It seemed odd and unwarranted at the time, giving a rookie the honor of starting on opening day. Six months later, Joe Ryan might have locked up the job for 2023, too.
Ryan, the young fastball specialist, finished up a splendid first full season on Friday by shutting out the Tigers for six innings, setting a new Twins record for strikeouts by a rookie, and kicking off the final road trip of 2022 with a 7-0 drubbing of Detroit at Comerica Park.
The scoreless start, Ryan's fourth since Aug. 26, earned his 13th victory of the year, fourth-most ever by a Twins rookie, and extended the right-hander's season-long dominance of Detroit. Ryan has faced the Tigers four times this season and breezed each time, going 4-0 with an 0.76 ERA, plus 33 strikeouts and only three walks.
