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Baltimore Orioles fans took to social media to share their delight after pitcher Felix Bautista was awarded the AL Reliever of the Year by the MLB on Wednesday.
The 28-year-old Dominican is coming off a breakout season with the Orioles, helping them win their division in the regular season. Despite ending his season early due to an injury that required Tommy John surgery, Bautista racked up numbers justify his win.
Felix Bautista signed with the Miami Marlins as an international free agent in Nov. 2012 played in the minor league system for over four years. He went on to sign a minor league contract with the Orioles in Aug. 2016 and went on to make his majoe league debut in 2022. After cementing his place as Jorge Lopez's successor in the bullpen, Bautista went on to have a terrific season this year.
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Bautista was named the Reliever of the Month in April after going 7-for-7 in saves and getting his season off to a bright start. He continued his form all the way into the deep end of August when he suffered a UCL injury that required a Tommy John surgery.
Despite ending his season early, the closer finished 8-2, with a 1.48 ERA and 33 saves in 39 chances. No wonder Orioles fans were quick to sing his praises on social media after winning the award unanimously for the first time in his career.
"All hail the king," wrote one fan on X (formerly called Twitter).
"No one better," added another.
Felix Bautista likely to miss 2024 MLB season after undergoing Tommy John surgery
Felix Bautista undoubtedly had the best season of his MLB career this year for the Baltimore Orioles. He played a huge role in their success in the regular season despite missing almost half the season due to injury.
While pitching against the Colorado Rockies in May, Bautista suffered a UCL injury, which proved to be the end of his season, as he underwent Tommy John surgery at the end of September.
It's a common injury faced by pitchers and is notorious for its long recovery time, so Bautista is likely to miss the entirety of next season as a result.
