BALTIMORE -- When Matt Wieters exited a game in mid-March with right elbow soreness, there was immediate concern about whether the backstop -- who had missed nearly all of the 2014 season with Tommy John surgery -- would be ready come Opening Day.
Wieters, who petitioned manager Buck Showalter to play in a regular spring game instead of a 'B' game, wanted to ensure he was fully ready and at game speed before suiting up for real behind the plate. That work paid off in his final at-bat on Monday, when he laced a first-pitch single into center field to seal the Orioles' 3-2 walk-off win over the Twins.