Orioles right-hander Brad Brach acknowledged that he allowed some of his rocky outings linger last year in his time as the team’s interim closer, but after a blown save in his first ninth-inning opportunity of the season on Thursday’s Opening Day, he found comfort in holding his four-month-year-old daughter, Brilee, in the hallway outside the Orioles clubhouse after the team’s 3-2 extra-innings win.
This spring, Brach said that he hoped becoming a father would prevent blown saves from getting to him — Brach converted 18 of 22 opportunities as a closer last year — and his first hiccup of the season allowed him to reset.