Zach Britton Wins Major League Debut

Salisbury, MD - The Delmarva Shorebirds, the class "A" affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, are excited to add to the long list of former players that have progressed from the Eastern Shore to the major leagues. Former Shorebirds pitcher Zach Britton made and won his major league debut for the Orioles on April 3 against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Britton is the first former Shorebirds player to make his MLB debut since May 28, 2009 when David Hernandez made his debut.

He stifled the Rays in six strong innings in his debut. Britton allowed just three hits and struck out six batters.

Entering the season, Britton was tabbed the third best prospect in the Orioles system according to Baseball America. He was widely considered one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball.

The 23-year old left-hander took the Orioles rotation spot previously held by Brian Matusz, who was placed on the Disabled List on Sunday.

Britton anchored the Shorebirds pitching staff in 2008. He posted a 12-7 record with a 3.12 ERA. He finished seventh in the South Atlantic League in ERA and fourth in the league in innings pitched.

Since his time on Delmarva, Britton has gone onto dominate at all levels. Last season, he posted a 7-3 mark with a 2.48 ERA with the Bowie BaySox and a 3-4 record with a 2.98 ERA while with the Norfolk Tides.

The Delmarva Shorebirds open the 2011 season on Tuesday, April 5 with an exhibition game against the Salisbury University Sea Gulls at 7:05 p.m. The Shorebirds open the South Atlantic League portion of their schedule on Thursday, April 7 at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium against the Greensboro Grasshoppers.

For tickets and more information, call the Shorebirds at 410-219-3112.