Baltimore Orioles pitching prospect Bundy draws crowd at Suns game

With the Baltimore Orioles’ pitching prospect expected on the mound at Municipal Stadium on Sunday, the question was, would Orioles fans show up like Washington Nationals fans did when prospects Bryce Harper and rehabilitating starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg played home games with the Hagerstown Suns last year?

Orioles fans definitely showed up as there appeared to be more Orioles hats and shirts in the stands than Nats’ or even Suns’ gear.


Whether the crowd was bigger for Dylan Bundy or Harper depended on who was asked, as fans had differing opinions. Several fans interviewed said Sunday’s crowd appeared larger than a typical Sunday home game crowd and O’s pitching prospect Bundy was most likely the reason.

Dylan Bundy worked five innings for the Delmarva Shorebirds, the Single-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. He held the Hagerstown Suns scoreless and gave up just one hit, earning his first professional victory.

Bundy continued his perfect 0.00 ERA after eight games. It was his second game against the Suns.

The Shorebirds ultimately won by a score of 3-1.

“I came out for Harper, absolutely. I got his picture on my phone,” said Hagerstown resident Tim Barney, 30.

Barney said he attends two to three Suns games a year, coming out for occasions like Sunday, when a prospect is playing, or when he gets tickets.

On Sunday, like several other fans, Barney said he went to the game specifically to see Bundy.

Like many other fans, he also left when Bundy was done pitching.

Barney and some other fans said they expected a bigger turnout for Bundy.

Wearing a Washington Nationals ballcap, Frank Knapp said he’s a fan of the Nats and the Orioles, attending 10 to 15 Suns games a year.

He saw Harper and Strasburg play at Municipal Stadium and went to Sunday’s game to see Bundy pitch, said Knapp, 64, who lives north of Hagerstown.

While Knapp thought Sunday’s turnout was good, he said attendance at Harper’s and Strasburg’s games was bigger.

“There were people from D.C. all over the place for that,” he said.

“I’m not sure Baltimore has embraced Dylan Bundy the way Strasburg was embraced,” Knapp said.

Strasburg and Harper were No. 1 overall draft picks. Strasburg was considered a can’t-miss prospect while Harper, also a hot prospect, was drafted by the Nationals when he was 17, and was 19 when he was called up to the big leagues last month.

Strasburg and Harper played a home game Sunday afternoon at Nationals Park as the Nationals beat the Orioles.

Suns season-ticket holder Rick Toms said Sunday’s turnout was pretty good for a Sunday, more than the average Sunday, but not as big a crowd as when Harper or Strasburg played last year.