When the Baltimore Orioles needed an arm to fill a roster hole, they turned to the University of Tampa pipeline — and Anthony Nunez has made the most of the opportunity.
The right-hander was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk on September 6 after outfielder Luis Robert Jr. landed on the 10-day injured list with left hamstring discomfort. It was a classic bullpen-by-necessity move for a Baltimore club in the middle of a five-game losing streak — but Nunez didn't treat it that way.
Three Appearances, One Clear Impression
Nunez debuted the same day he was activated, tossing 2.0 innings against the Red Sox while striking out three. Two days later against the Guardians, he worked 1.1 innings and added another strikeout. Then came his sharpest outing of the stretch: on Saturday, September 12 against the Blue Jays, Nunez struck out four batters across 1.2 innings, allowing just one earned run in a 3-7 Baltimore loss.
Over the three-game stretch, the Tampa product logged 5.0 innings, punched out eight, and finished the week with a 4.07 ERA. For a reliever working his way into a big-league bullpen, those are legitimate numbers — particularly the strikeout rate, which gives the Orioles a reason to keep coming back to him even as the roster situation evolves.
The Bigger Picture in Baltimore
Nunez's callup lands at a complicated moment for the Orioles. The Robert injury adds to what's been a turbulent stretch for a club trending in the wrong direction late in the season. For a team in freefall, a reliable late-inning arm isn't a luxury — it's a lifeline. Nunez hasn't solved Baltimore's problems, but he's given the coaching staff something to feel good about in an otherwise rough week.
The Tampa Connection
The University of Tampa has quietly built one of the more productive pipelines to professional baseball among Division II programs. Nunez joins fellow Spartan alumni currently active in MLB, including Clay Helvey and Jordan Williams with the Nationals, Jordan Leasure with the White Sox, and Sammy Peralta with the Angels. That's five active alumni on big-league rosters — a remarkable footprint for a program that rarely makes national headlines.
Nunez is the newest member of that club, and so far, he's earning his seat at the table.
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