Mike Wright: "That is everything you dream of"

Well, that major league debut could not have gone much better for 25-year-old right-hander Mike Wright.

"That is everything you dream of. Really fun. I was a little nervous that first inning, but tried to enjoy it," he said after pitching the Orioles to a 3-0 win over the Los Angeles Angels.

"At times, I had everything working. But as a whole, my slider wasn't there but felt good all together. I felt amazing and 100 percent having that much rest."

Wright's last outing was in Triple-A on May 6, but I'll bet this one topped that today. He allowed just four hits over 7 1/3 innings with no walks and six strikeouts, throwing 90 pitches. One day, he can tell his grandkids he got Mike Trout for his first big league strikeout and that he threw a 98 mph fastball by him to get his second big league out.

"That was pretty exciting," Wright said. "To have your first big league strikeout be Mike Trout. Pretty good thing to have."

The only time Wright had two runners on base, he pitched out a one-out jam with runners on second and third in the fourth.

"That was amazing," Wright said. "Honestly, that ball (Albert) Pujols hit, I thought was gone. I missed with a fastball, but when that stayed in, I knew I really needed to get through this. That was one of my really good sliders, to get the strikeout and end that inning."

After he gave up a one-out single in the eighth, Orioles manager Buck Showalter called for Brad Brach and Wright left to a standing ovation from 41,733 at Camden Yards.

"I just wanted to kind of savor it," he said. "Most of the advice I got was you only make your debut once, so soak it all in. That is definitely what I tried to do. Wanted to look up and see what was going on, so I remember that forever."

Wright had pitched to a 7-2 record and ERA of 1.62 in his last 13 Triple-A starts, dating to last July. He carried that into today on an even bigger stage.

After 91 career minor league appearances, all the work to get here paid off this afternoon for the Orioles 2013 minor league Pitcher of the Year.

"There are plenty of people that spent more time in the minors," he said. "But when you make the steps going through (the minors) it is unreal getting here. Every time you move, you are taking a step forward and when you get here, that is what you are walking towards. So to actually be here is amazing."

Wright is the ninth Oriole to pitch a scoreless start in his major league debut. The last was Chris Waters on Aug. 5, 2008 against the Angels. The last to do so at home for the Orioles was Anthony Telford on Aug. 19, 1990. It was the seventh-longest start for an O's starter making his debut and not allowing a run, and Wright is the first to toss a scoreless start without a walk in his debut.

Wright said he kept his routine the exact same today which included him reading a book before the game in the stands, he said, to get used to the weather. He said he couldn't wait to get to see his family after the game.

"I'm going to go outside and hug my family. I know my mom is crying right now." he said.

His postgame interview ended with a question about how today would rank on his list of all-time baseball thrills.

"The top. Absolutely the top," he said.

The rest of the clubhouse had plenty to say about Wright's day.

Zach Britton: "I think that was the best debut I've ever seen. He had multiple ways to get guys out today and that was huge. He was pitching, not throwing. He's got some extra velo when he needed it. That was impressive and an outing that we needed. Hard to put pressure on a young guy like that, but that's the best debut I've ever seen. Now he can breathe a little bit and enjoy it.

"He asked some of our opinions about what we felt like in our debuts. We said to enjoy it, soak it in and remember the moment. He did that and more. He looked like he was ready for this moment."

Adam Jones: "That was good. I'm happy for him. Told him before the game, 'Trust your stuff.' Seen him pitch since spring training and strike out a lot of good hitters. I was impressed he went out there and went 7 1/3 within 90 pitches. That is even more impressive. He kept the defense in the game."

Caleb Joseph: "Really impressive. It's exciting for him. Played with him in Double-A and Triple-A. That was special and to do it against a good lineup and some big-name players was great.

"I told him just to have fun because this happens once. Soak the moment in, you deserve it. Remember that first pitch and all the things that people ask you about in the offseason. Reminded him that good pitches can get big league hitters out.

"Mike is pretty animated. I've caught him a few years. Something about being in the lights right here, you realize the magnitude of what is going on. You understand if you don't stayed composed, they'll sniff that, it's like blood in the water. Excited he pitched such a good game."