act One of a long play. Just hope it gets good reviews as the season goes on.

"Day One is about focusing on trying to figure out a way to beat the Blue Jays after 27 outs. That's going to be a real challenge."

The Orioles are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the opening of Camden Yards. Showalter remembers his initial reaction to it.

"It wasn't a 'wow.' It was 'wow' in a different way that they got it. They got it right. They blended the respect and the traditions with the nuances of new," he said.

"I'm always so proud of the offseasons. There's always a project going on here to keep it that way. There's a lot of pride involved in our stadium around the country and really the world. You talk to (World Baseball Classic) guys and they know about Camden Yards. I think we're proud of the fact that when you think about Baltimore, one of the things you think about is Camden Yards.

"I've heard everybody talk about, 'It was ahead of its time.' I think they did a good job of drawing back to bygone years, but also thinking about the future. What would you do different here? It's like you have that new toy at Christmas. It's one thing to have something new. What's it like five years later, seven years later?"

Gausman received today's assignment while Chris Tillman is on the disabled list. There's no way to relieve the pressure, as Showalter pointed out.

"You don't," he said. "That's part of the process these guys go through. It's not some magic word you're going to say or approach you're going to take, but you want that. It's part of the learning curve. And I'm hoping Kevin pitches a lot of games, whether it be playoffs, whether it be opening days or whatever. I'm hoping that he's going to have some things he reaches back for as he goes forward.

"He's a quick learner. He's a watcher and evaluator. Kevin's really good at, I think he's gotten a lot better at figuring what works out for him and what doesn't work. Everybody's constantly tweaking stuff and trying to critique stuff, but Kevin's good at saying, 'OK, that may be good for you, but it doesn't work for me.' He's getting a real good feel for what's best for him, especially on those days when he's not carrying that 96, 95 (mph), and it's going to happen. It's going to happen to everybody."

No matter what happens today, there will be 161 more games before the page turns to the postseason.

"I've got a good feeling about this club," Showalter said. "I know they care a lot and I think we'll seek our level. I just hope some outside things like injuries and stuff like that ... I think we're better positioned to cope with some of that stuff. A lot of the maneuverability of our roster this year. The 40-man plus the Bowie and Norfolk rosters.

"Kind of knowing who you are, this how we're going to have to do it. We've got a good feel for it. It's just a bar that I think the fans have helped us raise. Once you get more Ws than you have Ls, is that good enough? No, it's not. Our city and our fans deserve that consistency. It's rare and hard to find. It's a challenge and it'll be a challenge this year."

Update: The Orioles were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position until an RBI single by Chris Davis and RBI double by Mark Trumbo in the third inning provided a 2-0 lead.

The Orioles have four doubles in three innings. Gausman has thrown 57 pitches, his fastball topping out at 99 mph.

Update II: Gausman threw 103 pitches in 5 1/3 innings and left with a 2-1 lead. He was charged with the tying run on Ezequiel Carrera's RBI double off Mychal Givens.

Gausman allowed five hits, walked four and struck out four.

Update III: Trumbo homered off Jason Grilli with two outs in the 11th to give the Orioles a 3-2 win.

Trumbo has six career walk-offs. Tyler Wilson gets the win.